June 22, 2024

The following letter addresses several overlapping plans for hyper-accelerated housing development in the City. Their names and numbers can get confusing. Bear with us as we consider three of the most pressing City measures.

Implementation of Transit-Oriented Areas (Provincial Housing Statute Bill 47) report

This coming Wednesday, Vancouver City Council is expected to support in principle the mundane sounding Transit-Oriented Areas implementation, the consequences of which mean another order of magnitude of tower-based densification across the city.  The City vote is a flow-through order mandated by the BC government known as Housing Statute Bill 47. If approved, areas near 29 Transit-Oriented Stations will be radically developed.

Vancouver and most BC municipalities have been forced to accept provincial housing statues as part of Premier David Eby’s runaway housing plans. A few jurisdictions including Richmond and West Vancouver have objected to Eby’s heavy-handed approach, but the majority have not. Vancouver City Council has gone along with Eby’s plans whole-heartedly; even the non-ABC Party Councillors have endorsed the Eby-inspired Official Development Plan (ODP).

We have the Broadway Plan, we have the Vancouver Plan —  soon to form the basis for our ODP — where developments that comply with ODP rules will no longer require public hearings. And now we are seeing City Staff’s latest amendments to the Broadway Plan, approved less than two years ago. These plans will add density to Vancouver like we have never seen before, the heaviest within 200-400 meters of Transit stations, and there will be no limits on the number of towers built per block, if approved. These proposals will permanently change the look and feel of virtually every neighbourhood, and Vancouver as a whole. Not surprisingly, none of these plans have received meaningful public consultation.

Since the Broadway Plan was announced in 2022, critics have voiced many concerns, such as the use of concrete in hi-rise towers and the resulting lack of green space, and the lack of community centres and schools needed to meet the requirements of hundreds of thousands of new residents. Furthermore, the Broadway Plan will obliterate much of the precious low-cost rental stock in the city. Looking at the changes in the map above, hundreds, if not thousands of tenants will be at risk of demoviction. According to the Broadway Plan, the majority of new units built will be sold as market housing; there will be very few affordable houses.

Updates to the Parking By-Law in Response to Provincial Bills 44 and On-Street Parking Management Report

Parking: In response to Provincial Statues 44 and 47, City Council must also approve changes to the current parking by-law to eliminate minimum vehicle parking requirements for all land uses citywide, effective by June 30, 2024. In other words, developers will no longer be required to include parking in their projects, whether office or residential.

Our question is: How will any of these changes improve Vancouver? Is this what the majority of Vancouver residents voted for?

The next Provincial election is October 19, 2024. It may well be the only way to have your say.

You can send your comments to Council here, or email Councillors directly.

Don’t forget that tomorrow is Greek Day! UKRA and members of the Kitsilano community associations plus the newly formed KitsPlan will be on hand to answer questions about the developmental changes coming to Vancouver. You can find our table near the Petro-Canada Station at Broadway and Macdonald. If you miss this one, there will be another information session at the Khatsahlano Festival on July 6. The party runs from 9 to 11 pm.

Photo above: Map shows amendments to the Broadway Plan, with limit to towers removed (Courtesy of CityHallWatch).