The City of Vancouver has withdrawn a development application to demolish a two-storey heritage building to create a temporary home for the Downtown Eastside Street Market.
The bid was retracted on March 31, one day after the city’s public feedback process on the controversial proposal ended.
The City of Vancouver leases the current street market space at 26 East Hastings from BC Housing but the lease is set to expire at the end of August, and there were plans to potentially tear down a privately-owned 122-year-old building across the street to use as a new, interim market site.
Concerns were raised about the proposed demolition of the Art Nouveau-style building at 123 East Hastings Street – in order to relocate a street market where stolen goods are allegedly sold, according to the VPD.
City of Vancouver staff will now work with community stakeholders to “identify other options for street vending in the DTES,” communications manager Godfrey Tait said in an email Saturday.
In a statement, the City of Vancouver said it received “new information that impacts our ability to operate the market at 123 East Hastings. As a result, we have withdrawn our request to activate the site for the market. Therefore, the Development Permit and related Demolition Permit application are being withdrawn and will no longer be considered.
“The city has been working to find a suitable indoor/outdoor space for the Downtown Eastside Market for several years now, and identifying such a space remains an ongoing priority. We are committed to exploring future options to implement recommendations from the Vending Study.”
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