Canada: A community garden? Or a massive tax break?
Vancouver: A look at 4545 W 10th Avenue. $97.6M assessed value
City Hall Watch
Jan 9, 2024
Excerpt:
A community garden and a dog park have been install at the 4545 West 10th Avenue rezoning site. This property was formerly the home of a Safeway store and a VanCity branch. This site has been assessed at a value of $97,608,700. Are public costs of the tax breaks to the property owner worth the benefits society is receiving in return? How much gardening can literally be done in the tiny planter boxes provided by the property owner?
The City of Vancouver is organizing an Open House regarding a two tower development rezoning on February 8, 2024 from 4pm to 7pm (West Point Grey United Church, 4595 W 8th). This is at the tail end of an online Q&A period from January 22 to February 11, 2024. The applicant is Bentall Green Oak, which appears to be a real estate investment firm headquartered in Miami, Florida — the real estate investment arm of Sun Life Financial and one of the largest real estate investment firms in North America.
For quite some time, the City has not published data on the total number and locations of community gardens and the lost tax revenues. The listing on the City’s open data website has not been updated for years.
