CD-1 Rezonings West Hastings and West Cordova

Statement Watch

Good evening. Good evening, Council Members.

I feel your nervousness as well. When I stand here as an Indigenous person, I feel the responsibility for all of my people. I'm here to speak for those that can't speak for themselves. Welcome. Thank you for the opportunity. My name is Brenda Knights, and I'm a member of the Kwantlen First Nation, and I also have ancestral family ties to the Musqueam. I'm a descendant of Chief Waddle Canem, and I come from his family, the family that met the Simon Fraser expedition at the Kwantlen village of Kikate, in what is now known as Brownsville area of Surrey. As a local Indigenous person, I carry the stories, teachings, and responsibilities of my family. Our heritage is not only about the past, but also about our relationships to this land, the communities that have lived here for generations, and the ways we care for future generations. Projects like the Cohen Block and the Army and Navy redevelopment are an opportunity to honour that heritage by creating housing and spaces that continue Indigenous presence in the city, support families and respect the land while meeting contemporary needs. I am also the CEO of BC Indigenous Housing Society and we are thrilled to be chosen as a housing operator of 108 below market units included in this project. And Jackie, my hands go up to you for putting reconciliation into action and inviting us to be part of this project. I acknowledge that this project is on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, TTsleil-Waututh and Squamish nations. These lands have long been places of gathering, trade, and community. and Indigenous peoples have experienced ongoing displacement in this area as the city has grown. I am thankful for the relationships and family connections to these communities and work hard to honor and preserve their history in their territory. Because of that history, Indigenous people often approach development with both care and concern. Gentrification and displacement are real issues, and we have seen supportive housing placed into buildings that were never designed for that purpose, often as temporary solutions rather than long-term care. The downtown east side, specifically the four-block radius from Main and Hastings, is a testament to the failure of these temporary solutions and the lack of strong leadership we need to implement change. More of the same has only exasperated the social ailments of our city. In contrast, projects like the Cohen Block demonstrate what is possible when housing and commercial enterprise built intentionally for permanence, dignity, and cultural relevance. Indigenous teachings remind us that meaningful change must consider the next seven generations, and this project reflects the Longview responsibility. BC Indigenous Housing Society has been engaged on this project for several years, working closely with the development team to ensure this project delivers housing that meets the needs of our community members. We have actively shaped the design and programming to strengthen livability, cultural safety, and spaces that honor Indigenous philosophy and values. This project is stronger because Indigenous voices were not only heard, but embedded in its foundation. At the same time, we also have a responsibility to be realistic. Even affordable housing projects are increasingly difficult to make viable. And when projects don't pencil out, no housing gets built at all. From an Indigenous perspective, planning for future generations means finding ways to move forward responsibly, not allowing housing to stall. I support the Army and Navy project and the Cohen Block because it makes use of an existing site, includes a meaningful portion of affordable housing, and creates an opportunity to replace temporary measures with permanent, well-designed housing for many generations to come. Height and density, when done as thoughtfully as this project, exemplifies a necessary solution to the social issues of this area. I also see this project as an opportunity to support Build Canada Homes, Canadian workers and local businesses at a time when our economy and housing system needs that momentum. I encourage Council to move forward Move this project forward while continuing meaningful engagement with the urban indigenous peoples and keeping displacement, affordability, and long-term care at the center of the work. Let's go, OCM.

