Area
Commercial Drive
The Drive. Independent restaurants, cafés, grocers and shops, with a strong local identity and a lot of foot traffic around Broadway and the SkyTrain. Small storefronts lease quickly. Check zoning for your use, venting for food, and patio and signage rules before you commit.
.jpg){kind=link}
What tenants look for here
Ground-floor retail and restaurant space along Commercial Drive, small offices and studios above shops, and spots near Commercial–Broadway station, where the Expo and Millennium lines meet.
What to watch
- Block by block. The feel changes a lot between the north end, the middle and the stretch near Broadway. Walk it at the hours you’d be open.
- Older buildings. Many storefronts are in older low-rise buildings. Check the systems, washrooms and accessibility, and who pays to fix what.
- Food uses. Venting, grease traps and gas service decide which units can take a kitchen. Confirm with the landlord and the City before you sign.
- Local loyalty. The Drive likes independent businesses. That is good news for a neighbourhood concept and a harder road for a generic one.
Good fits
Restaurants and cafés, independent retail and grocers, studios, clinics and community services.
Go deeper
If you’re looking for more details
Before you sign in The Drive
- Check the zoning allows your use at that exact address.
- Walk the block at the hours you’d be open.
- Ask for the last two years of additional rent.
- Find out what the landlord will do before you move in, in writing.
- Look for a demolition or relocation clause.
Permits and licences
Inside the City of Vancouver you need a business licence for each location. A new use may need a development permit, renovations usually need a building permit, and many commercial spaces need an occupancy permit before you open. Plan the time for each step into your opening date.
Search
Not quite your situation? Search
Next step
Find the right space in Commercial Drive.
Tell me what you need and when. I can send you what’s available from every brokerage.