Video: CBC debate over Jericho Lands
From back in April
Vancouver's Jericho Lands development plan draws support and criticism. A couple segments from CBC’s On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko, back in April. This was during the leadup to the April 15 public hearing on the Jericho Lands official development plan, the latest stage in the interminable planning process. I spoke in support of the plan; Susan Fisher of the Jericho Coalition spoke in opposition. At the council meeting, there were 66 speakers.
When land in Vancouver is so scarce, because of the ocean and mountains, why is it also so underused? The planning process is extremely labour-intensive and time-consuming. The anti-growth institutions we set up back in the 1970s are in no hurry to build more housing. Timeline:
The MST nations purchase the Jericho Lands, April 2016. “Releasing these lands for potential development means an additional 38.8 acres of newly available land for potential development, which will help increase the supply of housing in the Vancouver market.”
Background planning, September 2018 to February 2019.
Information gathering, March 2019 to May 2020.
Jericho Lands site concept, June 2020 to October 2021.
Revised site plan concept, June 2023.
Jericho Lands policy statement approved, January 2024.
It appears that there’s still a lot of people who are skeptical that the problem is lack of supply. My response:
Q. We have heard a lot of people speak out against this whole notion that you can just add a huge amount of supply and that’s going to solve this sky-high housing price issue. We’ve heard from former councillor Colleen Hardwick, she took issue with the notion that more supply would address unaffordability. Housing researcher Patrick Condon, he’s skeptical of just adding more supply. Why do you think this large-scale density can address the affordability issue?
A. I know there are people like Colleen Hardwick and Patrick Condon who are skeptical that we have a housing shortage, and that the appropriate response is to build more housing. I do think that they tend to be long-time homeowners who are insulated from the madness of the housing market.
For someone who’s trying to judge who’s right, the people who say, “oh, we don’t have a housing shortage,” or the people who say that we do have a housing shortage, I’d suggest looking at something like vacancy rates, which are close to zero. Or look at asking rents, which are something like $4 a square foot. Or just talk to younger people.
For an authoritative source, I usually refer people to the MacPhail Report. This was an expert panel set up by the federal and BC governments, led by Joy MacPhail. They issued their report in 2021, and I’d recommend that anyone interested in the housing situation in Vancouver read it carefully. To paraphrase the report, they basically say that the reason housing in Vancouver is so scarce and expensive is, we regulate new housing like it’s a nuclear power plant, and we tax it like it’s a gold mine.
City council approved the plan unanimously. Vancouver city council backs Jericho Lands megaproject. David Carrigg, Vancouver Sun.
This decision does not mean that the city has updated its laws. The Jericho Lands are still subject to R1-1 zoning, which is extremely restrictive: it’s illegal to build anything other than low-density housing there. So presumably the next step is applying for a rezoning (asking the city to change its laws for the site), which will take more public consultation, including a public hearing where opponents will have their next opportunity to oppose the project. Not sure how long that will take - maybe a couple years. Reilly Wood, Why does Vancouver have 895 zoning districts?
If the rezoning is approved, the project still needs to get a development permit, which is also a discretionary process, with more public input.
After that, the project needs to get building permits. Only then can construction begin.
What happened in the 1970s:
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Agenda, staff report, minutes, and video from the April 15 public hearing.