Public hearing scheduled for Olympic Village elementary school

A rezoning application for the long-awaited Olympic Village elementary school will head to Vancouver city council for a public hearing this week. (CTV News)

Vancouver city council is expected to vote on a rezoning application for a long-awaited elementary school in Olympic Village.

The public hearing is scheduled Thursday for the site at Hinge Park, on the southeast end of False Creek.

According to the application by McFarland Marceau Architects and the Vancouver School Board, the plan is to increase the maximum building height to permit a four-storey elementary school.

According to the Vancouver School Board, building a school in the Olympic Village area has been a top priority since 2006.

If approved, the school will have space for 630 students, and will include a rooftop play area, as well as a child-care centre.

‘It’s a no brainer’

Sarah Pawliuk, a local parent and advocate for the elementary school, said she’s hopeful council will greenlight the application.

“We are not able to wait any longer,” she said.

Pawliuk said the lack of an educational space has placed pressure on nearby schools such as Crosstown Elementary school, located on Expo Boulevard.

“To us, it’s a no brainer,” she said.

“Build a school that can handle that level of population growth, instead of repeating our same mistakes. Crosstown was overflowing the day it opened its doors. “

In 2024, the province committed $150 million to the project, with construction expected to be complete in time for the 2029 school year.

‘That’s crazy’

Some local residents have formed a group called Village Voices and are in opposition to the rezoning application.

Cathy Thornicroft said while she supports plans for a school, she prefers the original design, which was three storeys and had space for around 300 students.

“The rezoning form or sign came up and I went to take a look at it, and they were moving the size of the school from 350 to 630,” she said. “I said, ‘That’s crazy.’ We don’t have that number of young children in our community.”

According to the City of Vancouver’s website, the Southeast False Creek area—which includes Olympic Village—has a total population of about 11,000 to 13,000 people.

Thornicroft said those in opposition also cite traffic and noise concerns, as well as a lack of green space.

“It should be the original school, not something that is being used to anticipate densification in other areas of the city,” she said.