Broadway Corridor Development Plan

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Why not? I lane for cars, 1 for buses during peak and no parking on the street, so 2 full lanes off-peak.

How do we enforce that peak bus lane, when ATM we can't even enforce off-peak parking? Way I see it, the only way to make sure is to create dedicated bus lanes outright (curbs and all), and at that point we've got the streetcar proposal again where one obstruction can shut down practically all four lanes and stop local bus service completely for a couple of hours.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

How do we enforce that peak bus lane, when ATM we can't even enforce off-peak parking? Way I see it, the only way to make sure is to create dedicated bus lanes outright (curbs and all), and at that point we've got the streetcar proposal again where one obstruction can shut down practically all four lanes and stop local bus service completely for a couple of hours.

Oh absolutely just being less optimistic in this case

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by chowhou

10th and Oak has a big "HOSPITAL ZONE" crosswalk and signs pointing towards emergency, so I assume they generally enter the hospital complex there.

I've wondered what those markings mean.
I assume it's the same as "Quiet Zone" - no honking, etc.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I've wondered what those markings mean.
I assume it's the same as "Quiet Zone" - no honking, etc.

I think it has more to do with cycling/pedestrian conflicts with cars than anything to do with noise etc.

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/hospital-zone.aspx

This PDF presentation has a breakdown of the routes ambulances were using in 2015 over 4 days.

"Ambulance access to ER is predominantly from both legs of Laurel Street and Oak Street. Currently ambulance drivers rarely access ER via Willow, Heather, Ash or Cambie Streets."

https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/10th-ave-health-precinct-open-house-displays-access-circulation.pdf

[jollyburger]

Comment: City change to Broadway Plan will slow pace of rental housing

One might opine that caution was understandable – the 500 city blocks within the Broadway Plan contain a huge number of the city’s older, more-affordable rental apartments. It could be a problem if most of those buildings were redeveloped at once, causing the dislocation of tenants, some of whom may find it difficult to find alternative accommodations at a rate they could afford. That, presumably, was the rationale for the Tenant Relocation Plan, which then-mayor Kennedy Stewart described as the strongest in Canada when it was implemented last year.

That plan forces anyone redeveloping an existing rental building to find temporary homes for every tenant (topping up their rent if necessary) and then welcoming those same tenants back into brand-new buildings at their old rent once the project is completed. That’s an incredibly good deal for tenants, and one that will drive up project costs, compromise project feasibility, and slow the pace on its own.
With this new protection in place, however, it’s unclear why City staff are also proposing an obstructionist new “pace of change” policy with a recommendation to allow only five new proposals per year. We are just recovering from an effective, five-year moratorium, during which demand built up to the degree that City staff say they now have 100 rezoning enquiry applications on file, with an estimated 50 of these in existing rental zones. On one hand, that should be fantastic news. It represents thousands of new homes, perhaps tens of thousands of jobs, millions in new taxes and an appropriate private-sector investment to match (and make worthwhile) the tri-government SkyTrain infrastructure upgrade. A supportive administration might seize this influx as an opportunity to fight for greater housing availability while addressing crucial social issues like climate change.

https://www.westerninvestor.com/british-...will-slow-pace-of-rental-housing-6750132

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by whatnext

LOL, one lane for cars on the major arterial for our so called "second downtown"?

Yes, one lane for cars. Our actual downtown has streets like Georgia, Burrard, and Pacific which move large volumes of traffic through the area with 2+ lanes in each direction. Meanwhile, most other streets have 1 lane in each direction to move traffic within the area. Think Davie, Robson, Hastings past Hornby, etc.

12th can be the arterial to move people through the "second downtown", while Broadway can be the street with fewer lanes and a greater focus on pedestrians and transit.

Originally Posted by s211

I live in the area. Broadway is ambulance alley. It's critical infrastructure. FOR MILES EACH WAY. Anyone arguing differently has their bike helmet on too tight.

And why couldn't an ambulance still use Broadway if there was a bus lane and one general travel lane?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Comment: City change to Broadway Plan will slow pace of rental housing

Note the article is written by realtors who specialize in selling apartment buildings, so a restricted rate of redevelopment could impact them, although not in the same way that it would the existing tenants of rental buildings.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Note the article is written by realtors who specialize in selling apartment buildings, so a restricted rate of redevelopment could impact them, although not in the same way that it would the existing tenants of rental buildings.

But 5 rezoning applications per year in the RM zones also impacts renters living here already trying to move into a new home or those moving from outside Vancouver.

If you're a renter in Broadway area and you building applies to rezone it'll likely be 4 years until you will have to move, and at that time you'll move somewhere else and be paid the delta between your old rent and new rent as compensation (so you'll never pay a higher rent) and then you get to move back in after 2 years when construction is complete into a brand new unit, same number of bedrooms, same rent. It's like winning the lottery.

For applicants, racing and out-doing 45 other applications each year breeds a lot of uncertainty for landowners / design teams. It'll be Grandview-Woodlands all over again.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

But 5 rezoning applications per year in the RM zones also impacts renters living here already trying to move into a new home or those moving from outside Vancouver.

If you're a renter in Broadway area and you building applies to rezone it'll likely be 4 years until you will have to move, and at that time you'll move somewhere else and be paid the delta between your old rent and new rent as compensation (so you'll never pay a higher rent) and then you get to move back in after 2 years when construction is complete into a brand new unit, same number of bedrooms, same rent. It's like winning the lottery.

