Ecodensity plan could change Vancouver neighbourhoods

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 | 9:50 AM PT

CBC News

Vancouver city council is set to vote on a proposal that would lead to increased housing density in neighbourhoods all over town.

A staff report going to council on Tuesday defines "EcoDensity" as "high quality densification that can make Vancouver more sustainable."

The idea behind Mayor Sam Sullivan's EcoDensity plan, announced in June, is to spread Vancouver's rapid population growth more evenly across the whole city, rather than having it concentrated in the downtown core.

The population of the downtown core peninsula doubled between 1986 and 2005, to 85,000 from 43,000. And it's expected to continue to rise. Planners project that the total downtown population will increase to 120,000 within the next 15 years.

Vancouver's chief planner, Brent Toderian, says the EcoDensity proposal will mean convincing residents of single-family neighbourhoods that a move to include more multiple-unit buildings in those neighbourhoods isn't a bad thing — that increased density is nothing to be afraid of.

"I don't think we want to shock the system. I don't think we want to scare Vancouverites, but I think we want to have a dialogue that maybe ends up with a different understanding of what people can really be comfortable about in their neighbourhoods."

Could lower housing prices: mayor

Sullivan has said the EcoDensity Initiative could help bring down the cost of housing by increasing supply.

But Coun. Heather Deal of Vancouver civic opposition party, Vision Vancouver, said she's not convinced that taller buildings will reduce the price of a new home. 

"I don't think that each new tower that goes up downtown is selling for less than the one before it. In fact, quite the opposite.

"So, I'm very concerned about the assumption that we're going to see prices go down because we're building taller. I think there are other good reasons to build taller but I don't see it decreasing the price of those suites."

'Motherhood' issue

The city has already spent $300,000 on initial planning and research.

Council is being asked to approve spending another $500,000 on the proposal. A large part of that money will go toward selling the idea to the public.

Deal said the public will need to be convinced the city isn't spending money to redo work that has already been done.

"This is like motherhood. You can't vote against motherhood. We already have done a tremendous amount of work with CityPlan. [CityPlan is a city-wide plan initiated in 1995 to decide on the city's priorities until the year 2015]. Many of the visioning processes, in fact, are finished. Now, we're looking at doing another, almost million-dollar, project."

Deal said EcoDensity is nothing more than existing city policy wrapped up in a new package.