Vancouver City Council on Tuesday approved plans to build a 39-story tower on the corner of Broadway and Granville Street, paving the way for what will be the tallest building in the city outside the city center.
The 1477 W. Broadway building will have a mix of retail, office, food and residential space, directly on the newly built South Granville SkyTrain station.
The bill was approved by 5-2 after a series of controversial public hearings this week, with dozens of speakers presenting their arguments to the council in four different meetings.
count. Christine Boyle said she voted in favor of the project to bring high-density housing into what will become a major transit hub in a growing neighborhood.
“I’ve heard over and over again about the stress and anxiety of increasing housing for the elderly and families across the city … We know these will be beloved homes for hundreds of Vancouver residents, and I think that’s really important,” she said. before The Early Edition of the CBC. on Wednesday.
“Location is also really important … it’s part of building whole, pedestrian-accessible communities. South Granville and Fairview already have so much to offer on this front. It’s a beautiful community for more people to call home, and it’s an important part of climate action, “she added.
“Allowing more people to live close to where they work, close to the places they rely on and visit in their lives is an important part of reducing transport emissions.”
Depiction of the tower proposed for 1477 W. Broadway. (PCI development)
The developer, PCI Developments, has launched the building as a “vertical block” that shrinks all elements of a traditional city block into one lot, arranging them vertically.
Once completed, the building will have 223 residential units. Forty-four of these units – 20 percent – will be permanently provided for below-market rents that target households earning up to $ 80,000 a year.
“This is a home for maybe a couple working in cafes or restaurants in the area,” Boyle said.
count. Jean Swanson voted against the project, saying the tower’s housing units would have an impact on surrounding rents.
“My big thing is affordability, and 80 percent of the housing in this building would be quite expensive – especially since the building is tall. He will receive first-class rentals for the top floors. Surrounding rents in the area are hundreds of dollars a month less than those will be, “Swanson said in an interview Wednesday.
“What happens when expensive homes fall in the middle of homes that are quite affordable is the price of land goes up, taxes go up and rents go up. So, unless we have some kind of airtight protection for existing tenants, we “have a real problem.”
Swanson said he was also worried that the approval set a bad precedent, as the city is in the midst of consultations on the overall Broadway corridor plan.
“I’m really afraid of the effect of gentrification on allowing one tower … then approving that tower would mean approving Broadway’s plan, which also calls for many towers,” Swanson said.
PCI Developments has already started what construction can do with existing site zoning. The developer expects the building to be completed in 2024, approximately one year before the new SkyTrain station – part of the Millennium Line extension of the transit network – opens.
LISTEN | count. Christine Boyle spoke about her vote in favor of the project:
Early Edition17: 25 Vancouver City Council approves new 39-storey residential building for rent on top of Skytrain Station
Councilor Christine Boyle spoke with Stephen Quinn about the 223-unit building, which will include 20 percent below market units. And then Stephen talked to Ben Ger of the Vancouver Tenants Union about the project and what it might mean for tenants in that city. 17:25
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