Statement Watch

Thank you for this opportunity to speak about a project that represents not just 108 non-market housing units, but 108 chances for indigenous individuals and families to build stable, dignified lives in our community. My name is Alexandra Christian, and I've spent 17 years working in the housing and social services sector as a consultant, as a funder, and for the past three years as a housing provider, seeing firsthand what happens when people finally have a safe, affordable place to call home. In those 17 years, I've learned that housing isn't just about walls and a roof. It's about what happens inside those walls. It's about a single mother who can finally afford to keep her children with her instead of choosing between rent and groceries. It's about an elder who can age with dignity in their community rather than being displaced to wherever rent is cheapest. It is about a young person transitioning out of care who has a foundation from which to build their future rather than cycling through precarious living situations that make everything else in life harder. Indigenous people in our region face disproportionate barriers to housing stability. The statistics are sobering, but behind every statistic is a person. someone's grandmother, someone's child, someone who deserves better than what their current market offers them. Those 108 below-market units represent targeted, meaningful action to address a documented gap in our community. What I've witnessed as a housing provider is transformative. When people have housing security, everything else becomes possible. Children's school attendance improves. Health outcome gets better. People can maintain employment, rebuild family connections, and participate fully in community life. Housing stability is the platform from which people can address every other challenge they face. This project will strengthen our neighborhood by bringing in families and individuals who want to be here, who will contribute to local businesses, schools, and community life. Well-managed below-market housing doesn't diminish a community. It enriches it by ensuring diversity and preventing displacement. I urge council to support this project, not just as a housing initiative, but as an investment in reconciliation. in equity, and in kind of inclusive community we say we want to be. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you very much for your comments.

Statement Watch

Thank you very much. Good evening again, Council. It's been quite a minute since we spoke. For the record, I'm Royce Schwinn, CEO, Destination Vancouver, and a Vancouver resident. um i'm pleased to speak to you for the second time in support of another city and community building project and that is the redevelopment of the former army and navy building i too have the memories of shopping with my mom that was a big big day out down to army and navy what an incredible experience uh in quite a value in shopping there great memories for my family At Destination Vancouver, our work sits at the intersection of city building and economic development. And we partner closely with, of course, the city, local businesses, BIAs, cultural organizations, and community leaders to ensure that growth supports neighborhood vitality, local employment, long-term resilience, which supports a growing annual $9 billion visitor economy. tourism succeeds when cities succeed and that means being thoughtful adaptable and willing to invest in projects to respond to changing realities while honoring what makes vancouver unique this site is deeply embedded into the collective memory of our city and the army navy building was long seen as that place of accessibility there was inclusiveness of everyday vancouver life its redevelopment represents a rare and meaningful opportunity to respect that legacy while reimagining the site for contemporary needs and future generations and what stands out in this proposal is its balance it is a multi-faceted project that brings together significant heritage retention thoughtfully scaled boutique hotels secured rental housing including below market units and a clear commitment to honoring the spirit of army navy which was a homegrown institution that served vancouver rights for more than a century Achieving that balance between preservation and renewal is complex, is costly, but very, very commendable. I also want to acknowledge the importance of ownership in this story, and that is the Cohen family. It's a long-time historic Vancouver family that has retained this property through decades of change, a commitment. Their decision to reinvest here speaks to the belief in this neighborhood and the city's future. This is not about short-term extraction. It is about stewardship. reinvestment and uplifting the community has long been part of Vancouver's economic and social fabric. The impacts of a project like this are felt first and foremost at the neighborhood level. Gastown and the Hastings-Crossing area are defined by their independent retailers, small businesses, and distinctive character. These businesses rely on consistent local spending to survive and thrive, and particularly in our uncertain economic landscape. Visitors, of course, play a critical role in the ecosystem as they spend their dollars locally on accommodations, food, retail culture, and experiences. Our hotel community impact study outlines how new hotel supply can meet growing demand while delivering real benefits, job creation, animated streets, millions of dollars in socioeconomic activity that flow directly into surrounding neighborhoods. And I do want to highlight the opportunity presented by the activation of the laneway. Well-designed laneways, as we know, can become vibrant public spaces, supporting small businesses, increasing safety through activity, and contributing to a more dynamic, interesting, and welcoming public realm. Details matter in city building. Every foot counts. For all these reasons and those from the speakers before me, Destination Vancouver supports this project. We see it as a thoughtful reinvestment in a historic site, a neighborhood catalyst, and a signal of confidence in Vancouver's future. I encourage council to support the application before you this evening. Thank you once again for your time and consideration.

