The City of Burnaby’s December public hearing will be a referendum of sorts on the public’s appetite for supportive and “affordable” housing in their neighbourhoods.
A total of six supportive and non-market housing projects are currently on the docket for the Dec. 15 meeting. Those housing proposals combine for a total of 821 units, 34 of which are market rentals, with the remainder either supportive or non-market, or both.
The six housing projects – of which nearly all include roughly 30% moderately “affordable” units, 50% at rents geared to income and 20% at “deep subsidy” rates – include:
- 3755 McGill St., Seton Villa Retirement Centre – six storeys with 48 supportive units (45 studio and three one-bedroom units), adaptable for people with mobility issues.
- 7750 Cumberland St., George Derby lands – just east of Derby Manor, six storeys with 87 non-market units and 34 market, totalling 121 units geared for seniors and first responders with disabilities. Includes 62 one-bedroom units at rents geared to income, and 25 studios and one-bedroom units at “deep subsidy” rates.
- 6800 block Royal Oak Avenue – city-owned site, six storeys with 134 non-market rental units, ranging from studio to three bedrooms, and six commercial rental units at ground level, with underground resident parking.
- 5900 blocks of Sunset Street and Kincaid Street – city-owned site, six storeys with 271 units of seniors housing.
- 6488 Byrnepark Dr. – city-owned site, six storeys with 129 units of non-market housing for Indigenous and non-Indigenous families and individuals.
- 6300 block Stride Avenue, 7500 block Bevan Street – city-owned site, two four-storey buildings with 59 units each, totalling 118.
At the Nov. 23 council meeting, Coun. Colleen Jordan said the number of proposals would lead to the meeting running for several hours.
Jordan noted council had already sent two items to the Dec. 15 public hearing. Another seven projects, including the six supportive and non-market housing projects, were approved in the Nov. 23 meeting for the December hearing as well, making for a total of nine items on that docket.
“And six of those are housing – and that’s a good thing – but I would say five of the six have the potential to be rather controversial,” Jordan said.
Jordan said she has received a number of phone calls, texts and emails from residents regarding some of the proposals, which she said could be indicative of the meeting running for several hours.
Speaking on the proposal for Byrnepark Drive, Jordan noted the reaction from neighbours hasn’t been favourable to previous developments on the site.
“It’s hard to believe, but when we did the last redevelopment … the neighbours were furious that we were chopping down trees to put up seniors’ housing,” Jordan said. “I’m sure they’ll be even more furious this time, because it’s a six-storey building as opposed to the other one that was only four (storeys).”
The independent councillor said she was “feeling nervous” that the city was “piling on all of these public hearings.” She suggested some people will be exhausted by the time the hearing gets to the item relevant to them if the meeting runs well into the evening.
“It just, to me, is not good planning, when our last meeting was only half an hour, and I can guarantee you this one’s going to be six,” Jordan said. “So it doesn’t seem to me to be very logical.”
Ed Kozak, the city’s director of planning and building, said the reason for the six housing projects all coming in December, and not waiting for a later meeting to spread them out, was for non-profit housing operators to apply for BC Housing funding. The deadline for those applications is in early January, Kozak said, adding that having a public hearing and, potentially, second reading of the bylaw amendment under their belt would “greatly” improve those applications’ chances of success.
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal took aim at Jordan’s remarks, saying staff had worked to push ahead with rezonings to get them ready for the BC Housing funding applications.
“So kudos to the staff. I know these people have been calling me,” Dhaliwal said, referring to operators of the proposed housing projects. “Because otherwise, they have to wait until, guess what, the following fall, probably, even if then. So the least of my concern is that the hearing is going to be long.”
