Concert Properties president Brian McCauley and his team of 100 volunteers gave a big boost to Union Gospel Mission’s annual summer BBQ in support of the Downtown Eastside July 18. Concert helped deliver 4,300 meals to those in need (Brian’s seen above manning the grill at Oppenheimer Park), and the company donated $35k to the event. In the last three years Concert has contributed $105k to the BBQ, one of its CommunityWorks initiatives. “We pride ourselves on giving back to the communities we do work in,” Brian tells us, “and there isn’t a community in Vancouver more deserving of assistance than the Downtown Eastside.”

In other news, Concert's received development permit approval for the first two residential buildings at The Creek, a master planned community in Southeast False Creek, one of the city’s last remaining waterfront sites. Brian says they’ll break ground on both—Voda, a condo, and a 135-unit rental tower—in 2016. In North Vancouver, Concert is preparing to submit a development approval application for Phase 1 of Harbourside, a mixed-use community. The firm is seeking a zoning change to permit construction of senior housing on the site, versus a hotel planned by the previous landowner. “Demand isn’t there for a hotel,” Brian says.

In Victoria, Concert’s gearing up to begin demo'ing buildings on a site in James Bay, adjacent to the B.C. legislature, to be replaced by Capital Park, a mixed-use project that'll revitalize almost an entire city block. Brian says they’re hoping to start construction this fall on the development, with 235k SF of office space (the province committed to leasing 180k SF over a 20-year term), plus 175 residential units and 17k SF of retail. Also in Victoria, Concert will be submitting a rezoning application for a site at 701 Belleville St, behind the Empress Hotel, where it plans to build a 170-unit senior residence.