Broadway Plan Emerging Directions: Area-Wide Policy

Hello Leslie,

The City is aware of these concerns and recognizes it is important. However, due to ongoing discussions between the city and MST DC we are unable to comment at this time. More details will be available about this in the future.

Thank you,

Andrew

Hello Jan,

Its about providing more housing choice, and convenience while leveraging the investment in the Broadway Subway. Vancouver is in a housing crisis and we've heard through our expansive engagement that current renters are concerned about their ability to stay in the area and people are frustrated over the inability to find affordable and suitable homes. The Broadway Plan will be considering how we plan around the subway to give people the option of living closer to work which will mean shorter commutes. The planning process will also provide us the opportunity to think about how we plan for the housing needs of different populations who are underserved. Including seniors’ accessibility and care needs, workers’ proximity to job opportunities, families need for flexible space, and culturally-appropriate Indigenous housing.

The Broadway Planning Team

Hello Debora,

There will be public washrooms available along the Broadway subway. For specific details, I would encourage you to contact the province as they are the government body leading the project and in the best position to answer this question. Their website is https://www.broadwaysubway.ca/contact/connect/ and their phone number is 778-572-3544  

Best,

The Broadway Planning Team

Hello,

You must be referring to the reference in the "At Work" section. Customer fulfillment centres hold inventory for all types of businesses that sell physical products whether through an online store or a traditional brick and mortar retailer.

Hello, 

Yes we are making the questions and answers public. Please browse the Ask A Question tab on the different pages to see what your neighbours have asked as well as our replies.

Best regards, 

The Broadway Planning Team

Hello, 

Thank you for your feedback. We recognize that the RT zoned areas do contain a mix of different ground-oriented housing types, such as multiple conversion dwellings, duplexes, and single-family homes. Typically, these areas are lower density than other areas in the Broadway Plan such as the RM apartment areas, but we also realize that there are many existing secondary rental units in the RT areas. 

 There are data limitations for quantifying the exact number of secondary suites that exist currently; however, we will consider your input for future work and endeavour to provide more context on what exists today in RT zones of the Broadway Plan area.

Best regards,

The Broadway Planning Team

Hello Minnie, 

We agree that it is important to have a diversity of housing options given how diverse our population and their housing needs are. The Broadway Plan Emerging Directions propose significant shift of new development opportunities to focus on rental, social, and supportive housing in recognition of the significant need in the communities. Over the past several decades, despite a growing need for rental, social, and supportive housing, the majority of new residential development in Vancouver has been strata condominiums. The most recent census data shows that about 9,800 renters in Broadway are paying over 30% of their income on housing and from the last census we know that 76% of net new households to the city were renters. We also know that the median incomes for renters in Vancouver is ~$50,000/year which puts ownership housing out of reach. 

 However, we also recognize that there is desire for ownership housing in the Broadway Plan area, therefore we are proposing to enable new strata development but in select locations. More details on specific policy proposals will be available in the coming months, so stay tuned for updates and more information.

Best regards,

The Broadway Planning Team

Hello Daniel,

The engagement phase that just concluded, Emerging Directions, was focused on high level policy directions for Broadway Plan. It introduced a proposed spatial framework for growth and change in the Broadway neighbourhoods, and policy directions for various topics (e.g. Affordable Housing, Transportation, Arts and Culture, etc.), to take a “temperature check” with the community to ensure we are on the right track with the key moves before getting into more detailed planning. The next phases of the planning program will have more specifics around built form and building typologies, public realm elements, and other features that contribute to neighbourhood character.

Best regards,

The Broadway Planning Team

Hello, 

Thanks for your comments and questions about the emerging heritage directions for Broadway Plan. As you note, in line with the Vancouver Heritage Program, Broadway Plan is taking an expansive view of heritage including not only built heritage but also with a focus on cultural/intangible heritage, as well as opportunities to encourage Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh voices and visibility on the land, a significant priority for Vancouver and the Broadway Plan area as a City of Reconciliation. In terms of heritage buildings, more specifics around heritage conservation, incentives, how low density areas can evolve with new rental apartments, potential historic districts, and other considerations will be shared for review and input in the next phases of the planning program. Regarding heritage amenity shares, these are already currently available in the C-3A zoning along Broadway for example. New development can have an additional 10% density/FSR through contribution towards amenity shares, which support the citywide Heritage Conservation Fund. There may be other areas/zones of focused growth where this would be considered. We appreciate your input and encourage you to stay involved in the Broadway planning process.

Best regards,

The Broadway Planning Team

Hello, 

Thank you for your comment. The City of Vancouver maintains an internal database of the purpose-built rental housing stock for any property containing 3 or more rental units, which may include Multiple Conversion Dwellings, but often does not capture basement or secondary suites. For the purposes of our study, the primary data source we used to estimate the number of Multiple Conversion Rental Dwellings and secondary suites was through B.C. Assessment data from 2019. B.C. Assessment is responsible for maintaining an extensive and up-to-date database on all properties in the province including. The 435 Multiple Conversion Dwellings figure refers to the total number of MCDs in RT areas, however there is limited data on the total number of suites due to difficulties in identifying, enforcing, and legalizing unpermitted suites. We have noted these data limitation in our print and presentation materials.

Best regards,

The Broadway Planning Team