How recent housing developments could shape Vancouver for decades to come

Good morning,

I totally forgot to mention that Nate is out until next week on vacation, so you’re stuck with me this week!

I would say one of my favourite topics is around housing development. It has such a major impact on how we interact and live in a city, that it’s hard not to be interested in it.

I was thinking recently about how many big stories there have been this year, and realized we haven’t done a more comprehensive look at them, to illustrate just how much the city is changing.

So today’s story goes in-depth into that topic, with a bit more of an analysis on what it all means.

And of course, there’s always our big list of weekend events.

Let’s get to it!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Friday: 22 🌡️ 14 | 🌧️

Saturday: 18 🌡️ 13 | 🌧️

Sunday: 21 🌡️ 12 | 🌤️

Monday: 21 🌡️ 12 | 🌤️

DEVELOPMENT

How the first half of 2025 will 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 social housing units could prove to be a challenge for the mayor, given his previous promise to put a moratorium on the construction of new social 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

SPONSORED BY VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL

Global sounds, homegrown stars, and three days of music by the sea

Celebrate the best of contemporary folk music from around the world at the 48th annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, July 18-20.  

Take in renowned international artists such as Bab L’ Bluz, Ruthie Foster, Margaret Glaspy, The Heavy Heavy, The Milk Carton Kids, and Watchhouse. Plus, check out Canadian artists from coast to coast with Lenny Gallant, Elisapie, Jane Siberry, and Ocie Elliott. Soak in the music with over 40 performances on four stages. Enjoy collaborative artist workshops, featuring some of your favourite festival artists, family-friendly activities, food trucks, and artisan markets. 

The Vancouver Folk Music Festival is the perfect summer escape in the city — where musical borders dissolve and the beach becomes the backdrop for for an incredible weekend of discovery.

THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

30%

The Vancouver Art Gallery will be cutting staff and programming by this amount to deal with its budget deficit. While plans for a new building are moving forward, Interim CEO Eva Respini says the gallery will be laying off staff, hosting fewer travelling exhibitions, and displaying more art from the gallery's permanent collection, with upcoming exhibitions focused on Emily Carr and Pacific Northwest coast Indigenous art. Read more. [CBC]

THE AGENDA

🚥 Slow down! On Wednesday, Council approved the reduction of speed limits on all minor streets, from 50km/h to 30km/h. Signage will be rolled out over the next 3 years, but a rule of thumb is if the street doesn't have a centre line, the speed limit is 30km/h. Read more. [CBC]

📃 A new report following the Lapu Lapu Day festival attack calls for risk assessments and a centralized safety hub for all public events in B.C., greater inter-agency collaboration, and more accessible education and planning resources. The provincial government fully accepted the intent of the report's six recommendations, but hasn't set a date for implementation. Meanwhile, the man charged with eight counts of second-degree murder in the Lapu Lapu Day festival attacks appeared briefly in court on Tuesday ahead of a hearing on his fitness to stand trial scheduled for July 23. Read more. [Castanet]

🏳️‍🌈 Organizers have confirmed that Vancouver's Pride Parade will use a new, shorter route, and the parade will return to the Davie Village for 2025. This year's parade will start at Pacific Boulevard near Griffiths Way and end at the Davie Village Pride Festival on Davie Street between Burrard and Jervis. Read more. [Global]

🚆 New SkyTrains are coming to a station near you. The first new Mark V SkyTrain entered service on the Expo Line on Thursday. The new SkyTrains are five cars long, have 25% more capacity than current trains, and feature interior artwork by Indigenous artists. The fleet of 47 new trains will roll out one by one through 2029, according to TransLink. Read more [Vancouver is Awesome]

📱 TikTok is warning that it will have to eliminate 150 Vancouver-based tech jobs as it shuts down Canadian operations under a federal order citing national security concerns. The company has also pulled funding from arts programs as it winds down its presence in Canada, including $500,000 for MusiCounts, which supports some Vancouver high school music programs. Read more. [CityNews]

