Video: Streamlining Rental Plan approved by council!
This is it: time for council to vote on the Streamlining Rental Plan.
Part two, after a dinner break.
Closing comments:
Michael Wiebe - Yes
Christine Boyle - Yes
Adriane Carr - Yes
Kennedy Stewart - Yes
Pete Fry - Yes
Jean Swanson - Yes
Colleen Hardwick - No
Sarah Kirby-Yung - Yes
Rebecca Bligh - Yes
Lisa Dominato - Yes
Melissa De Genova - Yes
Council has approved the Streamlining Rental Plan!
This decision took quite a while (with public hearings on November 2, 4, and 9), but this seems like exactly the kind of high-level policy decision that city council should be considering, rather than approving rental projects one by one.
Council's long-term goal is to approve 20,000 purpose-built rental homes over 10 years. The projection from city staff is that this one decision should result in 4,000 more rental homes over 10 years. That's about the same as the big Senakw project with its 59-storey towers (providing 6000 homes with 70% rental, i.e. 4,200 rental homes). And because they'll be spread across the city instead of downtown, their rents should be lower than for new rentals downtown. VanDashboard.
Dan Fumano in the Vancouver Sun:
'Watershed moment': Vancouver's council allows more rental housing
Vancouver rental changes met with praise, skepticism, and a threat
Globe and Mail editorial: Canada needs a lot more rental housing. Vancouver is leading the way – very slowly.