Vancouver city council has voted to axe a contentious development proposal that would have rezoned parts of the city to allow for low-rise apartments and mixed-use retail buildings. On Tuesday, all but one councillor voted against the Villages Plan, which would have impacted seventeen neighbourhoods. Mayor Ken Sim said the plan lacked extensive engagement, and failed to address concerns from the public, concluding the proposed changes were “radical.” “No homeowner should feel that City Hall is deciding the future of their property without their voice being heard,” he said. Sim added the plan did not strike the right balance between housing growth, infrastructure and community confidence. ‘Tsunami’ ABC Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung said council heard “a tsunami, a landslide of opposition,” referring to the public hearing that drew hundreds of speakers and about two thousand records of correspondence. Supporters of the plan cited housing affordability, while opponents felt it would negatively impact the city’s tree canopy and raise speculation. On Tuesday, Neil Hrushowy, the City of Vancouver’s director of community planning, tempered some of those fears, stating there would be “minimal to zero” speculation on the Eastside, that there would be some land lift on some sites on the Eastside, but it would be addressed through inclusionary zoning requirements. “And so, the combination of both those actions and the dispersed nature of the opportunities, we do not think that there is risk of significance and speculation or land value increases,” he said. Sole councillor votes for plan One City councillor Lucy Maloney, the only councillor to vote for the plan, said it would have legalized a variety of more affordable housing types than single detached homes. “Enabling these housing forms would have provided a lot of Vancouverites with hope for a future where they can stay and make a life in the City of Vancouver,” she said. Green Coun. and mayoral candidate Pete Fry said Sim changed course, referring to the mayor’s urgent motion in October 2023 where he introduced the plan, and at the time called it a “bold move.” Fry said he believed the timing of the decision was political, ahead of October’s municipal election. “I think it was influenced by the outcome of the election, or the potential for a negative outcome of the election, because this was very clear direction from the mayor and his political party,” he said. “And they’ve done an about-face on it.” Council approves single egress stairs While the Villages Plan did not get green lit, council instead approved a motion for single egress stairs, tabled by Coun. Kirby-Yung. She referred to it as a gentle form of infill density that allows people to build better quality small apartments on single-family lots. “Well designed, lots of airflow, fits nicely into neighbourhoods,” she said.
