Apr 15, 2025: Progressive Candidates win two seats on Council; Jericho Lands ODP to be decided April 15

Posted at 11:17 am in By-election 2025 news, City Hall news, Jericho Lands by

Progressives sweep Vancouver By-election; Jericho Lands requests ODP

 When the dust finally settled on the woefully mismanaged Apr. 5 by-election — where people faced tortuous line-ups of up to 3.5 hours to cast their votes — COPE candidate Sean Orr and OneCity’s Lucy Maloney were the last ones standing, or should we say seated, on Vancouver City Council.

It’s hard not to interpret the losses of the two ABC candidates — Ralph Kaisers and Jaime Stein, who finished last and next-to-last among the party candidates—as a clear rebuke to Mayor Ken Sim and his ruling ABC Party.

What are the priorities of the two winning Progressive candidates? They are almost interchangeable: beef up renter protections, build more affordable housing, create a safe supply for street drugs, end homelessness, and provide free transit.

It will be interesting to see how the two new councillors shake up decisions on Council as they seek to drastically alter many of ABC’s initiatives. But remember that ABC still commands a majority on Council.

Many of the local community groups and resident associations in Kitsilano, West Point Grey, and Dunbar were disheartened that TEAM for a Livable Vancouver (Colleen Hardwick and Theodore Abbott) finishing third and fifth in the polls, failed to win at least one seat. For the first time in its history, UKRA endorsed a party (TEAM) because we believed it was the only party that would stand up for neighbourhoods and give the public a voice in City policy and decision-making.

The Jericho Coalition, which has been fighting to mitigate the MST First Nations’ massive plan for the Jericho Lands, also expressed disappointment with the election results.

“As you know, we endorsed for the first time TEAM for a Livable Vancouver candidates Colleen Hardwick and Theodore Abbott, who oppose the MST Development Corporation’s plan for the Jericho Lands and support our alternative proposal,” wrote the Coalition in a recent newsletter.

Still, the Coalition took voters’ overwhelming rejection of the ABC candidates as a sign of progress and hope for the Jericho Lands. A public hearing on the Official Development Plan for the Jericho Lands goes before Council on Tuesday, April 15. This will be the last opportunity to write to Council about the 66-tower Jericho Lands development, which has a build-out of 25 – 30 years and no height limits. See below for important information from the West Point Grey Residents Association:

 
 
 

 

Jericho Lands Official Development Plan (ODP)

Public Hearing next Tuesday!  


This is the only public hearing for the entire 30 year phasing of the 

Jericho Lands development, so it is important!

Tuesday April 15 at 6:00 pm

at City Hall 12th Ave. & Cambie St. and Online

See below for information on signing up to speak and sending emails to Council.  
 


What is the Jericho Lands Official Development Plan (ODP)?

This Jericho Lands Official Development Plan (ODP) is a legal City By-Law that will direct all future rezonings of each phase of the Jericho Lands.
There is very little information in the current draft ODP, which is intended to align with, and be informed by, the detailed Jericho Lands Policy Statement approved in January 2024.
However, this draft ODP has no height limits or form of development designations, only maximum square footage and land uses per phase.

To find out what is proposed in terms of height and forms of development it requires referring to the separate Jericho Lands Policy Statement, that can be changed at a Council Meeting at anytime without a public hearing, with only a minimum majority of six votes on Council.

Jericho Lands ODP public hearing is Tuesday, April 15 at 6:00 pm
at City Hall (12th Ave. & Cambie St.) & Online
The Jericho Lands ODP is going to a public hearing and this will be the last public hearing held for the Jericho Lands future development as per the new provincial BC zoning bills. The full build-out is projected to be 25 – 30 years.

Summary of Concerns:

This Jericho Lands ODP as it stands is severely flawed in many regards:

a) it proposes excessive density and scale of development beyond infrastructure capacity
b) it provides insufficient detail as to height and forms of development permitted
c) community consultation about it to date has been rushed and inadequate
d) community concerns expressed to date remain mostly unaddressed
e) it proposes private ownership of amenities that is unprecedented and unacceptable, as is the timeline for development of same
f)  any Jericho Lands ODP is premature pending decisions about UBCx.
 

