After hours of chaotic Vancouver City Council meetings that lasted several weeks, a controversial plan was adopted Wednesday night to seal the Broadway corridor.
The controversial proposal, called the Broadway Plan, aims to build high-density towers and homes for another 50,000 people on the new Broadway subway line. More than two dozen amendments were made to the plan, which were adopted by 7-4 votes.
“I see nothing here but positives,” Mayor Kennedy Stewart said after Wednesday’s meeting. “We really listened, as if we had many nights of public hearings, we had thousands of people to participate, we listened carefully to the counselors, what they heard, they considered and changed the plan.”
count. Colleen Hardwick, who opposes the plan, said the process was hasty.
“Boondoggle is the first word that comes to mind,” she said. “The way the whole process is being conducted is, in my opinion, unconventional and certainly not in line with Vancouver’s legacy as a habitable city.
The 30-year plan takes effect in early September, ahead of the next municipal elections.
The protection of tenants has been a significant concern for many locals and some changes to the plan aim to solve the problem.
For example, staff are considering controlling vacancies so that landlords cannot drastically increase rents when tenants move out. In addition, the plan is to protect tenants, allowing tenants displaced by demolition and construction to return to the new building at the same price.
More details on what the plan will look like are expected in the fall.
“It’s just going to be a fantastic place, I think people from all over Canada are coming here,” Stewart said.
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