Vancouver councillors to debate controversial west Broadway high-rise
Posted July 14, 2020 10:44 am.
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.
#VanCityCouncil Public Hearing has recessed and will reconvene at approximately 1 pm on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, continuing with questions to staff, debate and decision on agenda item 1 – CD-1 AMENDMENT: 2538 Birch Street (formerly 1296 West Broadway).
— Vancouver City Clerk (@VanCityClerk) July 11, 2020
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.