The proposed Safeway highrises are going to public hearing this week

After four failed attempts, will the Safeway site rezoning be a safe bet with the existing city council?

The proposal was first submitted in 2019, before getting redos in 2020, 2021 and 2023, according to Daily Hive.

• Now, the controversial development proposal adjacent to the Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station will face a tough test Thursday, as it is slated to go into a public hearing.

What’s being proposed: The latest plan, like the past applications, involves three towers — only this time, it includes more units and density than in previous iterations, with 1,044 purpose-built rental units, including 104 at some degree of below-market rents, according to a report to council.

The towers are now proposed to reach 44, 38 and 37 storeys in height, up from the 39, 36 and 35 storeys previously proposed, according to Daily Hive.

Rates and amenities: The 104 units being rented at below-market rates wouldn’t count as “below-market rental” in the city’s housing targets. That’s because the units will be rented at the city-wide average rents as recorded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The city’s targets require rental prices 10% below the CMHC averages to count as below-market housing, according to the city staff report.

• The proposal also includes 37 childcare spaces; a public plaza; and a retail podium, including a grocery store. The childcare facility is valued at $8 million, with the city staff report saying no other Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) — fees paid by developers to build amenities — are expected, “due to the relatively high density” of the buildings and other costs.

Written submissions: The proposal is likely to see significant debate at the public hearing, with CBC noting it could last days. Already there have been 278 written submissions, which is higher than normal. They include 146 supporting, 124 opposed and eight categorized as “other.”

Those in favour say there needs to be more density around SkyTrain stations, with one commenter calling it “a no brainer.” Proponents invoke the housing crisis, saying there is a shortage of housing, and the towers would help to address that shortage — without displacing tenants, as in other proposals particularly in the Broadway Plan area.

Those opposed: Zakir Suleman told CBC in April that the developers “stand to make a significant profit” and “should be paying their fair share back,” which could be through CACs, but the current proposal “doesn’t build affordability in the neighbourhood; it barely builds community amenities.”

His comments were echoed in the dozens who wrote in to oppose the project, with commenters citing the lack of affordable units, as the only affordability measure being to have 10% of the units be rented at city-wide average rates.