📈 Vancouver Fraser Port Authority CEO Victor Peng says the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project will create over 18,000 construction jobs and 17,000 well-paying long-term jobs. Procurement for the project kicked off this week, construction is scheduled to start in 2028, and operations are slated to begin in the mid-2030s. Read more. [Business in Vancouver]

🏒 In hockey news, NHL insiders are reporting that thanks to a newly-ratified collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, there will be one additional Vancouver Canucks home game and two fewer preseason games in 2026-27. Read more. [Daily Hive]

EVENTS

Vancouver Folk Music Festival | Jericho Beach Park | July 18-20 | The best of contemporary folk music from around the world in one summer weekend with 44 performances on four stages over three days. | Learn more [Sponsored]

Let’s Hear It For Yaletown | Bill Curtis Square | July 11, 5:30 pm | Live Canadian hot jazz bands | Free

Fridays on Front | Front Street Mews, New Westminster | July 11, 5 pm | Block party with music and food | Free

Fiji Festival | Swangard Stadium, 6100 Boundary Rd, Burnaby | July 12, 10 am | Soccer, music, kids' zones, food trucks | Free

PawsFest 2025 | Sunset Beach Park, Vancouver | Jul. 12 at 11 am | Pet festival with fashion shows, food trucks, dog yoga | Free

Family Bike Festival & Tour de Concord | Concord Pacific Place | July 13, 9:55 am | Bike demos, food trucks, kids’ zone | Free

Eastside Arts Festival | MacLean Park and Eastside Arts District | July 18–27 | Art workshops, live music, beer garden, and more | Tickets various prices

Vancouver Craft Beer and Wing Fest | 2901 E Hastings St. | July 12, 12 pm | 150+ breweries, food, cider and wine garden | Tickets $60+

Summer BAZA-Q Bash | Sunset Beach | July 12, 11 am | Food, games, music and outdoor good vibes | Free

Carnaval del Sol 2025 | Jonathan Rogers Park | July 12–13, 11 am | Latin music, food, soccer, art & dance | Tickets $15+

Summer Craft Fair | Granville Island | July 13, 11 am | Handmade items by kids at this family event | Free

SAKE SOIRÉE – Long Table Dining | The Victor, 39 Smithe Street | July 17, 6 pm | Rooftop five-course dinner with sake pairings | Tickets $125

Art Downtown 2025 | Lot 19, 855 W Hastings St | July 17 | Open-air art fair with music and live painting | Free

Korean Cultural Heritage Festival | Swangard Stadium, Burnaby | July 19, 10:30 am | Performances, cuisine, and cultural exhibitions | Free

Vancouver Pop-Ups: The Summer Makers Market | Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street | Jul. 20 at 11 am | 40+ vendors, food, giveaways, pet-friendly | Free

BACH & MOZART: In Endless Ascent | Various venues, Vancouver | July 26–Aug. 8 | Classical festival blending Bach, Mozart, and modern works | Various prices

Pleasant Day Festival | Mount Pleasant | Aug. 9, 12 pm | Live music, patios, beer gardens, food trucks | Free

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• It looks like Paul McCartney won’t be stopping by Vancouver on his newest tour. [Vancouver Sun]

• There’s a new ice cream challenger in town. [Straight]

• Popular takeaway dim sum spot Kam Wai in Chinatown is getting a sit-down restaurant in this location. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• In the battle of coyote versus Canadian goose, there’s a clear winner.

• Coast Salish art is popping up in public art throughout the city. 

• Could vacant storefronts in the Downtown Eastside be used for pop-up spaces for local entrepreneurs? It sounds like a great idea! [CBC]

VANCOUVER WORDLE

Think you can guess this week’s Wordle? Play it here.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A Reddit user captured this beautiful shot of the future Mount Pleasant Station.