Dear Neighbour,
Please find attached an article I just wrote regarding the negative impact of Laneway Housing in the City of Vancouver. I am hoping to attract the attention of the media since many residents are very concerned that City Hall has essentially rezoned all single-family neighbourhoods to allow up to 4 families to reside on a single family lot. This has been surprisingly enacted without a pilot project, adequate consultation, sufficient impact studies or fully informing residents of the implications. I believe that most residents in Vancouver are unaware of how they may be personally affected. To date, almost 100 such Building Permit Applications have been approved in a very short period of time and Laneway Housing is currently being built throughout the City of Vancouver.
The Impact of Laneway Housing
Sincerely
Peter Selnar
PS www.laneway.weebly.com is now live and it is a great start as a vehicle for discussion and opposition to the LWH Initiative.
| The preceding is the opinion of the author only and should not be taken to reflect the views of the Dunbar Residents’ Association. The DRA reserves the right to publish or refuse to publish on this website the opinions of neighbourhood residents and does so in order to further constructive and thoughtful debate on issues of neighbourhood interest.
Any discussion on any Dunbar Opinion, should be done through the DRA’s Neighbours Mailing List which can be subscribed via http://dunbar-vancouver.org/neighbours-mailing-list. |
Wednesday, July 8, 8:00 PM:Composting & Green Clean Seminar, Dunbar Community Centre, Instructors: Mike McKee and Caitlyn Black
- Tired of all the clutter in your home? Want to get rid of unwanted stuff? Not sure where to start/who to call?
- Our Green Clean seminar focuses on how to de-clutter your home and yard in an environmentally friendly manner.
- We provide information on how to dispose of your unwanted clutter through charities and various recycling organisations as well as tips on effective composting.
- Free — to register please call Dunbar Community Centre, 604-222-6060.
Saturday, July 18, 10: AM: Composting & Green Clean Seminar, Dunbar Community Centre, Instructors: Mike McKee and Caitlyn Black
- Tired of all the clutter in your home? Want to get rid of unwanted stuff? Not sure where to start/who to call?
- Our Green Clean seminar focuses on how to de-clutter your home and yard in an environmentally friendly manner.
- We provide information on how to dispose of your unwanted clutter through charities and various recycling organisations as well as tips on effective composting.
- Free — to register please call Dunbar Community Centre, 604-222-6060.
Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 PM: Public Hearing: Laneway Housing in RS-1 and RS-5 Single Family Areas (such as Dunbar), Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Council Chambers, 3rd floor
- To consider amendments to the Zoning and Development By-law.
- At the Council meeting on June 16, 2009, Council referred laneway housing to Public Hearing on July 21.
- At the Public Hearing, Council will hear from the public and make a decision on laneway housing.
- If approved, the rezoning would amend the RS-1 and RS-5 (Single-Family) District Schedules to allow laneway housing in these single family areas.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LANEWAY HOUSING:
PUBLIC FORUM ON LANEWAY HOUSING
Wednesday, May 13, 7 – 9 pm
Dunbar Community Centre, Dunbar Room
The Ins and Outs of Laneway Housing will be explored in this Town Hall meeting sponsored by the Dunbar Residents’ Association.
Forum Moderator
- Jon Ellis, former Vancouver city planner
Debate
- Jonathan Baker, lawyer and former Vancouver city councillor
vs.
- Bob Ransford, urban designer and Vancouver Sun columnist
Panel Discussion
- Following the debate, a panel of experts will discuss the issues and answer questions.
Bring your questions and comments and learn more about the proposed zoning changes that will be considered by City Council this summer.
Monday, May 4, 7 – 10 PM: Provincial Candidates’ Meeting, St. Philip’s Church, 3737 W. 27th
Don’t miss this opportunity to meet your Green, Liberal and NDP candidates and hear what they have to say about the issues that are important to you. Also hear about the STV voting system and participate in an STV demo. For more information, including meeting agenda, see the Candidates Meeting Announcement.
