The Drake to Close

June 21, 2007

City purchases Drake Hotel

The City of Vancouver has purchased the Drake Hotel at 606 Powell Street. The Drake provides 24 rooms designated as Single Room Accommodation. It also includes a 220 seat pub that featured exotic dancers, which the City has closed.

The City has acquired the Drake to secure the development potential of the 20,000 sq. ft. site, which could include replacement housing for aging rooming houses in the area. Redevelopment of the site will be undertaken when the review of the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District is completed in 2009, and will depend on the availability of senior government funding for affordable housing.

In the interim, the City will be reopening the 24 rooms, most of which have not been occupied since 2004. The City will be seeking an operator to manage the 24 rooms as monthly rentals, and will be exploring possible uses of the ground floor commercial space formerly occupied by the pub. The rooms should be ready to rent before the end of the year.

For more information:

Ben Johnson
City of Vancouver Housing Centre
604.873.7542

See also CBC News' coverage of the story here.