West End Neighbours for a community plan

West End Residents want a vision and comprehensive plan for Vancouver’s West End. Spot rezonings threaten the quality of life, and the unique and distinctive character of our neighbourhood. (Image: The “hotspot” watch list for developments in West End) Read more.

Pacific Palisades story on YouTube. Hotel conversion creates rentals, re-uses buildings in the West End

This video shows the past, present, and future of the Pacific Palisades rental conversion project on Robson Street in Vancouver’s West End (4 minutes). Until recently, the buildings were operating as a hotel but soon the conversion to rental units will be completed. West End Neighbours supported this rezoning when it went to City Council months ago. It shows an alternative way to create rental units, and an environmentally sustainable approach to re-use existing buildings. When it opens, it will provide 234 rental suites at no cost to taxpayers. Project website: http://www.pacificpalisades.ca/

These will be one-bedroom units (dishwasher, but no in-suite laundry) starting at $1500 a month. Parking and storage lockers are available at an additional charge.

We contrast this re-use approach with the City’s STIR program which gave incentives to developers to create potentially expensive market rental apartments, and has resulted in considerable disruptions and controversy in the West End. Given that market rents for STIR units are likely to be in the same price range ($1500 per month and up) for a one bedroom, it’s questionable whether this disruption is a fair trade-off.

City of Vancouver hosts stakeholder workshop on West End planning process

On Saturday January 28, the City of Vancouver will hold a workshop for stakeholders with an interest in the community plan process for the West End.

WEN will be represented at the workshop and a total of twenty-one stakeholder groups have confirmed attendance including representatives from organizations such as St. Paul’s Hospital, the West End Seniors’ Network, the Urban Development Institute and Gordon Neighbourhood House.

We believe that WEN has the potential to play an important role in the planning process for the West End by raising awareness of the issues, promoting meaningful engagement, and encouraging education on relevant topics, such as zoning, planning and the development approval process.

WEN’s petition on “no rezoning without a comprehensive plan” stated that:
“I request in the event of considering general or site-specific land use and/or West End zoning changes, that these include meaningful consultation with residents, protect existing neighbourhood liveability, and respect/maintain the character of the neighbourhood. We need a comprehensive plan, not site-by-site rezoning.”

WEN will be encouraging meaningful consultation with residents calling for protection of existing neighbourhood liveability and for the need to respect and maintain the character of the neighbourhood.

For more information about the workshop, the planning process and potential issues, see West End Planning Process.

Background on the City’s planning program is located here.

Mount Pleasant’s Rize tower development may hold lessons for the West End in implementation of a Community Plan

West End residents should keep an eye on what is going on in Mount Pleasant in the coming weeks.

A critical development project was presented at a quietly-organized open house about a controversial development project being proposed for the corner of Kingsway and East Broadway. This project is significant for all taxpayers, neighbourhoods and citizens, as it reveals serious problems at the nexus of community planning processes, developers, the City’s Planning Department, and the city’s housing-related policies. It may have many lessons  for the West End.

City’s official website:
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/rezoning/applications/228-246ebway/index.htm

Open house for the Rize tower development at Kingsway & Broadway
When: Tuesday January 17, 2012
Time: 5:30-6:00 pm Open House
6:00-8:00 pm Presentation and Discussion 
Where: Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St. (near 15th Ave)

Residents Association Mount Pleasant (rampvancouver.com) provides extensive info and analysis of the project.

The West End has begun a million-dollar community planning process, with an invitation-only workshop to finalize the terms of reference to be held on January 28. And the West End is reeling from three major STIR (developer incentives to build market-priced rental housing) projects — one approved and two still in the pipeline.

WEN Newsletter (4-Jan-2012): 2012, community plan, STIR, WEMAC, projects, greenway, more

To get future editions of our newsletter by e-mail, please subscribe online (see button near top right of our home page).

