2538 Birch Street (Formerly 1296 West Broadway)

It doesn’t seem that long ago, but almost a year has passed since a rezoning proposal, which allowed for a 16 floor rental building, was approved for the former Denny’s at West Broadway and Birch. Eight months before that, Hannah and I attended the proposal’s open house and left a member of city staff dumbfounded when we expressed that, given its location, it was shameful that the building was this short, and even worse that it had been cut back by one floor since its first iteration.

Now with the property cleared, the Broadway Expansion of SkyTrain about to start construction, and armed with a new city policy (MIRHPPS), the applicant has decided to incur the fiscal expenses and delays of a new rezoning application. Seeking to expand their approved concept, they hope to add 12 additional floors, which will provide 109 new rental homes for this transit focused location.

As part of that policy, 20% of the total homes, whether they were previously approved or not, will be earmarked for households earning a moderate income. Essentially, this means that half of the new homes proposed will be targeted for a below market rent level. This really highlights how the incentives of that policy, like requiring less parking and allowing for more growth near transit corridors, can really improve life for the average person.

While this could become the tallest building on Broadway, The Independent at Broadway and Kingsway will likely still appear taller due to the change in elevation. So we have to ask, is 28 floors enough for this location, or should there be more still? After all, only 26 floors will have housing, as the bottom two are set for retail and office use. Plus the site is located between two future rapid transit stations, is just a short ride to Downtown, and is an even shorter trip to Vancouver General Hospital’s medical precinct, which just happens to be the province’s second largest employment centre.

Of course, some may feel it should be even shorter, or that it should be happy with what was already approved. The only way to know for certain is to come out the open house on November 29th. Sure, it’s not much notice, but, with the postal strike, it’s understandable. As I told the person who sent me the notice, we’re just grateful you passed this along so we have a chance to be there to make our voices heard.