Washroom Dispute Brews At Marine Landing As Buyers Raise Concerns

Construction recently wrapped up on Marine Landing in Vancouver—a high-profile “stacked industrial” development by Wesbild at 8232 Manitoba Street. It’s a new combined industrial and office complex made up of two buildings. The lower levels serve as light industrial space, and the upper floors are for offices. Buyers, the City of Vancouver, and the developer are now facing a disagreement over washroom requirements.

Marine Landing offers around 242 units, ranging in size, and is described more like a public mall than a traditional industrial area. It includes perks like a rooftop deck, dog park, gym, amenity rooms, end-of-trip facilities for cyclists, and even a café—all open to the public. Industrial units start at about $519,900, while office space begins at $589,900.

After construction finished in April 2025, buyers were informed by the City that each unit must have its own washroom. However, no washrooms were built inside the units—only large, shared washrooms are available. This left some purchasers upset, as they now have to pay extra to add their own private washroom.

The City of Vancouver explained the reasoning: Marine Landing was built as “shell” space under the Vancouver Building By-law. That means interior fit-outs—including washrooms—are left for the buyer to handle during the Tenant Improvement stage. Since the final layout and how many people will use each unit weren’t known during construction, washroom rules are assessed later, based on occupancy rather than size.

Wesbild’s president, Kevin Layden, noted that the requirement—one washroom per business with one to 25 employees—is based on rules made for larger, traditional industrial spaces. These rules may not have anticipated the much smaller (around 600 sq ft) units at Marine Landing. Layden emphasized that their documents clearly state the units are delivered as shells and buyers must confirm their own needs and city requirements beforehand.

Still, a number of smaller-unit buyers, especially those new to investing in industrial properties, voiced frustration. To address this, Wesbild offered help: buyers of units under 650 sq ft can choose between a $5,000 credit to cover scanning, coring, and plumbing work for one washroom, or let Wesbild handle those infrastructure tasks while the buyer covers the rest. Purchasers must decide by July 15, 2025. Layden said that this is a goodwill gesture aimed at supporting buyers who weren’t fully aware of the extra cost—and he also noted brokers play a role in helping clients understand such details.