Statement Watch

I've been operating a Better Life Foundation out of Save All Meats for the last 12 years. just a couple blocks down from the Army-Navy location. San Juan Meats has been a steward of food security on the same block as Army and Navy since 1957, so neighbors for quite a long time. Their closure resonated with us deeply, and it's a considerable loss for our community, and it's certainly felt by everybody on that block. In our work, we not only feed people every day of the year through our meal programs, but we host community dinners multiple times a week. We bring people from outside the downtown Eastside community, into the Save All Meats Diner and Commissary Kitchen to prepare three-course, restaurant-quality, uplifted, dignified meals that we invite our community to join us as guests. It's as much about connection as it is about deliciousness and sustenance and bringing people together and celebrating our community over food. I've hosted about 360 of those dinners. And on top of the meals that we do 365 days a year that go out to people in the downtown Eastside, these dinners have given me a lot of firsthand perspective into what the residents that aren't often represented in these chambers are living and feeling. It shows the depth and the quality of our community that isn't revealed when you drive down Hastings Street. It's a different look. It's a different feel. And you can never distill the livability or lack thereof that currently exists in our blocks down to a single factor. Of course, there's a very complicated equation that has resulted in what we're experiencing as a city. But from the conversations and my firsthand experience, I believe a major factor is the vacuum that was created post-pandemic, by sweeping closures, people not returning back to offices, a vacancy, and essentially, like I said, a vacuum that's been created. And in that vacuum, negative and nefarious energy filled that void. And it's present, very present, in a physical manifestation on those streets today. It makes it unsafe for a lot of the beautiful and wonderful and caring residents, the folks that, the women that live in the Rainier Hotel on Carroll, the families that live in the Veronica Block across from Army-Navy on Hastings Street. Many families are also living in Bob and Michael's Place across from us. More families can be found in the Sorella on Pender and Abbott. And, of course, numerous SROs that have really wonderful residents living in there. And they're not living in safe streets.

And to make this community more livable, I believe that we need to restore a balance. More shops and services that fit the neighborhood.

Access to affordable groceries. Food, of course, is a passion of ours, and having more access to food is critically important. Just generally, more positive economic activity. Not more law enforcement.

More balance. Proper neighborhood stuff. It's a big responsibility that's being undertaken in this proposal.

There is an existing community to respectfully include. The indigenous housing component of this project is huge. It speaks to that balance. Army and Navy has a prestigious legacy in this community, and I trust we'll take the responsibility of being a good neighbor with the weight it deserves and continue that legacy of Army and Navy, of being a steward of the community. A Better Life Foundation, Save All Meats, Ash McLeod, we're in support of the Cohen Block going on with this project. Thanks, guys.

Statement Watch

Thank you. So as I said, my name's Derek Casperson. I'm a resident of Gastown and a board member of the Gastown Residents Association. And I'm here tonight really to speak in my support of the Cohen Block. I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak and for the time and care that you put into reviewing the projects like this. I recognize these decisions aren't easy and that you're balancing many different perspectives. Like many people in our community, I care deeply about how our city grows. I care about housing, jobs, walkable neighborhoods, sustainability, and keeping a sense of balance while planning for the future. I believe this project moves us in the right direction. Since the Army and Navy closed its doors in 2020, this site has been largely underused. It's a key location in the city, but right now it isn't contributing much to the community. This redevelopment is an opportunity to bring life back to a space that has been dormant for too long by adding homes, jobs, and activity to the neighborhood. I support the Cohen Block redevelopment for three main reasons. First of all, it makes good use of land in the central well-served area the site already is close to transit services and amenities if we want to manage growth responsibly and address housing demand this is exactly the kind of place where additional additional density belongs building here helps reduce sprawl and it makes better use of the infrastructure that we already have second the project will greatly improve the site itself the current building adds very little to the public space the proposed redevelopment would create more active streetscape it would improve how the site connects to the surrounding area and it would bring a more modern and welcoming design this kind of thoughtful redevelopment is what helps the neighborhood evolve without losing its character Number three, the project aligns with which I believe the city's broader goals, which is Vancouver has made it clear about the need for more housing in a well-designed and well-designed growth. With the added height to the south tower, this project will deliver over 600 secured purpose rental homes, and it will also include 500 market rental units and over 100 below market rental units operated by the BC Indigenous Housing Society. This project also adds retail and restaurant space. which will help bring activity back into the streets and make the downtown Eastside more vibrant again. No single project can solve everything, but this one clearly moves the city forth in the right direction. in closing cities change vancouver's future depends on making careful balanced decisions about how the change happens in my view the cohen block redevelopment represents that for these reasons i encourage council to support this project as it will allow us to move forward it's time to turn the lights back on on the former army and navy site Thank you so much for your time. Good night.

