After a protracted public hearing held over three days, Council has decided that a box-shaped, modern six-storey rental building will replace three white-washed duplex bungalows that have stood at the corner of 4^th and Balaclava Street since the 1940s. On March 4, Council approved the redevelopment in a near-unanimous vote with only Cllr. Colleen Hardwick in opposition.

The community group, WeLoveKits, which fought long and hard against the redevelopment, had been in discussions with the developer, retired City planners and UBC architect Scott Hein, to create an alternative building design they believed would be a better fit for the community. Although the “Balaclava Project” was not complete, it had the backing of most of the surrounding neighbourhood. Council received more than 500 letters opposing the six-storey development and only 155 in support. At a previous Council meeting, however, Council members would not give the groups more time to finalize the alternative plan.

The development, by Retna Investments Inc. at 3084 W. 4th Ave and 2010 Balaclava St., was approved under the Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Project (MIRHPP). It will contain 35 secured rental units, with eight moderate-income units. It is the first six-storey building to be approved on West 4^th Ave. in Kitsilano.

Property owner Peter Miller said he had spent the last eight years trying to redevelop the site but had been turned away on each occasion by the City Planning department. According to Miller, Planning told him that the only way to have his project approved was to apply under the MIRHPP.

The public hearing was heard from 70 speakers, many of whom criticized the project for not meeting the guidelines of the MIRHPP. They spoke of the building’s excessive height (the current zoning is a maximum of four storeys), the nearly doubled FSR, and the shadows that will be cast on the low-rise houses to the south. Citing the building’s poor design, many said the bland, blocky structure was not a good fit for the surrounding neighbourhood of mainly older character houses. One speaker put a negative spin on an old Chinese proverb, calling it “A crane standing among chickens.”

Proponents of the plan spoke about a desperate need for more affordable housing in Kitsilano. Cllr. Christine Boyle said the City should be building many more units like this one, preferably on off-arterial roads.

Cllr. Colleen Hardwick said she was disappointed in Council’s decision, saying that in the end, the neighbourhood will lose six affordable dwellings and gain two more expensive units. The remaining 80% of units, she emphasized, will be unaffordable, which will create a large land lift or increase in the price of land. “This is a better deal for developers,” she pointed out.

Cllr. Hardwick said the City is facing eroding community trust and urged Council to allow developers and neighbourhoods to work together on planning and housing projects.