Monday, December 6th at 7:00PM
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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81483316630?pwd=VUdyRzBiTlE5TjlNcTZYdUQ5Ym9KQT09
Meeting ID: 814 8331 6630, Passcode: 529920
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Month: November 2021
A revised proposal has been submitted for development of the Broadway Safeway Site and the City is conducting a “virtual open house” until December 5th:
Revised proposal has been submitted for the development of the Broadway Safeway Site
The City is conducting a “virtual open house” until December 5th:
https://shapeyourcity.ca/1780-e-broadway
Get your comments in!
On the surface, this revised proposal fails to address any of the issues previously raised by GWAC and the community
The would-be “plaza” is still little more than a widened sidewalk serving Safeway, the luxury rental and condo suites are still a huge threat to affordability and the project design and heights still look nothing like the Grandview Woodland Community Plan
Our upcoming GWAC December Monthly Meeting will offer analysis of the latest proposal and invite community feedback
In the meantime, here is some analysis of the proposal
from our neighbours at NO MEGATOWERS AT SAFEWAY:
“1. Plaza
The Grandview Woodland Community Plan says to “Create a new social heart for the community with a new civic plaza as part of a renewed Safeway site”. It refers to a “generous centrally located public plaza” and says the Skytrain area will be “centered on and oriented around a sunny, welcoming delightful and people-friendly civic plaza”.
Safeway refuses to have a store that is two levels. If it would do that, there would be more room for a proper public plaza. This plaza is intended to provide usable public space, as our neighborhood has few parks.
Part of what is included as in the “plaza” are stairs that actually run underneath the commercial building. Stairs to the courtyard, which is closed off to the public. The public looks at the courtyard from the “Belvedere” – stairs to nowhere.
See 5.11 and 5.13:https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/1780ebroadway/resubmission/5landscape.pdf
The Plaza has widened in size. It now technically maybe 20,000 sq feet but that includes stairs that run up underneath the commercial building, in darkness. Instead of stairs, the architects describe the stairs as “Vertical Circulation to Courtyard”!!
It seems this is because there are stairs that run beside higher steps that can be used as bleachers for viewing a movie. A movie screen up against the noisy Skytrain line!
On the drawings, the architects say that the area under the building at the top of the steps is an “area with reduced clear height”.
On page 13 (p. 133) of the Architectural Plans, one can see what the plaza really looks like, as opposed to what is in the “renderings”.
https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/1780ebroadway/resubmission/6arch.pdf
What happened to liveability? See pg 111 of the GW Plan: https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/grandview-woodland-community-plan.pdf
2. Affordability
14% of the 653 suites are set aside as non-market suites; 20% of the rental units. None of the tenant suites will get parking spots. Just the condos! And 10 condos won’t get parking spots.
Breakdown of suites
171 studio apartments
258 1 bedroom
161 2 bedroom
57 3 bedroom
3. Tower Heights – actually increased.
The Grandview Woodland Community Plan calls 12-24 storeys with the highest forms to be near the cut. This proposal does not do that.
Even though the developers removed one story of residence, they increased the height of the retail plinth, and also have increased the height of what sits on the roof – the parapet, the architectural screen, and then the elevator shaft rising steeply above.
For example, in Tower A there are 11 meters (36 feet) of height above the roof, whereas previously there was only 2.5 meters more in height.
The retail “plinth” for Tower A previously was 28.1 meters; it now stands at 29.6 meters. Equal to 10.8 standard residential storeys. Even on a commercial basis, it is equal to 8 storeys. It includes two mezzanine levels.
Tower A
To Tip Top before was 105.6m, now is 113.3m – an increase of 7.7meters. This translates to a height of 371.7 feet – or 41.6 residential storeys.
When you compare from ground to the rooftop, before and after, leaving out the height of all the stuff sitting on top of the roof, the height is now 102.3 meters – it previously was 103.1 meters. So a reduction of 0.8 of a meter. But the problem is there are all kinds of stuff on top of the roof, going all the way around.
Tower B
To tip-top before was 91.75m; now is 101.6m – an increase of 9.85 meters. This equals 333.3 feet – 37 residential storeys.
To top of the roof before was 89.25m; now is 90.5m
Tower C
To tip-top before was 80.95m; now is 90.1m – an increase of 9.15 meters. This equals 295 feet – 33.1 residential storeys.
