People of Grandview-Woodland meet to discuss future
Posted August 11, 2013 10:30 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The folks living along and near Commercial Drive are confident the city of Vancouver will take a second look at controversial plans to densify their neighbourhood.
While they wait for an official decision, the people of the tight-knit community are working hard to ensure the city steers clear from the more contentious rezoning.
The Grandview Woodland Area Council is hosting a meeting Monday night that is designed to get people talking about what kind of density would be acceptable for the neighbourhood.
The council kicked into action when it got a look at the city’s plans for the neighbourhood. They included towers at the Safeway on Commercial Drive and Broadway and row housing along First Ave, proposals that shocked the locals.
The council’s Jak King says they’re convinced the city’s aims could be achieved without building high-rises along Commercial and Nanaimo.
“There are other ways of doing it. There are gentle densifications, there are laneway houses, and you could improve building codes that would help more suites go in. We would argue, too, that the current zone capacity is probably enough.”
He says they definitely want the process to be different, moving forward.
“The planning department could be more creative by coming to us and saying ‘We want to densify by x-thousand number of people and here are three or four options, and let’s debate those options.'”
The council is also forming ties with neighbourhoods like Marpole, the West End and the Downtown Eastside that are also struggling with city plans.
