How will new housing rules impact Vancouver’s heritage sites?

Good morning,

Queue up the memes. Another runaway barge made a brief appearance at English Bay Beach on Sunday before being towed away by the coast guard.

I don’t think I could’ve handled another new cycle of very bad memes and jokes.

In today’s newsletter, we’ve got a cautionary story about Chinatown and upzoning density, as well as an update on the art scene in the city.

Let’s get to it!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout editor

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WEATHER

Wednesday: 9 🌡️ 2 | ⛅

Thursday: 9 🌡️ 2 | ☀️

Friday: 9 🌡️ 2 | ☀️

HOUSING

How will new housing rules impact Vancouver’s heritage sites?

Heritage areas. It’s a term thrown around when it comes to housing density and redevelopment. But what does it mean? And how will these types of areas be impacted by new province-wide housing rules?

What happened: A story in the Vancouver Sun is raising questions about how the new provincial zoning rules, specifically the upzoning around transit stops, will impact heritage areas that lie within those newly zoned areas. There was concern the new zoning rules would overrule heritage protections, putting older buildings at risk.

Professor Andy Yan of Simon Fraser University has put together more detailed maps to see where the upzoning around the transit station impacts certain neighbourhoods.

Heritage locations: Both Gastown and Chinatown are part of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods. The city regulates these as heritage areas, meaning that “new development in these protected areas is compatible with the area character,” according to the city, with specific regulations around what can and can’t be built.

The province’s response: The minister seemed to contradict the concerns of stakeholders, saying the zoning laws would not overturn heritage protections for these areas, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

• Dig deeper: The Vancouver Heritage Foundation has a map of the different heritage sites in Chinatown. 

Conflicting goals: The policy illustrates the challenge that exists when trying to expand housing, namely how to balance so many competing interests and priorities, from densification to balancing historical character, to making a livable community. 

Zoom out: No better issue illustrates this than the controversial approval of 105 Keefer St., which saw pushback from the community because of the height of the building in the historical area. Some residents were concerned about gentrification, while the project also garnered support from local business and community organizations that felt it would help the community, according to CBC.

What it means: The housing minister’s lack of specific response would suggest they feel confident in the policy and aren’t worried about these types of issues. There hasn’t been much pushback from key stakeholders about the expansive nature of the upzoning, but that may change as the impact of the policy takes hold, though there’s not much the cities can do if they oppose it. 

Thought-bubble: I had a wonderful email exchange with one of our readers about this very topic, the balance between building new homes for people while preserving existing neighborhoods. I enjoyed the chat and encourage others to write in!

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

💰️ $3.5 billion: How much Metro Vancouver is asking for from the federal government to fund the new sewage treatment plant and more affordable housing. It would cover one-third of the expected cost of the plant at Iona Island near YVR. [Urbanized]

🌊 $166,000: The amount in fines Metro Vancouver residents received for breaking water restriction rules. The worst was Vancouver at 168, followed by Coquitlam at 154 and North Vancouver at 100. Per capita, Vancouver is doing pretty well! [CBC]

🪧 7: The number of weeks that the Rogers Sugar refinery workers have been on strike, which is impacting local bakeries’ ability to find affordable sugar. Rogers workers say their employer wants to bring in non-stop work operations and reduce weekends. [CBC]

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DREAM HOME

There’s something about today’s dream home I really love.

Maybe it’s the layout, which creates a lot of space but also has nicely separate rooms. Or maybe it’s the tastefully layered floors, creating a beautiful cascading effect. Or maybe it’s this stunning view. Either way, this two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment will have you dreaming of living in the West End.

The price on the other hand? Well, that’s more of a nightmare…

House of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labeled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team.

THE AGENDA

🛴 Vancouver could soon be getting a Mobi for scooters. The city announced it’s seeking bids for a company to operate its public e-scooter service. It’s expected the service will arrive next spring, with a focus on building out stations downtown, Olympic Village, False Creek and Chinatown. [Urbanized]

🔥 Remember that fire in East Vancouver that burned down an apartment, leaving 70 people without a place to live? The landlords of the building appeared in court on Monday and pleaded guilty to six of 20 fire code violations. Tenants said they had previously complained about fire safety. [Global]

👮 People are seeking help to identify a man who brandished a firearm and assaulted a woman at the Main Street-Science World SkyTrain Station in August. You can see a photo of him here. [CTV]

💰 If you rent out a home on a short-term rental app, the government is going to make it a little less lucrative, by eliminating some tax deductions that rental suite operators use. They’re also creating an enforcement fund for municipalities, who often struggle to enforce the rules. [Vancouver Sun]

🏠 The Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon said the province is open to the idea of converting office space into housing, though Vancouver does have one of the lowest office vacancy rates in the country. [Global]

📔 Consultations have started for the creation of the South Asian Museum, which could include a community gathering space as well as the planned museum. The likely location for it would be in Vancouver’s Punjabi Market. [Urbanized]

🚙 Three people were sent to the hospital after a vehicle crashed in Vancouver’s West Side Monday morning. Two are in critical condition. [CityNews]

🏒 The Canucks won 3-1 against the San Jose Sharks on Monday. They had previously beaten the team by scoring 10 (yes, 10) goals. [Vancouver Sun]

ARTS

Theatre

Maestro Theatre is hosting its popular holiday show Sinbad! from Dec. 7 to Jan. 1. It’s a family-filled event you won’t want to miss. [Stir]

Music

It’s that time of year — The Nutcracker is back. Tickets are on sale for the show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from Dec. 14-17. 

Movies 

There’s a great lineup of movies at VIFF this week and into December, including Maestro, May December and Fallen Leaves. 

The European Union Film Festival continues until Nov. 30 with movies from Hungary, Portugal, Greece, Latvia and more.

Art

The popular PuSh festival is back featuring artistic performances from Canada and around the world with four fences that are set to premiere as part of the festival. [Georgia Straight]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Vancouver has had some real nasty tragedies in its lifetime… 

• Popular brewery Callister Brewing Company is shutting down its current location as their lease ends. They currently have no new spot to open. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Prince Harry was on hand on Monday to drop the puck at the Canucks game. [CityNews]

• Turns out Vancouver is the only city in Canada to host the Rolling Stones during their current tour. Sorry Toronto! [CBC]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

Another day, another beautiful sunset…

GAME TIME

Today’s Vancouver Guesser may be a little too easy… Reply with the cross streets or the location/neighbourhood, along with your name to be featured in the newsletter.