The standalone Denny’s restaurant at the southeast corner of the intersection of West Broadway and Birch Street in Vancouver’s Fairview area — within the Central Broadway corridor — is long gone.
A new 283-ft-tall, 28-storey tower has since taken its place at 2538 Birch St. (previously addressed as 1296 West Broadway), and it is now set to reach full completion in early 2026.
But Vancouver-based Jameson Development has identified a new approach for how the building is used, marking a major departure from the previously approved primary use of secured purpose-built rental housing.
A new rezoning application submitted to the municipal government last week indicates that under the new approach, the overall exterior building design, height, and density will not change; the building is currently under construction and 90 per cent complete. Moreover, commercial real estate firm JLL has begun the process of seeking leasing tenants for over 8,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space on the ground level and over 16,000 sq. ft. of office/retail/restaurant space on the second level.
But the anticipated leasing process for the significant rental housing in the tower’s upper levels will not go ahead as planned.
Previously, this was approved as a project with 258 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 200 market rental units and 58 moderate income rental units under the City of Vancouver’s previous Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP).
In June 2023, through BC Housing’s HousingHUB program, the provincial government provided Jameson Development with $164-million in low-cost, repayable construction financing for the purpose of boosting secured purpose-built rental housing supply. It was also stated at the time that the developer had secured over $81 million in financing from other sources.
Site of 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver. (Google Maps)
July 2025 construction progress on the new Dunna’eh House of Healing medical accommodations tower at 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver, previously a full rental housing tower by Jameson Development. (Kenneth Chan)
July 2025 construction progress on the new Dunna’eh House of Healing medical accommodations tower at 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver, previously a full rental housing tower by Jameson Development. (Kenneth Chan)
The new rezoning application states that while the 58 moderate income rental units will be retained, the designation of 200 market rental units will be eliminated to enable the creation of 200 “temporary accommodation for medical care” units, akin to a hotel but with a unique purpose and services.
The developer is partnering with the province-wide First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) to turn these 200 units into the “Dunna’eh House of Healing,” which will provide temporary overnight medical accommodations for Indigenous people and families living elsewhere in British Columbia seeking medical services, diagnosis, and/or treatment in the Vancouver area.
This building is within very close proximity to the high concentration of provincial-level and specialized treatment facilities of the Vancouver General Hospital and BC Cancer Centre campus. It is also conveniently just two blocks east of SkyTrain’s future South Granville Station.
“Accessing culturally-safe care away from home is a significant worry for many First Nations people due to racism that exists across the health care system. The vision of the Dunna’eh House of Healing is one of hope where community members needing care in and around Vancouver can stay with dignity in an environment that is grounded in culture and support,” wrote Katie Hughes, vice-president of health benefits and wholistic wellness for FNHA, in support of the application.
“As the Dunna’eh House of Healing project moves closer to fruition we look forward to the prospect of exploring further partnership opportunities with a shared goal of the provision of culturally safe, temporary accommodation at affordable rates for First Nations people in B.C.”
September 2025 construction progress on the new Dunna’eh House of Healing medical accommodations tower at 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver, previously a full rental housing tower by Jameson Development. (Dunna’eh House of Healing)
September 2025 construction progress on the new Dunna’eh House of Healing medical accommodations tower at 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver, previously a full rental housing tower by Jameson Development. (Dunna’eh House of Healing)
Metro Vancouver — particularly in Vancouver, where demand is most concentrated — is grappling with an increasingly severe shortage of hotel rooms. The lack of supply is not only constraining visitor capacity but also driving nightly rates sharply higher. Destination Vancouver estimates the region requires 20,000 additional hotel rooms to meet current and future needs, split evenly between Vancouver proper and the surrounding municipalities.
In addition to growing tourism and the continued curbing of short-term rental properties (such as Airbnb and Vrbo) by the provincial and municipal governments, the demand for hotel rooms is bolstered by temporary medical accommodation needs, especially for properties designed for longer stays. Larger rooms with kitchen facilities and other in-suite amenities are often essential for families who must remain in the region for extended medical care.
