Vancouver councillors to debate controversial west Broadway high-rise

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver city council will meet on Tuesday with just one item on the agenda: a controversial apartment building on west Broadway.

More than 100 speakers were heard during two marathon sessions last week. Today, council itself will be debating whether or not to green-light the project.

Detractors say the 28-storey building is too tall and that the neighbourhood isn’t equipped to handle the density. Meanwhile, supporters say the project will provide desperately-needed rental spaces, with about 20 per cent expected to be available at below-market cost.

Related article: Vancouver council set to decide fate of controversial 28-storey rental building in Fairview

The building is proposed to be built on a site that was once a Denny’s restaurant in the Fairview neighbourhood.

Jameson Development Corp. first proposed a 16-storey rental building, with retail and mixed-use space on the ground floor, for the now-vacant lot near Broadway and Birch Street in 2018. That plan would have brought 153 rental units to the area, all at market rates.

Later that year, Jameson resubmitted the plan as part of the moderate-income rental-housing pilot program, which allows builders to add units as long as they are designated for people earning between $30,000 and $80,000 per year.

Now, the proposal would bring 258 rental units to the area, with 58 of those available at below-market rentals. A one-bedroom apartment in this building will cost $1,200 per month, as opposed to the market rate of around $2,100.

Tuesday’s meeting gets underway at 1:00 p.m.

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