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What began as a debate at City Hall on Tuesday about a 400-foot tower project that encroaches on the North Shore Mountains has turned into a political battle on the need for rental housing. The council voted 6-3 to allow the provincial Crown corporation PavCo to build a 40-story residential tower on Pacific Boulevard, between the Rogers Arena and British Columbia Place Stadium
L & # 39; approval, however, depends on PavCo making the entire building "a guaranteed rental market" as the Vision Council successfully requested. Raymond Louie during the debate
If PavCo does not want to follow this route, the option is to build a 300-foot-taller tower with the same area. PavCo has not hired a developer, must still submit an application to the city development permit board and would need the proposal to be reviewed by an urban planning committee.
Before the company does that, it must decide which two heights best fits its plans for the site and the housing mix that it wants; Rehana Din, Chief Financial Officer of PavCo, told the board that the company did not object to the rental housing for one or the other of the options, but pointed out that the point of a detailed proposal was far from over
. ] Din told reporters after the council vote that PavCo's original proposal was for a 300-foot tower. But in February, the council authorized the incorporation of three major towers into the city's Northeast False Creek plan; The developer Concord Pacific has not yet submitted a rezoning application for the other two towers, which could reach 425 feet each.
"What we proposed to the city was the 300-foot option," Din said. "They asked us to consider a 400-foot option, we were in agreement with one or the other and we will have to take a look back now for see how we feel about this change. "
When the Northeast False Creek plan was approved, the city's senior staff said the towers – which should be located near a new intersection at Georgia Street and Pacific Boulevard after the demolition of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts – would create a more interesting horizon.
Kevin McNaney, Northeast False Creek Project Manager, said at the time that the grouping of the towers "would create a magical moment in the horizon line" and would help the neighborhood to "sing in terms of urban design ".
The three towers, however, will invade three cones or corridors designated by the city, two facing north on Cambie Street between the 10th and 12th Avenues, the other looking northward from Queen Elizabeth Park .
Louie points to the iconic Sears Tower in downtown and the Marinaside oke building across one of the view cones. Louie argued that allowing the 400-foot tower, with commercial rental units, was "a reasonable compromise". He echoed Louie's point of view on the cones of view, noting that the traffic lights are already obstructing some of the view of the North Shore Mountains.
"They are a much larger incursion than this tiny slice of building, mention the trees along the block of the town hall "a good chunk" of the view. "So, do these defenders of the corridor call to cut these trees to make sure that the panoramic corridor is available at the public? I think we need to be reasonable about this. "
Robertson was referring to more than 1,800 people who signed a petition to oppose that the towers could be introduced on the cones of view A coalition of neighborhood groups also sent a letter to council to oppose disrupting views.
Melody Ma, who led the social media campaign "Save Our YVR Skyline", described the debate as a "policy position." "If they were really for affordable housing, they would also require the 300-foot option to be 100 per cent rental housing as well," Ma said in the lobby.
Nevertheless, she added, she asked who could afford rents that would likely be expensive if PavCo chose to build rental housing, and accused Vision of "privatizing our views."
Green Party Council Adri Carr, who, along with George Affleck and Melissa De Genova, NPA advisers, objected to Louie's rental housing, said she had no confidence that rents would be affordable in the tower
"We need affordable housing. build, build any type of housing, "Carr said.
She said that Vancouver has always been known for its views of the mountains. She agreed with Robertson and Louie that the proposed towers do not encroach much on the cones of view.
"But I think it's like a thousand deaths," she said. "You're starting to intrude here, you're starting to get in and it's setting a precedent for intrusions."
Affleck accused Louie of "flirting" and "hijacking" the real problem of tower heights and mixing them with rental housing.
"If we continue, potentially, to break through these corridors, we are actually altering the beauty of our city in the long run," he said. "It's dangerous for us to do that."
Vision Coun. Kerry Jang said the number one problem facing the city is housing and creating more. Jang said that everything Vision did on Tuesday calling for renting housing in a 400-foot tower gave PavCo an option
"Why close all options?" he said. "Just saying no initially means that you do not represent housing at all."
NPA Coun. Elizabeth Ball was not at the meeting and Coun. Hector Bremner cited a conflict and did not participate in the debate.
mhowell@vancourier.com
@Howellings
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