Just as Vancouverites were adjusting to the idea of a “second downtown” along the Broadway corridor, the city has announced plans to ramp up density even more.
“What’s being proposed are towers equivalent to the towers that line Georgia Street,” says development consultant Michael Geller, who attended a recent open house on the updated plan. “So, it’s three times the density of most of the West End.”
Proposed amendments to the two-year-old Broadway Plan would further increase density in about half the area, adding height and multiple towers to blocks near transit. In some cases, the heights would more than double.
In areas closest to SkyTrain stations, the city proposes a potential five towers per block. Some blocks could allow six towers, says a former city planner. Two-tower limits would also be removed in areas that are within 400 metres of transit hubs.
There are 50 rezoning applications in process or complete so far. City councillor Pete Fry had estimated that 2,000 households a year could be displaced. Last year, ABC councillors rejected his motion to track demolitions and displacement related to the plan.
The Main Street shopping district would also see more towers, as would Fraser Street, Kingsway and South Granville.
The city staff report on the plan goes to council in November. Changes echo the province’s transit-oriented development legislation that set a minimum tower height and density for rezonings around transit hubs. However, the Broadway Plan far exceeds those requirements.
The city’s interim director of planning, Matt Shillito, said that within 200 metres the legislation requires at least 20 storeys and within 400 metres, at least 12 storeys. So, they proposed to remove the cap on the number of towers per block.
“The City’s interpretation of the legislation is that we cannot restrict the number of towers in these areas, as that would mean that some proponents could not achieve the minimum height and density specified by the legislation,” said Mr. Shillito.
He said that policies around tower separation and minimum site frontages still apply.
Mr. Geller doesn’t believe that most of the public understands the substantial increase in density that’s on the way.
So far, the amendments only apply within 400 metres from transit hubs. But the city will also review those areas within an 800-metre radius for more density, which currently consists of a lot of low-density duplex and three-storey apartment housing.
“This is all being done in the name of housing affordability,” says Mr. Geller, who’s also a developer. “But what people don’t appreciate is that these very high-density concrete towers are going to result in rents that are much higher than the rents in six-storey wood-frame buildings.
“And yes, 20 per cent of the units will be below market, and that’s admirable. But 80 per cent of the units are going to be at market.”
Former Vancouver city planner Mary Beth Rondeau asks people to imagine downtown with 30 per cent more towers when picturing a built-out Broadway Plan.
“I believe the Broadway Plan misleads citizens without telling them it will be more like New York – gritty and Gotham – dark, heavy with no new parks, like in the David Lam Park or Hinge Park tradition. No seawall or Highline. This is a cultural shift that the citizens did not give permission for,” she says.
Former city planner Sandy James says the 20 per cent requirement for below-market housing is a figure that should be increased, particularly with so much density.
“The city is exceeding the densities required by the transit-oriented development edict from the province. We are seeing no rationale for it other than this being pushed by developers,” says Ms. James.
Despite a mixed reaction, the developer take-up of the plan has been a huge success. The rezoning applications so far total 9,000 new housing units. Not bad, considering the 30-year goal was about 1,000 units a year.
Ms. Rondeau argues such success should enable the city to take stock before proceeding with towers in low-density neighbourhoods that could do more harm than good.
There are more than 100 proposed rezonings that are at the enquiry stage, so the number of formal rezoning applications will continue to grow.
“The city has kind of figured out what’s working and what’s not from an economic standpoint and what developers need, and the feedback,” says broker Mark Goodman, who specializes in apartment building sales.
Commercial broker Ian Brackett says lifting the limit will open development opportunities to those who want to sell or redevelop.
“It’s actually pretty amazing how many proposals have been submitted already,” says Mr. Brackett. “I think a big part of that is people that are worried about being left out, so they are rushing to get their application in.
“The two tower maximum has been a huge limiting factor for a lot of property owners in terms of moving ahead and selling their property or trying to rezone their property. We have had a lot of property owners come to us and we look at it, and there are already two towers being proposed, and so there is essentially nothing for them to do there. So, it’s going to open up a lot more potential redevelopment sites,” says Mr. Brackett.
Urban designer Erick Villagomez is a University of B.C. instructor. He and other tech experts have been creating animated models of the Broadway plan to help citizens understand the implications. He says the technology is available to the city as well, and it could be used to fully illustrate the upcoming density. Instead, the public is getting reports that are difficult to understand, even by planning professionals. And the city’s diagrams don’t convey the street-level experience, he says. He’s sharing their Broadway Plan updates on his Instagram page @bettercitiesyvr.
“It is very difficult to get that sense without the proper visualizations,” says Mr. Villagomez. “I can have my opinion but ultimately the way I see it is the people of Vancouver, the citizenry, should have enough information to make a decision on their own. It might not be a decision I agree with, but with a democratic process, people should have the information – and right now that’s not happening.”
