WEN calls for a five-year review & report on West End Community Plan (WECP): Letter to City Council

Front cover of the West End Community Plan, adopted in Nov 2013.

(Update on 14-Nov-2020: The City has not yet responded to this letter. No one from the West End Planning team, no one else from the planning department. We will continue to pursue this effort. To the best of our knowledge, the City is not keeping track of the implementation of the WECP, but the Park Board appears to be doing so, as revealed at a Sept 14 Park Board meeting. See article, “Keeping track: Behold the West End’s new housing unit count (via Park Board).“)

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The following letter went out to Vancouver Mayor and Council.

January 16, 2019
Re: Request for a five-year review and report on the West End Community Plan (WECP)
Dear Mayor and Council, City of Vancouver:

We write to introduce West End Neighbours and to request a five-year review and report on the West End Community Plan (WECP). We believe such a report will be of value to West End residents. It could also be valuable information for the entire city now that Vancouver has initiated a citywide planning process.

Revised rezoning application: 36-storey tower at 1065 Harwood and 1332 Thurlow (Bosa/Henriquez) . Virtual open house ends 31-May-2021. Public comments.

Rendering – subject tower is on the left. A separate revised application is likely to come soon for the tower on the right. Image Henriquez Partners Architects.

For details see https://shapeyourcity.ca/1065-harwood-street-and-1332-thurlow-street

HAVE YOUR SAY on this proposed 36-storey tower, one of two twin towers at 1065 Harwood and 1332 Thurlow.

Deadline at this public comment phase is May 31, 2021. To see previous public comments and responses, click on the “Ask a Question” tab at the bottom of the Shape Your City page. (We have excerpted some further below, for the record.) To send your comments, click on “Send Your Comments” on Shape Your City.

The proposal is for the development of a 36-storey residential building (including roof access, mechanical and outdoor area) [up from 33 storeys in previous application].

There is a narrative behind this revised rezoning application.

Upon request from the developers in the fall of 2020, Council changed the West End Community Plan to save the developers from potential huge losses due to tougher market conditions for luxury condos and stagnated presales. Their previous profit model was broken. This application is coming back now with changes to 100% rental, three extra storeys, 16 feet more in height, an increase from 10.46 to 13.1 FSR, and an increase from 157 to 288 units.

This revised rezoning application includes:

• 288 rental units (with 231 market rental units and 57 below-market rental units, totalling 288 units) [versus 59 luxury market condos units and 98 “social housing” units in previous application, totaling 157 units]
• A floor space ratio (FSR) of 13.1 [up from previous application at 10.46]
• A floor area of 21,033 sq. m (226,400 sq. ft.)
• A building height of 96.3 m (316 ft.) [up from 91.4 or 300 ft.]
• Building height sought is 36 storeys [up from 33 storeys]
• Seven levels [up from five levels] of underground parking with 151 vehicle parking spaces, 11 accessible spaces, 534 Class A bicycle parking spaces and 15 Class B bicycle parking spaces.
• The application is being considered under the “Criteria for 100% Secured Rental and Below-Market Housing as an Alternative to Inclusionary Social Housing” in the Burrard Corridor.

NOTE: A rezoning application was submitted in 2017 for the same site. The application was withdrawn in 2021.

If you missed the deadline of May 31 to post your Q&A, you can still contact these people:
Applicant: Kyle Wright, Project lead, Bosa Properties, Tel 604-801-7023, kwright@bosa.com

Rezoning Planner: Thien Phan, City of Vancouver, Tel Phone 604-829-9225, thien.phan@vancouver.ca

After May 31, the question portion online is closed, but comments can still be submitted via emails or phone call to the rezoning planner.

WEN comments: The developers abandoned their first attempts to build condo towers on these lots because they couldn’t make enough money on presales. Now they are trying to construct high-end buildings they will likely market to high-end renters and charge high-end rent. Details will come out in a few months in the staff report to City Council, a referral report seeking to go ahead to a Public Hearing.

Are developers offering anything to the neighbourhood? That is not clear at the moment. It appears to include no public benefits, common areas or greenspace.

