Carnegie Community Action Project is urging people to speak to City Council at public hearing that continues tonight, October 18. A condo development in the Downtown Eastside at 955 East Hastings, CCAP refers to it as “Woodward’s East.” Attend in person or watch on live web video on the City website.
CCAP says the public hearing about 955 E Hastings got started Tuesday night but only 3 out of 35 speakers got to speak. The rest of the speakers – and anyone else who wants to sign-up – have been put off until Thursday evening. [Update: Council heard from all speakers on Oct 18th and put off a decision until Oct 30th].
955 E Hastings condos rezoning public hearing
Thursday October 18, 6 pm at Vancouver City Hall
The deal sounds like a good deal for the developer but a bad deal for the community. CCAP says this (excerpt):
This three-condo-tower development will be to the eastern part of the Downtown Eastside what Woodward’s has been to the west: more condos, higher property values, more upscale stores, and higher rents in nearby hotels. What we learned from Woodward’s is that low income people could be pushed out of nearby hotels and the street level retail area could become another zone of exclusion for low-income people.
But this project doesn’t even offer the good parts of Woodward’s. Woodward’s had about 150 units of welfare rate social housing. This development has only 24 units at welfare rate and no community amenities besides the housing. It will also have 282 condos, and about 70,000 sq/ft of market rate rate and industrial space with no dedicated community or non-profit spaces.
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