JERICHO COALITION
Map of luxury high-rise towers proposed for Jericho Lands, showing the number of storeys in each building.
Dear Supporters:
This is it – on January 24, the Jericho Lands policy statement goes to City Council’s Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities. The Policy Statement recommends approval of the high density of the MST Development Corporation plan. Once the plan has been approved in principle, it will be very hard to lower the height and number of towers.
The meeting is public; citizens can speak, though Council members are not allowed to ask questions (go figure!).
The speaker limit is three (3) minutes. You don’t have to appear in person; you can participate via phone if you prefer. The meeting starts at 9:30; the policy statement is the first item on the agenda.
Please sign up to speak. Since this is not a public hearing, it will be both during the day and evening, depending on how many people sign up.
It is important to get lots of letters and people signing up to speak (and indicate your position as “Oppose”), even if you are not sure that you will be available. The more people who speak against the policy statement, the clearer it will be to Council that citizens are unhappy about the Jericho Lands development proposal.
Please sign up to speak on Wednesday, January 24, here:
https://vancouver.ca/your-
Three minutes is very short. All you have to do is identify yourself as a citizen and express your position on the policy statement. Write down what you want to say – it will make it easier for you. If you support our alternative proposal, please say so.
Here are some areas of concern with the policy statement:
Groundwater: No hydrogeological (groundwater) data
Transit: No feasibility study yet for the UBCx Skytrain, even though the proposal’s ultra-high density is premised on rapid transit.
Height: 60 towers, 3 of which would be 49 storeys – completely out of scale for the surrounding neighbourhoods. It will ruin public views from Trimble Park and Jericho Park and shade Jericho Park and will have a tremendous visual impact on Vancouver.
Density: The developers want a 3.5 Floor Space Ratio (an indicator of density), resulting in more than 28,000 new residents. Why so dense if out at UBC, the Musqueam-built Lelum development is only 1.5 FSR?
Infrastructure: A development of this size requires significant investment in roads, transit, sewers, and electricity. Will taxpayers pay for these services? The MST proposal contains just one elementary school for 28,000 people. Ownership is also an issue: the MST wants to retain ownership of everything on the site. Is it appropriate for a private developer to own public parks, a public school, and a community centre?
Environmental concerns: High-rise buildings represent large amounts of embedded carbon; once built, they consume more energy per unit than low- or medium-rise buildings. There is also serious concern about the impact that some 28,000 people on the Jericho Lands will have on wildlife habitats in Jericho Park, and on the accessibility of the beaches to all Vancouverites as a loved refuge area from urban life.
Affordability: Most of the development – 70% – will be luxury condos. It appears from the policy statement that the developer wants subsidies from senior governments in order to provide affordable units. Usually, City of Vancouver rezonings require a percentage of affordable housing are secured unconditionally through a housing agreement with the developer without the condition of additional taxpayer funding.
We asked to meet with the Canada Lands Company and the MST Development Corporation but didn’t get a meeting. So, this is an important chance to make our concerns widely known. Representatives of the developers will be at the meeting advocating for their plan; we need to advocate for our alternative.
Thank you for the strong, well-argued letters and email messages you have sent to Council and shared with us. We are grateful for your support. We recently learned that it would be advantageous if you could enter the letters and emails you sent to Council into the form below. That way, your Position (“Oppose”) is counted officially. So, copy your letter or email message and enter it into this form:
Type of Feedback: Feedback on an upcoming Council meeting agenda item
Contact Mayor and Council | City of Vancouver
The agenda item name is Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities agenda, January 24, 2024: Jericho Lands Policy Statement
Thank you for your support,
Jericho Coalition
Take Action Now!
Send letters directly to Council and let them know what you think about the MST/Canada Lands Company plan and our alternative proposal; and please also urge them to postpone the meeting until the groundwater data and the transportation (subway) study have been obtained, made available publicly, and their MST/CLC proposal has been adjusted based on the study results:
ken.sim@vancouver.ca, mike.klassen@vancouver.ca, peter.meiszner@vancouver.ca, brian.montague@vancouver.ca, sarah.kirby-yung@vancouver.ca, rebecca.bligh@vancouver.ca, lisa.dominato@vancouver.ca, lenny.zhou@vancouver.ca, adriane.carr@vancouver.ca, pete.fry@vancouver.ca, christine.boyle@vancouver.ca
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This is how you can support us:
- Please send this message to your network of friends and colleagues
- Get them to subscribe to our Jericho Updates
- Leave a comment in the Comments Section of any upcoming newspaper article covering Jericho Lands
- Help our cause and donate; thank you!