Existing buildings at these sites are two storeys. Many (most? all?) existing tenants have been evicted for the development, which was enabled by the West End Community Plan. Developer Bosa and architect Henriquez Partners Architects had previously filed a rezoning application for this site (north tower). The original proposal, withdrawn in April 2021 was for a 33-storey tower, with the rezoning sought to change from RM-5A (Residential) to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development), including 59 market residential units on floors 18-33 [ave 3.8 units per floor], and 98 “social housing” units (under the City of Vancouver’s fraught definition – see “An update on Vancouver’s bizarre definition of ‘social housing’“) on floors 2-18 [ave. 5.8 units per floor]. The original proposed floor space ratio (FSR) was 10.46, and proposed building height 91.4 m (300 ft.), with five levels of underground parking having 157 vehicle parking stalls and 197 bicycle parking spaces.

West End blanketed by proposed changes to Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan (Public Hearing tonight 10-Dec/Thurs)

Areas in the West End affected by the staff proposed changes are coloured in dark green. What are the real implications? How many sites are affected? What are the risks to housing security?

It has just come to our attention attention that an item going to the Public Hearing tonight, Thursday, December 10, 2020, basically affects zoning across about 90% of the West End. City staff have prepared an item entitled “Amendment to the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan” which they refer to as a “minor amendment” and yet 13 neighbourhoods across Vancouver are affected, including most of the West End. We can vouch for the fact that there has been absolutely no outreach from the City to the West End regarding these changes.

If the staff really aim to get item #7 (CD-1 Rezoning: 349 East 6th Avenue) approved, the wisest thing might be for Council to only allow the changes for that one specific site. And as the City is in the midst of a citywide planning initiative known as Vancouver Plan, include the other areas in consultation on the citywide plan.

What are the implications of the proposed changes in the West End? There has been no analysis. Are there risks for existing renters? How many sites are affected? Could the proposed changes result in more renovictions or displacement?

Reference:

https://council.vancouver.ca/20201202/ph20201202.htm

6. Amendment to the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan

• Summary and Recommendation 
• Draft By-law – Zoning and Development 
• Draft By-law – Official Development Plan 
• Referral Report dated October 20, 2020 

Zones affected: RM-2, RM-3, RM-3A, RM-4, RM-4N, RM-5, RM-5A, RM-5B, RM-5C, RM-5D, RM-6, FM-1). West End is in bold.

Here is what staff are recommending.
THAT Council approve the application to amend the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan (RHS ODP) By-law and to amend the RM-2, RM-3, RM-3A, RM-4,
RM-4N, RM-5, RM-5A, RM-5B, RM-5C, RM-5D, RM-6, and FM-1 District Schedules of
the Zoning and Development By-law, to allow for one-for-one replacement of existing rental housing units required by the RHS ODP on another site, that was subject to the RHS ODP before it was rezoned to allow for replacement housing and that is adjacent to the contiguous area of the zoning district of the site that requires the replacement housing, generally as presented in Appendix A and Appendix B of the Referral Report dated October 20, 2020, entitled “Amendment to the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan”.

There are potential risks with what staff are proposing. Could it open up the West End to the buying, trading and selling of protected rental stock between different sites with different district schedules? Perhaps.

The big point is that staff are asking Council to approve changes to zoning in the West End without having done the slightest public consultation and analysis of impacts, including threats to housing security for all.

 

55-storey tower planned for Haro Street (overlooking Robson): Online open house 14-Dec-2020 (Mon)

The UrbanYVR website, which follows developments in Vancouver, reported on December 6, 2020, that another big tower is planned for the West End, enabled by the 2013 West End Community Plan.

This one is on Haro Street, between Burrard and Thurlow, just a block south of Robson Street.

55-storey tower planned for Haro Street site overlooking Robson
https://www.urbanyvr.com/55-storey-tower-city-view/

The proposal includes:

• One 55-storey tower
• One 15-storey tower
• 42,000 square feet of retail space
• A 49-space daycare
• Total 516 units (450 strata condo and 66 rental units)

Two virtual open houses are planned.

Monday, December 14, 2020 – 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Monday, December 14, 2020 – 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

To attend, please visit the website and sign up. The proponents have created a project website (www.1045harostreet.com). Please visit here if you wish to join the online open house. The project team will provide a presentation followed by a moderated question and answer session. Note that this event is one is organized by the proponents to get early input. The rezoning open house by the City will come later. See the screen grab of the project timeline below. More project information will be available for download from this website on Dec 14.

