‘Is that all there is?'(CC#129: An unusual Jane’s Walk features a new rental building that signals a new and disturbing definition of ‘affordable’) by Brian Palmquist

City Conversation #129 was first published 13-May-2024. (For a list of City Conversations by Brian Palmquist on CityHallWatch, please visit this page.) Note that in this building, studios are 393 square feet, one-bedroom units 579 sq ft, and two-bedroom units 741 sq ft.

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$2,650 to $4,200 per month—affordable?

“Dad, that is literally twice the rent I am paying now!” My 30-something son was looking over my shoulder at the website advertising one of the first “affordable rental housing” (note 1) projects nearing completion in Vancouver. It was announced with great fanfare 2-1/2 years ago, a partnership between the city of Vancouver, BC Housing, the province and a private developer. 

My son rents a studio in an older, walk up three storey building that is great for his bachelor lifestyle except for the fact it is at ground zero for the Broadway Plan, a couple blocks from the Broadway/Granville SkyTrain Station. We’ve talked about the disruption that plan might mean for his block, which is currently comprised of a mix of older rental and strata buildings and one 14-storey strata high-rise, which the Broadway Plan now ironically calls “mid-rise.”

I recently attended a Jane’s Walk (note 2) event sponsored by Abundant Housing Vancouver (AHV), called Kitsilano Missing Midrise Walking Tour. The guided walk through Kits north of Broadway somehow missed all of the ten current high-rise proposals in Kits under the Broadway Plan that mostly start by demolishing existing affordable rentals. I can’t say how many rentals will be demo’d—the city has closed its renter support office and does not keep data about rental demolitions—at least not in a place accessible to ordinary citizens.

A suitable City Conversation about this walk eluded me until reality gifted me, in the form of this new rental website for the project at Larch and 2^nd Avenue pictured above, which featured prominently in the AHV guided walk as a soon-to-be-completed “affordable” rental housing project.

Let’s examine what AHV’s “affordable” means in the context of this project’s rental website:

• Rents for the smallest studio starting at $2599 per month. That’s the one that’s twice what my son currently pays, and his is a nicer floor plan;
• One bedroom rents starting at $2,999;
• Two bedroom rental starting at $3,999;
• The three bedroom units touted in the project’s original BC Housing announcement are a no-show on the rental website—no idea where they went.

This project was announced in December 2021 by BC Housing as a partnership between them, the developer and the City of Vancouver. At that time, according to the announcement:

Rethinking the Housing Crisis: Beyond the Supply-Demand Dogma (City Club of New York) with Vishaan Chakrabarti, Patrick Condon, Cameron Murray (May 7, 2024) video

This online discussion entitled “Rethinking the Housing Crisis: Beyond the Supply-Demand Dogma,” organized by the City Club of New York on May 7, 2024. The issues they address are common across many jurisdictions, including Metro Vancouver. The implications of the presentations seriously challenge some of the underlying supply-side theory underpinning British Columbia’s latest housing legislation, “naughty lists” imposing quotas on cities and undermining local democracy. Recommended viewing for all concerned about housing affordability and urban planning.

Rethinking the Housing Crisis: Beyond the Supply-Demand Dogma.

INTRODUCTIONS:
Layla Law-Gisiko (President, City Club of New York)
MODERATOR:
Aaron Elstein (senior reporter with Crain’s New York Business)
PANELISTS:
Vishaan Chakrabarti
Patrick Condon
Cameron Murray

The ongoing debate on how to address the housing crisis is the central focus of discussion. While some argue that the solution lies in increasing housing supply, including market-rate, others believe that the supply-demand paradigm is not the answer to this complex issue.

• Pr. Patrick Condon’s forthcoming book, Broken City investigates the notion that the intertwining of global wealth with housing exacerbates the crisis, fueled by soaring land prices.
• Conversely, Dr. Cameron Murray’s latest work, The Great Hijack exposes how calls for increased supply often cater to vested interests rather than genuinely addressing affordability.
• Amidst these debates, NYC-based architect and author Vishaan Chakrabarti has been a tempered advocate for a supply-side solution, as he argued in a recent article published in The New York Times.

