Housing activists and residents unloaded a heaping helping of vitriol on Burnaby city council at a public hearing for a Metrotown highrise proposal Tuesday night.
The hearing was to deal with a rezoning application by Intracorp to build a 32-storey condominium tower between McKay and Silver avenues next to Maywood Park. It will be built on what is now six single-family lots. But when it is completed, two apartment buildings on Maywood Street containing 31 rental units will be torn down to expand the park, although that’s not expected to happen for at least another five years.
To the 20 or so speakers, if the project gets the go-ahead, it will be another example of Burnaby allowing developers to reduce the city’s affordable rental stock in favour of luxury condos.
“There’s been a strong program to create high-density housing. I understand that. But I’m not sure there is an equal program to replace what’s been lost,” said James Grunau, who says he has been a resident of one of the buildings that will be demolished for 30 years.
Grunau said the city seems to emphasize future residents rather than give consideration to those already living here.
“This is one place where the city has drastically let us down,” said Grunau. “I hope all of us will be able to sleep at night knowing you have done your best to provide to us as Burnaby citizens.”
Housing activist Murray Martin reeled off the addresses of 30 rental apartment buildings that have been demolished to make way for condo complexes and towers since 2011 and the locations of 14 more in the process of being eradicated. He said that translates to 706 households losing their home and another 305 on the way. He accused Burnaby council of ramming through highrise projects at “insane prices” that will destory 2,992 condos in the Metrotown area, leaving renters with no affordable place to go.
He pointed out in the same time New Westminster has not lost any rental buildings to towers.
“To you these are just numbers, but these are humans who are suffering,” said Martin. “The unique situation we have in Burnaby is a (Burnaby Citizens Association) council that is totally out of touch with lower-income people.
“This is one of the most disgusting cities in Canada as far as city councils go.”
Martin wants an independent impact study, preferably paid for by the province, on the human impact the demovictions are causing in Burnaby, although he said, “we don’t need a study as much as you need to stop.”
“Thousands of people are getting evicted because of you,” said Martin. “You guys are creating homelessness.”
A few residents said it was heartbreaking to see such policies coming from the BCA, who are all also required to be members of the NDP, because they have voted for those parties in the past but vowed not to in the future.
Ivan Holmes, who lives in an apartment on Silver across from Maywood Park, said he moved to the area in 1957 and has worked every election for the NDP since. “I certainly won’t be working for you people on the next election. It’s very disturbing,” said Holmes. “You’ve lost yourself. When you have a plan, it has to have a beginning, a middle and an end, and it has to work.
“The developers are not elected and they are telling you what to do, and it’s disgusting. I hope, I hope, I really hope that you people will understand that your plan has gone awry. You have the power to fix it quickly. Don’t keep rubber stamping these bylaws and kicking out people like myself.”
Holmes said it’s only a matter of time before he loses his residence, too.
“I will be a senior evicted because of your inadequate planning,” said Holmes. “Hopefully that (expanded) park will be able to accommodate me and my tent.”
Cassie Avenue resident David Neufeld said Vancouver and Richmond councils have a diversity of opinion, but not Burnaby.
“I see all of you echoing the same opinion, and I see a bunch of people in Metrotown that are under stress because they’re going to lose their place or about to lose their place,” said Neufeld.
Zoe Luba of Stop Demovictions Burnaby called the hearing a sham because it felt like the councillors were wearing earplugs.
“It is insulting and it is disturbing,” said Luba. “None of you have a conscience.
“The city has the money, if you wanted to build affordable housing you could have … You care about money over people. That’s not why people elected you.”
Coun. Colleen Jordan, who chaired the meeting in the absence of an ill Mayor Derek Corrigan, said new provincial policy will result in Burnaby getting approximately 900 new non-market rental units in the future.
In addition to the speakers, the city received 97 letters opposing the rezoning application.
Intracorp’s proposed tower will have 298 units ranging from 403-square-foot studio units to three-bedroom condos with 1,257 sq. ft. of space.
The rezoning application will likely be included on the agenda for second, third and final readings at the next council meeting on Monday (March 5).
