Tower planned at UBC campus would spoil Wreck Beach view, preservation society says

There’s a fight being waged over the height of a UBC student housing tower planned near Wreck Beach.

There’s a battle being waged over plans to build a 22-storey tower near Wreck Beach, on the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus.

The Wreck Beach Preservation Society has raised concerns the student housing development will ruin the view for beachgoers.

“Right now we have an uninterrupted natural setting, which is a beautiful escape from the city skyline—and it’ll change it forever,” said Dave McKenzie, spokesperson for the WBPS board.

“Previously we had set a precedent as 53 metres being the maximum height of any building that they were going to build, and they changed that policy without consultation with the stakeholders that were involved in the previous decision.”

In a statement to CTV News, UBC said the project was subject to its major capital projects development process, which involved “multiple steps and numerous points of approval.”

Those included reviews by the university’s Urban Design Panel, the Development Review Committee, a public open house and a period of public comment. The project was ultimately approved by UBC’s Board of Governors in September.

But the WBPS argued even board members are not on the same page.

“One of the members spoke with one of our members and assured her that it was still going to be the 53-metre limit,” McKenzie said.

The project looks to add more than 1,500 beds for students, 37 child-care spaces, a dining hall and common amenity space, as well as academic and administrative offices.

Both graduate and undergraduate students who spoke with CTV News said there is a desperate need for more campus housing.

While the WBPS isn’t opposed to new housing at UBC, where McKenzie is an alumnus, they argue it wouldn’t have to obstruct the view from the beach.

“We recognize that UBC has a lot of land that they can access for housing,” McKenzie said.

“We’d really hope that they might revert back to the 53-metre limit and, possibly, put buildings further back on the campus.”

An increased maximum building height of 66 metres was adopted as part of the university’s updated Land Use Plan in 2024. UBC said the decision was intended to address “the future needs of the university, including urgent housing needs for students, while ensuring land is used efficiently and open spaces are preserved.”

Members of the WBPS said they are hoping to have negotiations with UBC, and are that the experience for visitors at Wreck Beach can be preserved, too.

“We’ve been very successful in the past when we’ve appealed to them,” McKenzie said.