The discussion, moderated by Aaron Elstein, senior reporter with Crain’s New York Business, offers diverse perspectives rarely heard along the banks of the Hudson River.

A look at Vienna’s downtown pedestrian street (Kärntner Straße)

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Kärntner Straße was pedestrianized in 1974 between the Opera House (Oper) and Stephansplatz (at St. Stephen’s Basilica). There’s an underground subway (U-Bahn) stop at both ends of the pedestrian street. The downtown pedestrianized street network currently includes several adjacent streets and the Graben.

The City of Vienna undertook a renewal of Kärntner Straße back in 2009. The work included installing high quality granite pavers, wooden benches around trees and a number of other improvements. This work was budgeted at 18.6 million euros.

The paving design is very clean, it’s at one level, and there are markers at the intersection of cross streets. Virtually no sandwich boards are on the street and the signage on the storefronts are fairly modest. Outdoor seating is provided for a number of different cafes and restaurants. Benches and other street furniture is also provided. The layout is very clean and optimized for pedestrian flow. There are usually at least two routes for pedestrians. Kärntner Straße supports many local residents and tourists, provides shops and services, as well as cultural and entertainment venues.

In future posts, we’ll look at other pedestrian streets (including Mariahilfer Straße and also one pedestrianized street from a smaller scale city, so stay tuned).

References

https://www.wien.gv.at/english/transportation/road-construction/kaerntnerstrasse/index.html

https://www.gpsmycity.com/attractions/karntner-strasse-(carinthian-street)-57683.html

A look at municipal rental housing in Vienna: Karl-Marx-Hof and other nearby apartment buildings

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Vienna is frequently cited as an example of a municipality that builds a lot of affordable housing and a city that has kept rents down.

Perhaps the best way to look at some of the housing projects is to go there in person. We’ve included a number of photos of the Karl-Marx-Hof housing project that were taken just a few days ago. Also included are photos of a number of other municipal housing projects close to Karl-Marx-Hof.

While this type of housing (from 1930) isn’t the necessarily the kind that you would want to build in this day and age, Karl-Marx-Hof has stood the test of time. This is one of the municipal apartment complexes (Gemeindebauten) built under the Social Democrats (in the 1919-1934 era), in “Red Vienna”. Karl-Marx-Hof contains 1,382 apartments with over 5,000 tenants, and is 1.2 km in length. The housing was designed by architect Karl Ehn and completed in 1930. There are a series of generous courtyards inside of the complex that spans 4 streetcar stops. The courtyards are accessible via gates that are open during the day. Playgrounds are also contained within.

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On the Heiligenstädter Straße (street) side there is a double row of trees, with separate bike and pedestrian paths. There is easy boarding for a streetcar. There is clear maintenance for these buildings, as a seen in recently painted surfaces, the roof tiles are in good condition and the grounds are tidy with good upkeep.

A cluster of municipal apartment buildings is located close to the terminus station of the ‘subway’ (U-Bahn) station for line 4 at Heiligenstadt. There are a number of other public transit options including commuter rail (S-Bahn) connections, as well as buses (in front of the station along Boschstraße) and a streetcar on Heiligenstädter Straße.

In the vicinity of Karl-Marx-Hof there are a number of other municipal housing projects (on Halteraugasse and Heiligenstädter Straße). Some municipal housing project can be identified with lettering on the building that also states when it was constructed. There’s sometimes a commemorative plaque inside of the main building entrance marking the dates and the municipal council (mayor) that it was constructed under.

These buildings have been around for many decades. Vienna’s progressive housing approach continues to make investments and steadily builds significant numbers of public housing units (please see The Guardian for more details). The centre of the EU shifted east and Vienna has emerged as a very important hub and it is often ranked as the most liveable city in the world. What can we learn from Vienna? The public housing model works, but it takes a commitment over many years (for example, significant funds need to be raised annually, whether this is via a Municipal Land Transfer tax, from a surcharge, or by some other means).

City of Vienna owns about 220,000 rental apartments. As well, around 200,000 co-ops were built with municipal support. These put together provide housing for around half of the populace. The housing is inclusive and for a mix of residents, it’s not exclusively for low-income residents.