To top of the roof before was 78.45m; now is 78.15m
4. Parking
205 residential spots. There are 215 condos, so 10 condos have no parking spot at all.
33 visitor spots
208 spots for commercial
12 car share
Bike parking for residents is three levels below ground at the very bottom of the parkade – active transportation at its best!
5. No daycare
Daycare space was removed from the revised proposal.
The GW Community Plan calls for a dramatic increase in childcare spaces here – 430 new childcare spaces.
6. Some Comments
This project is ugly and unwelcoming. The would-be “public plaza” is absurd. The heights are vastly out of line with the GW Community Plan. We welcome density, but this goes far beyond the scope of the plan: Grandview is already 18% denser and Cedar Cottage is 24% denser than the rest of the City and a density bomb of luxury rental and condo suites is a huge threat to neighborhood affordability.”
Join the City of Vancouver for our Broadway Plan Renter Roundtable, focusing on renters and rental housing!
In March 2019, the City launched a multi-phase planning process to create a comprehensive Broadway Plan to integrate opportunities for new housing, jobs, and amenities around the new Broadway Subway. The plan will guide future growth, change, and public benefits within the Broadway Plan study area.
This phase of engagement focuses on the Refined Directions, which includes the various 3D elements of the plan and area-wide policies. The directions cover a number of topics such as land-use, built form, a draft public realm framework, housing and job estimates, transportation, public benefits, arts and culture, and community well-being. Read more about the Refined Directions on the project web page: shapeyourcity.ca/broadway-plan
Join us at our Virtual Renter Roundtable on November 25, 2021, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm
The Broadway Plan study area is an important rental area in the city. 59% of households who live in Broadway are renters and 25% of the existing city-wide purpose-built rental stock is located in these neighborhoods.
This virtual Renter Roundtable will focus on the key directions that impact renters and rental housing. This includes opportunities for new rental housing (market, below-market and non-market options), protecting existing secure rental housing, strengthened renter protections, and directions to mitigate displacement.
If you are a renter or are interested in renter issues, please register to attend this roundtable and provide your feedback!
If you have any questions, please email us broadwayplan@vancouver.ca.
Community Information Sessions & City Led Public Open House – on behalf on the Crombie and Westbank Broadway and Commercial Planning Team #Safewaysite
Dear Friends,
On behalf of the Crombie and Westbank Broadway and Commercial Planning Team, we are excited to be reaching out to you today with an update on our rezoning application for the Safeway site at 1780 East Broadway, Vancouver.
It’s been a while since we’ve been able to update you all on what’s been happening. Since our last Public Open House (October 2020), the team has been working through comments received from the city, and the community on the proposal. As a result, a revised application was submitted in September 2021 in response to the feedback. We’re excited to share this revised submission with you and to take it forward to Council for their consideration in the coming months.
Community Information Sessions & City Led Public Open House
As someone who’s expressed interest in our project, we would like to let you know that we will be hosting two in-person information sessions with the community, to walk through the application and answer any questions. Due to COVID, the sessions will be limited in their capacity, so if you would like to attend, please sign up via our website at your earliest convenience to secure your seat. LINK HERE.
There are two options for the sessions:
- Friday November 19, 2021 at 9am (at the Cultch Theatre), and
- Friday November 19, 2021 at 10am (at the Cultch Theatre).
If you are unable to make either of the above sessions, not to worry! These sessions are simply to complement the City’s own Public Open House for the project which will be hosted virtually until December 5, 2021. If you’d like to check out the City’s Public Open House, please click here.
Like many of you, we are excited to be moving forward with our application for this important site in the neighborhood. For the past 4.5 years, we have been working to create a concept for the property that balances community and city needs and priorities. We are excited to share the latest iteration with you to achieve this and look forward to reconnecting on this exciting project for Grandview Woodlands.
For more information on our revised proposal, or to join our mailing list, please visit our website –www.broadwaycommercial.ca.
From everyone on the Broadway Commercial Planning Team, we hope you are keeping healthy and well. We look forward to connecting with you again soon.
Sincerely,
The Broadway Commercial Planning Team
info@broadwaycommercial.ca
Grandview-Woodland Area Council 