Vancouver developer wins deferral on $10 million owed to the city

A prominent Vancouver developer is getting a reprieve from city council on its timeline to pay $10 million it owes the city.

The money is part of $26 million in community amenity contributions (CAC) Anthem Properties agreed to pay the city in 2021, during rezoning for a high-profile lot at the corner of West Georgia and Bidwell streets.

Anthem bought the land, the site of a former Chevron station, for $72 million in 2017.

Council agreed to rezone the lot for a 33-storey, 127-unit condo tower, and Anthem has so far paid $15.6 million of the agreed CAC.

But the company argued a slew of economic headwinds, including the pandemic, inflation and supply chain issues, have caused challenges — while construction financing won’t flow until the fall.

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Vancouver Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung insisted the city will still collect the full payment it is owed.

“The city will fully collect all of those funds, and within the policy guidelines that allow it to be paid within 24 months of when the rezoning was approved,” she said.

“So there was originally an earlier scheduled date, and the developer has asked for a number of months of flexibility, but again, the city will receive its full payment and it will do that within the maximum period allowed as per the policy.”

In a statement, Anthem CEO Eric Carlson praised the city for agreeing to the company’s “win-win proposal.”