The City of Vancouver will hold an Open House on Tuesday, February 4th regarding a rezoning proposal for two 6-storey buildings at 1425 and 1451 East 12th Avenue. The event will be held between 5 pm and 8 pm at 2776 Semlin Drive (Lakeview Multicultural United Church).

The proposal seeks to add 157 seniors housing units, with a floor area of 97,779 sq ft (2.56 FSR), a height of 68 ft (20.7m) and with 33 underground parking spaces.

Further details are available on the City's rezoning centre:
https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/1425and1451e12thave/index.htm

Rezoning sign (above) and one of the existing buildings on the site at 1425 East 12th Avenue (below)

In 2019 the City  approved an updated city-wide planning process. It is understood that Vancouver needs to accommodate greater density within its boundaries, however the challenge and issue has been exactly where to locate this growing population in a way that is respectful of and sensitive to the neighbourhoods.

In 2020, Colleen plans to visit every neighbourhood within the boundaries of the City.  In each case, she will meet with organizations within neighbourhood boundaries including but not limited to residents’ associations, BIAs, community centres, heritage, and faith-based groups to take a detailed look at where to best accommodate growth of approximately 1,000 new dwelling units per neighbourhood over the next decade. 

On Monday she will be in Grandview-Woodland to speak to and hear from you.

She wants to hear what you have to say about where that density should be located  and also related considerations including community amenities, mobility, green space, and economic activity. Everything Colleen learns will be delivered to the City of Vancouver Planning Department and be made available  to the public.

So come to hear & speak with Councillor Hardwick; let her know your concerns, your priorities and your hopes for both Grandview-Woodland and the City at large.

February 3, 2019 Update: Photo from meeting (Councillor Hardwick presenting, with graphical facilitation by Drawing It Out (www.drawingitout.com)

GWAC wrote City Council to ask for a delay of amendments to the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan. The changes are in the package that also includes the rezoning of two blocks in the Plan area. 

The Public Hearing for the proposed changes is now scheduled for Tuesday, January 28th. This will be a continuation of a previous meeting with debate on item #4 to start at 3pm. This item is #6 on the agenda and it will likely be up sometime after 4:30pm and the item will begin with a staff presentation before speakers are heard.
council.vancouver.ca/20200121/phea20200121ag.htm

Further details: Area -wide rezoning at Public Hearing continues Jan 28, 2020, 3pm (Nanaimo / Kitchener / Charles St), Grandview-Woodland Community Plan amendments

Please vote to delay and defer any changes to the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan (GWCP) until a later date.
In this manner, due process can be followed with considering changes to the Community Plan, the full text of the proposed changes as well as completed illustrations can be reviewed, and this matter can be considered after public consultation and feedback.
​
Thank you for your consideration, 

(a link to the letter is available here on the City's website)

The City of Vancouver has scheduled a Public Hearing on January 23, 2019 to consider whether to approve or reject a rezoning proposal for 2209-2249 East Broadway. A total of 87 condo units are proposed on a site assembly of 6 lots. A six storey building with a height of 70.5 ft (21.5m), a floor space ratio of 2.65 (64,465 sq. ft) and having a total of 95 underground parking spaces with access from the laneway is included in this rezoning application.

The Public Hearing starts at 6pm. Information on how sign up and speak to City Council is available at the top of the meeting agenda page: https://council.vancouver.ca/20200123/phea20200123ag.htm​. Letters can also be sent to publichearing@vancouver.ca regarding this rezoning.

While this item is #4 on the agenda, the first three items will likely take only a few minutes to review as those are very minor amendments. Hence 2209-2249 East Broadway will probably start with staff presentations between 6:15 and 6:45pm on Thursday, January 23rd at Vancouver City Hall (453 West 12th Avenue at Cambie). Links to the application, staff report and other resources are below.

The staff report regarding this proposal is available here (the last two pages contain a technical summary):
council.vancouver.ca/20191210/documents/rr7.pdf​
It is worth noting that a CAC (Community Amenity Contribution) of $1,112,327 has been proposed, but this has not been directly allocated. The CAC is “to support delivery of the Grandview-Woodland Public Benefit Strategy”. As such, the CAC could be sequestered by the City for years and not released for immediate use if the application were to be approved.

The plans and other technical details for the rezoning application can be found here:
rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/2209ebroadway/index.htm

A policy report that the City is referencing is the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan. Section "6.7.3 Broadway East Multi-Family" on page 119 of the plan describes setbacks, heights and other criteria.
​vancouver.ca/files/cov/grandview-woodland-community-plan.pdf
​
​The Final Report of the Citizens' Assembly on the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan contained the following direction regarding this site:
"16.23: We recommend a limit of four storeys residential along Broadway from Semlin Drive to Garden Drive. We recommend a limit of three storeys residential along the north side of East 10th Avenue from Semlin Drive to Garden Drive. See 16.12 for important recommendations about limiting impact of new developments on existing residents. "
https://council.vancouver.ca/20150624/documents/ptec5_AppB.PDF

Update: The Public Hearing for this item will now be on Tuesday, January 28th starting at 3pm. There are two other items on the Council agenda that will precede it, so it might only come up to Council review around 4:45-5:15pm. Speakers can still sign up and correspondence can still be sent in to Council before this meeting.

The City of Vancouver has scheduled a Public Hearing to start on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 6pm that includes proposed changes to the zoning of a number of properties around Kitchener, Garden, Charles and Nanaimo Street. (to C-2 and RM-8A) [this hearing will reconvene on the 28th of January]

As well, a large number of amendments to the text of the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan are considered in that same rezoning item. Those amendments would cover many different parts of the neighbourhood and not just the the areas being rezoned.

Anyone interested in speaking to Council can sign up at the following page:
council.vancouver.ca/20200121/phea20200121ag.htm

The full text of the proposed changes are here. Please see Appendix A and B for proposed changes in the language of the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan as well as in the illustrations.
council.vancouver.ca/20191210/documents/rr8.pdf

The City also include a City Block at Nanaimo, East 12th Avenue, Kamloops and North Grandview Hwy for an area wide as part of this document (rezoned proposed to RM-12A). This block was still within the City's designated Grandview Plan area although it is in the Renfrew-Collingwood Neighbourhood.

-- information about the past meeting announcement follows --
GWAC meeting: 7:00 p.m., Monday, January 6th, 2020
Learning Resource Centre (LRC)
Under the Britannia Library
Guest speaker Michael Geller

It is the beginning of a new year, generally a time filled with optimism for the possibility of the year ahead and certainly that is what we would hope for all the citizens of Vancouver and the city itself.  There are, however, many proposals on the "table" for Vancouver that can profoundly affect its liveability as well as its affordability and thus, diversity and sustainability.  

Currently there are many major projects, such as the Pearson Dogwood lands, Oakridge expansion, the Bus Barn at 41st and Oak, the Heather lands, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Jericho & UBC developments as well as the Squamish development at the South end of the Burrard Street bridge and who can forget the Safeway site proposal at Broadway and Commercial?

We have asked Michael Geller, noted architect, planner, real estate consultant and property developer with four decades' experience in the public, private and institutional sectors to share his insights and views on these matters with you and he has generously agreed. 

Come to hear Michael speak and bring your questions.