1215 Bidwell St. public hearing as WERA President
Last night was the public hearing for the rezoning application for 1215 Bidwell St. I presented as the President of the West End Residents Association. The public hear has been schedule for a second night on Thursday December 10 at 7:30 at City Hall. One can still sign up to speak at the public hearing be calling the City Clerk at 604 871 6355. Here is the presentation that I attempted to give last night.
“In regards to the rezoning of 1215 Bidwell St. WERA has attempted to facilitate a responsible and critical public dialogue among residents.
In practical terms, what this has meant is that we have encourage as many residents as possible to be engaged in the public process. WERA has invited folks to attend open houses, fill out comments forums, write to Mayor and Council and to attend Council meetings to communicate what they think about the proposed changes to their community.
WERA has attempted to focus the dialogue and thinking around this rezoning application in light of the critical issues that challenging the City and our community. WERA views Vancouver’s future through three critical lenses: affordability, livability, and ecological sustainability.
The West End is really model of high quality density that is very livable. That’s why so many folks live there and we like to brag a bit about our community. As model we have a lot to offer the other communities of the city in regard to a high quality of life and density.
During the EcoDensity debate of the last Council WERA had a very unique voice in this debate. We know that density is key to changes that the city must make have a sustainable future.
Climate change is the challenge of our generation. So far we are not responding this challenge with the vigour that is need to make a serious impact. Since signing the Kyoto protocol Green House Gas in Canada have risen by 26%.
The targets for the reduction in GHG that experts are theorizing that will be necessary to keep GHG 350 parts per million, that will hopefully keep climate change to 2 degrees is 80% of 1990 levels by 2050.
So yes we need to change. The City needs to responds to this challenge. Significant amounts of GHG are produced from cities: our transportation choice, how we heat our house, how we consume, what we consume and how do we transport the products we consume.
What will the city look like in 2050? What will high quality density look like? What will sustainable transportation choices look like? Will it look a big empty parking lot at the bottom of affordable housing? Or will look like a bus pass or fashionable walking shoes?
When WERA respond to the EcoDensity debate, one our director John Whistler stood here and said: “ yes we need Ecodensity and we need now. But, and this has always been the but, that we have bought to the debate, is it has to be affordable to the community that it resides in.
Without the affordability competent of density the sustainability part of equation it is not going to be effective. Sustainability is more than industry standards there is also a social component to it. In this regard I would direct you to CCPA paper “size matters’” and also the Copenhagen Agenda of Sustainability its 10 principles of sustainability.
10 principles of sustainability
size matters
With regards to 1215 bidwell and the purpose build apartment being proposed from the Stir program, the needs to be real guarantees affordability. The good intention of the owners, the architect and the marketer are not enough. The City, the residents and the taxpayer of are giving up a lot in this project. The DCL and CAC for the density bonus are considerable. Taxpayers are subsidizing this project and we need to see that this project is meeting the goals of the city and its citizens. As this project is currently proposed it does not respond to the critical issues confronting our community and the city of Vancouver.
Additions to the stock will make a contribution to overall price, but the amount and significance of the amount will minuscule and insignificant. There are 25, 285 rental households in the West End alone. The addition of 49 units would increase the stock by a thousand of one percent.
The median household income for the West End is $38,000. Household income, that is 2 people working to earn this income. 32% of West Enders are low income. WERA thinks what is being built in our community should be affordable to income demographics of our community.With a household income of $38k , $950 should be spent on housing.
What will the units in this proposed project rent for? What we have been told is a bachelor apartment will rent for $980. So what does this say about a model of high quality density, two folks living in a bachelor apartment? Is this the model that we are going show to the rest of the city and say, “ hey accept more density. See how great life is the West End.”
The West End is a great place. When will the critical point come when more density does not lead to high quality of life? I don’t know the answer. I know a lot of folks think they know. Some folks think we have already got to the point, and the West End has already done its fair of accepting density. Density has to land some where and maybe it should land on some one else and not our community.
As a principle, is it right that community reject more density? I don’t thinks so. WERA is not here to say that we should reject this project, but it needs to be a benefit to our community and the city in terms of our values and the challenges that we are facing.
The DCL and CAC go to pay for the quality life that we have in this city. Is not just a revenue source for the city. More density cost the city more on impacts on the infrastructure of the city. Communities Centres, Libraries, seniors housing, roads, sewers, bike lanes all the things we take for granted are paid f by the DCL and CAC.
There are huge development pressures in the West End and livability issues and we need a comprehensive vision process. The concern and of residents is the West End is an expression of loss of confidence in the City and how its represent the community.
The decision council makes on this project will set the pattern for develop in the West End. The end result of what comes on this project will set the standard for future projets. This standard is set with very limited engagement for the community in terms of the bigger picture vision of the community. West Enders want to be involved in planning of our community.
Council has the unfettered discretion on rezoning. The owner of this site, bought the zoning of the site, just as resident bought and invest money and social and culture energy into this community.”