The adoption of Jericho Lands ODP should be deferred until such a time as all the foregoing are addressed.



MORE INFORMATION:

Rushed Draft ODP consultation process of less than a month in February.
The public consultation and Q&A on the draft ODP was only about 3 – 4 weeks long.
This was far too short for the public to respond.
 
Future Rezoning Process Questionable
Once the ODP is approved, there will be no further public hearings for the Jericho Lands as per the new BC zoning bills.
The City claims that each rezoning application will include notification and public engagement and be subject to Council approval.
However,  this does not have the same legal requirements as a public hearing and may not allow any speakers at Council at all for any of the next phases.
 
This ODP is premature until (& if) UBCx Subway Extension is approved & funded
Given that the ODP is the last opportunity for a public hearing, there should be much more certainty about the plan before proceeding to adoption of the ODP.
This current plan is entirely based on transit oriented development related to the proposed onsite transit station for the UBCx subway extension.
However, there is no business case, approval or funding yet for UBCx, so it possible that the UBCx might be indefinitely postponed or never built.
The developers are requesting the ODP to have more certainty for their financing, even though an ODP is not required by the City at this time.
 
WPGRA has the same concerns about the Jericho Lands as before
Read the WPGRA’s previous letter of January 2024 to Council on the  Jericho Lands Policy Statement here: https://wpgra.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/wpgra-jericho-lands-policy-statement-2024-01-22-final.pdf
While this ODP is site specific to Jericho Lands (not the citywide ODP) and the groundwater study is complete, the main issue of UBCx that the entire plan is based is not resolved. Most of WPGRA’s concerns remain unaddressed.
 
WPGRA is strongly opposed to the developer retaining ownership of public amenities and providing them only in the very last phase of development
The developer is proposed to retain ownership of the parks, community centre, daycare, and Vancouver School Board school. This is a radical departure from standard practice, which is for public amenities to have City / Park Board ownership. Moreover, the amenities are only proposed for the very last phase of development, which could be 30 years with

 

massive population increases but without amenities.

WPGRA strongly opposes the overall density and scale of development
The Policy Statement & ODP have not responded to neighbourhood or broader public feedback.
 
The Jericho Coalition’s proposal is preferred by 72% citywide
Jericho Coalition’s Forum Research poll showed that 72% citywide agreed that the development as proposed was too dense and that the City should reject it on this basis and prefer the Jericho Coalitions alternative approach.
https://jerichocoalition.org/survey-results/
 
Jericho Coalition demands halt to Vancouver’s Draft ODP for Jericho Lands
https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2025/02/10/jericho-coalition-demands-halt-draft-odp-jericho-lands/

 
Send Emails to Council & Sign Up to Speak by Monday April 14 at 5 pm:


  1. Submit comments through the online link to count for the public hearing:

https://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-council-public-hearing.aspx
 


  1. Also send to Council by email:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],  [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Cc: [email protected], [email protected]

3. Sign up to speak to Council –
either by phone (easier) or in person at City Hall (more impactful):
https://vancouver.ca/your-government/request-to-speak-at-a-public-hearing-form-1.aspx

 
Reference Materials


Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20250415/phea20250415ag.htm

Report: https://council.vancouver.ca/20250311/documents/rr3.pdf

Draft Bylaw to adopt the Jericho Lands Development Plan as an Official Development Plan (ODP):
https://council.vancouver.ca/20250415/documents/phea1draftbylaw.pdf

Jericho Lands Policy Statement Approved January 2024: https://syc.vancouver.ca/projects/jericho-lands/jericho-lands-policy-statement.pdf

City’s Jericho Lands Draft ODP Backgrounder: https://syc.vancouver.ca/projects/jericho-lands/jericho-lands-odp-backgrounder-faq-feb-2025-info-session.pdf
 
One Water Approach Summary:
https://syc.vancouver.ca/projects/jericho-lands/jericho-lands-onewater-report.pdf

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