Statement Watch

Good evening, and yes, you did pronounce my last name properly. My name is Shannon, Shannon Bowes, and I'm speaking today on behalf of the Gastown Residents Association. The GRA represents residents who live, work, and invest emotionally in Gastown and in Railtown. We care deeply about this neighborhood, its history, its people, and its future. After careful consideration and direct engagement with the project team over the past year, the GRA is supportive of the Cohen Block development, and we urge council to approve it. I want to begin with one word that keeps coming up in our discussions as residents regarding this project, and that word is respect. This project demonstrates respect in several important ways. First, respect for heritage. The former Army and Navy building is not just another structure. It's a part of Gastown's collective memory. Many projects promise heritage retention in theory, but the Cohen Block proposal generally preserves and restores the historic Cordova Street facades and character-defining elements. This is adaptive reuse done properly. honoring the past while allowing the site to function for the city that we live in today. Second, respect for the neighborhood and its history. Army and Navy was once a social anchor in this area. The proposal acknowledges that legacy by reestablishing the site as a place of activity, connection, and contribution, not a blank, disconnected megaproject. Third, respect for city policy and balance. Unlike other development proposals that we've seen recently offered in the downtown east side that are trying to rely heavily on social housing credit dumping, this project works within the city's 80-20 framework. It delivers a significant amount of secured rental housing with 20% below market housing, including deeply subsidized units for families. This distinction matters to Gastown residents. Gastown, Railtown, and the downtown east side have carried more than our share of the region's supportive housing, and we strongly support the city's stated goal of distributing that housing more equitably across Vancouver and the province. Fourth, respect for partnership. We're particularly encouraged by the partnership with the BC Indigenous Housing Society, which will operate 100 below-market rental homes for Indigenous individuals and families. This is a meaningful collaboration that aligns with reconciliation goals while delivering real long-term housing outcomes. Fifth, respect for the community vitality. Gastown is not just a residential neighborhood. It is a place of small businesses, restaurants, cultural spaces, and tourism. This project brings new residents to support local businesses, smaller-scale, street-oriented retail, a much-needed hotel that strengthens the local economy, an activated laneway that improves safety, lighting, and day-to-day livability. These elements help restore Gastown as a living neighborhood, not a museum and not a containment zone. As residents, we have also been encouraged by newer supportive housing models in the area, such as Bob and Michael's Place, which show that well-designed, well-managed housing can succeed when done thoughtfully. The Cohen Block proposal aligns with that evolution. Importantly, this project has not appeared overnight. It has been over four years in the making, with multiple rounds of community engagement, revisions, and city-led open houses. The GRA has met with the project team, asked hard questions, and seen our concerns taken seriously. No project is perfect, but this one is responsible, balanced, and forward-looking, and it reflects the kind of development that residents can support. Council is often asked to weigh competing pressures. housing needs, heritage protection, economic revitalization, and neighborhood livability. The Cohen Block does not solve every challenge in Gastown, but meaningfully advances all of these goals at once. On behalf of the Gastown Residents Association, I want to thank Council for the time and care you've taken to giving this application. We respectfully urge you to approve the Cohen Block development and allow the long-awaited project to move forward. Thank you.

