July 19, 2021
City of Vancouver Council
Dear Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Councillors,
Re: Vancouver Plan Update and Quick Starts
Agenda: https://council.vancouver.ca/20210721/cfsc20210721ag.htm
Report: https://council.vancouver.ca/20210721/documents/cfsc1.pdf
The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) is strongly opposed to the recommendations in this report. Please refer this report back to staff to allow for more basic planning work and community consultation which should be done prior to any consideration of Quick Start actions.
The data that Council directed staff to provide has yet to be received and the recalibration of the Housing Vancouver targets have yet to be done.
Further there has been no real neighbourhood-based planning or meaningful consultation with residents. Consultation has emphasized special interest groups so far and avoided most of the population of Vancouver. The city’s consultation process continues to be extremely flawed that is designed for a predetermined outcome.
We are opposed to the following Quick Starts:
1. Streamlining Rental Rezoning Initiative – It is premature to consider this proposed rezoning as a quick start before the end of the City’s survey (July 27). The survey results should be available for Council consideration prior to deciding if this should be a quick start.
A Change.org Petition: Our Communities Our Plans, is opposed to these arbitrary rezoning policies and is currently over 3000 signatures. https://www.change.org/p/city-of-vancouver-council-officials-our-communities-our-plans-99961c91-4a17-497d-86c8-b385b3c0f315
In addition to our point that no neighbourhood-based planning or meaningful consultation has been conducted, the thousands of individual properties that are affected by the proposed rezoning have not been notified. Most are not aware of this initiative.
2. Downtown Eastside Policy Updates to Increase Social Housing Initiative – This would put more development pressure and land speculation on Chinatown, Strathcona and Gastown for 10 storey and higher towers in the heritage districts, and would undermines their heritage character.
3. Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP) – The proposed amendments would allow bigger towers and have even lower affordability requirements compared to what are already mostly market units under MIRHPP. This program should be cancelled not expanded.
These staff recommendations are premature. Please do not approve the recommendations, and instead, refer this report back to staff for more planning and consultation work which needs to be done prior to Council consideration of Quick Start actions.
Thank you,
Steering Committee,
Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods
Member Groups of the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods
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
