Indigenous-led Jericho Lands housing proposal begins public consultations in Vancouver

A housing proposal spearheaded by three First Nations that would double the population of Vancouver's West Point Grey neighbourhood begins its public consultations this week.

The Jericho Lands proposal — first revealed in 2021 after work began in 2016 — includes a large housing project featuring dozens of buildings, a mix of community centres, park land and wilderness spaces, along with potential for a SkyTrain station if the Millennium Line is extended to the University of British Columbia.

It's set to be built on a 90-acre (36.4-hectare) site in West Point Grey, an upscale neighbourhood of around 13,000 people, bounded by West Fourth Avenue, Highbury Street, West Eighth Avenue and Discovery Street.

The Jericho Lands area is currently home to a former garrison, several dozen homes leased to military families and a private school. The site itself is owned by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations — whose unceded territories Vancouver is built on — in partnership with the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation.

Set to more than double the area's population with the promise of 13,000 new homes, the project is part of a provincial push for more housing.

"We're not a developer, that you would see in a sense that's developing a property for their own profit and their own benefit," said Sxelaltenaat Adrienne Charlie, cultural liaison for the Squamish Nation.

"We're three different communities who are looking out for each of the nation's members … for my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren."

The project is called ʔəy̓ alməxʷ (ee-yal-mugh) in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language, and Iy̓ álmexw (i-yal-mugh) in the Squamish language.

Open houses for the project began Saturday, with a public consultation scheduled for the fall.

Unlike the Squamish Nation's Sen̓áḵw project, the Jericho Lands proposal would need a rezoning vote by council, with a decision on the overall vision of the project expected later this year, and rezoning next year if it is approved. 

"We have a major challenge of housing supply and the right kind of supply supplying affordable housing, particularly different kinds of rental and social housing," said Matt Shillito, director of special projects at the City of Vancouver.

"There's a great opportunity presented here by this project to deliver housing in a very sustainable location."

Proposal within provincial strategy

The updated Jericho Lands proposal comes amid a province-wide push to build hundreds more housing units. 

It's an approach the City of Vancouver has played a part in, with Mayor Ken Sim appearing alongside Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon at numerous housing announcements.

The initiatives have not been popular with everyone, with the Sen̓áḵw project and a supportive housing project on the West Side facing loud opposition from nearby homeowners.

The Jericho Coalition, a group of Point Grey residents, have previously spoken out against the original proposal.

"The Jericho Coalition will continue to oppose this proposal through every stage of the regulatory process," they said in an emailed statement to CBC News Saturday.

Tom Davidoff, an associate professor with UBC, says historic zoning policy in West Point Grey — which largely consists of single-family homes and mansions — was out of touch with the current housing market, which called for more dense apartment-style housing.

"Developers want to build taller buildings. People want to live in apartments, but the rules forbid it," he said. "Hopefully this project serves as a sort of a reminder to people, okay, this is how people actually want to live."

Davidoff said it was interesting to see First Nations playing an "outsized role" in addressing the problem of a lack of housing, which he says is driven by jurisdictional conflict between municipalities — who control zoning — and the province.

According to the proposal, a minimum of 30 per cent of the site will be affordable housing, including 20 per cent social housing.

A construction timeline, if council votes to approve the Jericho Lands project, has not yet been determined.