Statement Watch

Yes. Hello. Hi there. Good evening, Council. My name is Landon Hoyt, and I'm the Executive Director of the Hastings Crafting Business Improvement Association. Hastings Crossing represents over 800 businesses and commercial property owners in the Downtown Eastside, ranging from Gore to Richard Street. I'm here tonight to express our support for the rezoning application for the Cohen Block at West Hastings and West Cordova. This area is the historic heart of the city, but it's also a place that has experienced prolonged disinvestment. From our perspective on the ground, what's needed most right now is thoughtful, well-planned investment that brings people, activity, and long-term stewardship back to our streets. We see this proposal as an opportunity to advance several important city goals at once. First, we're particularly supportive of the new ground floor retail and small business spaces proposed as part of this development. Hastings Street and Cordova Street are critical pedestrian corridors. When ground floors are active and well-designed, they help animate the public realm, support safety through everyday activity, and create opportunities for local entrepreneurs. These kinds of street level uses are essential to restoring vibrancy and making the area feel welcoming, safe, and alive. Second, the addition of significant rental housing across a mix of income is a major strength of this proposal. Both market and below market rental housing are urgently needed in this community. New residents help sustain local shops, services and amenities, and they play a critical role in building a stable, resilient local economy. More people living in the neighborhood means more life on the street and more support for existing businesses. We're also very supportive of the hotel component on West Cordova. Additional hotel capacity helps bring visitors into the area, support local restaurants and retailers, and reinforces the role of this neighborhood as a destination for culture, history, food, and commerce. When paired with strong ground floor uses, visitor activity can be a meaningful contributor to economic recovery. Another important aspect of this proposal is the commitment to collaboration with Indigenous partners and local economic development organizations. Ensuring that retail spaces are accessible to social enterprises and community serving businesses is critically important in the Downtown Eastside. These partnerships help ensure that new development delivers tangible benefits for the community, supports inclusive economic participation, and reflects the social and cultural fabric of this neighborhood. We recognize that the proposed heights exceed existing policy in both the Victory Square and Gastown sub areas. From our perspective, this application deserves careful consideration given the scale of housing being delivered, the economic benefits and its alignment with broader city goals related to housing supply, reconciliation and inclusive growth. In closing, Hastings Crossing encourages council to support a path forward that enables new housing, active ground floors and community serving uses to move ahead in this critical part of the city. We believe projects like this, when done thoughtfully, can help rebuild vibrancy, strengthen the local economy, and support a more resilient and inclusive downtown Eastside. Thank you for your time, and thank you especially to the Cohen family for their dedication and legacy toward this neighborhood, and for the larger team behind this project for the engagement and thoughtfulness put into the future of the downtown Eastside. Thank you very much.

