P4
POLICY REPORT
URBAN STRUCTURE
Date: July 11, 1995
Dept. File No. 3041
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Manager of the Housing Centre and
Associate Director of Planning - Central Area
in consultation with
Director of Social Planning
SUBJECT: East Downtown Housing Plan
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT the outline Terms of Reference in Appendix A of this
report for an East Downtown Housing Plan be approved.
B. THAT staff be authorized to adjust and refine the outline
Terms of Reference as needed through discussions with the
affected communities, noting that any substantive changes
would be reported back to Council for direction.
C. THAT funding to a maximum of $20,000 including taxes and
disbursements, be approved for consultants and public
consultation costs, source of funds is the Demolition Fee
Reserve.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A,
B and C.
COUNCIL POLICY
On May 8, 1989, Council decided to:
"Maintain and expand housing opportunities in Vancouver for
low and moderate income households, with priority being given
to Downtown lodging house residents, elderly people on fixed
and limited incomes, the physically and mentally disabled, and
single-parent families with children".
"Encourage the distribution of acceptable housing forms and
affordable shelter costs equally among all residential
neighbourhoods of Vancouver rather than concentrating them in
a few areas."
PURPOSE
This report describes the need for a East Downtown Housing Plan and
recommends Terms of Reference and a budget for undertaking the Plan.
BACKGROUND
The study area shown on the map in Appendix A includes the following
communities: Downtown Eastside, Strathcona, Victory Square, Chinatown
and Gastown. For the purposes of this housing plan, the study area will
be called "East Downtown".
DISCUSSION
Need for a Housing Plan
The amount and kind of recent development activity in the study area and
the adjacent areas has led to heightened concerns about what the future
holds.
The recent housing trends are worrisome to some community members
because there has not been the opportunity to discuss whether they will
lead to a secure future. The trends are welcome to others. They are:
- an increase in condominiums in some neighbourhoods,
- a slow but steady loss of SROs with some conversions of SROs
to tourist uses
- a slow but steady increase in non-market housing units but a
decreasing amount of senior government funding
- little change in the number of SNRFS.
The concerns are about how much and what kind of housing is appropriate
and where it should be located. There are also concerns about how to
encourage revitalization which meets the needs of the community.
Within the study area there have been several controversial housing
development applications such as 8 East Cordova, Woodwards, and Bridge
Housing Project. Without clear Council policies about what kind of
housing is appropriate and in what location, each application is met
with uncertainty and controversy. As conflict and polarization increase
because of the lack of consensus about housing, both the livability of
the area and the attractiveness for further housing development could be
jeopardized.
There is a need to look at the area as a whole because although the area
is socially diverse, it is also connected. Different communities share
the same area, and zoning boundaries do not always reflect the
residents' sense of neighbourhood. Housing decisions on the type, amount
and location of housing in one neighbourhood affects the others.Purpose
The purpose of the Housing Plan is to identify housing objectives and
policies for all forms of housing for the range of housing needs in the
East Downtown.
The intent is to establish objectives which would apply to the entire
area. However, policies and implementation mechanisms are expected to
differ for each neighbourhood because of the diversity of neighbourhoods
within the study area.
Once completed, the plan will provide recommendations on zoning to shape
future housing development. It will provide a range of implementation
strategies and actions for use in East Downtown neighbourhoods and
throughout the area. It will also be used to guide public investment
decisions.
Scope of Work
The Housing Plan will be based on the City's longstanding objective to
secure the long-term sustainability of these communities so that people
who now live there can remain. This is coupled with an objective to
encourage the vitality and safety of the area while recognizing the
special social and built form features of the neighbourhoods. The Plan
will involve the following:
1. Document Housing Issues
2. Review existing objectives and policies
a) Describe existing plans and City policies
b) Analyze likely outcomes of existing plans and policies.
3. Establish Overall Housing Objectives
4. Establish Policies
a) Develop the objectives in more detail
b) Determine how objectives apply in neighbourhoods
5. Develop Actions/Implementation Mechanisms
Health and social services are other issues that may require a similar
area-wide review. There needs to be a careful look at which services
are for local residents and which are more city-wide. The appropriate
number and locations for these services are related to housing mix and
may be examined once the Housing Plan is complete.
The intent is to reach consensus on policies and implementation
mechanisms wherever possible. However this may not be easily
achievable, given the diversity of opinion in the area. The Housing
Plan will be coordinated with the Gastown Land Use Study which will
develop land use policies and zoning proposals some of which will relate
to housing. These two initiatives will proceed simultaneously and
hopefully reach similar conclusions. However, if this does not occur,
recommendations from both will be provided to Council for decision.
This would also occur if consensus is not reached with other
communities.
Process
For the Housing Plan to be successful it will be critical to involve as
many residents and interests as possible in the community. Special
efforts will be required to reach people who are not usually involved
with City planning processes. There is a need to create a comfortable
atmosphere for discussion where diverse points of view can be exchanged.
This will require translation and facilitation expertise.
As the idea for this Housing Plan has evolved, some discussion has
occurred with the Downtown Eastside-Coalition, the Gastown Historic Area
Planning Committee and a few community residents. It is proposed that
the planning process be developed through further discussions with the
community. These discussions will indicate how best to work with the
community in terms of advisory committees, kitchen table discussions,
meetings, open houses, newsletters, etc. It is recommended that staff
be authorized to adjust and refine the Terms of Reference as needed
through discussions with the affected communities. If substantive
changes to the content are required, staff will report back to Council
for direction.
The proposed Housing Plan will be coordinated as much as possible with
other planning initiated by the City or other groups. These include:
- Gastown Land Use Plan (will review land use and zoning as
described in related Council report)
- East Downtown Community Impact Study (will provide credible
information on a range of impacts so appropriate action can be
taken)
- Victory Square Concept Plan (draft is under community review
now)
- Downtown Eastside Community Health Plan, Community Update
(prepared by Community Health Council)
- Downtown Eastside 20/20, (proposal by Carnegie Community
Association as a community planning process so low income
residents can articulate their community vision).
Timing
The Housing Plan would be initiated in August 1995 and completed with a
report to Council in May 1996.Budget
It is estimated that $20,000 will be required to cover all aspects of
the Housing Plan including public consultation costs and consultants.
These funds are available in the Demolition Fee Reserve.
CONCLUSION
With the recent development activity in the study area, there is a need
to initiate informed discussions on the appropriate housing mix. The
intent of the Housing Plan is to prepare policies and implementation
tools for how much and what kind of housing is appropriate and where it
should be located.
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