In an issue that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, there seemed to be a glimmer of cooperation between one group of housing advocates and city hall around the future of growth in Metrotown.
On Monday, members of the local ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) chapter were at council to speak out against the proposed Metrotown Development Plan and the consultation process so far.
The group called the consultation process “inadequate,” adding it did not prioritize the renters that face displacement as a result of changes in the neighbourhood. Housing advocates have pegged the number of people that could be displaced at 8,000 under the plan.
Alan Gonchar, a Metrotown resident, said ACORN wants a process that gives priority to residents that will “bear the brunt” of the proposed changes to the neighbourhood.
“This means focus and meaningful consultation with members of the Metrotown community that face permanent displacement and possibly homelessness because of the proposed plan,” he told council.
The group also pointed to some of the measures the City of New Westminster has taken to deal with the issue, including a moratorium on rental to strata conversions and no rezoning of purpose-built rental buildings to higher density.
And after making their argument, Mayor Derek Corrigan offered to meet with members of the group personally to discuss the issue and some of the measures the city is undertaking.
But he was also critical of ACORN and some of the information the group has used to make its argument, pointing out the city has the same measures as New Westminster, including a moratorium on rental to strata conversions.
“It’s important for us both to be dealing with, at all times, an accurate description of what we’re doing and what other cities are doing to try and alleviate some of the issues,” Corrigan said, also pointing out permits for about 1,000 units of market rental housing from various developments around Burnaby were on the agenda to be moved to a public hearing.
It should be noted, housing advocates have also called for a moratorium on all demolitions of older buildings in the Metrotown area. That has not been considered by the city.
Corrigan also made the case for the redevelopment in the Metrotown area, suggesting cities like Burnaby need to accommodate the 40,000 people a year who move to the region.
He said the only way to do it sustainably is to accept growth that is more dense and close to transportation.
The mayor also argued other Metro Vancouver communities are facing the same constraints as Burnaby and that other levels of government need to come to the table to address the issue.
He said the city wants to achieve the same goals as ACORN, adding the city is listening “carefully” and there haven’t been any final decisions on the Metrotown plan.
Members of ACORN noted the group tried to meet with the mayor in the past but insisted it never panned out. However, they agreed to set up a meeting with Corrigan and said, if the group has made mistakes, they would be corrected.
“We realize there’s no one solution,” Gonchar told council at the end of discussion.
Later on in the meeting, council also endorsed the draft Metrotown Downtown plan and approved the second phase to get community feedback on the plan by spring of 2017.
The basic intent of the plan is to establish Metrotown as Burnaby’s downtown.
“To me, what this does, it gives certainty to what will be happening in this area over the next 30 years,” said Coun. Paul McDonell.
He added it will take years for the plan to be complete, and developers will still have to go through a process to get buildings approved.
A detailed version of the 150-page Metrotown plan along with the city’s findings from public consultation earlier this year can be found at www.burnaby.ca.