Resources

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/10/the-social-housing-secret-how-vienna-became-the-worlds-most-livable-city

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/apr/27/vienna-karl-marx-hof-architecture-politics-ideology-history-cities-50-buildings

Karl-Marx-Hof public housing

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/30/california-housing-vienna-lessons

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-11-08/the-design-history-of-vienna-s-world-famous-social-housing

https://www.wien.info/en/art-culture/red-vienna/social-housing-buildings-359256

https://yourstage.wien.info/en-us/article/karl-marx-hof

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/karl-marx-hof

Paid parking trial at Spanish Banks summer 2024

The following is reprinted from a Park Board info bulletin. https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/paid-parking-to-be-trialled-at-spanish-banks-beach-this-summer-may-2024.aspx

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Paid parking to be trialled at Spanish Banks this summer

May 7 2024 – 

Visitors driving to Spanish Banks Beach this summer will pay a $1/hour parking fee, as part of plans to alleviate traffic and parking concerns at one of Vancouver’s busiest destination beaches.

At last night’s Board meeting, commissioners approved a recommendation from staff PDF file (1.3 KB) to implement the new fee at parking lots within Spanish Banks Beach Park for a 12-month pilot period beginning this July. The $1/hour fee will be in effect during peak season (May-September), with staff working with the City’s Engineering Services to determine a reduced charge for the off-season.

As the only destination beach or park in the Park Board network currently without paid parking, Spanish Banks experiences a number of issues during peak season both in the beach parking lots and surrounding road network.

Staff advised that paid parking at this location would help alleviate traffic and parking concerns and minimize unnecessary searching for parking that contributes to congestion, traffic safety risks and air pollution.

The recommendation was also informed by transit accessibility and affordability. Analysis of other destination sites shows that paid parking helps increase parking turn-over and encourages efficient transportation decisions such as carpooling. Recognizing the limited transit options within the area, implementing parking at an affordable rate in peak season with reduced off-season parking charges maintains affordability and accessibility.

In addition, the implementation of paid parking aligns with the Park Board’s ‘Think Big’ Revenue Strategy PDF file (2.7 MB), approved in July 2023. Revenue generated through the pilot will provide funding for the safety, security, and cleanliness of our parks and facilities, including at Spanish Banks Beach.

In conjunction with the Park Board, the City plans to install paid parking along NW Marine Drive from Blanca Street to W 4th Avenue. New on-street paid parking would be charged at a rate of $1/ hour and would be in effect between 9am and 10pm from May 1 to Labour Day in September. To manage potential impacts to parking within the neighbourhood, the City will survey households on the local streets to gauge support for the implementation of residential permit parking. This will help to reserve space for residents while also accommodating their visitors and service providers.

The enforcement of paid parking at Spanish Banks Beach Park will run from 9am to 10pm to enable free parking and improved access for early morning visitors.

For more information on parking in Vancouver, visit vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/parking

No faregates in many other cities including Vienna

Vienna subway (U-Bahn) entrance doesn’t have faregates. Passengers can still validate tickets upon entry or use a pass.

There are no faregates in Vienna. Tickets can be valided when you enter the transit system, and it’s still an open barrier free system. There are inspectors in the transit system who can ask for passengers to provide proof of payment. This is of course how the entrances to transit stations once worked in Vancouver, prior to the introduction of faregates.

Heiligenstadt station on U-Bahn Line 4

How has the transition to faregates worked out for Translink? How much did it cost in the end and was it worth it? Were any big savings realized (fewer or no transit police, no ticket inspectors, etc.)? Is it worth the extra hassle to have barriers? How can other cities around the world keep their transit systems open and work on an honour system?

Vienna has been consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world.

Open letter asks Mayor and Council to carefully examine sale of public land to Wesgroup (7-May-2024)

Above: Sketch plan of the subject lane (hashed lines) and adjacent lots, between Oak and Laurel Streets.

