Video: Streamlining Rental Plan approved by council!

This is it: time for council to vote on the Streamlining Rental Plan.

Live stream via YouTube.

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.