Pause the Plan
by Carol Volkart
The Dunbar Residents’ Association is encouraging Dunbar residents to attend a November 23, 2024 rally opposing the rapid densification of a large swath of the city under the Broadway Plan.
The “Pause the Plan” rally is aimed at persuading Vancouver City Council to rethink the Broadway Plan, which has already led to proposals for more than 100 high-rise towers in the 500 blocks between Vine and Clark and 1st and 16th.
The DRA board voted unanimously on November 5, 2024 to support the rally and to urge local residents to attend. While Dunbar isn’t part of the Broadway Plan, it will feel its effects, and faces densification pressures of its own.
The rally is a chance to support affected neighbourhoods and to meet other residents who may be helpful when Dunbar needs support itself.
It’s being organized by neighbourhood groups, individuals and organizations concerned the plan will mean the eviction of thousands of tenants as low-rise affordable apartments are replaced by expensive new towers.
Other concerns are 18-storey towers planned for established low-rise residential areas, the destruction of neighbourhood character, and the lack of planning for amenities to serve the estimated 50,000 new residents expected under the plan.
The rally will be held rain or shine at 1 p.m. Saturday, November 23, 2024 at the north side of City Hall. About 30 minutes of speeches from experts, activists and those affected by the Broadway Plan will begin at about 1:15 p.m.
Participants are encouraged to bring signs stating the neighbourhood they’re from, to show that concerns about the Broadway Plan go beyond its borders. See you there with a “Dunbar” sign!