Wednesday, May 13, 7 – 9 PM: Public Forum on Laneway Housing & Related Zoning Issues, Dunbar Community Centre, Dunbar Room
The City Planning Department is proposing zoning changes that would allow laneway housing and an increase in the FSR for single family homes to permit more basement suites. These changes will have an impact on the Dunbar neighbourhood.
Please bring your questions and comments and hear presentations on the proposed zoning changes that will be considered by Council at a Public Hearing this summer.
JUNE 12 UPDATE
The EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions were approved by City Council on June 10, 2008. You can link to the minutes and the video stream of this meeting on the City website: June 10, 2008 Council meeting page.
MAY 24 UPDATE
Debate on EcoDensity, hosted by Langara College
- Wednesday, June 11, 7:30 – 9:00 PM
- Downtown Library, Alice Mackay Room, Lower Level
The topic: RESOLVED: ECODENSITY WILL SAVE THE CITY
- Arguing the AFFIRMATIVE: Bob Ransford, Communication Consultant & Vancouver Sun Urban Affairs Columnist
- Arguing the NEGATIVE: Jonathan Baker, Lawyer & former Vancouver City Councillor
According to Jonathan Baker, “The two debaters agreed to debate the topic of EcoDensity but the precise formal topic was selected by the host after we agreed to debate each other and we had no input into the formulation of the question.”
The moderator, David Berner, will open the evening with Introductions.
The debate: 3 minutes for each side for Opening Remarks
5 minutes for each for Main Argument
3 minutes for Rebuttal
3 minutes for Closing.
That will be followed by two questions from Langara faculty panellists directed to the Debaters, then Q&A with the audience.
It will begin sharp at 7:30 and end sharp at 9.
MAY 13, 2008: The revised EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions documents were posted to the City’s
EcoDensity website on May 13.
The public has four weeks to review the material and provide written comment before the report is presented to Council for approval at the June 10, 2008 regular Council meeting. Members of the public will not be given an opportunity to present as a delegation at the Council meeting; only written submissions are invited.
The revised EcoDensity documents and information on how to submit your comments can be found on the City’s EcoDensity: What Next webpage. COMMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO COUNCIL BY JUNE 10, 2008
APRIL 15, 2008: At the April 15 meeting, Council approved the following actions re: EcoDensity Draft Charter and Initial Actions:
- the Director of Planning to revise the Draft Charter and Initial Actions in response to the public input received;
- the revised documents to be posted on the City’s website by May 13 to allow 4 weeks for the public to review; and
- public comment be invited through written submissions instead of delegations
An amendment put forward by Councillor Deal to allow delegations to be heard was defeated by the Mayor and the 5 NPA councillors.
For more information, see the minutes of the April 15, 2008 Council meeting. You can also view the video of this item to hear individual councillors’ comments.
APRIL 4 UPDATE
Council heard the last of the speakers at the April 3rd Council meeting on EcoDensity. Of the approximately 150 registered speakers, just over 100 actually presented, as the meeting went on for 7 nights and speakers were not able to keep coming back to wait for their turn. Council discussion and decision has been referred to the next regular Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 2 PM.
Minutes from the 7 meetings are now available on the City website. Links to the videostreams of all of the meetings are on the Agenda/Minutes page.
On April 2, the Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver, the citywide ad hoc coalition of neighbourhood groups, sent another letter to City Council outlining residents’ concerns with the EcoDensity initiative.
The EcoDensity Council meeting is still going on, with approximately 50 more speakers to be heard. The next two meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 6:30 PM and Thursday, April 3, 7:00 PM.
Due to the large number of speakers, the Council meeting on EcoDensity has stretched into several nights, the next (5th) one scheduled for Thursday, March 13, 7:30 PM.
You can view the Council meeting live online and also view videos of the previous meetings which are posted to the City website the day following each meeting.