The current main building on the site was formerly a strata condo building less than 30 years old. The owners were bought out and the building converted to rental. UrbanYVR says that in 2017, the strata component 1045 Haro Street sold for $164,750,000 (BC Assessment).

This proposal is made possible only as as a result of the West End Community Plan, which allows for building heights up to 550 feet in “Burrard Corridor E”  (p. 50 of West End Community Plan).

Proponents include Intracorp, Forseed Group (no website, but appears to be Shanghai-based; according to D&B, it has 4 employees and sales of $1.23 million) and CM Partners (Singapore-based equity firm, which also bought into the Grouse Mountain Resort).

The architect is not yet announced. The promotions appear to be organized by Pooni Group, one of a special breed of real estate consulting firms and rezoning fixers.

WEN writes Council opposing proposed changes to West End Community Plan (Burrard Corridor) November 24, 2020

Two zones in Burrard Corridor (West End Community Plan area) where developers want City to waive CACs and DCLs (CoV report)

This important topic goes before City Council on November 24, 2020.

West End Neighbours has sent a letter (full text further below) to Vancouver City Council to oppose what planning staff are recommending. Other residents are encouraged to provide their comments to Council about this staff proposal (see our Council contact page, and also use the City’s agenda page).

Kenneth Chan of Daily Hive has written an overview of what staff are proposing: Excerpt – 

“Downtown developers could be given option to build rentals instead of social housing,” by Kenneth Chan, 20-Nov-2020 (Click here – https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-west-end-burrard-corridor-temporary-flexible-rental-housing). Excerpt: City of Vancouver staff are taking a “glass half full” approach in a bid to move forward stalled major market residential tower redevelopments [note – this means strata condo] in downtown Vancouver’s West End that are currently mandated to include a social housing component. In a report, city staff are recommending city council to permit a temporary policy of considering rezoning applications for 100% secured rental housing ... Financial community amenity contribution (CACs) requirements that would be required for a condominium development project would not apply... Furthermore, the path of a secured market rental project with at least 20% below-market rents could qualify for a waiver of citywide development cost levies…

• Council agenda – https://council.vancouver.ca/20201124/regu20201124ag.htm
• Council report – “Criteria for 100% Secured Rental and Below-Market Housing as an Alternative to Inclusionary Social Housing in the Burrard Corridor of the West End Community Plan” https://council.vancouver.ca/20201124/documents/r5.pdf
• West End Community Plan – https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/west-end-community-plan.pdf

LETTER FROM WEN TO CITY COUNCIL, 23-Nov-2020

Dear Mayor and Council:

It was with some surprise that West End Neighbours learned of Agenda Item 5 to be considered at Council’s meeting of November 24, 2020: “Criteria for 100% Secured Rental and Below-Market Housing as an Alternative to Inclusionary Social Housing in the Burrard Corridor of the West End Community Plan.”

West End Neighbours has been involved with development issues in the West End throughout the consultation process on the West End Community Plan (WECP) and its adoption by Council in the fall of 2013. The proposal to adjust the application of the provisions of the WECP to address requests from the development industry is not something that West End Neighbours supports.

The summary in the staff report makes it clear that “development uptake” on the 30 year term of the WECP has been faster than anticipated. If current economics mean a modest decrease in the current “development rodeo” in the West End then that should be considered a positive situation, not something to be manipulated for the benefit of property purchasers who jumped to participate in a hyper-inflated real estate market.

The proposal as presented includes the substitution of market and below-market rental units for truly-affordable and highly-needed social housing. The proposal is fundamentally flawed, and it is surprising that the concept has made its way to a Council agenda package. Developments approved in the Burrard Corridor, some of which are under construction, will create social housing units that are owned by the city. The current proposal would waive Community Amenity Contributions and allow the creation of privately-owned below market rentals. These types of housing are not interchangeable – they are fundamentally different.

1116-1140 Pendrell Street, 18 storey condo tower planned near Nelson Park. Public input deadline Nov 16.

1116 Pendrell rendering by applicant

 

Public input is sought on a development application, with the “virtual open house” online ending Nov. 15, 2020 (Sun), and the official deadline for public input via the website being Nov. 16 (Mon). [*But see note below.]

