CITY OF VANCOUVER

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
COURT OF REVISION

February 1, 2000

A Special Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Tuesday, February 1, 2000, at 7:30 p.m., in the Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall.

PRESENT: Mayor Philip Owen

*Councillor Fred Bass
Councillor Jennifer Clarke
Councillor Daniel Lee
Councillor Don Lee
Councillor Tim Louis
Councillor Sandy McCormick
Councillor Gordon Price
Councillor Sam Sullivan

ABSENT: Councillor Lynne Kennedy (Sick Leave)

Councillor George Puil (Civic Business)

CITY CLERK'S
OFFICE: Tarja Tuominen, Meeting Coordinator

* Denotes presence during part of the meeting.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Louis,
SECONDED by Cllr. Bass,

THAT this Council resolve itself into a Court of Revision for the purpose of hearing complaints against the proposed assessments or the accuracy of frontage measurements, or any other complaint which persons interested may desire to make and which is by law cognizable by the Court, Mayor Owen in the Chair.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

COURT OF REVISION

Projects by Council Initiative

Chinatown BIA - Application to Establish BIA
Commercial BIA - Application to Establish BIA
Fraser Street BIA - Application to Establish BIA
Marpole BIA - Application to Establish BIA
Strathcona BIA - Application to Establish BIA

Delegations

The Mayor called for representations relating only to errors in the names of property and business owners, however, no one came forward.

RISE FROM COURT OF REVISION

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,
SECONDED by Cllr. Sullivan,

THAT the Court of Revision rise and report.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

COUNCIL

RECEIVE REPORT OF COURT OF REVISION

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,
SECONDED by Cllr. Don Lee,

THAT the report of the Court of Revision be received.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Memorandum from the Director of City Plans
January 27, 2000

Before Council was a memorandum from the Director of City Plans, dated January 27, 2000, which noted that on December 16, 1999, Council referred the following applications to establish new Business Improvement Areas to a Court of Revision forconsideration as Council Initiatives:

· Commercial Drive BIA
· Fraser Street BIA
· Marpole BIA
· Strathcona Area BIA.

The applications were described in Appendices to the memorandum. Property owners in the BIA areas were given appropriate notification as required by the Vancouver Charter, and business tenants also received notification according to City policy.

Also before Council was a memorandum, dated January 31, 2000, from the Director of City Plans reviewing the results of a property owner survey responding to an application by the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association to establish the proposed Chinatown BIA.

Circulated at the meeting was a memorandum, dated February 1, 2000, from the Director of City Plans which provided information on the objections received for the BIA applications, updated to 5:00 p.m., February 1.

Also circulated was a further memorandum, dated February 1, 2000, from the Director of City Plans, which provided the final count of objections regarding the Chinatown BIA.

Peter Vaisbord, BIA Coordinator, reviewed the objections received for each application and referred to maps showing proposed changes to the boundaaries of the Fraser Street, Marpole and Strathcona BIA's. Prior to considering the applications, the following speakers were heard:

Chinatown BIA

The following spoke in support of the proposed BIA, noting the benefits to the area and the city:

· Syrus Lee, Chinatown Merchants Association
· Phil Boname, Downtown Vancouver Association.

Chinatown BIA

MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,

THAT the application of the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association toestablish the proposed Chinatown BIA, as described in Appendix A of the memorandum dated January 31, 2000 from the Director of City Plans, with the exclusion of the properties listed as 419-427 Gore Street, 601-609 Gore Street and Chinatown Centre (being the property addresses listed as 282, 286, 288, 292, 296, 298 East Georgia Street and 711, 715, 721, 729, 735 Gore Street), be approved, and that the Director of Legal Services, in consultation with the Director of City Plans, prepare a by-law to establish the BIA boundaries and funding ceiling.

- carried

AMENDMENT MOVED by Cllr. Sullivan,

THAT Councillor Don Lee's motion A be amended to include the properties at

419-427 Gore Street/601-609 Gore Street and Chinatown Centre (representing businesses at 282, 286, 288, 292, 296, 298 East Georgia Street and 711, 715, 721, 729, 735 Gore Street)

- LOST

(Councillors Clarke, Daniel Lee, Don Lee, Louis, McCormick, Price
and the Mayor opposed)

The motion to amend having lost, the motion by Councillor Don Lee was put and CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Commercial Drive BIA

The following indicated support of the proposed BIA renewal:

· Alexandra Temple, Commercial Drive Business Society
· Irma McInnes, Commercial Drive Business Society.

MOVED by Cllr. Sullivan,
SECONDED by Cllr. Price,

THAT the application of the Commercial Drive Business Society, as described in Appendix A of the memorandum dated January 27, 2000 from the Director of City Plans, be approved and that the Director of Legal Services, in consultation with the Director of City Plans, prepare a by-law to establish the BIA and funding ceiling.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillor Bass absent for the vote)

Fraser Street BIA

The following spoke in support of the application by the Fraser Street Business Improvement Association, noting the benefits to the area:

· Nirupa Nystad, Treasurer, Fraser Street BIA
· Dr. Tony Gill, President, Fraser Street BIA.

Amal Mangal, strip mall property owner speaking on behalf of seven tenants, requested exclusion from the BIA proposal.

MOVED by Cllr. Louis,
SECONDED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the application of the Fraser Business Association, as described in Appendix B of the memorandum dated January 27, 2000 from the Director of City Plans, be approved and that the Director of Legal Services, in consultation with the Director of City Plans, prepare a by-law to establish the BIA and funding ceiling.

- CARRIED

(Councillor Price opposed)

Marpole BIA

The following indicated support of the application by the Marpole Business Improvement Association:

· Michael Tee, Marpole Business and Landlords' Association
· Renate Mueller, Marpole Business and Landlords' Association.

MOVED by Cllr. Sullivan,
SECONDED by Cllr. Don Lee,

THAT the application of the Marpole Business and Landlords Association, as described in Appendix C of the memorandum dated January 27, 2000 from the Director of City Plans, with the exclusion of 8703 Granville Street, be approved and that the Director of Legal Services, in consultation with the Director of City Plans, prepare a by-law to establish the BIA and funding ceiling.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Strathcona BIA

The following spoke in support of the application by the Strathcona Business Improvement Association:

· Bob Harris
·

Mitz Kazuta

· Wayne Kennedy
· Harry Jung, Strathcona Area Merchants Association
· Wayne Nelson

The following spoke in opposition to the proposed BIA, stating the proposed BIA area was too large and their properties in the industrial area did not need improvements:

· Bent Ewald
· Charles Wertman.

MOVED by Cllr. Louis,
SECONDED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the application of the Strathcona Area Merchants Association, with the exclusion of 611 Alexander Street and the properties on the north side of 1300 Block Powell Street, be approved and that the Director of Legal Services, in consultation with the Director of City Plans, prepare a by-law to establish the BIA and funding ceiling, subject to:

i. THAT approval of the proposed BIA be conditional on the Strathcona Area Merchants Society agreeing to participate in and abide by the outcome of facilitated, and if necessary mediated, discussions through the Downtown Eastside Community Revitalization Program, with affected community groups, to resolve issues that may arise from any initiatives which may affect conditions on the street, including reducing the negative impacts of the illegal drug trade and street prostitution.

ii. THAT, as a condition of approval of funding, the Strathcona BIA agree in principle to reimburse non-profit societies the share of the BIA levy paid to their landlord. The detailed mechanism for reimbursement will be developed by the BIA and staff, in consultation with the community.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Council adjourned at 9:50 p.m.

* * * *

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver