Standing Committee on City Finance and Services
February 1, 2023 · 09:33 am
Summary
- Healthy Waters Plan (Strategic Framework): Council approved guiding principles for Vancouver's long-range sewage and rainwater management plan, addressing combined sewer overflows, urban runoff, aging infrastructure, climate change, and population growth. Staff to report back in 2024 with Phase 2 progress.
- Country Lane Pilot Amendment: Added to the Healthy Waters Plan motion; staff directed to evaluate the 2002 Country Lane demonstration pilot by Q1 2024 and recommend ways to expand permeable, green alleyway features city-wide.
- Rupert and Renfrew Still Creek Floodplain: Approved updates to the Still Creek floodplain boundary (based on new 2021 Metro Vancouver mapping) and associated building requirements, with consequential amendments to several planning and rental policy documents.
- Industrial Modernization Framework Update: Staff directed to report back by end of Q3 2023 on the Industrial Modernization and Intensification Framework, including strategies to limit land speculation, potential regulatory changes, and options for preserving employment and industrial lands.
- Tech Hubs, Clusters, and Districts: Staff directed to explore strategies to support and grow Vancouver's tech hubs and clusters, with a report due by end of Q3 2023, coordinated with the industrial lands framework work.
- Indigenous-led Supportive Housing Pilot: Staff directed to report back by end of Q2 2023 with options for new culturally appropriate, Indigenous-led supportive housing and wellness centre projects, including potential City contributions of land and funding.
- MMIWG Budget Amendment: Added approximately $150,000 to the 2023 City Operating Budget to continue implementing recommendations from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
Motions
Rupert Renfrew Still Creek Floodplain
- Updates the Still Creek floodplain boundary based on a 2021 Metro Vancouver study, which identified a larger floodplain than the previous 1998 mapping due to climate change and other factors.
- Amends the Building By-law to reflect new flood construction level requirements for the expanded floodplain area.
- Triggers consequential updates to the Flood Plain Standards and Requirements, the Grandview-Boundary Mixed Employment Area Plan and rezoning guidelines, the Rupert and Renfrew Interim Rezoning Policy, and the Secured Rental Policy.
- Includes a minor clarification to the Rupert and Renfrew Interim Rezoning Policy language regarding conditions for rezoning enquiries while the Station Area Plan is underway.
Healthy Waters Plan Strategic Framework
Carried Details
- Approves the Strategic Framework of Guiding Principles, Goal Areas, and Objectives to guide development of Vancouver's comprehensive sewage and rainwater management plan (the "Healthy Waters Plan").
- Responds to a 2020 Council direction; the plan addresses combined sewer overflows (CSOs), polluted urban runoff, aging infrastructure, climate change risk, and infrastructure needs for a growing population.
- The City faces significant financial pressure: Metro Vancouver capital costs projected to rise 85% and City capital costs 30% over 2022-2026, partly driven by the $9.9 billion Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade.
- Phase 1 (current state assessment and strategic framework) now complete; Phase 2 will evaluate investment pathways and set performance measures, with a 2024 report back to Council.
- Engagement included Musqueam Indian Band, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Metro Vancouver, BC Ministry of Environment, Vancouver Coastal Health, and community and environmental groups.
Country Lane Pilot Amendment
Carried Details
- Amendment to the Healthy Waters Plan motion directing staff to evaluate the City's 2002 Country Lane demonstration pilot by Q1 2024.
- Evaluation to assess environmental, social, and financial costs and benefits of permeable, green alleyway design.
- Staff to recommend ways to expand country lane-style features across select Vancouver alleyways to improve permeability, reduce overland flooding and urban runoff, and offset climate impacts of traditional asphalt paving.
Industrial Modernization Framework Update
Carried Details
- Directs staff to report back by end of Q3 2023 on the Industrial Modernization and Intensification Framework, which aims to guide the future of Vancouver's industrial lands amid changing business needs and growing pressure on employment land supply.
- Report to include strategies to accelerate framework development, measures to limit land speculation, and an overview of regulatory and policy options including potential rezoning moratoriums and land-swap mechanisms.
- Context: Vancouver faces a potential gap of up to 1.2 million sq. ft. of industrial/employment space by 2051 under high-demand scenarios; industrial rents are rising and some businesses are leaving the city.
- Framework's four objectives: protect industrial lands for employment use; enable balanced intensification; match the right users to the right spaces; monitor and report on industrial change.
Tech Hubs Clusters Districts
Carried Details
- Directs staff to explore strategies to facilitate and grow tech hubs and clusters across Vancouver, with a report due by end of Q3 2023.
- Vancouver is home to over 1,100 high-tech businesses (40% of the Metro Vancouver total), has been ranked 7th globally as a tech city, and hosts major players including Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung.
- Tech businesses have diverse space needs spanning offices, production space, and logistics, and do not always fit traditional industrial land-use categories.
- Staff recommendations to be integrated with the Industrial Modernization and Intensification Framework and aligned with the Employment Lands and Economy Review and Metro Vancouver Regional Industrial Lands Strategy.
Indigenous-led Supportive Housing Pilot
Carried Details
- Directs staff to report back by end of Q2 2023 with options for new culturally appropriate, Indigenous-led supportive housing and wellness centre projects in Vancouver, in partnership with Indigenous peoples.
- Recognizes that Vancouver has the third-largest urban Indigenous population of any Canadian city (nearly 14,000 in the 2016 census) and that Indigenous residents face disproportionate housing insecurity and health inequities.
- Staff to identify potential City contributions such as land, funding, or other support, and to consult with Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, urban Indigenous communities, the Urban Indigenous Peoples' Advisory Committee, the First Nations Health Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health, and relevant Indigenous organizations.
- Existing examples of City-supported Indigenous housing and wellness projects include the Aboriginal Land Trust at 52-92 E Hastings, the Women Deliver Project, and the UNYA redevelopment.
MMIWG Budget Amendment
Carried Details
- Amendment to the Indigenous-led Supportive Housing motion directing staff to include approximately $150,000 in the 2023 City Operating Budget to fund ongoing work implementing recommendations from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
- A point of order was raised during debate on the amendment but ruled out of order by the Vice-Chair; the amendment proceeded and passed unanimously.
Agenda documents (7)
AGENDA ITEMS
1. Update on the Development of a Sewage and Rainwater Management Plan for Vancouver (the “Healthy Waters Plan”)
2. Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan – Updating Still Creek Floodplain and Interim Rezoning Policy
3. Piloting a Culturally Appropriate, Indigenous-led Supportive Housing and Wellness Centre Project in Partnership with Indigenous Peoples (Member Motion B.2)
4. Industrial Modernization and Intensification Framework Development Process Update (Member Motion B.3)
5. Supporting and Expanding Vancouver’s Tech Hubs, Clusters, and Districts (Member Motion B.4)
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
Vote matrix
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Bligh🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Ken Sim🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Peter Meiszner🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Christine Boyle🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Adriane Carr🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Lisa Dominato🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Pete Fry🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Sarah Kirby-Yung🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mike Klassen🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Brian Montague🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Lenny Zhou🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Lucy Maloney🥜 | |||||||||||||
| Sean Orr🥜 |