The controversy over a proposed development in Vancouver’s Chinatown is heating up after a public meeting on the issue.
Dozens of people turned out for the session Tuesday night.
The issue is whether the city should approve a new 15 storey condo project or preserve existing buildings in Chinatown.
Bonnis Development wants to build the 140 unit complex on Main Street. The site is home to the landmark Brickhouse Bar and the shack where the grandmother of rock music icon Jimi Hendrix once worked.
There is a petition to stop the redevelopment circulating online.
“We need to bring back the lost heritage of the only black community the City of Vancouver has ever had,” said Lama Mugabo who attended the meeting.
A rezoning application is expected to be submitted in the coming days. Then the City of Vancouver will hold its own open house to decide whether or not to approve the development.
-With files from Catherine Urquhart