It will be months before any shovels hit the ground, but Vancouver has a roadmap for rebuilding the so-called “second city center.”
After six marathon meetings and comments from hundreds of residents, city councilors voted seven to four in favor of Broadway’s plan Wednesday night.
The plan sets out the basic rules for development in an area of 500 blocks around the new Broadway subway and envisions about 50,000 new residents over the next 30 years.
Read more: The Vancouver Council approves Broadway’s controversial 30-year plan
Towers up to 40 floors can be built near transit stations, and towers between 20 to 30 floors can be built in several central or shoulder areas. The city is aiming for 65 percent of the construction to be rented out, a quarter of that at below-market prices.
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The plan proved controversial, in part because of its sheer scale and central location.
But Andy Ian, an urbanist and director of SFU’s urban program, said the sometimes heated debate over Broadway’s plan was somehow indicative of Vancouver’s future.
1:54 Vancouver City Council votes to approve Broadway plan Vancouver City Council votes to approve Broadway plan
“I think outside of that plan, we see the tension and how much the city has changed,” Ian said. “We do not have easy land for development and the land we have left is either currently occupied or its land that has neighbors. Development and change in the city of Vancouver will be much more confusing. It will take another level of leadership, a new level of leadership that deals not only with what can be there, but also with what is there. “
This “mess” is evidenced by more than two dozen amendments added to Broadway’s plan before it gained approval, including what Mayor Kennedy Stewart called “Canada’s strongest tenant protection.”
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The new tenant rules require developers in the area of the plan to find suitable alternative housing for tenants before they can begin demolition.
It also requires them to allow tenants back into the new building or their old rent, or 20 percent below the city average, which has always been cheaper.
Read more: Vancouver Tenants’ Union fears Broadway plan will lead to evictions, massive rent increases
On Thursday, Stewart called the plan a “huge profit” for both the city and the tenants.
“Almost 75 percent of the new units that will come in more than 30 years will be for tenants, which is so important if you think about the jobs in this corridor, the jobs in healthcare, the jobs in education, the jobs in healthcare. “, he said.
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“I am most happy, many of these homes are constantly under market rents. So if you get the minimum wage, now there are units that come in place for you. “
The plan was also changed to allow towers on plots facing 30 meters (99 feet) down from 45 meters (150 feet), which could make it easier to assemble the ground, as well as limit the number of towers per block to three .
Another amendment commits the city to building a Broadway bike lane suitable for all ages and abilities.
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The changes to the plan also prompt city officials to report in many areas, many in response to concerns about the tensions that 50,000 new residents could put on city amenities.
2:03 Public hearings on the Broadway reconstruction plan begin Public hearings on the Broadway reconstruction plan begin – May 18, 2022
Employees are instructed to report on targets for new parks and open space, as well as the allocation of more than 10 percent of road space for use without cars, such as mini parks, food gardens or play areas.
They were also ordered to return with an operational review of Vancouver’s fire and rescue services, “including immediate and future staffing needs and new or expanded fire rooms,” given the potential population boom.
The plan was also amended to formally call on the Ministry of Education to prioritize funding for new and expanded schools to meet the growing population of the corridor.
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“I think it’s hard for employees and definitely for observers to know what the content and economic consequences of all the changes are, but I suspect we’ll start seeing reconstruction, I guess in September, when the plan officially goes into effect,” UBC Economist said.
“I think the bottom line is that the council did an imperfect job, but it really tried to balance the need for new homes with nature conservation and quality of life for people living near the plan area.
The areas closest to the new metro stations are likely to be the first to see redevelopment, he said.
Read more: Opponents of Broadway plan gather against “concrete canyon” at Vancouver City Hall
The plan met with loud opposition from critics, who said the scale of the towers would create a “concrete canyon” and did not match the nature of the area.
Others have warned that this will open the door to gentrification and land speculation.
count. Colleen Hardwick, who eventually voted against the plan, made an unsuccessful offer to pause the entire plan until after the upcoming municipal election.
“This is the loss of affordable rent, the displacement of people and really the density, which is not rationalized by population growth or employment growth,” she told the council.
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5:28 Should the Broadway corridor become a high-density area? Should the Broadway corridor become a high-density area? – May 13, 2022
The plan also faced a challenge from some tenants, with the Vancouver Tenants’ Union calling the new protections “insufficient” and no deadlines or implementation details.
The British Attorney General and Minister for Housing said he believed the city’s defense was working and said the province supported them through BC Housing “as much as we could.”
“These buildings, many of them are obsolete and will be replaced. So if we can protect tenants, but not the buildings, and provide them with newer housing that is affordable, that’s the goal, “he said.
The plan will be officially implemented on September 1.
“With files from Aaron MacArthur.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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