The 200 market rental units being converted into temporary medical accommodations uses will be more than suitable, going far beyond what is offered in standard long-term stay hotel suites. The unit size mix of this component is 23 studios, 104 one-bedroom units, 60 two-bedroom units, and 13 three-bedroom units — offering not only ample living space, full kitchens, and in-suite laundry, but also multiple bathrooms for the larger units.
The in-building shared amenity spaces will be reconfigured and expanded to better accommodate the needs of the building’s primary users, including gathering spaces for “Indigenous-informed” workshops, outdoor healing gardens, an outdoor sauna/traditional sweat lodge, and a childcare facility mainly for parents who need to receive treatment and attend appointments without their children. The retail/restaurant space on the ground level will see a small 300 sq. ft. decrease to incorporate the various changes.
There will also be an Indigenous-focused health clinic, offering vision care, dental, mental health, pharmacy, naturopathic care, and cultural wellness services.
September 2025 construction progress on the new Dunna’eh House of Healing medical accommodations tower at 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver, previously a full rental housing tower by Jameson Development. (Dunna’eh House of Healing)
September 2025 construction progress on the new Dunna’eh House of Healing medical accommodations tower at 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver, previously a full rental housing tower by Jameson Development. (Dunna’eh House of Healing)
September 2025 construction progress on the new Dunna’eh House of Healing medical accommodations tower at 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver, previously a full rental housing tower by Jameson Development. (Dunna’eh House of Healing)
September 2025 construction progress on the new Dunna’eh House of Healing medical accommodations tower at 2538 Birch St. (1296 West Broadway), Vancouver, previously a full rental housing tower by Jameson Development. (Dunna’eh House of Healing)
The tower’s corner with the intersection features a public art tile mosaic by Musqueam First Nation artist Debra Sparrow. This public art piece — envisioned during the project’s previous rezoning — starts at a corner public plaza space and rises to level 17. The overall building is designed by architectural firm Arcadis.
Jameson Development’s major change in plans for this building adds yet another chapter to its already complex history.
The project was highly contentious among local residents, primarily due to the perceived excess height and scale for the area at the time — well before tall high-rise tower proposals became common in the area of the City’s Broadway Plan, approved in 2022, and near SkyTrain stations. As a result, the project’s various design iterations went through two separate lengthy public hearings.
In January 2018, City Council approved the developer’s initial rezoning application for a 17-storey tower containing 153 secured market rental homes under the former Rental 100 program.
But in Spring 2019, Jameson Development returned with a new proposal: a 28-storey tower with 258 rental units under the MIRHPP program. After hearing from more than 100 public speakers, City Council narrowly approved the revised rezoning in July 2020. At the time, the project was envisioned to become the tallest building in the Central Broadway corridor — even surpassing the height of VGH’s Jim Pattison Pavilion. However, in the years since, multiple taller proposals and completions in the Broadway Plan area have overtaken that distinction from this developer’s project.
The 2020 approval was also made possible by City staff’s decision to exempt the project from the temporary moratorium on most types of rezonings that was in place during the Broadway Plan’s years-long planning process, for the reason that it would provide much-needed market rental housing with an affordable rate component.
But the new shift away from market rental housing also comes at a time when a substantial amount of new secured purpose-built rental housing supply is reaching completion and entering the market, while demand softens due to the federal government’s reduced immigration and international student intake targets and broader economic weakness.
While the form and scale evolved significantly over the years, the commercial uses planned for the building’s lower levels remained largely consistent across all design iterations.
May 2019 concept for 2538 Birch St. (formerly 1296 West Broadway), Vancouver. (Arcadis/Jameson Development Group)
May 2019 concept for 2538 Birch St. (formerly 1296 West Broadway), Vancouver. (Arcadis/Jameson Development Group)
May 2019 concept for 2538 Birch St. (formerly 1296 West Broadway), Vancouver. (Arcadis/Jameson Development Group)
May 2019 concept for 2538 Birch St. (formerly 1296 West Broadway), Vancouver. (Arcadis/Jameson Development Group)