‘Amendment to the amendment’: Vancouver Broadway Plan meeting lasts 7 hours with no decision

There’s still no decision on the Broadway Plan, one of the most controversial redevelopment plans ever to hit Vancouver city hall.

Council proceedings began at 3 p.m. Thursday, stretching late into the night and wrapping up just before 10 p.m. The marathon topic will now once again spill over into another day of debates.

The process to potentially densify the Broadway corridor was delayed by dozens of amendments — 42 tweaks — with one of the most commonly used phrase of the night being “I’d like to make an amendment to the amendment.”

#VanCityCouncil approves the amendment to the amendment and now debating on the amended amendment to the Broadway Plan.

Watch live: https://t.co/qleWAtcd29

— Vancouver City Clerk (@VanCityClerk) June 10, 2022

One councilor had had enough even before things began. Coun. Colleen Hardwick wanted to push back any decision until staff could go over the proposed changes and come back with a new plan for densifying potentially 500 city blocks after October’s municipal election.

That, however, was a non-starter.

Instead, council heard from dozens more people who wanted to speak at the public hearing — and then got into debating things.

One of the dozens of motions heard with unanimous support was the provision for people displaced by demolitions along the stretch to return to new developments at the same rent.

Councillors also debated how many towers should be allowed per block, as well as how to ensure new housing would be affordable.

There were also discussions about greenspace.

“When you look at what we’re proposing here in comparison to what the World Health Organization recommends for a healthy and livable urban environment. We are behind all major cities and even Singapore boasts 66 square metres per person. Us, Vancouver is just five per cent in this case of what Singapore has achieved,” explained Hardwick.

“It’s obviously a hard decision. Of course we want parks but we have to pay to get the expensive land so how do we get the money to get the land?” Coun. Jean Swanson said in response to Hardwick. “We get the money from CACs (Community Amenity Contributions), which only come from condos. So we’re supposed to have 30 per cent condos in this area, does this mean we’re upping it to 100 per cent so we can get the money? Or does it mean that instead of using a lot of the CAC money for affordable housing we’re using it for parks? Which means we don’t get affordable housing if we get parks. So we get the parks, but the parks are for people who can afford the condos and not for affordable housing.”

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Despite the length of the meeting, Mayor Kennedy Stewart wanted the debate to go beyond the seven-hour time limit Thursday. However, to do so, he needed unanimous support, which he did not get.

Council has referred the remaining debate and decision to a meeting on June 22.

Since the process began weeks ago, more than 100 people have spoken and dozens more weighed in Thursday on the proposals to densify the Broadway area surrounded by 1st and 16th avenues, and Clark Drive and Vine Street.

There are concerns the corridor will become too dense if all the low-rise apartment buildings are replaced by high-rise towers.

Supporters say more housing is needed and this plan will help, while others worry the plan will push housing prices up even higher and worsen affordability challenges.