2538 Birch Street (formerly 1296 West Broadway)

Like the City of Vancouver, Hannah and I try to recap our experiences at a project’s open house before we cover its Urban Design Panel review. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to write up that episode yet. So, you’ll have to take my word that, while many Fairview residents supported the addition of another 100 rental homes to an approved 16 floor building in their neighbourhood, the opposition of members from various self-titled Kitsilano Resident’s associations was equally as strong.

That later group’s main concern is that allowing this development will set a precedent for similar buildings far to the west in Kitsilano. In their presentation to the UDP, city staff made it clear this wasn’t the case. They cited the example of a 22 floor development at Nanaimo and Kingsway that was approved prior to the Norquay Village Neighbourhood Centre Plan. Today that building stands alone in a community that only allows for 10 – 16 floor developments.

As the Broadway Plan consultation is still underway, staff admitted the future context here may call for shorter or event taller developments. Given this area’s importance as British Columbia’s second largest employment centre (pg 4), and the accessibility that the Broadway Subway will allow, all that is known is that things will need to change. The Park Board recognizes this and is looking to add new parks to the neighbourhood as part of that process.

Still, it’s clear staff were nervous about the reaction to these 12 extra floors, despite the fact that half of the new homes will be offered under the Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program. These fears proved to be unfounded, as almost every panellist voiced their clear support for the height, mass, and density now proposed.

Some called this the perfect location for this type of development, a couple felt there could be more offered here, and one member even remarked they encouraged planning to do this over 30 years ago. Others acknowledged this might not fit the context of today, and couldn’t say if it would represent the future, but felt this building deserved to be approved. The only recommendation about the tower was that it should be better integrated into the podium.

The panel actually lavished praised on the design team for the terraced design, as it provided so much usable green space for all of the residents. Even so, there was criticism, as it was noted that the applicant appeared to be so consumed with C3-A guidelines, that the look felt a bit too complicated, yet an equal number believed this vertical expression was appropriate.

However, there was consensus that the public art should play a more prominent role. There was plenty of appreciation for Debra Sparrow‘s work. One person felt it would be refreshing to drive over the Granville Street Bridge and see a reflection of the culture of Vancouver’s First Peoples. Though the panel couldn’t agree on whether the materials around the work should be muted to help it stand out, they did recommend there should be more design development to integrate into the plaza space below.

-Source (pg 11)

That area was the focus of much of the groups criticism, and one panellist remarked they were reluctant to even call it a plaza. While there were different ideas on how it could be accomplished, everyone agreed that it simply needed to be bigger. As such, the only the other recommendation was for more design development to enhance its use and increase its size.

Given the panel’s strong support for the building’s height, density and type of housing that will be provided, I can only assume that it was concerns over that element that led two panellists to vote against the chair’s motion. That said, with 8 votes in favour, the project easily won the support of the panel. Of course, city staff take all feedback into consideration, which is why it’s important to make your thoughts known here.

Applicant Team Information:

Developer – Jameson Development Corp

Architects – IBI Group