[Update – It appears this item remained on the “consent agenda” as the City Clerk posted on X (Twitter) that it had been approved on consent. If true, this means Mayor/Council/City Manager either had a secret meeting to work out some deal or details, or they consciously decided to ignore our letter of concern. CityHallWatch did not receive any response from any of them, not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement of receipt. Any readers who are concerned about the City losing more than a million dollars in the sale of one single laneway, feel free to contact your favourite member of Council, and do let us know what they tell you. This seems to be a systemic problem, amounting to potentially hundreds of million dollars over several years. Another of many examples is one we covered at 5025 Arbutus Street, 2126 West 34th Avenue and 2109-2129 West 35th Avenue. Members of our civil society have good reason to be very concerned about this pattern. Municipal decisions are being further shrouded in secrecy under BC NDP legislation that will eliminate public hearings for the majority of land use decisions across the province. These are serious matters.]

Meeting link: https://council.vancouver.ca/20240507/regu20240507ag.htm

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Re: Closure and Sale of a Portion of Lane Adjacent to 906-982 West 18th Avenue and 907-969 West 19th Avenue (in Council 7-May-2024) (Link: https://council.vancouver.ca/20240507/documents/r7.pdf)

Dear Mayor Ken Sim, Councillors and City Manager Paul Mochrie, City of Vancouver,

City staff are recommending that you approve the sale of public land at your Regular Council meeting on May 7.

CityHallWatch is requesting that Mayor and Council carefully examine the valuation of the public land in question, and to have this done in public at the meeting.

Any time public land is being sold, the public should be able to count on the municipal government to get the best deal, in the public interest, especially in an era of tight city finances. We recommend you have this item pulled from the consent agenda, to allow for proper discussion.

From the report, “Engineering Services has conducted a comprehensive review and determined that the Lane Portion is surplus to civic needs and is available for sale to the Balfour Lands owner, subject to
the conditions detailed in Appendix B of this report. An independent third party appraisal of market value has been conducted on the Lane Portion. The Director of Real Estate Services advises that the negotiated sale price of $3,161,156 represents fair market value for the Lane Portion to be conveyed to the Balfour Lands owner…. The General Manager of Real Estate, Environment and Facilities Management recommends a purchase price for the Road Portion of $3,161,156.”

The staff recommendation is to sell the 7,923 sq. ft. lane for $3,161,156, which works out to $399 per sq. ft. of land.

Developer Wesgroup bought the rest of the site, 101,890 sq. ft. for $46,200,000 from Balfour Properties in 2015, nine years ago. That works out to $453 per sq. ft. of land.
References https://vancouvermarket.ca/2021/02/08/wesgroup-envisions-241-units-for-balfour-block/ and – https://www.cwilson.com/app/uploads/2016/03/Full-list-of-Top-100-biggest-real-estate-deals-of-2015-_-Business-in-Vancouver.pdf

It is generally acknowledged that Vancouver land values have increased in the last nine years. The 2024 BC Assessment land valuation for the rest of the site is $55,843,000 which equals $548 per sq. ft. of land. If sold at that same land value, the price of the lane would be $4,341,804, more than a million dollars more than city staff are recommending. Also note that it’s generally considered that assessed values often tend to be on the low side compared to market value.

Council and Park Board Preview May 6-8: Casino Expansion, Alcohol on Beaches, Spanish Banks Pay Parking, Imagine West End Waterfront Parks plan, Public Hearing for 5755-5791 Oak Street towers and more

Vancouver City Council has a Regular Meeting and a Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, May 7th, and a Committee Meeting on Wednesday, May 8th. The Park Board has meetings on Monday, May 6th.

Park Board will review a Staff Report on Spanish Banks Parking Fees on Monday night. This item will likely draw a lot of interest, as parking is currently free. Staff are recommending a $1/hour parking fee starting in July, to commence a one-year pilot project. There would be reduced parking fees, to be determined, in the off-season (October to April).

The Alcohol on Beaches re-pilot for 2024 (June 1 to September 30) would include Jericho Beach, John Hendry (Trout Lake) Beach, Kitsilano Beach, Locarno Beach, New Brighton, Spanish Banks, and Stanley Park Second Beach. Other beaches are excluded, such as English Bay Beach. This item would be contingent on City Council approving $930,300 in funding.

