Social Housing in Vancouver - The 14 Sites

[red-paladin]

They should sell this site and build two other buildings in other places.

If someone creates a summary chart of the 14 projects, their location, completed photos, etc, I'll buy them a case of beer.

[Sprawl]

Wow. Banking that Coal Harbour site for social is certifiably insane.

[misinger]

I don't understand the logic with spreading out social housing, especially in very expensive market price zones which could be sold to provide even more social housing.

Why not build out a bunch of units in DTES / East Vancouver where land values are much cheaper, and then also build centralized mental health centres (a bit of that coming with the new St Pauls hospital).

[Sprawl]

Originally Posted by misinger

I don't understand the logic with spreading out social housing, especially in very expensive market price zones which could be sold to provide even more social housing.

Why not build out a bunch of units in DTES / East Vancouver where land values are much cheaper, and then also build centralized mental health centres (a bit of that coming with the new St Pauls hospital).

Because it would ghettoise the poor and mentally ill in total ignorance of the lessons learnt from the last 50 years of social housing projects. Or is this satire?

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by Sprawl

Because it would ghettoise the poor and mentally ill in total ignorance of the lessons learnt from the last 50 years of social housing projects. Or is this satire?

Yes that's for sure! That's why it should be spread out in areas that are cheaper such as outside of vancouver. I think vancouver has built its fair share of units. Building them in places like yaletown and coal harbour is insane. If I was homeless I could careless if it was built in Coquitlam, for example. I would just be happy to have a roof over my head.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Now, we just need to wait to hear they have abandoned their totally asinine and fiscally criminal plan to build a welfare housing project on the last remaining waterfront property in the heart of Coal Harbour (probably worth +$100 million).

Put a 50 storey hotel there, for heaven's sake.

[osirisboy]

Yea zone it for that. Sell it off to a developer. Take the pile of cash from that sale and build a crap load of social units in the burbs and finally start to get people off the street and into housing

[Prometheus]

When you consider some of the locations, it looks as if the city is more intent on waging some kind of class war against the wealthy than guided by an alleged desire to help as many of the poor as it possibly can.

[SFUVancouver]

In the Coal Harbour Official Development Plan the site in question is reserved for the planned/future Coal Harbour elementary school, and not social housing to the best of my understanding. It was always the intention of the Coal Harbour ODP to have the future elementary school and the community centre co-locate. The rooftop green roof and playground were designed to be used by the kiddos during the day and the general public outside of school hours and on weekends, not unlike Elsie Roy Elementary in Yaletown. Perhaps a combination school and non-market housing building was imagined?


Source: http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/BYLAWS/odp/ch.pdf


Source: http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/BYLAWS/odp/ch.pdf

Originally Posted by Prometheus

This site:

The three sites in Coal Harbour for non-market housing have already been built out: the Coal Harbour Housing Co-Op, PAL Co-Op, and C-Side.

[osirisboy]

Is putting a school there really make the best economical sense? we always hear about budget shortfalls and never enough funding etc. these sorts of projects just don't seem to make sense to me given all these budget constraints and deficits

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

In the Coal Harbour Official Development Plan the site in question is reserved for the planned/future Coal Harbour elementary school, and not social housing.

Not according to Jim Meschino, VSB director of facilities:

Class Notes: VSB settles with reluctant strata
International Village school construction begins in May

Cheryl Rossi / Vancouver Courier
February 5, 2015 02:34 PM

The Vancouver School Board hopes to start constructing an elementary school at International Village in May, a year later than planned.

The board had hoped to see the new kindergarten to Grade 7 school open December 2015. Now it’s aiming for December 2016.

Foundations for the school need to be built through the parkade at the Firenze condo tower at the corner of Abbott Street and Expo Boulevard. Jim Meschino, VSB director of facilities, says this was included on the land title.

“It just became something that people either forgot or didn’t want to acknowledge,” Meschino said.

Firenze was completed in 2007.

