Plan to redevelop East Vancouver Safeway into housing towers headed to public hearing

A lengthy public hearing at city hall began Thursday on a controversial development plan to build towers on the site of a Safeway in East Vancouver.

A public hearing on a controversial plan to build towers on the site of a Safeway in East Vancouver is set to begin Thursday.

By Wednesday, nearly 100 people had signed up to speak to council and more than 600 had submitted written comments.

“This site is located adjacent to one of the region’s busiest transit station hubs and delivers 1,044 rental housing units without displacing residential tenants. It also delivers a city-owned childcare facility, a replacement grocery store, additional commercial units, a public plaza, and a publicly accessible upper courtyard,” a referral report from the city says.

Plans to redevelop the site adjacent to the bustling Commercial-Broadway transit hub to provide housing have been proposed and withdrawn a number of times over the last eight years.

The current iteration by developers Westbank Projects Corp/Crombie REIT calls for three towers of 44 storeys, 38 storeys and 37 storeys, respectively.

None of the 1,044 rentals will be affordable or below-market. To be classified as affordable, rent for a unit must not exceed to 30 per cent of household income. A below-market rental is one that is 10 per cent less than the average rent reported annually by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The developers of this project are proposing 10 per cent of the units will be “secured at city-wide average market rents” based on CMHC data for the year in which the occupancy permit is issued, according to the report.

The report from staff provides examples of what the rates would be if the units were rented out this year, based on 2024 numbers from CMHC. A 361-square-foot studio would rent at $1,618 per month, a 425-square-foot one-bedroom would go for $1,837 per month, the rate for a two-bedroom measuring 630 square feet would be $2,565 and rent for a 1,061-square foot three-bedroom would be set at $3,524.

Would-be tenants seeking a “secured” unit will have to apply and provide proof that their household income does not exceed a city-determined maximum and will have to show that every bedroom will be occupied by at least one person.

When someone moves out, rents for these units may increase “to reflect the current city-wide average market rent,” the report said.

The correspondence received by the city as of Wednesday comprised 335 expressions of support and 254 statements in opposition. The remaining 19 items were classified as “other.”

The themes corresponded to those identified in the staff report.

People who supported the development said the density is “appropriate” and that it adds “much-needed” rental housing and that the current plan is an “improvement” on previous submissions.

The absence of below-market or affordable units was one of the main reasons cited in opposition.

“The rental housing provided is expected to be unaffordable and will not help address the housing affordability concerns in the neighbourhood,” the staff report said, summarizing this concern.

Additional grounds for opposition are that the towers are too tall and not in keeping with the “character” of the neighbourhood or the existing Grandview-Woodland plan.

The hearing will begin Thursday at 6 p.m.