This application would mean demolition/eviction of an existing 16-unit rental building and an existing 43-unit strata condo building. It would result in two 3-storey buildings with a straight one-to-one replacement of the 16 rental units (so no increase in rental units, and no constraints on rental prices), plus an 18 storey tower with 109 strata condo units. The proposed condo tower does not really comply with the current zoning and design guidelines for the West End. 

Our post is just two days before the deadline for input, but this may still be a good opportunity for West Enders to look not only at this specific proposal, but also at how the City of Vancouver is (1) communicating with West End residents and (2) implementing the West End Community Plan. Whatever you think about this particular project, it shows how the the WECP, adopted in 2013 under Vision Vancouver, now allows the city to largely circumvent public input and has moved development decisions far away from public scrutiny and direct monitoring and accountability by our elected officials on City Council. All considered, has the WECP enabled good developments that benefit the community? And on top of that, the City is currently engaged in Vancouver Plan, a citywide planning process. Since the planning department is at the center of all this, what are the implications if the West End experience is extended to the entire city once the Vancouver Plan is eventually adopted?

Here is the official project info (including rational, maps, renderings, and a 3D video), plus the form for public input, on the City of Vancouver’s virtual open house page:
https://shapeyourcity.ca/1116-pendrell-st

DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION – 1116 Pendrell St (DP-2020-00054)

• The site is currently home to a market rental building with 16 units and a strata residential building with 43 units. Both would be demolished to make way for the new project.
• Skyllen Pacific Real Estate Ltd. has applied to the City to build two 3-storey buildings (16 units total, market rentals) and one 18-storey strata condo building (109 units).
• Height of condo tower 53.3 m (175 feet)
• The net FSR is 3.025 for all three buildings on the combined site, which includes 2.75 FSR plus 0.275 FSR as a 10% heritage transfer bonus from an undisclosed site. The FSR of the tower if counted alone is not stated.
• Four levels of underground parking with vehicular access from lane.
• The official site says that “under the site’s existing RM-5B zoning, the application is “conditional” so it may be permitted. However, it requires the decision of the Development Permit Board.”  (Click here if you care to read the fine print of RM-5B zoning.)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

CONTACTS

• Visit vancouver.ca/dp-board to learn more about the new “virtual” Development Permit Board process and participation options.
• Contact Payam Fouladianpour, Project Facilitator, regarding this specific application:
  604.873.7663 or payam.fouladianpour @vancouver.ca
• Contact Mayor and Council if you have concerns about the implementation of the West End Community Plan: Click here.
• Contact Council and/or the four-member internal Development Permit Board if you have concerns about the consultation process for this application: dpb.info@vancouver.ca

*Note: The official deadline for public input via the website is Nov. 16 (Mon), but nothing can stop concerned residents from contacting Mayor and Council, members of the Development Permit Board, and the project facilitator any time right up to and including the DPB decision date three months later, on Feb. 8, 2021 (Mon). Below is a summary of the application, plus a bit of commentary.

OUR COMMENTARY

Unit in Westbank rental tower at 1770 Pendrell on Craigslist at $4,975 a month, $2,125 above the proposed rent when rezoning was approved

(Updated 27-Jul-2020) It is important to follow-up on major developments to see how they are performing for residents and the neighbourhood.

A [correction] 19-storey tower proposal for a luxury condo at this specific site in 2007 (original address 1754-1772 Pendrell, now 1770 Pendrell) set off a chain of events like a firestorm. That brings us to today.

The “Save the West End Town Hall Meeting” held by a former residents’ association at the then Coast Plaza Hotel in April 2008 was attended by over 500 people. The unanimously-adopted resolution included request to the City to put a moratorium on new tower construction. At the meeting, Councillor Tim Stevenson, appealing for more votes to boost his civic party (Vision Vancouver) from a minority to a majority in the 2008 civic election, asked for votes and promised to fight for the requested moratorium. Vision Vancouver ended up with a huge majority in the election. Eventually this tower proposal was dropped but many more kept popping up. Amid the controversy, West End Neighbours was created and launched a petition in 2009, and garnered over 13,000 signatures by 2013, calling on the City to put an end to spot rezonings and instead to develop a comprehensive plan through meaningful consultation. Mayor Gregor Robertson put a hold on rezonings but only while the Community Plan process was underway. The West End Community Plan, eventually adopted in November 2013, no longer permitted new towers along Denman Street in this part of the West End (but opened the door wide open for towers of virtually unlimited heights and densities along Georgia/Alberni, Burrard/Thurlow, and Davie Street, and reduced tower separation restrictions, among other changes). Meanwhile, the Pendrell site had been quietly purchased by Westbank Projects Corp (CEO Ian Gillespie), and the tower proposal came back to life, this time as a rental building, with the 21-storey concept grandfathered in for supposedly having been in play before the West End Community Plan. Local residents filed a petition in B.C Supreme Court to stop the project, and lost. See a more complete history here, plus links to previous WEN articles further below.

