Canada: Vancouver City Council approves 47-storey tower replacing Burrard and Davie community garden
Several councillors also brought up the potential need for a replacement community garden in the area.
By Kenneth Chan
Daily Hive
Dec 22 2021
Excerpts:
The site was previously a Shell gas station up until the late 2000s, and then while development plans were being prepared, it saw an interim use as a community garden for more than a decade.
The developer’s total public benefits package to the City of Vancouver is worth $41.2 million, including $10.6 million in cash to the city towards the West End Community Plan’s public benefits strategy, and $22.27 million from the turnkey readiness of the arts/culture office space and city-owned childcare facility. Other requirements include $8 million in development cost levies, and a $572,000 public art contribution.
Swanson opposed the project on the basis that it will not provide any affordable housing, and could lead to the gentrification of the neighbourhood.
“This decision isn’t easy. Its arts and culture, and childcare are both good. But in the end, to me this is going to be a very gentrifying project. The condos at the top are going to be very pricey, it will gentrify the neighbourhood, and there’s nothing in it that’s affordable,” said Swanson.
“My fear is that we’re changing the whole nature of our city to serve people who have above average incomes in order to get amenities that, in this case, like childcare, is going to make the condo units more valuable, so they’re actually an asset for the developer. We have a building that’s mostly going to serve above average income renters.”