Westenders: Vote in by-election! Advance voting Oct 4 (Wed) & Oct 10 (Tue), general voting Oct 14 (Sat)

Image credit: City of Vancouver

October 2017 By-Election Candidates Meeting and Voting Dates

Oct 4 (Wed), 8 am to 8 pm: Advance Voting at Vancouver City Hall

October 5 (Fri) 7-9 pm: All Candidates’ Forum (organized by Gordon Neighbourhood House). Venue: St Andrew’s Wesley United Church, 1022 Nelson St.

Oct 10 (Tue), 8 am to 8 pm: Advance Voting at Vancouver City Hall

Oct 14 (Sat), 8 am to 8 pm: General voting at various voting places. There are also various ways to vote. See info here. http://vancouver.ca/your-government/where-to-vote.aspx

Click for official  voting information from the City of Vancouver.
https://vancouver.ca/your-government/2017-by-election.aspx

Message from West End Neighbours: Voter turnout for by-elections is typically low. The results this month’s by-election for one seat on City Council and all seats on the Vancouver School Board will be decided by those who actually vote. We encourage people to prepare, and then to get out and vote. Be sure to also have a look at the track records and funding sources of candidates and their parties. Vote! Decide who will take the contested positions until the main civic election a year from now. 

Check local media online for recent coverage the campaigns and promises of the candidates. The Vancouver Courier, Vancouver Sun, and Georgia Straight are good places to start. You can also check the candidates and party websites. The October 5 All Candidates’ Forum would also be worthwhile attending.

Below is official information from the City.

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Advance voting for by-election takes place on October 4 and 10
Vancouver City Hall open from 8am to 8pm 

 

Advance voting for the 2017 Vancouver by-election will take place on October 4 and 10 at Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Ave, from 8am to 8pm.

October 14 is general voting day for the by-election, which will elect one city councillor and nine school trustees.

A list of all candidates and their profiles can be viewed online by visiting vancouver.ca/by-election.

During advance voting, staff will offer accessibility aids to assist persons with disabilities, including a sip and puff device, audio system with headphones to read the ballot, and a magnification device to enlarge text on the ballot.

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Rezoning open house Oct 16 (Mon) for 2 buildings (32 and 33 storeys) 1065 Harwood, 1332 Thurlow, 1066 Harwood, 1078 Harwood

Rezoning Application – Upcoming Open House
1065 Harwood Street, 1332 Thurlow Street, 1066 Harwood Street and 1078 Harwood Street
Two buildings (32 and 33 storeys)
202 market strata units and 98 social housing units
Open house to learn more and share your thoughts:
Monday, October 16, 2017, 5-8 pm
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
1110 Howe Street, Columbia Room, Mezzanine Level

Below is the text of a notification postcard from the City of Vancouver

West End Housing & Homelessness Forum (By-Election Council Candidates): St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, Oct 5 (Thu) 7pm

Event notice for by-election City Council candidates’ meeting (one to be elected, see details here):

West End Housing & Homelessness Forum
Thursday, October 5th, 2017
7 to 9 pm
St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, 1022 Nelson Street, Vancouver
Organizer: Gordon Neighbourhood House

How should the City of Vancouver move forward on issues of homelessness and housing? Candidates seeking to become Vancouver’s next city councillor will answer questions from community stakeholders on these two critical issues in the West End.

In attendance:
– Hector Bremner (NPA)
– Diego Cardona (Vision Vancouver)
– Pete Fry (Green Party)
– Judy Graves (OneCity)
– Jean Swanson

Send your questions to welcome@gordonhouse.org

Wheelchair accessible venue; all welcome.

We acknowledge that this event takes place on the unceded, occupied, ancestral and traditional lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Source – original Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/events/132766430686809/

Outcome: 7-storey maple to be cut down at Bidwell & Davie for Reliance tower project

Here is an update on our previous story (“1188 Bidwell: Proposed big tree removal (maple, 7 storeys high) appears to violate City’s development permit conditions,” 18-Aug-2017).

The concerned resident stayed in touch with the City after surprising officials there by inquiring in August about a sign indicating the seven-storey-tall maple tree would be cut down, and WEN dug into the development approval documents to discover that the tree was supposed to be preserved.

Below is a September 6 memorandum back from the City’s project facilitator, which we share here, with permission.

Bottom line: “… the tree cannot be retained due it presenting a hazard to the public…”

On the positive side, the City did a good job of communicating with the concerned resident and reporting back. And this case put senior officials on notice that the public wants transparency and that the departments involved need to take more care with reviews of big developments — prior to and after approvals.

On the negative side, in this case it became clear that the relevant departments had not been in adequate communication with each other and there are still unanswered questions about the process. When it approved the tree removal this summer, the Park Board apparently did not know that the City required Reliance Properties to preserve all existing trees as a strict condition to win the development approval for a 22-storey tower by 1188 Bidwell Street. And Reliance had formally committed to do so.

