General Vancouver Updates

[GenWhy?]

Only 1 solution and no one wants to touch it unfortunately.

[Feathered Friend]

A friendly reminder about tonight's open house from the West Point Grey Resident's Association.

[phesto]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

Abandoned 2016 Application


2019 Pre-application Notice



https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/05/08...ousing-finally-comes-to-west-point-grey/

The previous owners of this site submitted a letter of inquiry for a 13-storey rental building way back in 2008 (also with Henriquez), but it was never supported by staff. Interesting to see the same basic idea come back forward so many years later under the Moderate Income Policy.

Despite Ian Gillespie's success in lobbying the City, as with the above post, this one will get a rough ride from the neighbourhood.

[bc2mb]

Went to the open house for the West Broadway and Alma tower and was impressed, although agree many neighbours will be opposed due to its height -- in fact one unhappy resident stopped me on my way out to ask what I thought "as a young person" and commented how most of the people at the open house were young, and likely didn't live in the neighbourhood.



More details: https://urbanyvr.com/west-broadway-alma-rentals

[csbvan]

Wow. That's rental?! Good stuff.

[rofina]

I would be mind blown if Westbank is allowed to put that there.

I'm all for it, but that's like detonating a nuke over NIMBY town.

Couple comments I have - it does look a bit like a prison, and it does look like our proposed VAG...otherwise pretty cool.

[GenWhy?]

At one MIRHPP open house I was asked to sign a petition against it from a very very old woman and a middle-aged man who, when asked by me if they rent, said they understood the housing issues in the city. So I told them to look for a rental and sunch-n-such inccome and wait in line at a unit viewing 4 times in one day all weekend and after work or take time off work to view a home with 20 other people waiting outside and be denied that unit every time...

So I walked away. That's when she said, "the rents are hardly any lower than market rates!" Because a $500 difference is "hardly any lower". Yikes. The MIRHP Program has some teeth and Staff and Council are staning behind it and the communities are having to deal. Even in Kits. We'll see.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

At one MIRHPP open house I was asked to sign a petition against it from a very very old woman and a middle-aged man who, when asked by me if they rent, said they understood the housing issues in the city. So I told them to look for a rental and sunch-n-such inccome and wait in line at a unit viewing 4 times in one day all weekend and after work or take time off work to view a home with 20 other people waiting outside and be denied that unit every time...

So I walked away. That's when she said, "the rents are hardly any lower than market rates!" Because a $500 difference is "hardly any lower". Yikes. The MIRHP Program has some teeth and Staff and Council are staning behind it and the communities are having to deal. Even in Kits. We'll see.

In a sense I understand where they are coming from, but its self inflicted.

Had we soft rezoned the city through years prior to fourplexes, shorter 3 -4 stories etc, we wouldn't need to be placing towers this size under special MIRHPP programs.

In a way its a direct effect of all the NIMBY action of the years past.

There is also the issue of simply being out of touch with real life - I mean if you can dismiss a $500 dollar difference in rent as "meh" its going to be difficult to find common ground as perspectives are obviously not on the same plane.

[misher]

Originally Posted by rofina

In a sense I understand where they are coming from, but its self inflicted.

Had we soft rezoned the city through years prior to fourplexes, shorter 3 -4 stories etc, we wouldn't need to be placing towers this size under special MIRHPP programs.

In a way its a direct effect of all the NIMBY action of the years past.

There is also the issue of simply being out of touch with real life - I mean if you can dismiss a $500 dollar difference in rent as "meh" its going to be difficult to find common ground as perspectives are obviously not on the same plane.

See I understand where the lets slightly upzone everything people are coming from. But that just doesn't work in a major city. It also completely goes against our green plan which is to move people closer to transit corridors and get them out of cars.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by misher

See I understand where the lets slightly upzone everything people are coming from. But that just doesn't work in a major city. It also completely goes against our green plan which is to move people closer to transit corridors and get them out of cars.

Something like the whole city is within a 10 min walk from a FTN stop.

[Galaxy]

Adding the new Vancouver Special [Six-floor Mid rises] to all the major arterials in the city with a mix of types of housing[rental/market/and others] would help to make a dent in the housing issue in this city. Although I totally agree that that Broadway and Alma proposal is totally like placing a nuclear bomb in nimby town. It will be interesting to see what this council does since a lot of what they have been saying in the last little while seem to be counter-intuitive in terms of the policy vs the desired outcome. There is also the battle of what these councillors ran on as election platforms and how these platforms manifest into actual policies and what results we will see.

