WATCH: Global BC‘s Jill Bennett reports from Marine Gardens slated for demolition after last night’s public hearing
Vancouver city council has voted to demolish an affordable housing complex in East Marpole.
The current structure is to be replaced with three new buildings, including two high rise towers, offering a very different lifestyle.
Long-time resident Jillian Skeet says it is a loss to the community.
“This complex has been a wonderful community,” says Skeet. “It is a very safe place, neighbours know neighbhours, they help each other, our kids walk to and from school. It is the kind of lifestyle that is very rare to find these days.”
MAP: Marine Gardens at 445 Southwest Marine Drive will have to make way for a new development
Residents have been fighting with the city to come up with a better solution, but a vote at last night’s public hearing decided their fate.
They have been offered a relocation package, meaning they will get a 20 per cent discount on rent in the new units. But many say, even with the incentive, it is simply not affordable.
“The city itself has acknowledged that it needs to have a mix of different kinds of housing,” says Skeet. “What we are seeing is so many skyscrapers with condos, but we are not seeing a lot of other types of development. I think a community like Marine Gardens is absolutely vital for the health of our children.”
With files from Jill Bennett
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