This letter to Council relates to a staff report going before City Council on January 19, 2021.

January 18, 2020
City of Vancouver Council
Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,

Re: Report Back on the Random Order Ballot Model Used in the 2018 Vancouver Election

Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20210119/regu20210119ag.htm
Report: https://council.vancouver.ca/20210119/documents/p2.pdf

While the proposed changes to election procedures may have merit, the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) have concerns about the process on such an important issue.

Elections are fundamental to democracy and changes to that process should not be taken lightly. There should be a robust process that includes Council and the public. This report has only been posted for three working days before council is expected to vote on it. Most of the public are unaware of this and have had no input.

We request that this be referred back to staff for further consultation and consideration before council votes on this important issue.

Thank you,

Larry A. Benge, Co-chair
Dorothy Barkley, Co-chair

This letter to Council relates to a staff report going before City Council on November 4, 2020.

November 2, 2020
City of Vancouver Council
Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,

Re: Establishing the Office of the Auditor General for the City of Vancouver  

Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20201104/pspc20201104ag.htm
Report: https://council.vancouver.ca/20201104/documents/pspc3.pdf

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) is in strong support of the recommendations in this report for establishment of the Independent Auditor General Office for the City of Vancouver.

Thanks to Council for bringing forward this report and we are pleased to see the City of Vancouver coming into compliance with governance best practices.

We strongly encourage you to approve the recommendations in the report for establishing the Independent Auditor General Office for the City of Vancouver. Continue reading →

November 1, 2020
City of Vancouver Council
Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,

Re: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20201103/regu20201103ag.htm
Report: https://council.vancouver.ca/20201103/documents/p1.pdf

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) is pleased to see that council is taking strong action on climate change, however there are concerns about how this 371 page report has been brought forward without meaningful public consultation and a number of the recommendations that are problematic.

We therefore request that this report not be approved at this time, and instead be referred back to staff for more public consultation to address these issues.

Some of the many concerns are as follows:

* Eliminating parking minimums in new residential construction gives too much cost saving benefit to developers, while offloading those costs to residents of the new building and surrounding area.
* Pay permit parking citywide unfairly offloads developers’ costs onto area residents, who will be increasingly squeezed out of street parking due to the removal of parking minimum requirements, and increased costs will make life even more unaffordable.
* Road pricing could be done more practically and fairly. Rather than tracking drivers, which invades privacy, it would be better to price road use through mileage driven or gas taxes.
* Transit should be evaluated based on embodied energy, including the amount of concrete in the Broadway subway and SkyTrain.
* Embodied energy of existing buildings should offset against energy efficiency requirements, especially for character and heritage buildings made of old growth trees.
* Massive redevelopment increases the ecological footprint and GHG emissions through embodied energy. Renovation and adaptive reuse should be prioritized over new construction.
* The general impacts on affordability and how this would affect the affordability crisis should be considered. It is not just a matter of a few equity groups, but the impacts on residents at large and property taxes, both residential and commercial small businesses that continue to struggle under the current tax load.

While we agree that climate change needs to be addressed as an urgent priority, the proposed recommendations seem more to the benefit of the development industry, with costs offloaded to residents and small businesses.

We urge you to refer this report back to staff for more broad consultation with the public to find holistic solutions that benefit the majority of residents and small business, rather than facilitating development and increasing the ecological footprint of the city. Continue reading →

October 26, 2020
City of Vancouver Council

Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,

Re: Proposed Developments at the Intersection of 1st Avenue & Clark Drive

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) supports the City’s placing a priority on creating more affordable housing in the City. However it is opposed to the number of rezonings proposed for the intersection of East 1st Avenue and Clark Drive.

There are currently three projects proposed: BC Housing has announced plans to put 98 units of social housing in two Temporary Modular Housing buildings at 1580 Vernon Drive; there is the Withdrawal Management (Detox) Centre which is slated to occupy the full block on the north east corner of 1st & Clark, which includes 6 and 10-storey podiums and is in the final Development Permit stage and, now, a 5-storey building, again at 1st Avenue and Clark Drive for a tower on the southwest corner of the intersection. The South East corner of 1st and Clark, the former location of Chevron, is now owned by Wesgroup and is likely to be redeveloped which would promise ongoing construction for years on all four corners.

This much density and congestion, on a high volume intersection along a designated truck route to the ports without off-setting amenities to support them and with an already high concentration of supported housing in the vicinity will not make for a successful or healthy community. There is a loss of scale and space in a residential area on the east side of Clark and the loss of critical & eroding industrial area on the west side.