A “Coalition of neighbourhoods against EcoDensity and for Liveability” has organized a rally (see flyer) at City Hall at 7:00 PM on February 26th, just before the Council meeting on the EcoDensity Charter. Rally organizers will present Council with a Charter of Neighbourhood Rights. The Coalition is urging citizens who are concerned about the implications of EcoDensity to join this rally.
EcoDensity is going to Council on Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 7:30 PM, Council Chambers (3rd floor City Hall).
The February 18, 2008 staff report that will be presented at this Council meeting contains the following recommendation:
THAT, after completion of the EcoDensity Special Council meeting(s), Council instruct the Director of Planning to report back with revisions to the draft Charter and draft Initial Actions, in response to public input received.
Citizens wishing to express their views on this initiative should make every effort to attend this meeting and address Council.
- To get on the Speakers’ List, contact Diane M. Clairmont, Meeting Coordinator at 604.871.6371, e-mail diane.clairmont@vancouver.ca.
- You can also sign up to speak on the day of the meeting by getting there at least 30 minutes early and registering at the sign-up table.
- Speakers are usually limited to 5 minutes but you can be as brief as you like.
- If you can’t attend the meeting, you can express your views by writing to Council (mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca) at least a day before the meeting.
Read the Feb 19 release from the Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver, a citywide ad hoc organization of 28 neighbourhood groups, including the DRA and the Dunbar Vision Implementation Committee. This document provides a summary of the group’s recommendations regarding the draft EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions.
Read the Feb 18th Vancouver Sun letters section: Residents protest housing squeeze play which contains 6 letters from citizens regarding EcoDensity, 2 of which are from Dunbar area residents.
The DRA held a meeting with City Planning staff to discuss the EcoDensity initiative and its implications for Dunbar on Thursday, February 7, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, Dunbar Community Centre, Room 202.
JAN 30 UPDATE: DRA has sent a letter to City Council regarding the EcoDensity Charter.
JAN 25 UPDATE: Read Vancouver Courier article: NPA city councillor defends mayor’s density plan
Attend the Dunbar Vision Implementation Committee (DVIC) meeting on Monday, January 21, 7:00 PM, St. Philip’s Church, 3737 W. 27th, for a discussion on EcoDensity in Dunbar.
On December 19, 2007, a letter endorsed by 23 neighbourhood groups (including the DRA) was sent to City Council outlining a number of concerns with the draft EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions as well as the process around this initiative.
On November 27, 2007, Vancouver City Council voted to send its draft EcoDensity Charter to public consultation. This will include a Special Council Meeting on February 26, 2008 to hear from the public.
In addition to the Actions contained in the draft Charter, Councillor Suzanne Anton moved a number of new Actions (some of which involve extra density) to be included in the public consultation. Please review pages 3-7 of the November 27, 2007 Council minutes for details of the additions to the Actions and the Council vote on these.
You can also review the Staff Report presented to Council which contains staff recommendations as well as the Draft EcoDensity Charter and the Draft EcoDensity Initial Actions (2008-2009).
January/February EcoDensity Workshops Announcement and Schedule
Recent related articles:
EcoDensity is an initiative announced by Mayor Sam Sullivan at the United Nations World Urban Forum in June 2006.
EcoDensity asserts that strategically located density will make make Vancouver more sustainable, livable and affordable but Vancouver ctizens must change and focus on being a sustainable city.
For Dunbar this would suggest:
- our three “Neighbourhood Centres” would be rezoned to allow greater density with a commercial/residential mix with, on average, probably 4 story buildings. (Permission was given at Norquay to build a 20 story highrise.)
- our main arterials (16th, Dunbar and 41st) would be rezoned for a mix of “row houses, town, houses and low rise apartments”.
- all single family dwellings would be rezoned to allow infill/laneway housing and duplexes.
- greater density alongside our parks.
- removal of height limitations and reduction of view cones.
- businesses would be allowed to operate from home.
- changes of by-laws and zoning to provide developers with substantially less government intervention.
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