Statement Watch

there um good evening council and thank you for this opportunity to speak my name is elise yurkovsky and i am the executive director of the gas town business improvement society representing more than 600 businesses and property owners in one of vancouver's most historic and economically important neighborhoods i am a vancouver resident and i am speaking in support of the rezonia application for the cohen block Gastown is at a pivotal moment. We are a neighborhood with enormous cultural value, economic potential, and community at our core, but one that has also carried more than its share of challenges in recent years, including the closure of the Army and Navy Department Store. Maintaining Gastown's vitality requires thoughtful, intentional development that supports businesses, residents, and the millions of visitors who walk our streets each year. This proposal does that. It brings together mixed-income housing, a long-needed hotel, Indigenous reconciliation, laneway revitalization, and active commercial frontages in a way that aligns with multiple city objectives and responds directly to what our businesses and communities have been asking for. For over a decade, GBIS has advocated for hotel capacity in Gastown. Vancouver's hotel shortage is well documented, and anyone working in our neighborhood can vouch for how many visitors want to stay in Gastown but simply cannot. A hotel here is more than just additional rooms. It's a catalyst for stability and vibrancy. It supports independent retailers, strengthens restaurants, improves street presence at all hours, and helps maintain and sustain the cultural and economic ecosystem that defines Gastown. Its inclusion fills a critical gap in our land use mix. We also strongly support the proposal's mixed income housing and new ground floor commercial space. Ascom relies on a balanced mix of residents, workers, businesses, and visitors. Without that balance, the neighborhood cannot thrive. More residents living close to shops and services translates directly into safer, more animated streets. and high-quality commercial furnishes, not empty or underutilized spaces are essential for the small businesses that anchor this historic district. This proposal strikes that balance. Yes, the proposed height exceeds current policy, but the policy context itself is evolving. The city has stated repeatedly through the Gastown Public Spaces Plan, through Housing Vancouver Strategy, and through hotel development that it needs more housing, more commercial activation, and more hotel rooms in the area best suited for them. This project delivers on all three while preserving heritage and legacy. We believe the public benefits outweigh the policy variance. For all these reasons, GBIS supports this rezoning application and encourages Council to allow this mixed-use project to move forward as proposed. We remain committed to working closely with the Cohen family, with the developer, and city staff to ensure that the next stages of design and management strengthen Gastown's resiliency. HERITAGE CHARACTER AND LONG-TERM ECONOMIC HEALTH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR YOUR CONTINUED ATTENTION TO THE FUTURE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

Statement Watch

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DANIELA FRANCIS. It's very difficult for me to speak right now. Sorry, I'm outside due to the fact that I don't have a home. I am homeless at this time. And my thought of this is the fact that we have over 5,000 empty condos right now, and I don't see us building more to be empty. It's going to cause a problem. There's over 100 people that live in the Osborne shelter at this present time that are in the Army Navy site. and then also the other SROs that are there. I'm just more concerned about what would happen to the people there. They're going to be displaced once again. I understand having $108 below the profit mark for families to have a place to live. I am a mother as well, and I've been going through a difficult time in my life, and I just feel that it needs to be addressed more to have more affordable housing. and i don't think this is going to create more affordable housing when i look around and i see empty condos everywhere and there's people still sleeping in the streets and dying in the streets i don't know like i've missed my time to go sign in to where i live and i will be outside tonight and it's a shame because i wanted to speak on behalf of people of the downtown east end because we need to have a place to live as well i'm trying to better myself so that i can be a part of normal life once again and it's difficult when on a daily basis i have to deal with the city and the vpd they come around and they steal items and i have to go out to go out find out how i'm going to get a tent or get blankets so on so forth and I'm on income assistance at this present time. And I only get $600 to live off of. And I feel that doing this is not the right decision to be making because, again, we're still going to have people not having a place to live once the project would happen because now the Osborne shelter will be shut down and there will be people on the streets once again. So I'm about making sure that the streets are safe for everybody not having people living outside anymore there has to be a way to create that so everybody's happy i'm not quite sure how to make that happen like without speaking on behalf of everybody else and i'm hoping that everybody you guys will make the right choice and maybe increasing the amount of below profit margins and housing so that there's more opportunity so people can they want to change their life so that they can have their families be a part of their life again would be very important to me that's all i can really say and i thank you for the opportunity to let me speak and i'm hoping that what i've said is okay thanks daniella for calling in this evening thank you um our next speaker is rachel penner also on the phone

Statement Watch

Hi there. Can you hear me?

Yes, go ahead. You have five minutes to address council.

