Vancouver council approves plan for future of Rupert and Renfrew neighbourhood, including 10K homes
City staff estimate plan will nearly double number of homes in area by 2050, bring 8,000 new jobs
Highrise towers and thousands of new homes are in store for an East Vancouver neighbourhood, after city council voted through big changes Tuesday.
Councillors unanimously approved the Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan, a land-use plan that will shape the area now home to almost 31,000 residents.
The newly approved plan calls for high-density residential and mixed-use towers up to 45 storeys tall near the two SkyTrain stations and up to 26 storeys tall further away from the stations.
The plan estimates it will introduce more than 10,000 new homes to the area, bringing the total number to 22,400 by 2050, according to a staff report presented to council Tuesday. At the same time, staff say, the population of the area will grow an estimated 61 per cent to 49,600.
The plan also features "villages" that will prioritize missing middle housing options, such as six-storey buildings and multiplex homes.
Josh White, the city's chief planner, said the plan will allow the community to flourish.
"We have SkyTrain infrastructure that's been in place for over 20 years now, and [the area is] arguably underdeveloped around in terms of high density uses, homes, jobs," he said.
"And this is an opportunity to really take advantage of that infrastructure, that great connection to the rest of the city and the region."
Around 80 per cent of the households in the plan area live in single-family homes, according to the city staff presentation. Only 10 per cent of the area's existing housing stock is rental apartments.
More than 70 per cent of the population identifies as a visible minority, according to the report.
Coun. Peter Meiszner said the plan will create a "complete community" around the Rupert and Renfrew SkyTrain stations that will allow people to walk to local shops and services and protect employment lands.
"We've seen lots of development in communities to the east, adding thousands of new housing units, and now we're going to see the same here in Vancouver, but it's going to have a distinctly Vancouver flavour," he said.
"There'll be more open space, there'll be a focus on rental and below-market housing and community amenities."
Still Creek to be widened
The city has included a capital plan of $1.2 billion for related infrastructure and amenity priorities over the next decade, including for Still Creek enhancement, renewal of Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, new child care spaces, rental housing, water, sewer and drainage, and parks.
Still Creek, one of only two salmon-bearing creeks remaining in Vancouver, will be daylighted and widened, which city staff say will help manage flood risk resulting from increased development and climate change.
The city will also ban building underground parking within 30 metres of the creek, and underground parkades will be limited to two levels within a larger boundary.
Three sub-areas of the plan will focus on employment uses such as offices, laboratories and hotels, as well as include space for distribution, storage and repair industries. Staff estimate the plan will bring 8,000 jobs to the area.
Several spots, including the Akali Singh Sikh Society site, Still Creek and Kaslo Gardens co-ops, the Italian Cultural Centre, and Casa Serena, among others, have been designated as "unique sites" that require more focused policy that acknowledge an area's specific context.
White said the city now expects developers to apply for rezoning permits to develop buildings under the new area plan.
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With files from Michelle Morton