BC Business
Robert Fung stands in a dirty, graffiti-streaked Gastown alleyway, facing a pile of old bricks and rubble. A collection of hard-hatted workmen labour noisily with shovels, crowbars and hammers amid the ruins. Frankly, it looks a mess. But Fung doesn’t see the chaos reigning king, he sees the reinvigoration of Gastown.
At 39, Fung is arguably the most energetic developer in Vancouver’s downtown heritage neighbourhood, known more for its unsavoury nighttime activities and tacky tourist traps than its chic appeal. But a moratorium on development here has been lifted by the city, and the race is on to transform Gastown into a bustling centre of hip, boho-style living. Besides, as Fung points out, “How often do you say to yourself, ‘I really need a bunch of Canada T-shirts and some maple syrup.’” In 2000, Fung left his three-year post at Narland Properties – he’d already spent eight years with Concord Pacific – to launch The Salient Group with a focus on reviving historic landmark buildings. Fittingly, its nine-staff headquarters are located in Gaoler’s Mews, a heritage building of exposed brick, cool lighting and hardwood floors. Salient’s projects include Water Street’s Taylor Building and Terminus Project, the Flack Block at Hastings and Cambie and the Bowman Lofts on Beatty Street – as well as two residential projects in Point Grey (one on the old site of the Varsity Theatre) and the Trapp Block in New Westminster. Total financed projects are valued at $110 million. Though relatively young, Fung is no stranger to big money. You might say he’s part of the Canadian aristocracy; his father, also named Robert, is a Toronto financier who chairs the Toronto Harbourfront Revitalization Corporation – and was Paul Martin’s university roommate. The college brotherhood has stayed strong: the former PM is the younger Robert’s godfather. “He’s a long-time family friend,” confesses Fung, clearly not keen on discussing the matter any further. After earning a BA in anthropology at the University of Western Ontario and spending seven months backpacking through East Africa and the Middle East, Fung stepped into his Concord Pacific job. When it came time to launch Salient, though, it wasn’t with Dad’s money – he sold his Point Grey home to raise the cash. Today, Fung lives in Kerrisdale and when he’s not overseeing projects, fusses over his three small daughters. He also sits on the boards of Covenant House, the International Dragon Boat Festival and the Laurier Institute – a think-tank devoted to fostering debate on cross-cultural issues. The Terminus building, Salient’s most ambitious project to date, will incorporate the brick façade of the old fire-ravaged Terminus Hotel with the adjacent Grand Hotel, utilizing salvaged bricks and materials. With the addition of four underground levels of parking and a rooftop ‘club room,’ Fung is confident it will be a transformative influence on the area. Just don’t use the G-word. “Gentrification is a very long four-letter word. We’re not kicking out [the social housing].” He just wants to clean things up, he says. He gestures toward a pile of garbage. “Look at this crap. There’s so much deferred maintenance here. It doesn’t feel like a place you should be. We’re trying to make the spaces feel like places you should be again.”