Locals welcome Vancouver bringing more diversity, affordability to False Creek South

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — As the City of Vancouver plots the future of False Creek South, those already living there say more affordable options are needed — and will be welcomed.

The city owns and manages the 80-acre chunk of land between the Burrard and Cambie Street Bridges. A survey launched Feb. 1 is asking the public — and the roughly 1800 homeowners in the area — what they want the future to look like.

“The City has a responsibility to consider potential long-term use of its lands to help address priorities, such as Vancouver’s housing crisis,” reads an introduction to the online survey. Other long-term planning goals being considered are building the local economy, and taking action on climate change.

Current neighbourhood demographics show the neighbourhood is wealthier, older, and less diverse than the city as a whole, according to a fact sheet from the City.

Richard Evans heads the False Creek South Neighborhood Association’s “replan” committee. He says they supported a modular housing project in the area, and are on board with a plan that would adrress the critical need for housing in Vancouver.

“For years and years now, we’ve been talking about affordable housing. We’ve been wanting to talk to them about expanding options for housing including people who are experiencing homelessness, more housing for seniors and families,” he says.

“We’ve always talked about adding what everybody calls density in terms of increasing the stock of affordable housing down here but doing it in keeping with the character of the neighbourhood over time.”

Evans says his mention of character is not short-hand for resistance to either change or affordability.

“We are mixed-income and a mixed tenure community that started out as an experiment in the 1970s and it’s been very, very successful,” he says.

“It’s a really unique thing we have in the city that is a good template to grow from. There’s no reason why we can’t continue a tradition that we have here, and it’s not meaning we want to freeze everything in amber.”

But homeowners are also demanding long-term stability, as many of the 60-year land leases in the area will expire in the next couple of decades, something Evans says creates uncertainty.

“This survey could be a positive sign in terms of actually getting down to the job of getting long-term leases in place that would give us the basis and enable us to continue on what we’ve been doing here for 40 years.”

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today