City of Vancouver approves 1st of 3 towers for northeast False Creek
PavCo can choose to build up to 300 feet high as a strata condo or up to 400 feet if it's 100% rental
Vancouver council has approved rezoning that would allow up to a 37-storey tower adjacent to BC Place, the first of three large towers planned for northeast False Creek.
The tower, which would be owned by the B.C. Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a Crown corporation, was approved in principle as part of the city's Northeast False Creek plan, which would see three towers and several parks and mid-rise buildings constructed over the next two decades in undeveloped land on the north side of False Creek between the Cambie Street Bridge and Science World.
In an amendment introduced by Coun. Raymond Louie before the vote, council voted to put restrictions on PavCo, only allowing it to build higher than 300 feet if the building was 100 per cent market rental. If they choose to build under 300 feet, it could contain no rentals.
"I do think it is important to make the developer meet a higher test. And in this instance, there needs to be societal good," said Louie.
The vote passed 6-3, with all six Vision Vancouver councillors in favour of both the rezoning to allow the tower and Louie's amendment.
Green Coun. Adriane Carr argued that making the tower 100 per cent rental housing wouldn't solve the larger problem of affordability.
"I don't have any confidence that would be affordable. We've seen rents in this city that are four, five thousand dollars a month. What we need is affordable housing, not just build, build, build any kind of housing," she said.
But Vision Coun. Heather Deal says it is a tradeoff worth supporting.
"We're in a housing crisis right now, it's said over and over and over again," she said.
"Is it subsidized? No. But it's rental. It's in downtown … in exchange for a tiny piece of a view cone that is quite outdated."
PavCo said it couldn't immediately say whether or not it would continue to plan for a tower over 300 feet.
View cone debate
Prior to Louie's amendment, the debate was focused on the fact that the tower would pierce through the view of the North Shore Mountains, ignoring a city policy in place since the 1980s that protects 27 view corridors.
A group called "SaveOurSkylineYVR'" has launched a petition against the towers and had gained the support of several past city planning directors.
"It does intrude into view cones ... the speakers didn't say 'please intrude the view cones if we build rental housing. 'They said 'please do not intrude the view cones,'" said Coun. Melissa De Genova during debate.
But Vision councillors said the intrusion into the view cone was miniscule, with several pointing out the vast majority were focused on views for drivers looking north from the middle of the city.
"This is a very limited incursion that you don't notice unless you're at a particular place in the street," said Coun. Tim Stevenson.
The city's project director for Northeast False Creek, Kevin McNaney, told council that it would be difficult for Vancouver to achieve its urban design goals while preserving the view corridors.
He also said the three new towers would give "a celebratory moment in the skyline where we can celebrate one of our biggest entertainment districts in the province of British Columbia."
