The MST Development Corporation Plan

The proposed MSTDC/CLC development’s huge costs include the UBC SkyTrain extension, which is extremely expensive relative to other transit options, and infrastructure upgrades for 28,000+ new residents. Taxpayers will bear much of the financial burden for transit and infrastructure.

One obvious cost of the proposed MSTDC/CLC development is the planned UBC SkyTrain extension (“UBCx”). The extreme density proposed for the Jericho Lands is based on the assumption that there will be rapid transit to the site. UBCx is a super expensive, low-capacity subway with outdated technology; transit experts estimate its current cost at around $8-10 billion. Much cheaper public transport options exist, and Metro Vancouver has much higher priorities for rapid transit than a line serving just one corridor. Expensive public sector projects like subways are increasingly out of control, and taxpayers are stretched to the breaking point. Another public cost item is infrastructure. Creating and upgrading infrastructure to serve 28,000 new residents will be enormously expensive. The taxpayers must pay for the massive off-site and part of the on-site infrastructure upgrades.

The MSTDC/CLC plan lacks commitment to affordable housing, relying on uncertain government funding and leaving taxpayers liable. It prioritizes luxury housing for wealthy investors, ignoring Vancouver’s urgent need for housing for essential workers and everyday residents.

The MSTDC/CLC plan does not commit to creating affordable housing. It merely states that the specifics of affordable housing delivery will depend on funding opportunities from partnerships and senior levels of government. Taxpayers will be on the hook even for the minimum of 20% affordable housing mandated in any other developer’s plans. Like most new towers in Vancouver with waterfront views, this will be luxury housing catering almost exclusively to wealthy investors. Vancouver desperately needs more housing for everyday citizens working in our schools, hospitals, libraries, emergency services, daycares, and small businesses. We do not need more luxury condos.

The Canada Lands Company owns one-quarter of the site. Why is this federal crown corporation planning to turn its share to MSTDC, a for-profit company? What about insisting that its share be used for genuinely affordable housing?

The proposed 49-story skyscrapers would tower over Jericho Beach and obstruct Vancouver’s landmark views, overshadow Jericho Park, harm ecosystems, impact park users’ recreational experience, and violate city bylaws against shading public parks, raising concerns about fairness and environmental impact.

The plan includes three 49-storey skyscrapers, the seventh tallest structures in Vancouver, far from any other towers (these would be about 25% higher than the new tower at Broadway and Granville.) These monoliths will loom over Jericho Beach and the waters of English Bay, obliterating panoramic views of mountains, water, forest, and Vancouver’s downtown core from Trimble Park and creating an eyesore on the peninsula across [for the whole of] Vancouver. The towers will shade parts of the park, negatively impacting the park’s flora and fauna and the recreational experience of park users. A City by-law states that buildings cannot shade public parks. Does the City not intend to enforce its by-laws? Is the City treating this developer more favourably than other developers?

The luxury high-rise development will result in massive traffic congestion during construction, and with 28,000+ new residents living there. It would hinder public access to popular recreation destinations like Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks while worsening Vancouver’s already heavy traffic.

It is unlikely that residents of this luxury high-rise development will give up their cars and take transit. During construction and as the Lands fill with nearly 28,000+ new residents, traffic gridlock will cut Vancouverites off from Jericho Beach Park and Spanish Banks in the busy summer months. Does this mean that these public recreation sites will be, in effect, privatized for residents of this luxury enclave? The resulting traffic will make getting around our congested city even more difficult. Vancouver is a peninsula, and there are limited routes out to Kitsilano and Point Grey. The main access routes to the Jericho Lands, 4th Avenue and 8th Avenue, are already heavily used. The proposed plan would triple the population of Point Grey. If you think traffic is crazy now, wait until construction starts, the buildings are completed, and people have moved in.

Tall towers fail to provide suitable housing for families and seniors or foster essential social connections essential for physical and mental well-being. The Jericho Lands should be a vibrant, livable neighborhood, not an exclusive and soul-less high-rise enclave for wealthy owners.

High-rise towers do not provide appropriate housing for families and seniors. They do not promote the social connections essential for physical and mental well-being. This isn’t just our opinion: a significant body of research supports it. Jericho Lands is to become a vibrant, livable neighbourhood for all age groups, not a sterile, exclusive high-rise tower enclave. We know that many of Vancouver’s high-rise luxury units sit empty for much of the year. We want Jericho to be a community, not just a resort zone for wealthy people.

The proposed towers risk diminishing groundwater flow to Jericho Beach Park and generate significant carbon emissions during construction. High-rises also have higher long-term emissions than mid or low-rise wood and mass timber buildings.

With their deep foundations and multi-story parkades, the proposed towers could disrupt the underlying aquifer and Jericho Beach Park, with unknown groundwater risks. Concrete towers also generate significant carbon emissions during construction. Even after they are built, high-rise towers, even when equipped with energy-efficient technology, generate more emissions per unit than mid- to low-rise wood and mass timber buildings.

High-rise towers take four years to construct and are costly, while modular low to mid-rise buildings can be built in under two years at lower costs, offering faster and more affordable housing solutions for moderate-income Vancouverites.

The taller the building, the longer construction takes. But Vancouver needs more housing now! High-rise towers are costly and inefficient, requiring about four years to construct. By contrast, modular low—to mid-rise buildings could be built in under two years at lower costs and create more affordable housing for moderate-income Vancouverites.