Development landing: Vancouver, Squamish Nation reserve land

Sen̓áḵw (Vancouver): Squamish Nation Rental Development Buyer and Renter Guide

Last reviewed 24 September 2026 by Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®Sources: Squamish Nation (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw), senakw.com, Daily Hive reporting on ownership (Aug 2025) and first tenants (2026), BC Residential Tenancy Branch, Government of Canada: Indian Act / Indigenous Services CanadaCC BY 4.0How we verify

Sen̓áḵw is rental only: no unit in it is for sale. Tower 1 has had tenants since late May 2026, and the plan is 6,000+ rental homes in 11 high-rise towers on roughly 10.5 acres of Squamish Nation reserve land at the south end of the Burrard Bridge. The Squamish Nation leads the project; Westbank, the original partner, left in August 2025. The land was a Squamish village until the Province forcibly displaced its residents in 1913, and a 2002 federal court decision returned it. It is in federal jurisdiction, so Vancouver zoning does not apply. For the wider area, see the Kitsilano neighbourhood guide and the Vancouver Special & cultural-housing guide.

About the spelling

The Squamish-language name is written Sen̓áḵw. The diacritics (a comma under the n, an acute accent on the “a”, a dot under the k) mark sounds standard English spelling does not. This page uses them in the text and the plain Senakw in the web address; the Squamish Nation uses both forms.

Project at a glance

Owner / lead partner: Squamish Nation (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw)
Ownership: Phases 1–2: Squamish Nation and OPTrust, half each; phases 3–4: Squamish Nation. Westbank, the original partner, exited in August 2025
Site: ~10.5 acres, south end of Burrard Bridge, Kitsilano / Vanier Park area
Land tenure: Squamish Nation reserve land, federal jurisdiction
Planned size (publicly cited): ~6,000+ rental homes across 11 high-rise towers, all rental, no condo or strata
Status: Tower 1 leasing; first tenants from late May 2026
Scale: The largest Indigenous-led residential development in Canadian history
Vancouver zoning: Not applicable: site is in federal jurisdiction

Historical context: 1913, 2002, 2019

Sen̓áḵw was a Squamish village. In 1913, the Province of British Columbia forcibly displaced the Squamish residents from the village, evicting them from the land at the urban-core entrance of False Creek, some of the most strategically valuable real estate on the BC south coast. The Squamish Nation pursued legal recovery for decades. In 2002, a federal court decision confirmed the return of the land to the Squamish Nation. In 2019, Squamish Nation members voted to approve the residential development of the returned reserve land in partnership with Westbank, the project that became Sen̓áḵw.

Press coverage usually starts at the 2019 vote. The longer story is the 89 years between the 1913 displacement and the 2002 return, and the Nation's choice, 17 years on, of what to build.

What rental-only means for your search

Sen̓áḵw is being delivered as 100% rental tenure. There is no condo or strata component, no presale and no individual unit ownership. The Squamish Nation keeps the long-term interest in the land and the rental stock. Tenants rent under BC’s Residential Tenancy Act.

If you want to buy. Look at Kitsilano, Fairview and Mount Pleasant, or the False Creek and Olympic Village stratas across the inlet. All are ordinary condominium markets with strata title.

If you want to rent. Sen̓áḵw will be one of the largest single additions of new rental homes Vancouver has seen, arriving in Kitsilano as the phases finish. Day to day, a tenancy here follows the same rules as any BC rental: rent, deposit, notice and renewal under the Residential Tenancy Act.

Federal jurisdiction: why Vancouver zoning does not apply

Sen̓áḵw sits on Squamish Nation reserve land. Reserve land in Canada is held under the federal Indian Act framework and sits in federal jurisdiction, constitutionally outside provincial / municipal land-use authority. The City of Vancouver’s zoning, density, and design bylaws apply to land within the City’s jurisdiction; they do not apply to land that is constitutionally outside it. The Squamish Nation passes its own land-use rules for the site.

This is why Sen̓áḵw’s density, 6,000+ homes in 11 towers on ~10.5 acres, can far exceed what Vancouver’s zoning would permit on neighbouring parcels. It is not a loophole. It is the constitutional position of reserve land. When you compare Sen̓áḵw with other Kitsilano projects, remember they sit under different rules.

Phasing

Construction began in 2022, and Tower 1 took its first tenants from late May 2026. Unit and tower totals have shifted between the 2019 announcement and later updates. The figures below are the publicly cited ones; senakw.com has the current numbers.

Phase 1
Tower 1 (333 market and 67 below-market rental homes) is open: the first tenants moved in from late May 2026. Towers 2 and 3 were reported for completion by the end of 2026. Check the live leasing position before planning a move.
Phase 2
Subsequent towers extending north and east on the ~10.5-acre site. Construction is staged; phase delivery dates have shifted across press cycles. Confirm the current schedule against senakw.com.
Phase 3 + later
Final towers in the ~6,000+ unit, 11-tower program. Build-out is multi-year; the project is the largest Indigenous-led residential development in Canadian history and is intended as a long-term, multi-generation Squamish Nation revenue stream rather than a one-shot delivery.

Next door: Kitsilano and Vanier Park

The site sits at the south end of the Burrard Bridge, where the bridge meets the Kitsilano / Vanier Park shoreline. Vanier Park is immediately adjacent: the home of the Vancouver Maritime Museum, the Museum of Vancouver, and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, with a contiguous shoreline path that runs west to Kitsilano Beach and east toward Granville Island. Kitsilano proper (the West 4th Avenue spine, the Kitsilano Beach swimming area, and the W Broadway / Granville Island access) is the residential context immediately south and west of the site (see the Kitsilano neighbourhood guide). The Burrard Bridge crossing places downtown Vancouver and the West End within walking distance of the north end of the bridge.