We anticipate that if the city pushes these initiatives through, and there are no amenities for the new occupants other than in Grandview Woodland, there will be a daily migration into a community already under-served by too few parks, the school grounds, and an already unsettled Commercial Drive.

We feel compelled to ask why the concentration of social housing is to be primarily located in Strathcona, Mount Pleasant and Grandview-Woodland? Social housing should be more equitably distributed citywide at scales that fit into each neighbourhood so as not to overwhelm only a few areas that are already amenity deficient. And wherever the social housing is located there needs to be the supports the residents require along with the housing.

We urge you to listen to the affected neighbourhoods that are requesting alternative locations be considered for dispersing social housing in communities currently with little or no social housing and at scales that better fit in the context of each area with the required supports. Continue reading →

This letter went out to Mayor and Council on October 26, 2020.

October 26, 2020
City of Vancouver Council

Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart, Councilors and Housing Staff,

Re: CD-1 Rezoning: 3701-3743 West Broadway, at Alma St. Public Hearing
Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20201027/phea20201027ag.htm
Report: https://council.vancouver.ca/20201006/documents/rr_5.pdf

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) is opposed to the rezoning as proposed.

We urge you to listen to the affected neighbourhoods that are requesting this proposal not be approved and to allow for the applicant to instead bring forward the previous 6 storey 100% rental rezoning application that is currently on hold.

This is the clear message coming from the affected residents associations who are members of our coalition: West Point Grey Residents Association, West Kitsilano Residents Association, and the Upper Kitsilano Residents Association.

There also is a petition: No Tower @ Alma & Broadway, that currently has over 3500 supporters, and continues to grow.

This shows broad community opposition to the current proposal and it is the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods policy to promote neighbourhood-based planning with support for the positions of the local communities.

Thank you,

Larry A. Benge, Co-chair
Dorothy Barkley, Co-chair

Continue reading →

This letter went out to Mayor and Council on October 5, 2020.

October 5, 2020

City of Vancouver Council
Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart, Councilors and Housing Staff,

Re: Item 1. Vancouver Plan Phase 1 Report: Public Engagement Summary, Provisional Goals and Update on COVID-19 Community Recovery Actions      

Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20201006/regu20201006ag.htm
Report: https://council.vancouver.ca/20201006/documents/p1.pdf
Revised Report (5:30 pm): https://council.vancouver.ca/20201006/documents/p1-highlights.pdf

Although the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) wants to participate in the Vancouver Plan process, we are opposed to the recommendations in this report and request that Council reconsider proceeding with this as proposed.

The 76 page report was only released to the public two business days ago on October 1, and it has even been revised just this afternoon with no indication of what has been changed until after 5:30 pm.

* Proposed Vancouver Plan Provisional Goals not ready for endorsement:

There has been no broad public consultation on these goals as drafted by staff. These are not ready to be adopted and should only be received for information. We urge City Council to refer this back to staff for public consultation, including more options and an emphasis on issues including affordability, liveability and neighbourhood character. Goals should be co-created by the public, not determined by staff.

The document makes no mention of recalibrating the Housing Vancouver Strategy targets using transparent data, which was directed by Council months ago. The full data requested has not yet been provided to Council and the public.

The report does not address the need for a meaningful neighbourhood-based community planning process, and instead is focused on specific groups.

* Appendix B Proposals should be for information only:

The proposed Appendix B includes actions to continue existing spot and area rezoning policies such as MIRHPP, arterial and transition area rental incentives, and C2 rezoning, all going ahead before the Vancouver Plan process and reframed here as COVID recovery. Those actions are in fact an implementation of the previous Council’s policies. Staff are proposing to continue implementation of them through a separate program, outside of the Vancouver Plan process, and contrary to recent Council direction to staff.

Please note that the “Our Communities Our Plans” city-wide petition  specifically opposes these proposed policies. It is now close to 3000 signatories and growing.

https://www.change.org/p/city-of-vancouver-council-officials-our-communities-our-plans-99961c91-4a17-497d-86c8-b385b3c0f315

These policies should not be implemented where they result in significant  precedents being made, before consultation and plan development under the Vancouver Plan.

