Vancouver Downtown Eastside Discussion

[Feathered Friend]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Yes, so why doesn’t she throw in some NDP money for policing instead of just moaning that Vancouver might turn away the housing money? Turn it away and let the rest of Metro take the money and build the housing!

It seems you're continuing to confuse former One City councillor, and now MLA Christine Boyle for ABC councillor Rebecca Bligh, who was the one quoted in that story.

[jollyburger]

BIV has some more reaction/details on Sims' speech

The city’s communications department said in an email Friday that there are five supportive housing projects with a combined 330 units in the pipeline and are in various stages of obtaining a development or building permit.

One additional project with 53 supportive units is also under construction.

“Any changes to the city's supportive housing policies would require council direction,” the city said. “The City of Vancouver has a clear development permit process, and staff will continue to process applications for social and supportive housing according to existing policies until a council resolution is passed.”

The mayor is expected to introduce his motion at a council meeting in February.

Sim’s announcement to pause construction of supportive housing along with amending the Downtown Eastside plan to add more types of housing also included a planned city-wide “crackdown on gangs.”

https://www.biv.com/news/vancouver-mayor...-supportive-housing-ravi-kahlon-10128782

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

What, are you saying all the people who jumped in to buy in Woodwards are suckers?

Overly optimistic ?

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

But who would want to buy a condo down there?
I thought I read a story a while back that the redeveloped Paris Block was considering dissolving the strata to sell the whole building for redevelopment because they couldn't sell the units individually.

The restaurant in the Paris Block is on the market for $1.6 million.. and they are trying to lease it out for $7500 a month.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

It seems you're continuing to confuse former One City councillor, and now MLA Christine Boyle for ABC councillor Rebecca Bligh, who was the one quoted in that story.

Oops you’re absolutely right. Posting too late at night…

[Vin]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Sims can't do anything without support from council etc so it seems a bit premature to think any of this will happen. It seems to be more the start of a discussion about something everyone is concerned about.

I like the fact that Sim identifies and acknowledges the problems facing this city, and dives into trying to solve them. This city failed so many times previously as virtually everyone was in a denial mode or had constant memory loss, while those who talked about the issues were often dismissed or even ridiculed. Looks like the attitude of residents are starting to change as well, and that is a good thing. We must be adamant about getting rid of Vancouver's social issues as with them around, this City cannot grow much.

[whatnext]

Gee, I wonder who might have leaked this?

Leaked document shows new plan by Vancouver city council to alter the Downtown Eastside
FRANCES BULA
VANCOUVER
PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO
FOR SUBSCRIBERS

A secret plan laid out by Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s chief of staff last fall for fixing the city’s poorest neighbourhood called for allowing quick approvals of private development in the Downtown Eastside, facilitating the return of people to their home communities for those that want to move and launching a “comprehensive review” of the non-profits providing services.

The draft memo, dated Oct. 30, 2024, is marked “Confidential” in red on every page, and was obtained by The Globe and Mail. It was distributed to councillors with the mayor’s ABC party and was intended as a proposed roadmap for better public safety, more resources for drug-use recovery, and an effort to “reinvigorate the DTES.”…

…return Downtown Eastside residents to their home communities, the second draft refers to the struggle of people who are disconnected from prior support networks.

But the October memo obtained by The Globe specifically referenced Indigenous people under a section entitled “Re-unification roundtable with First Nations, Métis and other Indigenous groups.” The paper notes “many members of the Indigenous community have expressed a desire to live in their home Nations.

“Some local Nations are open to welcoming their members return to the community. Re-unification is a meaningful step forward toward reconciliation.”…
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/a...-by-vancouver-city-council-to-alter-the/

[jollyburger]

https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/dtes-housing

Vancouver's Downtown Eastside could be opened up to more market development, 32-storey towers

“We’re trying to strike a balance,” said Dan Garrison, Vancouver’s director of housing policy and regulation.

City planners want to ensure it’s financially viable for private landowners to add more market — and more new social housing — while also redeveloping existing single-room occupancy hotel rooms into new self-contained units.

But, Garrison said, they don’t want to see land values in the area escalate significantly.

“There’s no point in making changes that will not generate viable development options,” Garrison said. “On the other hand, you do have to be careful about the extent to which you allow those kinds of options because of the concerns about land value and speculation in this area.”

But it has proven difficult for redevelopments to proceed with that 60-40 mix, the city says. Only two projects have been completed in the DEOD in the past decade, according to the 2023 motion.

So, aiming to “balance the need for affordable housing with the financial viability of new development,” the city is proposing to change the mix to 20 per cent social housing and 80 per cent market rental. The city says the proposed changes would reduce the number of social housing units required for individual projects, but improve the projects’ financial viability, thereby leading to more overall social housing being built.

Garrison said that if taller market rental or condo towers were allowed with no requirements for social housing, that could raise concerns about increased land values. But city planners believe that despite the additional height and density being proposed, the land value lift will be limited because the policies include strong tenant protections and affordability requirements.

One key piece is that tenants in properties undergoing redevelopment would be offered the right to return to the new building at their old rent, or a 50 per cent discount from the city’s average market rents, whichever is lower. There is also an option to allow private developers to build market rental buildings with 10 per cent of units permanently secured at 50-per-cent-below city wide average rents, a deeper level of affordability than the city requires in other neighbourhoods.