One justification for the Council approval of the rezoning at the Public Hearing of July 13, 2015, was that this building would provide much-needed family-oriented rental housing.

However, as of today, July 24, 2020, with the building now open for occupancy, a three-bedroom unit is listed on Craiglist at $4975 a month, far above the proposed rent of $2850 that was indicated to City Council to justify the rezoning in 2015.

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/apa/d/vancouver-d255-brand-new-3-bedroom-in/7155829510.html

It is important to note that City of Vancouver staff worked hard to justify this Westbank rental building in their June 2015 Report to Council:
http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20150623/documents/p5.pdf

The table that staff included outlined the “proposed rents” by the applicant (Westbank/Henriquez) for the project (see red circle for 3-bedroom units at $2,850):

 

 

If you pull out a calculator, you will find that at $4975 a month, the three bedroom unit currently listed on Craiglist is $2,125 ([correction] or 75%) higher than (nearly double!) the proposed rent of $2850.

Note that from the trees in the photos, this unit is at a lower level (perhaps 6th floor) in the building. Higher floors will be renting at higher prices, floor by floor, up to the twenty-first floor. And parking is $200 extra (or $230 to park your Tesla).

One might be justified in concluding that the City gave Westbank a deal far more lucrative than planning staff told Vancouver  City Council, the public, and taxpayers.

Our municipal government is trying to respond to the need for more rental housing in Vancouver by using a number of programs, incentives, and deals with developers. But this specific case is just one example showing that follow-up reviews are needed, and that the City needs to take a closer look at the costs, benefits, and effectiveness of those programs.

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Follow up questions. Did the promised Community Amenity Contributions get paid? What are other units in the building being rented at in 2020?

Reference: (Proposed tower in Vancouver’s West End divides community, Carlito Pablo, Georgia Straight, 8-Sep-2015) Excerpt: These 26 units will be replaced with an equal number in the development, with rents 20 percent below the West End average. This means that new residents in these homes will pay $761 a month for a studio, $961 for a one-bedroom, $1,565 for two bedrooms, and $2,428 for three bedrooms. The remaining 152 units will be rented at market rates. A studio will go for $1,250, one bedroom for $1,550, two bedrooms for $2,200, and three bedrooms for $2,850. According to a staff report, “when compared to home ownership costs, these rents would provide a more affordable alternative to home ownership.” Staff also advised council that the project “would make a significant contribution towards the City’s overall affordable housing goals”.

Public Hearing June 25, 2020 (RECONVENING 9:30 am Tue/June 30): 60-storey tower (25 FSR) at 1059-1075 Nelson Street. Inconsistencies with West End Plan, morning shadows for West End.

Shadow study of impacts of Westbank and Henson towers shows that Nelson Park and Lord Roberts Elementary School Annex and playground will be enshrouded in shadows. Park users can forever say good-bye to morning sunshine for much of the year.

Images on this page courtesy of applicant Henson Developments, IBI Group Architects, WKK Architecture

(Update: RECONVENING on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. with applicant presentation, public speakers, council debate + decision)

This major rezoning application went to a virtual Public Hearing on Thursday, June 25, 2020, and will reconvene on June 30 at 9:30 a.m. (On June 25 there was only time for the staff presentation.)

If you have any concerns as a West End resident, we encourage you to write or speak to Council on this major rezoning for a 60-storey tower mid-block on the north side of Nelson Street, between Thurlow and Burrard Streets. Instructions on how to do so are on the official Public Hearing web page.