Dear Neighbours,

West End Neighbours hopes that you all enjoyed a wonderful time with family and friends over the holidays, and wishes you a great year in 2012. Much happened in our community in 2011. The West End became a stronger community thanks to all who contributed in various ways in the past year.

Fate sealed? Development Permit Board approves 17-story tower (1241 Harwood). Historic Legg Residence to be demolished, but Tulip tree may still be at risk

This case, described earlier by WEN, went to the Development Permit Board on December 12, 2011. In the end, the voting members of the DPB gave “conditional” approval for the proposal for a 17-story tower at 1241 Harwood, which will result in demolition of an A-listed heritage building, and may also put the giant Tulip tree at risk.

A detailed write-up of the bigger story is provided on CityHallWatch in “Heritage demolition: Legg residence (1899-2012?) – How an ‘A’-listed Heritage Mansion became slated for demolition (West End).”

In a complex case like this, the public is forced to trust City Council and City staff to look after the community and public interests. Yet we do know that some people are unhappy with the performance of Council and the DPB and may be looking for further options and actions on this case. Under the Code of Conduct, City Hall is to put the public interest first and foremost. This particular project is an interesting case, as its multi-year history shows the roles of many players in the development process, and leaves one to wonder if City Hall (including elected officials and public servants) is able to fairly balance the interests involved. The system in Vancouver leaves considerable discretion to the Director of Planning and the Planning Department in applying zoning and development guidelines. People can generally accept change if rules and guidelines are applied in a fair manner, but is the public getting a fair deal? That as an open question.

OFFICIAL CITY INFORMATION

• A copy of the letter outlining the approval can be found by clicking on this link: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/developmentservices/devapps/1245harwood/index.htm
• Minutes of the Development Permit Board meeting will be available at this following link in the coming weeks http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/dpboard/DPBOARD.HTM
• Please contact Scott Barker, Project Facilitator, directly (604.873.7166 or scott.barker@vancouver.ca) if you have any further questions or comments for the City.
• Also, you are encouraged to write Mayor and Councillors to articulate your thoughts, and may wish to write your opinion to local or city newspapers.

The fate of the rare “A” Heritage Legg Residence hangs in the balance

In the year of Vancouver’s 125^th anniversary, the West End is threatened again by the loss of another valued non-replaceable heritage site. It could be the first demolition of an “A” Heritage Building in the City of Vancouver since the Georgia Medical Dental Building in 1989. The Development Permit Board will decide its fate next week.

If you want to give an opinion, send a letter or attend the meeting:

Development Permit Board (DPB) Meeting
Monday, December 12th
3:00 pm
Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall

The applicant wants members of the DPB to approve the construction of a 17 storey condominium tower. When making this decision, Board members consider the input of the Vancouver Heritage Commission, the Urban Design Panel and the concerns of the residents and visitors in the West End.

If you wish to influence changes to this application, you must send in individual written submissions by December 9th if possible and/or attend the meeting on December 12th to make a short speech (no more than 5 minutes long).

Send written submissions to Lorna Harvey (Assistant to the Development Permit Board). You can also register with her to speak at the hearing. Her email address is  lorna.harvey@vancouver.ca.  Ms. Harvey’s telephone number is 604 – 873 – 7469. 

Information about the application can be found at the city’s website here. See also the important Development Permit Staff Committee Report, November 16, 2011 just published on the city website.

For further detail, see here .

STIR program controversy: Legal framework flawed, program must be scrapped says West End Neighbours

WEN issued a media release about the STIR program today. West End Neighbours (WEN) has identified concerns with the legal framework of the controversial Short Term Incentives for Rental (STIR) housing program and calls upon the City of Vancouver to discontinue the program.

In examining the STIR program and its legal basis, it is WEN’s contention that:

1. The Vancouver Charter does not give the City of Vancouver the authority to waive Development Cost Levies (DCL’s) for market rental housing.
2. The City of Vancouver has improperly delegated Council’s legislative authority by granting the City Manager the discretion to determine the affordability of for-profit affordable rental housing development proposals in the manner that it has done.
3. The definition of “affordable” under the by-law is too vague and uncertain to be enforceable.