We also need to look at the back story.

Something went seriously wrong along the way. What needs to change and improve City processes in the future?

21-storey rental tower at 1500 Robson goes to Development Permit Board Sep 5 (Tues)

The application submitted for 1500 Robson Street will go before the Development Permit Board (an internal decision-making body consisting of four senior City staff) on Tuesday, September 5 at 3 pm, at City Hall, 1st floor (Town Hall Meeting Room). This is just across from the 31 and 32 storey towers going up after demolition of the Empire Landmark Hotel at 1488 Robson.

Like many other projects we have seen in the past four years as a result of the Nov 2013 West End Community Plan and subsequent “pre-zoning” of large tracts of the West End in January 2014, this application goes straight to the DPB, with no public hearing and no involvement of City Council. However, the public is able to speak to the DPB at the meeting.

Development Application:
1500 Robson Street– DP-2017-00304– Zone C-5A
(COMPLETE APPLICATION)
Applicant: IBI Group Architects
Property Owner: London Life Insurance Company
Request: To develop a 21 storey mixed use building with 127 market rental units and commercial units at grade all over four levels of underground parking with access off of the lane and also requesting an increase in the Floor Space Ratio using a Heritage Density Transfer from a donor site at 12 Water Street (providing 9,078 square feet).
City staff: Danielle Wiley

We can see how the West End Community Plan has significantly accelerated developments, with this one going from first application to scheduled final approval within six months for a 21-storey tower, while it can take nearly two years for permission on a minor home renovation in Vancouver.

1188 Bidwell: Proposed big tree removal (maple, 7 storeys high) appears to violate City’s development permit conditions

7-storey maple on Bidwell was to be retained, but is now slated for removal. Why?

(Updated Sept 8, 2017. The original text below was posted on August 18, 2017. The tree was standing today, but the City has decided to let the developer cut it down.  See “Outcome: 7-storey maple to be cut down at Bidwell & Davie for Reliance tower project” dated Sept 8.)

A West End resident contacted WEN last night to give a heads up that a significant tree is scheduled for removal at 1188 Bidwell Street. This is connected with the construction of a 22-storey tower by Reliance Properties (CEO Jon Stovell).

Further investigation by West End Neighbours has found that retention of this and other trees near the site was an explicit condition by the City of Vancouver for approval of the Development Application (DE419087). See below for our findings.

It would seem inappropriate that the contractor is posting a notice of removal of this tree. If the City was considering back-tracking on its original position, there should be a public notification of this — from the City. It will disturb some residents to hear that this tree was officially shown for retention, but is now to be “removed and replaced.” The tree canopy in the West End is precious and should be preserved where possible.

We will report back if we hear more information, but this situation raises questions. Why did the City require tree retention and the developer agree to it? What has changed to now allow Reliance to remove the trees? Has due process been followed? Would planting of a young tree in the future really “replace” what risks being lost here? And on a larger scale what is the precedent and message here? Can explicit conditions for City approval of a major development application by a prominent developer be ignored or quietly reversed with the stroke of a pen, in a city that claims to protect its green cover and be the world’s “greenest city” by 2020?

Anyone concerned or with questions may wish to contact the parties involved (see bottom of post).

Shops on the site have been closed for some time and demolitions are under way (the Mac’s store on the corner was recently demolished; meanwhile, Safeway and the BC Liquor Store on the same block are slated to close this month for a separate two-tower development. The entire block will be demolished.).

Letter from Urban One Builders (see bottom of this post for exact text).

A letter (right) from Urban One Builders has been posted nearby, saying that the maple tree will be removed soon and replaced at the end of the project, that the Park Board has approved already.

In cases like these, citizens can search for development application documentation and staff reports with specific references to trees being retained.

Unfortunately (as is often the case), the City has completely removed the project information (DE419087) from the official Development Applications web page:  http://development.vancouver.ca/

But the staff report to the Development Permit Board (which approved the project on September 8, 2015, under then Chief Planner Brian Jackson) is still available here:

http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/committees/report-dpb-1188-bidwell-DE419087.pdf

Page 35 of the PDF document shows the trees on Bidwell, including the subject tree, as do the landscape plans on pages 43, 45, 46.

Page 17 of the report notes as part of the Public Notification section:

Street Trees on Bidwell: One respondent requested that the existing trees along the Bidwell frontage be retained.
Staff Response: The application includes protection of the street trees on both sides.

And Appendix A (Page 2 of 5) – Page 20 of the pdf indicates:

A.1.16 delete any notes regarding removal of street trees;
Note to Applicant: Per drawings, all trees on Bidwell Street and Davie Street are to be
retained.