There’s a permit for a live music event with food trucks and alcoholic beverages under consideration for Jonathan Rogers Park to be held on August 24, 2024 (Monstercat Compound festival). This would be a ticketed event with up to 6,000 spaces (admission in the $20-$25 range).

Park Board will receive an update on Sport Field Maintenance (the report isn’t posted yet) as well as the usual General Manager report. There are three motions on notice, including a “Let’s Talk Trees” item from Commissioner Digby aimed to develop the urban tree canopy in Vancouver. Commissioner Digby has also introduced a motion for the removal of Cyclist Barriers on the Stanley Park seawall. Finally, there’s a motion on notice from Commissioner Virdi called Proposal for Affordable Parking Solutions for Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club Members at Queen Elizabeth Park Lot 67.

The Regular Meeting of Vancouver City Council on Tuesday, May 7th will review the Quarterly Capital Budget Allocations and Closeouts. There are some changes in items where funding is reallocated, such as covering increases to Dog off Leash Area Upgrades that would come from reallocation of approved funding for Delamont Park. There are additional Sen̓áḵw – Water upgrade costs (increase to 2023-26 Capital Plan: $0.7 million; increase to Multi-Year Project Budget: $0.7 million). There’s also a report on 2024 Property Taxation: DPRP By-law, Tax Rating By-laws, and Averaging Resolutions.

Staff are recommending waiving application fees for small patios for the 2024 Water Street Pilot area from June 1st to September 30th.

A total of $500,000 funding is sought for the 2024 BIA Graffiti Abatement Grants. There is a license arrangement up for review for a five-year lease of 2400 Keith Drive (beside VCC) at a nominal rate for a community garden.

The closure and a sale of a laneway at 906-982 West 18th Avenue and 907-969 West 19th Avenue is being reviewed. A value of $3,161,156 is being considered (to be put into the Capital Fund). This is below the value that was paid by developer for the rest of the parcel (City’s valuation of the laneway is about 88% of the value per square foot when compared to the rest of the land).

The Alcohol on Beaches 2024 Re-Pilot will come before Council (via Park Board) for additional funding allocations ($930,300).

There are a number of 2024 Tax Levies up for discussion, including the ones for Translink. These levies are expected to raise: $103,062,231 (Residential), $1,554,712 (Light Industry) and $67,538,911 (Business & Other).

The Public Hearing scheduled for 6pm on Tuesday, May 7th has only three items.
1) 1302-1318 East 12th Avenue (6-storeys, 3.21FSR, 33 market rental units and commercial at grade, Grandview-Woodland Community Plan area; the referral report has incorrect shadow studies)
2) 7525 Cambie Street (6-storey building, 3.22 FSR, with 67 strata units and commercial at grade, Cambie Corridor Plan area)
3) 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue (25 and 17-storeys, 7.59 FSR, 357 rental units with 20% below market, Cambie Corridor Plan area)

5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue rezoning

On Wednesday, May 8th the Council Committee meeting agenda includes an item seeking to reverse the decision on halting Casino expansion. This is in the form of a rather innocuous-sounding “British Columbia Lottery Corporation – Gaming Requests” item; the word ‘casino’ is not mentioned in the title. The long, protracted debate on casinos happened over a decade ago, with the Vancouver not Vegas Coalition successfully organizing a fight to stop the expansion of casino gambling in Vancouver. We covered the casino expansion in much detail at the time, there’s also plenty of information at vancouvernotvegas.ca.

Sam Cooper’s book, Wilful Blindness, has extensively documented the role that casinos have played in the laundering billions of dollars in the narcotics trade, in the sharp increases in fentanyl overdoses and with inflating real estate prices. Should the City of Vancouver really be considering how to reduce the size of casinos, rather than to looking instead at reversing the decision on the moratorium on casino expansion?

The Imagine West End Waterfront Parks, Beaches, and Transportation Vision with an estimated $300 million price tag is coming to Council. This report was adopted previously by Park Board. The items in the first initial stages related to one way or two-way traffic west of Denman on Beach Avenue will likely receive considerable attention as well as changes proposed around the Sylvia Hotel.