School catchments: how it works on reserve land

Sen̓áḵw’s federal-jurisdiction status applies to the land’s zoning and development regime, not to the public-school enrolment pathway for residents living there. The Vancouver School Board (VSB / SD 39) accepts students based on residence, and residents of Sen̓áḵw will have the same VSB access as other Vancouver residents. The specific catchment for any address is determined through the standard VSB catchment lookup process at vsb.bc.ca/your-school-catchment once unit addresses are published. Renters with school-age children should confirm the catchment per address rather than assuming based on the broader Kitsilano grid.

Common questions

Can I buy a unit at Sen̓áḵw?

No. Sen̓áḵw is being built as 100% rental: there is no condo / strata component, and individual units are not for sale. The land underneath is Squamish Nation reserve land held in federal jurisdiction; the project is structured to keep the rental stock and the underlying land economics with the Squamish Nation as a long-term, multi-generation revenue source rather than monetised once through condo sales. If you are searching for a Vancouver West Side condo to buy, Sen̓áḵw is not the right project; Kitsilano, Fairview, or False Creek strata buildings nearby are. If your search is rental, Sen̓áḵw will be one of the largest single concentrations of new-build rental supply Vancouver has ever delivered.

How does Squamish Nation reserve-land tenure work?

Sen̓áḵw sits on Squamish Nation reserve land: federal jurisdiction under the Indian Act framework, not provincial / municipal land. The legal instrument the Squamish Nation uses to develop reserve land for residential / commercial purposes is typically a long-term lease or designated-lands arrangement; for a 100%-rental project, that means the building is owned via the Nation's development partnership and units are leased to tenants under standard residential tenancy. For tenants, the practical day-to-day experience is residential tenancy under BC's Residential Tenancy Act framework, but the macro-level structure (federal jurisdiction, no Vancouver zoning bylaw application, no condo strata) is unique. Verify any tenancy-specific question against the operator's lease and current published terms.

When does the first phase deliver?

Construction has been underway since 2022. The first tenants moved into Tower 1 from late May 2026, starting with Squamish Nation members before leasing opened to the public. Towers 2 and 3 were reported for completion by the end of 2026, with later phases over the following years across the ~6,000+ unit, 11-tower program. Phase dates have shifted across press cycles, so confirm the live position via senakw.com before making any move-in plans. The full build-out is multi-year; this is not a single-delivery project.

Is Sen̓áḵw inside the Vancouver School Board catchment?

Sen̓áḵw is on Squamish Nation reserve land: federal jurisdiction, not under Vancouver's municipal zoning. School-catchment treatment is a separate question handled by the Vancouver School Board (VSB / SD 39) under its enrolment policy: VSB accepts students based on residence, and residents of Sen̓áḵw will have the same access to VSB schools that other Vancouver residents do, with the specific catchment determined by the unit's address through the standard VSB catchment lookup process. The federal-jurisdiction status of the underlying land does not block VSB enrolment for residents living there. Confirm the catchment per address via vsb.bc.ca/your-school-catchment once unit addresses are published.

Why is Sen̓áḵw not subject to Vancouver zoning bylaws?

Because the land is Squamish Nation reserve land in federal jurisdiction. Reserve land is held under the federal Indian Act framework rather than the Province of British Columbia's land regime, and the City of Vancouver's zoning, density, and design bylaws apply to land within the City's jurisdiction, not to land that is constitutionally outside it. The Squamish Nation passes its own land-use rules for the site. This is the legal mechanic that allows Sen̓áḵw's density (~6,000+ units across 11 high-rise towers on ~10.5 acres) to substantially exceed what Vancouver's zoning would otherwise permit on adjacent off-reserve parcels. The arrangement is not a regulatory loophole; it is the constitutional position of reserve land in Canadian federalism, applied to a site that has been Squamish land in fact even when it was not Squamish land in colonial law.

What is the historical context of the Sen̓áḵw site?

Sen̓áḵw was a Squamish village. In 1913, the Province of British Columbia forcibly displaced the Squamish residents from the village, evicting them from the land. The Squamish Nation pursued legal recovery for decades; in 2002, a federal court decision confirmed the return of the land to the Squamish Nation. In 2019, Squamish Nation members voted to approve the residential development of the returned reserve land, leading to the current Sen̓áḵw project in partnership with Westbank. The development is therefore not just a residential project: it is the largest Indigenous-led residential development in Canadian history on land that was taken from the Squamish Nation in 1913 and returned a century later.

Who is the development partner on Sen̓áḵw?

The Squamish Nation leads it, through its development corporation Nch'ḵay̓. Westbank was the original development partner but exited its ownership role in August 2025; the Nation and the pension fund OPTrust now each hold half of phases one and two, and the Nation will own phases three and four outright. Confirm the operator of any specific tower against senakw.com.

Where exactly is the site?

At the south end of the Burrard Bridge in the Kitsilano / Vanier Park area of Vancouver, a roughly 10.5-acre site on the south shore of False Creek's western entrance. The location places residents within walking distance of Vanier Park, the Kitsilano waterfront, and the Burrard Bridge crossing into downtown / West End. It is the urban-core real estate that the 1913 displacement removed from the Squamish Nation, and the geography is a meaningful part of the project's significance.

I’m Bronson Job, a REALTOR® with Momentum Realty Inc. I’m not the developer’s sales team. There is nothing in it to buy, but I can help you buy nearby, as your REALTOR®.

Ask

Thinking about buying near here?

Sen̓áḵw itself is rental only, so there is nothing in it to buy. What the Kitsilano and False Creek strata nearby cost, and what roughly 6,000 new rental units do to them, is the live question. I can also introduce you to someone who works these blocks every week. Sen̓áḵw.