Great, thank you. My name is Rachel, and this development is going to steal my morning sunshine permanently. The construction of this development is going to disrupt my sleep, compromise the air that I breathe, and reduce my quality of life for an unknown number of years. It will also negatively impact my ability to generate income. And I know this council cares about the business community. I have a business, so I hope that means you care about me too. I'm a self-employed solopreneur, and I require a calm, quiet, and controlled environment in my home to do my work. In other words, I'm going to be struggling with productivity for the entirety of this construction project. And so... When I look at the costs that I'm going to be paying for this development, some temporary, some permanent, I ask myself, is it worth what this will bring to my neighborhood? Because the truth is, I love my neighborhood. I love my community, and I love where I live. I walk through the downtown Eastside all the time, alone at night. I've never been threatened by my unhoused neighbors, and it's the first place I've lived. in my 40 plus years of existence that I've been able to see myself living permanently. So I would sacrifice a lot if it meant that my neighborhood and my community would reap long-term positive benefits. After reviewing this proposal, there are definitely positives in it, but I cannot support it completely without one adjustment. The percentage of non-market housing in this development must be increased and shelter rate units must be included. I'm a lifelong renter and a huge supporter of purpose-built rental buildings, so why not give unconditional support to a tower full of purpose-built rental units? Because the majority of them are not affordable. I honestly don't know anyone who can pay market rate. I'm paying market rate, and it costs 50% of my income. So technically, that means what I'm living in is unaffordable housing. The downtown east side is home to more than 2,000 people with no fixed address. Now, that's likely an undercount, and the number is only going up. This development doesn't house them. It brings in a boutique hotel with fancy rooftop amenities that will only be accessible to wealthy tourists who come and go and don't care about this community. In fact, those tourists are likely to complain about the people who are forced to live on the streets because nobody has built housing for them. I wonder if I will even be able to shop at the retail coming into this development. I can't afford nesters. I can't afford the shops on Water Street. how is this project going to be different it seems at the moment that this is a bit of a repeat of the gentrifying woodward's development have we already forgotten how that turned out i mean everyone's been in an uproar since london drugs left and i'm just wondering is this project applying lessons learned from what didn't work at woodward's Council right now has an opportunity to make just one adjustment to this proposal so that it falls in line with what the developer's own public engagement found. The community here wants low income, deep subsidy, below market housing, fewer market rental. I am reading this straight from the developer's application booklet. So if y'all are going to go to the effort of creating housing, I beg of you, let poor people live in that housing. Please don't make my suffering and lost income from this project be in vain. Require this project to house unhoused people and not create conditions for further discrimination against them. Thank you so much.

Statement Watch

Good evening, and thank you for your time. I'm going to speak instead of Fernando as a translator. We have a business very close to the project, and we want to speak about our experience as a business owner. We believe that this construction, this new project, will bring important benefits to our restaurant and the neighborhood. New developments can bring more residents, more activity, and improve the safety and cleaner, and more organized environmental. This will help our business by attracting new customers and creating better experience for everyone in this area. At the same time, we would like to address an ongoing challenge that is affecting our daily operations. We daily experience individuals who stand in front of our business. We're talking about homeless. They are affecting our business because they stand up right in front of our entrance, and they are unpredictable and sometimes aggressive. For safety reasons, we are forced to keep our doors locked. When customer arrive, they think that we are close, and they leave. So we have contacted the authorities to help, but the process is slow. So this affects our business. believe that this break will help to improve the safety for the community, for our staff, and for the customers.