We ask that you immediately halt the precedent-setting rezonings, and instead allow each neighbourhood to consider and provide input into what kinds of new housing choices go forward and where, through the Vancouver Plan. Please refer to the CVN Principles and Goals document  for reference. In the 2018 civic election it was endorsed by all currently-elected parties. (Vision Vancouver did not endorse it.)

* Need for an Interim Rezoning Policy

Typically, whenever a planning process is undertaken, the City will have an interim rezoning policy. This was done for all of the past community plans and the corridor plans for Broadway.

Therefore, please consider adding the following to the Recommendations in this report:

D. THAT Council direct staff to implement an interim rezoning policy, with specific terms to be approved by Council as is typically done during planning processes in order to avoid pre-empting or diverting the planning process with rezonings that set new directions or preclude options that could emerge during the planning process, including quick starts for community supported options.

We encourage Council to receive this report for information, but not to approve the recommendations. Please send it back to staff for more work. Please also pause the current spot rezoning policies during the Vancouver Plan process and return to neighbourhood-based planning, where local community  opinions are reflected in the planning outcomes for their neighbourhoods. Emerging supported options can be brought forward as quick starts once identified by each community.

Thank you, Continue reading →

In relation to the City’s survey on Secured Rental Policy in low-density transition areas (4-Oct-2020 deadline), CVN submitted the following letter. The survey is at this link:
https://shapeyourcity.ca/rental-rz

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October 4, 2020 (update)
City of Vancouver Council

Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart, Councilors and Housing Staff,

Re: Consultation on Rental Rezoning in Transition Areas and Online Petition Below

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) is opposed to this proposed city-wide rezoning policy and the current process. Changes to policy for new zoning should be done through a neighbourhood-based planning process that allows for affordable housing and rentals to meet the unique needs of each neighbourhood. This proposed rezoning policy works against proper planning process and outcomes.

We have formerly written to you with concerns about this policy but the proposed amendments do not address our concerns.

We note that the city-wide petition Our Communities Our Plans specifically opposes this proposed policy and is over 2,800 signatories and growing at the time of writing.

https://www.change.org/p/city-of-vancouver-council-officials-our-communities-our-plans-99961c91-4a17-497d-86c8-b385b3c0f315

We also note that one of our member groups, West Kitsilano Residents Association, had been asking questions of staff last spring that only got a reply from staff on September 30, 2020, a few days before the consultation deadline today Oct. 4, 2020. There was no time to advise the community and to respond to staff.

The consultation and the staff process so far has not reflected the deep concerns raised by the communities across the city. We are alarmed that a spot rezoning policy of this magnitude would be rolling out during the consultation on the Vancouver Plan.

We ask that you immediately halt this rezoning and allow each neighbourhood to consider what kinds of new housing choices go forward and where. For consideration is the CVN Principles and Goals document for reference, that was endorsed by almost all parties running in the last election, other than the then ruling party Vision that was wiped off council in the last election.

Please halt the current rezoning process for this spot rezoning policy and return to neighbourhood-based planning where local community opinions are reflected in the planning outcomes for their neighbourhoods.

Thank you,
Larry A. Benge, Co-chair
Dorothy Barkley, Co-chair
Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods

Member groups
Arbutus Ridge Community Association
Arbutus Ridge/ Kerrisdale/ Shaughnessy Visions
Cedar Cottage Area Neighbours
Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council
Dunbar Residents Association
Fairview/South Granville Action Committee
False Creek Residents Association
Grandview Woodland Area Council
Granville-Burrard Residents & Business Assoc.
Greater Yaletown Community Association
Joyce Area Residents
Kitsilano-Arbutus Residents Association
Kits Point Residents Association
Marpole Residents Coalition
NW Point Grey Home Owners Association
Oakridge Langara Area Residents
Riley Park/South Cambie Visions
Shaughnessy Heights Property Owners Assoc.
Strathcona Residents Association
Upper Kitsilano Residents Association
West End Neighbours Society
West Kitsilano Residents Association
West Point Grey Residents Association

September 15, 2020

City of Vancouver Council
Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,

Re: Motion B3 –  “Missing Middle” Housing Pilots  
Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20200916/cfsc20200916ag.htm
Motion: https://council.vancouver.ca/20200916/documents/cfsc3.pdf

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) agrees with the aim of this motion to provide more affordable, innovative housing options. However, CVN continues to oppose this motion, including the Mayor’s reported amendment, based on concerns that this proposed motion will not accomplish the intended goals.

