B.C.’s NDP government has unveiled legislation to push through a controversial supportive housing project on Vancouver’s west side.
The 13-storey development on Arbutus Street between 7th and 8th Avenue, which will include 129 studio apartments for low-income people and those experiencing homelessness, is facing a court challenge from a Kitsilano neighbourhood group.
Vancouver city council approved the project last June, and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the city’s current mayor and council asked the province to step in and ensure it gets built.
“It’s critically important that when we have projects that have gone through long, extensive, public engagement, two years of approvals, and finally get a city council to approve it, that we get going,” he said.
“The mayor and council wrote a letter to us asking us to take action to ensure we can get this housing built because we know the need is great.”
The Municipalities Enabling and Validating Amendment Act, which is written to only apply to this specific project, will mark the first time the province has used legislation to push through a project on land it does not own.
Ownership of the property will be transferred to the province once the development is complete.
“We are thankful for the ongoing support from senior government partners to expedite the delivery of much-needed affordable housing in the city. This project will deliver 129 studio homes and make a huge difference in the lives of people in the community,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a media release.
“We look forward to continuing conversations and working with the community via the neighbourhood Community Advisory Committee as the project progresses.”
Under the current plan, at least half of the 129 units in the project will be held for people currently homeless and on income assistance, while the other half would be held for people earning between $15,000 and $30,000 per year.
During the approval process last year, the development faced significant opposition from neighbourhood residents who argued it will house too many people with complex issues.
Members of the Kitsilano Coalition argued the project would “import the culture of the street” while congregating a large proportion of people with mental health and substance use problems in one place, that there won’t be enough support services, and that the project is too close to an elementary school.
The group subsequently filed a court challenge of the project, which the new legislation will circumvent.
The bill states that “all powers and duties in relation to the zoning bylaw” were “validly adopted by the Vancouver council” and explicitly protects the city’s approval process “despite any decision of a court to the contrary made before or after this section comes into force.”
“It’s a shock. And it’s also unprecedented. What people should hear is the government is removing the voice of the community … This is very important for people to hear, this is across Vancouver, this is across B.C. and every person should have a voice in that and it shouldn’t be shut down by legislation,” Kitsilano Coalition spokesperson Cheryl Grant said.
Grant said project opponents planned to meet with their legal representative before deciding on the next steps.
“This project is to build one tower and it doesn’t reflect the community and it doesn’t allow them to be integrated as part of the community, it’s actually isolating,” she added.
“We want to build healthy, supportive housing for vibrant communities. That’s the number one focus, we have to build housing the right way to support people.”
Kahlon said the timing of the legislation was not related to the City of Vancouver’s controversial move to clear out a homeless encampment on Hastings Street.
The city has maintained the encampment was a magnet for crime and responsible for a surge in fires and safety issues in the area. Critics have said the city’s move lacked compassion and did nothing but displace homeless people without solving the problem of housing them.
Once the legislature approves the bill, construction on the project is expected to get underway as early as next year.
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