The VSB filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court as a last resort after months of failing to gain access to the parkade. The board wanted to maintain an amicable relationship with the future school’s neighbours.

The board settled with the strata before their court date, Jan. 13.

....

The VSB secured parking with 24-hour security across the street for six months for the stalls that will be affected.

Those unconcerned with parking will receive a “token amount” of money per month instead. Residents will also be permitted to rent out VSB parking stalls earlier in the day than stated on the land title.

Meschino says residents of Firenze were concerned construction of a school adjacent to their tower would negatively affect their land values.

The VSB is working with the city on the proposed site for an elementary school in Coal Harbour. Another elementary school is meant to be built in Southeast False Creek.

“The land that’s right beside the Coal Harbour Community Centre, right at the foot of Broughton, is designated for a school, a 69-seat childcare and five floors of non-market housing,” Meschino said. “The city has never been able to move forward on the childcare and the housing because the school occupies the base.”

http://www.vancourier.com/news/class-not...nt-strata-1.1754178#sthash.a2ZPd6hT.dpuf

[WarrenC12]

Thanks for the detail, however this:

“The city has never been able to move forward on the childcare and the housing because the school occupies the base.”

is that I'd call an insufficient reason. The city governs all of those aspects, so what's the holdup?

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

is that I'd call an insufficient reason. The city governs all of those aspects, so what's the holdup?

The province funds public education, not the city. So, I imagine that the hold-up is that the VSB is waiting for funds from the province. Once that is secured, then it's social housing time in Coal Harbour.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

The province funds public education, not the city. So, I imagine that the hold-up is that the VSB is waiting for funds from the province. Once that is secured, then it's social housing time in Coal Harbour.

I'm not sure that's the problem. The VSB pays directly for school construction and operation, IIRC. The province gives funding relative to population.

A recent story has the province wanting to close empty spaces and the VSB saying no. They have big budgets and significant control over the land and buildings.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

The VSB pays directly for school construction and operation, IIRC.

I don't think so.

School board borrows $1.6 million from BMO to fund downtown school construction


By Matthew Robinson, Vancouver Sun May 30, 2015


The Vancouver school board has taken out a $1.6-million loan from BMO to help the province fund a new elementary school in downtown Vancouver.

Funding new schools is a provincial responsibility, but when Victoria balked this year at covering unexpected additional costs for the project, the board decided to use its own operating dollars to get the school built...

The education ministry had earmarked about $13.5 million in 2012 for the 510-student school at International Village at Abbott Street and Expo Boulevard. But the price tag had climbed to $17 million by 2014 because of design changes and other expenses, and the shortfall was funded by the school board’s capital reserves after Victoria refused to cover the increase....

Vision Vancouver school trustee Patti Bacchus said it was the first time she could recall a board using operating funds to help the province build a school.

Full story: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/story.html?id=11094719

[officedweller]

There are also 2 Concord sites behind Cooper's Park fronting Pacific Blvd.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I don't think so.

Interesting. So the BC Liberals are holding the COV over a barrel.

Without much detail it's hard to say where the blame is on the overage, but making one government institution borrow money from private banks instead of another level of government is stupid.

Meanwhile they are recommending closing under-utilized schools and the VSB is balking. It's really an inefficient shit-show, with the taxpayer footing the bill.

I don't have much hope for the planned OV or CH schools at this rate.

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by officedweller

There are also 2 Concord sites behind Cooper's Park fronting Pacific Blvd.

That's two sites?? I thought it was just one. That is an eyesore, well I guess they all are. What's the city think about them? Have they made any push to get these developed in some way?

[officedweller]

I noticed it on the 89 Nelson site map - and it shows 2 building there.
I posted it in the streetcar thread.

[casper]

I don't understand why the school board just does not go a developer and say. We need the bottom three stores for a school. You can build a 20 story condo tower on top of the school if you build the shell of the school and sign it over to us for a $1.