City Council is currently in the midst of a big rush of public hearings (May 12, 26, 28, June 23, 25, 30, July 7, 9, 16, 21, 23, plus possible reserve dates) before the summer hiatus. The City assumes these electronic meeting (with audio only, and all Councillors joining remotely) are legal under provincial emergency legislation during the COVID-19 pandemic (but could be challenged).

Below are some images and points about the rezoning, plus comments and web links. There is quite a history to this site. The value of the site was unlocked by the West End Community Plan adopted in 2013 under Vision Vancouver, which left the permitted density (and profits) on sites in this corridor virtually unlimited as a huge favour to developers. The location was the subject of dramatic speculation and profit-taking by prominent Vancouver developers, resulting in the current developer, Henson Developments, bringing this proposal forward now.

Public hearing agendas and documents (general info):
https://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-council-public-hearing.aspx

Virtual (electronic) Public Hearing June 25, 2020 (6 pm start). This application is 4th on the agenda (1059-1075 Nelson Street):
https://council.vancouver.ca/20200625/phea20200625ag.htm

Rezoning application page:
https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/1075nelson/index.htm

There will be many opinions about such a massive development. Skyscraper and density lovers will support it. The developer has included some green features. Social housing and market rentals are in the proposal. Development Cost Levies and Community Amenity Contributions will bring funds into City coffers. Tenants renovicted from the existing affordable rental units on the site will be anxious to get into the new building once completed. Some housing activists who support any construction anywhere will support this.

But there has been little public discussion about the negative livability, environmental, shadowing, and affordability impacts of such a major development.  It is an expensive, huge and bulky building on such a small site, at nearly 25 FSR for density and 585.5 feet in height.

Here are some points worthy of attention:

• It is a small site for this kind of density and extreme height, especially given the towers already on that block (and under construction).
• The proposed Floor Space Ratio of 24.94 may well have the highest density of any building ever approved in Vancouver, and could well be the highest density building ever built on the North American continent. This level of density will have major impacts.
• It will shade Nelson Park, which is precious and heavily used park space. This is a densely-populated urban community. For mental and physical health, and general livability of the community, bright park space is a must-have. But the proposed tower, combined with others existing and under construction, will cast shadows for many blocks in many directions. The proponent’s shadow studies show that Nelson Park can kiss good-bye to morning sunlight for much of the year. That includes also the children at Lord Nelson Elementary Annex.
• Despite the “passive house” standards, the amount of energy consumed in demolition, excavation, and construction will be enormous. Digging a hole 100 feet deep for nine levels of underground parking is one example.
• Under a COVID-19 world, will skyscraper living dependent on elevators for every departure and return ever be the same?
• There are many discrepancies with provisions of the West End Community Plan for this area.
• Pages 11 and 12 of the staff Referral Report (April 14, 2020, Gil Kelley, General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability) merit a close look, particularly regarding floor plate size. During West End Plan consultations in 2012 and 2013, the size of floor plates was a key topic. Since the adoption of the plan, proposals have included endless rationalizations of “averaging” and “exclusions” to justify bulky buildings like the one proposed. Proponents and City staff use these as a strategy to over-ride the objectives of the Plan in order to create more luxury real estate at $3,000 a square foot. We hope that Mayor and Council will query staff in detail on this point. How can West Enders be confident that the West End Community Plan will be followed?
• The proponent and City staff are also proposing a “zero setback” from Nelson Street for levels 4 through 60 (see Page 12 of the report).
• Is the creation of hundreds more luxury condos the best way to advance housing opportunities in Vancouver? Who is the target for sales of these condos? Whose needs are being served?

Here is a summary of other points of the proposal, courtesy of Kenneth Chan of Daily Hive (heads up – slow to load due to many ads and cookies). Excerpt:

WEN letter to Council (9-June-2020): Opposed to 2538 Birch Street referral to Public Hearing, and increased Public Hearings schedule

WEN sent the following letter to Mayor and Council on June 8, 2020.

City of Vancouver Council
Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,

Re: June 9, 2020 Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20200609/regu20200609ag.htm
– Changes to 2020 Council Meetings Schedule

– CD-1 Amendment: 2538 Birch Street (formerly 1296 West Broadway – Denny’s site)

Regarding the Council agenda for June 9, 2020, West End Neighbours (WEN) is opposed to (1) the proposed increase in Public Hearings, and (2) the controversial rezoning of 2538 Birch Street going forward as a referral to Public Hearing at this time.

