How recent housing developments could shape Vancouver for decades to come

In the summer doldrums, city hall slows down, and there’s just generally less news to cover. So today, we’re taking it as an opportunity to provide Lookout readers with a snapshot of housing developments, the issues recently shaping it, and what future areas could look like here in Vancouver.

Social housing process could soon look different

What is it: The creation of social housing in Vancouver has consistently been a flash point between the city, developers and locals. You only need to read about the cancelled supportive housing project in Kitsilano to see what’s going on.

What’s changing: The city is undertaking a massive review of how this type of housing gets approved. It is bringing in approved upzoning areas for social housing, co-operative and mixed-income housing, and allowing non-profit and government organizations to build up to 6-18 storeys.

• These buildings could include things like childcare as well. 

Opposition?: Not so much. Around 60 per cent of respondents to the city’s public engagement process were in favour of the changes. Champlain Heights was one exception, with many people speaking out about the potential loss of greenspace. You can dig deeper into this with Nate’s exclusive story on Champlain Heights.

What it means: Building social housing, like co-ops, is how the city creates a diverse range of housing that meets the needs of people at all socioeconomic levels. The city is coming around to the idea that housing that has a net positive on society, built by groups like non-profits, shouldn’t have to go through onerous approval processes like for-profit developers.

• Rather than concentrating these buildings in a few areas, where a few neighbourhoods shoulder the responsibility of building this housing, it ensures these types of homes are built into the fabric of the city and spread around the city.

The Granville transformation takes its first tentative steps. 

This story may have slipped through the cracks, but Vancouver is moving forward with two major changes that could reshape the entire Granville strip over the coming decades.

A new entertainment district: Early in June, council approved a 20-year plan for the future of Granville Street. It would create an iconic space, like Times Square, a new plaza, as well as making a large section of the street pedestrian-only. Residential buildings would also be added.

• The plan would also seek to increase venue space for events and performances, with more cultural spaces, galleries and family-focused venues. Street performances would also be a mainstay. 

Social housing in the area could also be aimed at housing artists. The entire proposal garnered around three-quarters of support from respondents. You can read our deep-dive here. 

The end of SROs: The mayor has promised to move three supportive housing SRO buildings out of the district to different parts of the city. The mayor has said that they will help the provincial government identify city-owned land that could be used to build the housing units, but the buildings would be capped at 40 units. 

• But it’s not clear how the timeline would work. The BC Minister of Housing noted that no one would be moved from the SROs until new units were built, and said that the cap on 40-unit buildings didn’t make sense, according to the Vancouver Sun, and there was no magic number. 

For years, business owners have called for changes in the area, as fires at SROs and street disorder have grown. Many have expressed concern about the timeline for these changes, given that there is no actual formalized plan and no sites have been finalized. 

A complicating factor: Building those supportive housing units could prove to be a challenge for the mayor, given his previous promise to put a moratorium on the construction of new supportive housing until other cities in the region build them.

What it means: The vision for the Granville Entertainment District is clear and achievable. It’s a great idea and a sign that the council is thinking big when it comes to building distinct neighbourhoods. But the social housing component is far more murky, with no clear timelines from the mayor, and differing interpretations of what needs to be done at different levels of government. 

East Vancouver set to change

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