WEN considers that its position is legally supportable. Based on these conclusions, WEN requests that the City of Vancouver cancel the STIR program, and refrain from creating similar incentive packages that would provide additional development projects with inappropriate DCL waivers and other benefits. The incentives offered are resulting in deficiencies estimated at a minimum of $20,000 per rental unit that must be made up by other taxpayers. The benefitting projects are damaging livability and neighbourhood character to create market rental housing – public money and City Council’s discretionary zoning powers should not be used in this way.

“The legal framework of STIR looks flawed and Development Cost Levies for these developments appear to be waived without proper authority. The program is creating expensive market housing rather than helping to address the housing affordability challenge, so it’s time for the City to scrap this program,” said Emanuel Pereira, a resident of the West End.

The City of Vancouver has been provided a copy of this release and the background paper West End Neighbours Challenges Short Term Incentives for Rentals (STIR). 

For a copy of the media release, more detailed background information and a copy of the Background paper, see WEN Challenges STIR on our website.

Proposed Short Term Incentives Program (STIR) waterfront rental rezoning project under review this week

While voters’ attention is focused on the municipal election this week, and with affordable housing as a primary issue, a proposal to rezone the West End’s waterfront heritage site Beach Towers is once again before two City-appointed advisory committees.

Under the controversial STIR program (Short Term Incentives for Rental), additional buildings at Beach Towers would be subsidized luxury rental, allowing the developer to avoid more than $1.19 million in development cost levies, as well as qualifying for reductions in property taxes.

Despite STIR’s mandate to “seek affordability through finishing, size, location” this proposal requests 133 waterfront apartments, including a number of high-end Beach Avenue townhomes.

“Beach Towers is a class-A heritage site and a prime example of post 1960s modernist architecture with over 1000 residents currently living in the four towers. If rezoning is approved under STIR, we would be subsidizing luxury waterfront rental and condoning misapplied density. This isn’t the type of ‘affordable’ housing Vancouver needs”, said Sarah Isaacs, West End resident.

Both the Vancouver Heritage Commission and Urban Design Panel are being quickly assembled this week to review the third iteration of the proposal to rezone and add density to this heritage site. Despite previous rejections by the Vancouver Heritage Committee and Urban Design Panel, a new proposal submitted on November 4, 2011 made no significant revisions and requested an even greater increase in density.

The information about the rezoning project is located on the city website here.

The information for the Urban Design Panel is here.

You can find the information about the Vancouver Heritage Committee here.

The public is urged to attend the following meetings, as recommendations from these committees will influence Council’s decision on whether to approve rezoning at the Beach Towers site:

Vancouver Heritage Committee
Monday, November 14^th
12:40 pm at City Hall

Urban Design Panel
Wednesday, November 16^th
4:00 pm at City Hall

Municipal election early voting starts today at West End Community Centre

As of today early voting for the Vancouver municipal election is open!

Do not miss your chance to voice your opinion. Listed below are the early-voting stations that may be of interest to West End residents, and their hours of operation:

CITY HALL – 453 West 12th Ave.
8am – 8pm: Nov 9, 12, 15, 16
Noon – 8pm: Nov 10, 11, 13, 14

WEST END COMMUNITY CENTRE – 870 Denman St.
8am – 8pm: Nov 9, 12, 15, 16

Vancouver Election 2011 councillor candidates’ debate in West End

The West End Residents’ Association (WERA) is hosting a debate for candidates for city councillor (but not mayoral candidates):

Sunday, November 13
1:00 -3:00 pm
Empire Landmark Hotel on Robson at Broughton (main floor ballroom).

Talk show host, Pia Shandel, will moderate the event. The debate is open to all candidates for city council.  The format is designed to get the most out of the candidates, include audience participation, and be fun AND informative. It will not be the usual Q&A, but folks will be able to submit questions prior to the debate through comments on the WERA website here.