Virtual electronic Council meetings and Public Hearings attempted to date by Vancouver City Council have shown that the technology is not reliable and the electronic process has many shortcomings. Relevant parts of the Vancouver Charter have been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this situation should not be exploited to the disadvantage of the public.

The proposed increase in Public Hearings in July will put an undue strain on everyone involved and diminish trust in the system.

Regarding the proposed rezoning at 2538 Birch Street , this is a controversial project that would set a major precedent for the Broadway Corridor. If it does go to Public Hearing, it should be scheduled once civic processes have returned to normal and the temporary suspension of parts of the Vancouver Charter have ended.

Sincerely,
Virginia Richards,
Director, West End Neighbours (WEN)

West Enders concerned about seeing construction still continuing in midst of COVID-19 crisis

(Updated with more letters 31-March-2020, at bottom) Local residents have shared with WEN copies of their letters to civic and provincial officials expressing concern when seeing construction work continuing during the COVID-19 crisis. Below is an excerpt of one we have received.

Photo by Kateryna Babaieva on Pexels.com

Letter from a West End resident

28-March-2020

Dear Mr. Spencer Chandra Herbert [BC MLA for Vancouver-West End],

I am a long term resident of the West End of Vancouver, one of the densest areas in the province and home to many seniors and vulnerable people. Also home to many young families. As you well know, it is a diverse community.

In addition to watching the pandemic spread precipitously I have watched the daily briefings by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. While I respect and admire her, I am afraid that I have become increasingly alarmed and discouraged by the province’s refusal to take more stringent actions to restrict gatherings and non-essential services. It is an extremely difficult decision to make but given our location next to Washington State, the large number of tourists that visit here, and the close proximity of the population in our community, it is unwise to delay any longer.

As evidenced by their behaviours, many of the younger people from both our community and those that come here for the beaches and entertainment have either not understood the risk or ignored it.

Moreover, in our neighbourhood we have a large number of people continuing to work in the construction industry while everyone else is being asked to self isolate. Surely this is a non-essential service that puts the workers, their families and our community at risk.

Unbelievably Dense: Pendrell, Davie, Bidwell & Cardero

Comments from West End residents: Since 2010, West End Neighbours has been engaged in some key issues affecting the neighbourhood. Here are comments received from long-time resident Diane, with a response by Gracia, who asks many questions. It will be interesting to revisit these questions again in the future.

Sky view from ground near 1670 Davie Street in early 2020. New towers approved under massive pre-zoning under the West End Community Plan of 2013. Credit Google Street View.

 

Diane: I walked around the block yesterday (end of Feb 2020). That block along with the tower next to London Drugs across the street [1670 Davie] is astonishing. In the case of the north side of the street the only separation between huge towers is the laneway.

Panorama from about 12th floor at 1670 Davie Street. To the left is westward and to the right is eastward along Davie. Photo: WEN.

Gracia: Will smaller businesses located on the lower floors of these new Davie Street towers struggle for a few years to pay the higher property taxes related to past land speculation that occurred with unacknowledged “blessings” of politicians from one municipal party [now defunct Vision Vancouver] and two provincial parties?

Golden Choice Produce on Davie was sold in the late autumn (the previous owner used to live in the Brentwood area of Burnaby). A middle eastern family purchased the business and by February, the produce part of the store was closed. At present, by looking in the windows, it is difficult to know if the store will close or change to a general grocery store selling mainly canned or packaged goods.

If condominium insurance premiums are increasing in newer buildings with Airbnb units considered as a high risk item, and the coronavirus situation brings on a widespread economic recession, in densified parts of Davie street (where “packed in” neighbours can talk to each other from their bedroom and living room windows), who will be purchasing units on the higher floors? How much higher will rents be on the lower floors compared to amounts quoted in past City of Vancouver staff reports?

Residents who did their shopping between Bidwell and Cardero are now used to buying groceries in shops located in less expensive parts of the West End. When a large supermarket moves back to Davie and Cardero [the former Safeway site, where two towers are now going up by Westbank Projects Corp (CEO Ian Gillespie) and architect Henriquez Partners Architects], will there be a customer base to support other businesses located in the new towers?