Achieving the stated goal through citywide spot rezoning would contradict the intent of developing a neighbourhood-based citywide plan and could potentially produce unintended consequences leading to the development of more intensive high-end market housing that inflates land values in the areas affected.

Additionally, this would increase speculation and demolition of older, more affordable housing, causing displacement while also undermining the few character house retention incentives currently existing in zoning and City policy. The RT zones in particular have a lot of missing middle character housing already that would be put at risk of demolition.

This displacement, demolition and land inflation would also apply to the Mayor’s proposal. It would significantly increase FSR and the number of strata ownership units with only minor affordability measures, and no requirements for retention of character houses.

Neighbourhood-based planning processes integrated into a citywide plan will deliver substantially better results. There are many options that could be put into place as quick starts once identified through the planning process.

We would be prepared to work with the City on identifying other options that could be put in place to increase affordable housing options.  Any of these approaches should recognize the unique characteristics and needs of each neighbourhood so as to best adapt any actions to that neighbourhood, thus following the intent of zoning by-laws and local community visions and plans.

Seeking truly effective solutions to the need for affordable housing, we oppose this motion.

Continue reading →

September 15, 2020

City of Vancouver Council

Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,

Re: Item B.3. Open Option Parking Policy – Removing On-Site Parking Minimum Requirements    

Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20200915/regu20200915ag.htm
Motion: https://council.vancouver.ca/20200915/documents/b3.pdf

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) is strongly opposed to this motion to deregulate onsite parking requirements for new construction.

While there may be exceptions where parking relaxations are warranted, which should be determined through a neighbourhood-based planning process, the demand for parking is not going away anytime soon and should continue to be required in new construction. In fact the demand for onsite parking will only increase as vehicles transition to electric and require secure parking for overnight charging.

When adequate parking isn’t required, it doesn’t change the fact that new households usually own vehicles, so they instead will be required to park on the already congested streets. And this would further inhibit the shift to electric vehicles without an onsite parking stall for charging.

This would be an additional subsidy for developers who could add in as many units as possible while offloading any infrastructure for parking onto the city and surrounding neighbourhoods. People who currently depend on parking on the street in front of their homes will no longer be able to do so and may have to park blocks away.

Onsite parking is important infrastructure that each new development should provide to ensure liveability, accessibility for persons with disabilities, for families, for an aging population, and for the continued shift to vehicle electrification. Please do not approve this motion as proposed since it is not in the public interest. Continue reading →

July 22, 2020
City of Vancouver Council
Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,

Re: Public Hearing – Amendments to the Zoning and Development By-law to Increase Rental Housing in the C-2, C-2B, C-2C, and C-2C1 Commercial Districts
Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20200723/phea20200723ag.htm
Report: https://council.vancouver.ca/20200623/documents/rr10.pdf

While the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) supports adding more rentals, we are opposed to the approval of the recommendations as currently proposed for the following reasons:

• The City has not yet brought in needed protection for existing rentals in C2 zones as directed by Council in November 26, 2019 as follows: “THAT Council instruct staff to prepare a report for consideration for referral to public hearing to amend the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan to extend rental replacement requirements to C-2, C-2C, C-2B and C-2B-1 zoning districts city-wide.”;
• The proposed amendments to the outright provisions for strata properties will inflate land values, which will increase property taxes for small businesses;
• There has been no notification of residents and owners living in these areas; and
• There has been no neighbourhood-based planning process to consider context.

We therefore request that Council refer this report back to staff for more work on neighbourhood-based planning and public consultation, and to report back to Council with amendments to address the concerns raised by the public, after the Rental Housing Stock ODP has been amended as previously directed by Council on November 26, 2019, as quoted above.

Specifically, the proposed rezoning amendments have three components:

1. Introduce incentives for rental housing by allowing 6-storey market rental development as part of the zoning for local shopping streets
2. Create ‘rental only’ zoning as part of the city’s zoning by-law to allow the 6-storey developments to be for rental only
3.  Make other changes to the C zoning by-laws and Design Guidelines for both rental and regular residential development

While #1 and #2 raise concerns as identified above, we are particularly concerned about #3. The considered changes are problematic for the proposed amendments for the outright provisions of the by-laws for strata. The main changes are related to increased height and decreased setbacks, which allows a bigger envelope for more density to be built out, and all of this has broader impacts on the surrounding area.

These are some of the concerns raised by member organizations and we are sure that each neighbourhood will have additional concerns based on their specific context. Continue reading →