CONTACTS

• City of Vancouver – Planning Department staff responsible for this project: wendy.lebreton@vancouver.ca and (mr.) sailen.black@vancouver.ca
•  Urban One Builders, Gary Malone, 604-873-5100, gmalone@urbanonebuilders.com
• Reliance Holdings (http://relianceproperties.ca/) (CEO Jon Stovell)
• Vancouver Park Board:  http://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-park-board.aspx
• Vancouver City Council – Liaison Councillors for the West End are Councillor Tim Stevenson, and Councillor Adriane Carr: http://vancouver.ca/your-government/neighbourhood-councillor-liaisons.aspx

Developer open house for two towers (32 & 33 storeys) at 1066-1078 Harwood, 1065 Harwood & 1332 Thurlow in West End: Aug 17 (Thurs)

The West End Planning Team sent out an update to subscribers today about this open house, copied here verbatim. WEN has already provided some information on this application: Two towers (32 & 33 storeys) proposed at Thurlow and Harwood in West End (Bosa BlueSky Properties + Henriquez Partners Architects): Demoviction of 98 units expected (WEN, July 20, 2017)

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This is a notification regarding an upcoming developer-hosted open house for two sites in the West End.

Pre-application open houses are an opportunity for developers to share early plans and receive initial community feedback in preparation for a rezoning application.

1066-1078 Harwood Street
1065 Harwood Street and 1332 Thurlow Street

2 residential buildings with a mixture of market residential and social housing units

A developer-hosted open house to gather initial feedback will be held.
Thursday, August 17, 5 to 7:30 pm
Century Plaza Hotel
1015 Burrard Street

If a rezoning application is subsequently submitted to the City, there will be an official City-led public consultation process including a City-hosted open house.

Two towers (32 & 33 storeys) proposed at Thurlow and Harwood in West End (Bosa BlueSky Properties + Henriquez Partners Architects): Demoviction of 98 units expected

 

Two towers at 32 and 33 storeys are being considered, enabled by the West End Community Plan. Image: UrbanYVR

UrbanYVR and Changing City Updates have just reported on a proposal for two new towers likely to go forward to the approval process. A developer’s “pre-rezoning” open house was apparently held on July 19, 2017, but we are not aware of any prior public notification.

The location is on the east side of Thurlow Street, with two towers, one on the south side of Harwood Street and one on the north. The properties at 1065, 1066 and 1078 Harwood Street, as well as 1332 Thurlow Street, were all sold and assembled within the past two years. Existing buildings on the development site include rentals, so this development will result in “demovictions.”

City Council’s adoption of the West End Community Plan in November 2013 has unleashed a land rush. Less than four years have gone by, but the number and scale of projects coming forward by big-name developers has been astounding. Did the City make enough effort during the consultation process to help residents understand how the future would unfold in the neighbourhood? Are the objectives of protecting livability and “deepening” affordability being achieved?

Below are excerpts from both articles.

North tower: 33-storeys
– 61 market residential units
– 98 social housing units

South tower: 32-storeys
– 143 market residential units
– No social housing units in south tower

* 60 per cent of the market units suitable for families
* 50 per cent of social housing units suitable for families
* Range of unit sizes, from one bedrooms to two and three bedroom units

Two towers proposed for 1616 West Georgia (White Spot site, Shato Holdings) at 33 and 39 storeys

Two towers proposed by Shato Holdings, at 33 and 39 storeys. Image credit: Shato Holdings via UrbanYVR.

1616 West Georgia Street
Proposal for two market residential buildings
A developer-hosted open house to gather initial feedback will be held.
July 12, 2017, from 5 to 7:30 pm
Westin Bayshore Hotel (1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver)

As far as we know, further details were not made public prior to this open house. The only public notice of the open house as far as we know was the West End Community Plan update from the City of Vancouver, e-mailed just a few hours before the event.

Subsequently, we notice that the Changing City Updates blog carries an image showing these two towers, at 33 and 39 storeys. The short article indicates that Shato Holdings (owners of White Spot) is proposing two condo towers. They would have a three-storey podium and 350 condo units, 75% of them two bedrooms or larger.

Later, Peter Meiszner reports in UrbanYVR (July 14) “White Spot on West Georgia to be redeveloped into condo towers: Gateway to downtown Vancouver to be transformed through several new condominium proposals.” He also says that three-level townhomes will front onto Alberni Street, where the lobbies for both buildings will also be located, one-bedroom units will be approximately 502 sq ft., and two bedroom units between 855 and 1,342 sq ft. Architects are IBI Group and PWL Partnership.

Both article state that the proposal is made possible by the West End Community Plan.

 

West End Community Plan Newsletter (COV)

Here is the plain text version of the City of Vancouver West End Planning Team Newsletter issued today.

For online info visit http://www.vancouver.ca/westend. Note some upcoming important developments including an open house announced just today.