For applicants, racing and out-doing 45 other applications each year breeds a lot of uncertainty for landowners / design teams. It'll be Grandview-Woodlands all over again.

I get that. From your earlier comment, I understood that Council are likely to reject limits on 5, 10 or 15 rezonings a year, and allow all the rezonings to proceed. So that's potentially a lot of tenants in buildings that are 'in play'. That may not affect too many tenants straight away - there are buildings supposedly getting redeveloped in the West End where nothing has happened for several years. But it adds to uncertainty for tenants, some of whom will have been in their home for many years, and they'll still have to move, possibly twice, (even if their rent stays the same). I bet those new buildings have smaller units too, and take more than 2 years from move out to move back in again.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Changing City

I get that. From your earlier comment, I understood that Council are likely to reject limits on 5, 10 or 15 rezonings a year, and allow all the rezonings to proceed. So that's potentially a lot of tenants in buildings that are 'in play'. That may not affect too many tenants straight away - there are buildings supposedly getting redeveloped in the West End where nothing has happened for several years. But it adds to uncertainty for tenants, some of whom will have been in their home for many years, and they'll still have to move, possibly twice, (even if their rent stays the same). I bet those new buildings have smaller units too, and take more than 2 years from move out to move back in again.

Yes it will be rejected and they'll let the market decide. I'll curious to see what Staff has to come back with for their intake flow and workload (per the report). The tenant protections should be a fairly decent "pace of change" mechanism on its own, and we anticipate many of the 50 RM applications are "pokers in the fire" applications.

Yes more than 2 years from move-out to Occupancy, I was using of a 6-storey schedule by accident - I would love to see a sq-sq for old to new units. I understand the pressure of moving as someone who moves almost every year, but I hate the catch-22 cycle we're stuck in of "don't evict or tear down anything".

It'll all come out next week and the dust will settle. Honestly would love to start our applications for over 500 units here, continue our SRP few hundred units, and have the City finalize the multi-plex crap and get going on finishing the Van Plan

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

But 5 rezoning applications per year in the RM zones also impacts renters living here already trying to move into a new home or those moving from outside Vancouver.

If you're a renter in Broadway area and you building applies to rezone it'll likely be 4 years until you will have to move, and at that time you'll move somewhere else and be paid the delta between your old rent and new rent as compensation (so you'll never pay a higher rent) and then you get to move back in after 2 years when construction is complete into a brand new unit, same number of bedrooms, same rent. It's like winning the lottery.

For applicants, racing and out-doing 45 other applications each year breeds a lot of uncertainty for landowners / design teams. It'll be Grandview-Woodlands all over again.

Why yes, and we all know how easy it will be to find a new rental while your new one is being built.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Why yes, and we all know how easy it will be to find a new rental while your new one is being built.

Case and point. The catch-22. They'd have like 3 years to look for a new place and still get all the compensation.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

... 12th can be the arterial to move people through the "second downtown", while Broadway can be the street with fewer lanes and a greater focus on pedestrians and transit...

One could easily argue that'd be hampered by the SkyTrain being truncated at Arbutus: Central Broadway traffic will be replaced with West Side traffic. Get it all the way to UBC and maybe we can talk about a car-free street.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

One could easily argue that'd be hampered by the SkyTrain being truncated at Arbutus: Central Broadway traffic will be replaced with West Side traffic. Get it all the way to UBC and maybe we can talk about a car-free street.

Need I remind everyone that not only is this not a "car-free street" proposal, it's not even a proposal for all of Broadway, just the Skytrain station blocks IIRC.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Yes, and some of us are branching off into turning Broadway into two lanes (one lane each) throughout or even further, and some of us don't think that's a very good idea yet.

[Feathered Friend]

Christine Boyle @christineeboyle
Fairview MLA @GeorgeHeyman wrote to Council in support of #ActiveTransportation lanes on Broadway.

Noting alignment with the Provincial Gov’t’s CleanBC & Transportation plans, and health, safety & climate benefits for residents and local businesses. #BroadwayForPeople #VanPoli

https://twitter.com/christineeboyle/status/1639333831361859585?s=20

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Yes, and some of us are branching off into turning Broadway into two lanes (one lane each) throughout or even further, and some of us don't think that's a very good idea yet.

I was saying two lanes in each direction: one general traffic lane and one bus + bike lane. Perhaps the bus + bike lane could revert to general traffic in the evenings.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

I was saying two lanes in each direction: one general traffic lane and one bus + bike lane. Perhaps the bus + bike lane could revert to general traffic in the evenings.

Why does there need to be a bus lane when we’ll have just spent billions to replace the bus with skytrain? A dedicated lane for the #9 to tootle along?

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Why does there need to be a bus lane when we’ll have just spent billions to replace the bus with skytrain? A dedicated lane for the #9 to tootle along?

If the old routes are going back onto Broadway from 12th the last thing you want is busses held up from day 1 of the street opening back up or 10-15 years from now and doing more street work.

Work isn't limited for bus priority to Broadway either (the report is specifically) but the other routes within the Plan area are under consideration for a variety of street improvements.

[GenWhy?]

I don't think I've see TransLink's long term bus plan for the area post-subway opening. So it's hard for me to say for sure, but Option 1 still leaves the opportunity there for space dedicated to non personal car uses.