Jericho Coalition Releases Video Comparing Low-Rise Plan to Developers’ 60 High-Rises

VANCOUVER – A grassroots community group today released a new video that contrasts the developers’ massive proposal for 60 high-rise concrete towers with its own plan for the Jericho Lands. The Coalition’s plan, developed by architects and planners, delivers the “excellence in urban design” that the developers’ plan claims to deliver but conspicuously does not.

“It would be hard to find a more stark contrast than that between our low-rise, environmentally sensitive proposal for affordable, livable housing on a human scale and the enormous tower development proposed by the MST Development Corporation and the Canada Lands Company,” says Susan Fisher, a Jericho Coalition spokesperson. The video is online at: www.JerichoCoalition.org

“It’s unacceptable that Vancouver City Council is scheduled to consider approving this plan,, overwhelmingly opposed by local communities and indeed across the city, on January 24 – and without a critical report on the aquifer under those proposed towers,” Fisher said. “At a very minimum, Council should push the pause button until that hydrogeological report is received and studied and citizens have a chance to understand this huge development project.”

Fisher said that’s why the Jericho Coalition has commissioned a new video comparing the 13,000 unit high-rise project proposed by MST and CLC with its own alternative low-rise plan that still would create 7,200 units for about 16,000 people. A low- to medium-rise development could be built with much less risk of puncturing the aquifer.

“This video could easily be titled “Night and Day” because our low-rise, environmentally sensitive plan is so different from the nightmarish size, height and density of the developers’ proposal,” Fisher said. “We believe – and polling confirms – that Vancouver doesn’t want to see a development with more density than Hong Kong City towering over Jericho Beach and indeed, all of the city.”

Murray Hendren, a retired environmental engineer and Coalition member, says the missing hydrogeological report could determine that the entire proposed project is literally on shaky ground and would have to be completely redesigned due to groundwater issues.
“Digging into a confined aquifer for the foundation of even one of the 60 high-rise towers planned for the site could cause a major release of the artesian groundwater, which could in turn result in erosion, sinkholes, and ground subsidence,” Hendren says.

Hendren notes that the city’s draft policy statement itself acknowledges that groundwater conditions will be crucial to the proposed development: The detailed findings on groundwater conditions and its interactions and subsequent analysis may significantly impact various elements of the site development including: water management systems, ecological functioning (on and off-site), built form and open space design, subsurface parking and circulation, the alignment of the proposed UBCx SkyTrain upfront and lifecycle costs of the project and sustainability. (p. 148) “Why would City Council consider approving a developers’ plan that has so many unknowns?” Hendren asked. “What is the rush when so much essential information is missing?”

Fisher said the Jericho Coalition wrote to all Council members, including Mayor Ken Sim, in December asking that the January 24 hearing date be delayed pending receipt of a report and time to consider the implications, but it has yet to even get a response to its letter.

“This isn’t a minor consideration – it potentially changes the entire development project,” Fisher said. “City Council should be conducting due diligence and then consulting Vancouver residents before considering approval of a huge high-rise housing project – and we intend to keep pushing for a delay.”