Column: Proposed Jericho Lands undertaking might produce properties for as many as 24,000 residents, together with new retail, workplace and cultural house, a neighborhood centre, public faculty, parks, and different public facilities
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A proposal to construct a dense neighbourhood on Vancouver’s west aspect faces opposition from residents of the encompassing space, however new polling suggests residents citywide take a extra beneficial view.
Subsequent week marks the newest step within the years-long planning course of for the 1,300-home Jericho Lands improvement, with metropolis employees looking for council approval for the following phases of planning and technical research.
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A neighbourhood group opposing the proposed high-density improvement is looking for metropolis corridor to place the brakes on the planning course of for a 12 months, to attend for these technical research.
No remaining choices are coming any time quickly on the Jericho redevelopment, a three way partnership of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, collectively referred to as the MST Partnership, and the Canada Lands Firm. That is the newest step in planning that has been underway for nearly 5 years.
However Wednesday’s council assembly represents “a vital milestone,” stated Matt Shillito, Vancouver’s interim director of planning.
Metropolis employees will current council with what they name a “coverage assertion” or framework for the proposed redevelopment of Jericho website that takes up a few third of a sq. kilometre stretching from West 4th Avenue south to eighth, from Highbury Road west to Trimble Park.
Workers are looking for council’s approval to embark on the following, extra detailed section of planning — an official improvement plan — and to make sure “all mandatory technical research, together with substantive groundwater research for the complete website, are offered to the town” earlier than any rezoning is taken into account.
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If council offers its go-ahead subsequent week, the event plan might be accomplished by the top of 2024, estimates Shillito.
That plan will probably be influenced by planning to increase SkyTrain’s Millennium line to the College of B.C., from the under-construction Broadway subway’s terminus at Arbutus Road. The work on that extension is predicted to be full this 12 months and can determine the places of all stations, together with one serving the Jericho Lands.
The report going to council consists of outcomes of two current surveys on the Jericho proposal, with vastly totally different responses.
One survey sought public views via Vancouver’s ShapeYourCity.ca web site. It discovered nearly half of respondents dislike or actually dislike the proposal, and solely 38 per cent like or actually prefer it.
A second survey, by a market analysis firm, discovered greater than twice as many respondents — or 65 per cent — appreciated or actually appreciated the proposal, and solely 9 per cent disliked or actually disliked it.
The variations could also be defined by the totally different swimming pools of respondents, Shillito stated.
The ShapeYourCity survey, which discovered widespread opposition to the proposal, was stuffed out by a “self-selected” pool of respondents, Shillito stated. Based mostly on their postal codes, they largely dwell within the West Level Gray neighbourhood round Jericho.
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The second survey was by Sentis, an organization contracted to do what the town report described as consultant public opinion analysis, with outcomes weighted to replicate Vancouver’s whole grownup inhabitants.
A bunch of neighbourhood residents, calling themselves the Jericho Coalition, has organized to oppose the high-density undertaking.
Coalition spokesperson Murray Hendren stated “everybody within the space is worried” concerning the proposed improvement’s measurement and scale. Hendren stated he believes the town and developer ought to pause planning work till they get the outcomes of the hydrogeological work and transportation research.
“Why the frenzy?” Hendren requested.
“This might be the worst-planned undertaking because the Italians constructed the leaning tower, we simply don’t know,” he stated.
“Or as soon as we have now every little thing down, and we have now a superb understanding of all these items, it may be a world-class improvement, and I hope it’s.”
Hendren identified that final 12 months, the Jericho Coalition commissioned their very own polling on the MST Partnership’s proposed improvement. That ballot, carried out by Discussion board Analysis, discovered 72 per cent of respondents opposing the undertaking.
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Shillito, the town planner, stated it’s regular on a big undertaking for metropolis employees to proceed with detailed planning whereas the developer hires professionals to finish technical work similar to hydrogeological research.
The coverage assertion into account now could be “a framework, not a blueprint,” Shillito stated, and future planning will reply to the outcomes of technical research earlier than any remaining choices are made or constructing permits are issued, which might be a few years away.
The timing might change because of quite a few elements. But it surely’s anticipated that development might start by 2027, and the complete undertaking, which might ultimately be house to 24,000 individuals together with new retail, workplace and cultural house, a neighborhood centre, public faculty, parks, and different public facilities, might take 25 or 30 years to construct.
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