To enable taller buildings, the city is considering changing view-protection rules, going beyond the view-protection changes council approved in July 2024. This would reduce some protected public views of the North Shore mountains from certain parts of the city, while preserving others.

https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columni...-be-opened-up-to-more-market-development

[logan5]

The important number is FSR 11, which I believe is more than twice the density of the current DTES plan, and the social housing requirement has been greatly reduced. Still, I wonder if that will be enough to entice developers. There are a lot of SRO's that could potentially be redeveloped, but that displacement is going to cause a shit storm, and I wonder if developers want to deal with tenant relocation for high maintenance people. Maybe the government can help out there. The current plan is not working, so something had to change.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/dtes-housing

https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columni...-be-opened-up-to-more-market-development

A recipe for disaster.

[jollyburger]

Some sites won’t be able to build towers as they are in locations with
protected public views, or they are near Oppenheimer Park, which has
restrictions to protect solar access. The map below shows the general
areas where different building forms could be built based on existing site
constraints.

The plan also envisions 20-30 storey towers along Main between the viaducts and National. Seems to make that 36 floor Arno Matis development at Main more of a reality (yes, his projects never get built)

[jollyburger]

• Updating the policy for inclusionary social housing developments in the DEOD from 60% social housing and 40% secured market rental to 80% secured market rental housing and 20% social housing;
• Allowing private developers to deliver below-market rental housing with 10% of units at deeply discounted rents to replace SROs, along with strong tenant protections;
• Increasing the allowable height and density in some areas, up to 32 storeys, to support SRO replacement, private below-market rental housing and inclusionary social housing developments;
• Aligning the definition of social housing with government funding programs by adjusting the requirement from a minimum of 33% of units at the shelter rate of income assistance to a minimum of 30% of units at or below Housing Income Limits with at least 20% of units at the shelter rate of income assistance; and
• Streamlining development processes for heritage buildings while preserving important architectural features.

Although the City's press release makes no mention of it, the City is also proposing a series of changes regarding SRO replacement, according to information boards. Proposed changes include relaxing the 1:1 (100%) replacement requirement to 50% for conversions and 20% for redevelopments, as well as allowing for SRO buildings to be replaced off-site. Other related changes include decreasing the minimum unit size from 320 sq. ft to 200 sq. ft in cases where SRO rooms are being converted into self-contained units with a private bathroom and cooking facilities, and requiring market rental projects with below-market units that replace SROs to provide the replacement units at a 50% discount from CMHC average rents.

https://storeys.com/vancouver-downtown-eastside-development-policy-changes/

[logan5]

The City is proposing to reduce the amount of social housing to 20%, but increasing the FSR significantly, so there really isn't a potential loss in the number of social housing units. Maybe even an increase. It would be in everybody's best interests to move forward with this plan.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by logan5

The City is proposing to reduce the amount of social housing to 20%, but increasing the FSR significantly, so there really isn't a potential loss in the number of social housing units. Maybe even an increase. It would be in everybody's best interests to move forward with this plan.

You assume they consulted with landowners/developers to get an idea on the rational behind the new zonings. Sure something on East Hastings will be a tough sell for non-social housing but you assume on the side streets/corners that you could see some people take the leap if it's somewhat affordable.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

The plan also envisions 20-30 storey towers along Main between the viaducts and National. Seems to make that 36 floor Arno Matis development at Main more of a reality (yes, his projects never get built)

That may convince people to want the viaducts kept

[WarrenC12]

Your regular reminder than Chip Wilson's RE company owns a ton of property in the DTES area. Follow the money as usual...

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Your regular reminder than Chip Wilson's RE company owns a ton of property in the DTES area. Follow the money as usual...

Your regular rebuttal that his company have put a lot of investment into his East Hastings properties, and he has shown no signs of wanting to develop them. He has a lot of future investment in the False Creek Flats that is probably easier to lease, better located on transit, and without any complications that managing housing in the DTES brings. Onni and West Bank have more active development plans for the area.

I think this has more to do with slowly replacing the old SROs. We've seen one burn down, and three demolished in recent years (with no replacement on the Balmoral or Dunsmuir Hotel sites proposed yet). There are a lot more to either get fixed up or replaced, and the state of the old buildings really seems to worry the Chief Building Official, who is much more proactive than some of his predecessors.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Your regular rebuttal that his company have put a lot of investment into his East Hastings properties, and he has shown no signs of wanting to develop them. He has a lot of future investment in the False Creek Flats that is probably easier to lease, better located on transit, and without any complications that managing housing in the DTES brings. Onni and West Bank have more active development plans for the area.

You don't think more private strata development in the DTES will boost land values?

No link between Chip's guy being in the Mayor's seat and this change in DTES policy?

I'm not commenting on whether this is good or bad long term for Vancouver. But if you think these things aren't linked, I have some prime land in Florida you might be interested in.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Your regular reminder than Chip Wilson's RE company owns a ton of property in the DTES area. Follow the money as usual...

People want to make money and build housing and make an area better. That's 3 wins!

[jollyburger]

Most of his DTES properties are outside of the realm of these changes (?) so the money is still wandering around.