Hundreds protest high-rise plans in Vancouver’s Marpole area
Posted August 19, 2013 6:31 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – People living in Vancouver’s Marpole neighbourhood are angry over high-density rezoning plans, claiming City Hall isn’t listening.
A protest was held yesterday, with many concerned the proposal would take away from the tight-knit community.
Hundreds who gathered the Marpole Community Centre say they aren’t against development — they just want it at a slower pace. They’re demanding more input over plans to bring high rises into the area.
BG Berdeck has lived in Marpole for 25 years; she claims the rezoning would change the vibe of the community.
“It doesn’t have the same community feel that a house-next-door [does]. You know, you babysit, you meet your neighbours across the way, you can have block parties… I don’t know, I don’t think it would be the same at all. I think it would be drastic,” she tells us.
Nick Savas has lived in the area for more than 20 years and is concerned there isn’t enough infrastructure to support close to 10,000 extra people.
“I don’t know what schools all these kids are going to go to. If they start building, it’s just going to become more congested and it’s going to become extremely difficult to raise a family the Canadian way,” he tells us.
Savas argues there would be safety concerns for his four-year-old son if thousands more moved into the area.
The plans would see about 80 per cent of the neighbourhood rezoned for high-density housing. It would also see the 70-year-old community centre demolished.