[misher]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Adding the new Vancouver Special [Six-floor Mid rises] to all the major arterials in the city with a mix of types of housing[rental/market/and others] would help to make a dent in the housing issue in this city. Although I totally agree that that Broadway and Alma proposal is totally like placing a nuclear bomb in nimby town. It will be interesting to see what this council does since a lot of what they have been saying in the last little while seem to be counter-intuitive in terms of the policy vs the desired outcome. There is also the battle of what these councillors ran on as election platforms and how these platforms manifest into actual policies and what results we will see.

Well we have a 40 storey wooden tower proposed for 8th and Pine and 3 Councillors are Green while one is pro density.

Swanson votes no which leaves it up to the mayor and the 5 NPAs to decide. I suspect one NPA of being pro strongly density so that leaves the decision with Stewart unless a 2nd NPA joins him.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by rofina

I would be mind blown if Westbank is allowed to put that there.

I'm all for it, but that's like detonating a nuke over NIMBY town.

Couple comments I have - it does look a bit like a prison, and it does look like our proposed VAG...otherwise pretty cool.

Provided there are any NIMBYs left in that neighbourhood - I'm assuming many also sold their properties when prices were really high and moved on to the interior or something.

[Feathered Friend]

Originally Posted by misher

Well we have a 40 storey wooden tower proposed for 8th and Pine and 3 Councillors are Green while one is pro density.

Swanson votes no which leaves it up to the mayor and the 5 NPAs to decide. I suspect one NPA of being pro strongly density so that leaves the decision with Stewart unless a 2nd NPA joins him.

I'm not sure what's given you that impression of council, but that's certainly not how I would break down the pro-ubran - retention-ist camps/votes.

Granted it's early days, but I would say there's a slight pro-urban majority, and that Green don't play much of a role in it.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

I'm not sure what's given you that impression of council, but that's certainly not how I would break down the pro-ubran - retention-ist camps/votes.

Granted it's early days, but I would say there's a slight pro-urban majority, and that Green don't play much of a role in it.

Yeah, it's more like Boyle for, Carr, Fry, Swanson and Hardwick against, and everybody else slightly lukewarm.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Yeah, it's more like Boyle for, Carr, Fry, Swanson and Hardwick against, and everybody else slightly lukewarm.

I agree! Unfortunately, therefore my doubts about solid good outcomes from this council. There is no solid uniform action plan and seems like they're all going to different places yet are running on a bunch of treadmills[ ].

[officedweller]

That Alma tower looks good - it'll provide a nice street end view.
There don't seem to be many windows though...

*************

Redevelopment raises discussion about lack of industrial space and meaning of 'heritage'
Proposed Mount Pleasant project would save heritage buildings but displace tenants, bottle return depot
Naoibh O’Connor / Vancouver Courier
May 17, 2019 04:06 PM


View from East Broadway. Rendering Studio B Architects

…
If the Director of Planning approves the project, it would result in a six-storey building with 65 condo units, retail and artist space at grade level, and the retention of The Carolina. An existing two-storey, single-family heritage home from 1895 on the site — the Connacher Residence on East Broadway, which is on the VHR as a “B” listing — would also be relocated to the rear of the property.
…
The decision came after council heard from several speakers including a renter living in the Connacher Residence for 15 years who will be forced out due to the redevelopment, as well as the owner of the recycling centre on the site whose business will have to relocate.
...

https://www.vancourier.com/real-estate/r...space-and-meaning-of-heritage-1.23826415

[Migrant_Coconut]

^ In fairness, as the aspiring Greenest City we should be aiming for as many recycling centres as possible.

Originally Posted by Galaxy

I agree! Unfortunately, therefore my doubts about solid good outcomes from this council. There is no solid uniform action plan and seems like they're all going to different places yet are running on a bunch of treadmills[ ].

Maybe, maybe not. So long as there's a need for more rentals and a solid rationale, I can see Stewart and the other four NPAs joining Boyle. After all it's been "everybody vs Swanson" in a couple of prior demovictions.

[GenWhy?]

There's a busy bottle depot 2 blocks north.

[Feathered Friend]

http://www.brookpooni.com/app/uploads/20...roadway-Alma-Open-House-3-Boards_web.pdf

Fostering West Point Grey’s Future – Rental Homes Exceed Expectations to Fit Community Context

3701–3743 West Broadway
While this proposal for a 14 storey rental building at West Broadway and Alma may have caught some off guard, it was something Darren and I fully expected. In fact, we actually predicted it several months ago. Of course, we are far from perfect, as our assumptions this proposal would feature a muted design that would still elicit a very passionate response could not have been more wrong.

I think Darren actually gasped when he saw the rendering, as this concept is anything but bland. I suppose that should not have been too shocking as the applicant, Westbank, never does anything in half measure. So, though this building matches the height of several of its decade old neighbours, its architecture is certainly not as plain.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/05/21...d-expectations-to-fit-community-context/