There’s a report seeking to regulate the sale of continuous flame butane lighters. The Bute-Robson Plaza contract is up for approval, with a value of $6,714,353 over 18 months, awarded to Lafarge Canada Inc. There are number of updates in the report entitled: Approach to Renewing the Healthy City Strategy as Vancouver’s Social Sustainability Plan.

Incorrect shadow study from staff referral report CD-1 Rezoning: 1302-1318 East 12th Avenue (left). Compare with direction of shadows (right) from NOAA’s Solar Calculator)

For reference, the meeting agendas are reproduced below:

Why are 40 trolley buses parked despite a shortage on routes in Vancouver and Burnaby? Open letter to BC MLAs by Nathan Davidowicz offers questions and solutions.

Above: A TransLink electric trolley bus, like the 40 that are currently sitting idle.

CityHallWatch is sharing this letter by long-time transit advocate Nathan Davidowicz.

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Dear Members of Legislative Assembly representing Vancouver and Burnaby:

In case you are not aware, TransLink has parked 40 trolley buses.

During rush hours there used to be 190 to 200 trolley buses operating, but now the number has dropped to only 150 to 160. On some days as few as 120 trolley buses are on the road during the morning rush hours. Using GPS we can track the number of trolley buses deployed.

While Honourable Minister Rob Fleming (Transportation and Infrastructure) is promising $300 million for TransLink to buy more buses, no conditions were attached or disclosed with his announcement.

To confirm, please see:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024MOTI0051-000581
https://x.com/Rob_Fleming/status/1780735045873119414
https://x.com/Rob_Fleming/status/1780735050470101146
https://x.com/Rob_Fleming/status/1780671708082356237

We need to put back these 40 trolley buses to work on Vancouver and Burnaby trolley bus routes. Ridership is almost back to the pre-COVID levels on many trolley bus routes (see “TransLink ridership rebounds…”).

Overall system-wide boardings in February 2024 were reportedly at 31.9 million vs February 2019 at 32.5 million. But for some unexplained reason, TransLink does not provide the monthly trolley bus boardings,
in contrast to other cities that use trolley buses (e.g., Seattle, San Francisco,, Philadelphia, Dayton).

Trolley buses are the workhorse of our transit system, carrying around 25% of total regional ridership prior to COVID.

Jane’s Walk Vancouver festival 2024 (May 2 to 5) features dozens of neighbourhood walks to inform, inspire, and enjoy

Above: The scene of a previous Jane’s Walk in Vancouver.

Jane’s Walks – Vancouver – 2024 are happening this weekend, from May 2 (Thursday) to May 5 (Sunday).

What is a Jane’s Walk?

“Jane’s Walk is a movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbours.” For more, see this slide show: https://janeswalkvancouver.wordpress.com/what-is-janes-walk/

What were Jane Jacob’s ten great ideas?

1. Eyes on the street
2. Social capital
3. The generators of diversity (mixed uses, aged buildings, small blocks, population density)
4. Form still follows function
5. Local economies
6. Innovation
7. Make many little plans
8. Gradual money
9. Cities as organized complexity
10. Citizen science

For more, see this slide: https://janeswalkvancouver.wordpress.com/jane-jacobs-10-big-ideas/

Recommended documentary: Citizen Jane: Battle for the City. Watch on Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3h9ou6at1s

Watch on Vimeo:

As of May 1, the calendar shows 40 events this year. Walks indicated as “OPEN” are still available for drop-ins. Further below, just for handy reference, we’ve compiled them into one list, but we encourage you to read the all the details on each one here. https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/janes-walk-vancouver-13387821306. We’ve copied over the descriptions of some selected walks covering housing and urban planning/design topics, and added our own comments in a few cases. The *OPEN* notation indicates that even if a walk is indicated as sold out on the Jane’s Walk website, you can still drop in at the meeting place.

Above: Just a partial list of the free neighbourhood walks being offered by volunteers this year. See the original website and below for details!

Jane’s Walk Vancouver  (May 2-5, 2024) – Annotated list by CityHallWatch