Kingsgate Mall Could Become a Vertical School Hub: What Mount Pleasant Buyers Need to Know Before the Election

OneCity Vancouver has put forward a proposal to redevelop Kingsgate Mall, the 3.2-acre shopping centre at the southeast corner of East Broadway and Kingsway, into a mixed-use complex combining a public school, community centre, affordable and subsidized secured purpose-built rental housing for School Board employees, and extensive childcare facilities including Indigenous childcare and before-and-after school care. The party, which is running candidates in all three elected bodies of local government for the October 17, 2026 civic election, also wants to explore whether a long-discussed 50-metre pool for Mount Pleasant could be accommodated on the site. The proposal envisions "vertical flex space" for the school and would require collaboration between Vancouver City Council, Park Board, School Board, other public and private partners, and First Nations.

The Kingsgate Mall property is owned by the Vancouver School Board but leased to local developer Beedie under a 99-year agreement that began in 1972, with Beedie taking over in 2005. The site sits near frequent bus routes and the future Mount Pleasant Station on the Broadway SkyTrain extension, giving it strong transit-oriented development credentials under the City's Broadway Plan. However, the School Board and Beedie have been locked in a court battle over rent. In March 2026, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in Beedie's favour, setting annual basic rent at $1.65 million for 2017-2027 rather than the $9.6 million from a 2022 arbitration decision. The court upheld that rent calculations must reflect existing zoning, not hypothetical larger developments requiring discretionary approval—leaving land value at $20 million rather than $116.5 million.