Statement Watch

Hello, Mayor and Council. It's great to be before you tonight to speak in support of this project. My name is Steve Johnston. I'm not a resident of Vancouver, but I am the Executive Director of CIRAS, Community Impact Real Estate Society. CIRAS is an organization designed to curate a portfolio of commercial real estate that can be made available at below market rates to nonprofits, social enterprises, and other businesses committed to providing affordable goods and services to residents of Vancouver. We've had many interesting and productive discussions with the BOSA and broader project team on the small scale retail included in this particular proposal. In particular, the below market portion on West Hastings has a real opportunity to deliver a community benefit through the retail space. Our goal with these discussions is to work together to help secure a community minded retailer that speaks to the needs of a wide variety of people, the residents of the building, the current residents in the surrounding area. the business community, the longstanding community organizations in the neighborhood, and the visitors who come here to experience Vancouver. I have to add that it's also encouraging to see the beginnings of an economic revitalization strategy in this proposal, one that I think moves beyond a sole focus on community safety and addresses livability and community economic development. I think there's been a lot of conversation over the past few weeks about the loss of retail in the downtown east side and the surrounding area. And I think that's why this project is incredibly vital. It provides a roadmap for how the development sector, not-for-profit, community members, and BIAs can come together and leverage something new to create affordability in commercial retail space. That's a bit of a diversion from my current remarks, but it just feels so pressing right now. And listening to you speak about the heritage of Army-Navy has been such an important guide. for our conversations with BOSA and with our community partners. This is an essential opportunity to, again, leverage policy to create deep affordability so that through partnership, we can return some vestige of what Army-Navy is to this community. And I'm really excited about that possibility. I think it's a really meaningful chance to do something different in the absence of other policies that we've had in the past, like a CBA, a Community Benefit Agreement policy. Again, more broadly, having experience in this particular neighborhood, the inclusion of a new boutique hotel alongside the mix of market and below-market rental housing will help bolster and stabilize the local economy. We look forward to seeing this project come to fruition, and I hope to see it approved tonight. Thank you for listening.

Statement Watch

Hello, Mayor and Council. It's Amy Robinson. I'm the founder and executive director of LocoBC. We're a nonprofit organization. We conduct research and do campaigning to support local businesses, raising awareness of the economic and community benefits of small and local businesses. I'm also a resident of East Vancouver and a frequent visitor to the downtown Eastside, and I support the project. We work closely with many of the business improvement areas and businesses in the area and believe that the project will help bring much-needed vitality to the area, helping to increase foot traffic for all businesses, make our streets safer for business owners and their staff, their customers, and help fill empty storefronts. The majority of nearby BIAs are populated with independent businesses, and I think the project team has done a good job creating partnerships to ensure that the retail space will fit in well with the area and prioritizes small and local businesses. The project developer of both the properties is an important partner on current research that we're doing on commercial affordability, and I appreciate that they have set aside that commercial space on the ground floor to be offered at below-market rent. to help entrepreneurs get small businesses started, especially social enterprises. That kind of awareness and sensitivity to the neighborhood should be recognized. And I feel like it's a rare project that balances below-market housing with commercial space that's also accessible to small and local businesses and social enterprises. And the project's partnerships with the Indigenous Housing Society and plans for below-market and Non-profit leasing shows they've worked very hard to ensure that the project reflects the neighborhood while working to revitalize the block and the neighboring area. So I'm in support of the project, and I hope that you'll approve it tonight. Thank you.

Statement Watch

Yes, thank you very much, and thank you to the Council for the opportunity to speak. I would like to provide a perspective. First of all, I want to say I agree with the proposal 100%. I am the president of the Strata Corp of 53 West Hastings, a small heritage conversion that is a stone's throw away from the proposed development close to Abbott and Hastings. I've heard many great comments tonight. I won't try to repeat them, but I want to give a perspective similar to the gentleman who spoke from Save On Meats because we literally live almost next door and we face the issues that are going on in the neighborhood which are in desperate need of revitalization. And I think this proposal provides that. And I'm speaking on behalf of the majority of our residents in our small little heritage conversion on 53 West Hastings. I've spoken to many people. And the neighborhood is in real desperate need of revitalization. I would like to read to you an email from one of the residents because I think it's... It speaks to a lot of, you know, how we all feel, at least in our building. So this is from one of our residents, and I'll read it to you now. My name is Satoru Inu, a resident in Gastown, specifically 53 West Hastings. I wanted to submit my feedback regarding the development. As a resident of the block that's related to these two joints, I strongly support the redevelopment of the former Army and Navy buildings. I know the neighborhood for 20 years, and I've lived in it for more than five years combined. The previous longstanding policies that practically prevented any development in the area since the early 2010s into the mid-2020s only made the dire situations in the downtown Eastside worse. The alley between Cordova... But between Cordova and Hastings on the block is an open-air toilet at best, while the Hastings Street sidewalk is also filled with human feces, urine, needles, and other drug substances. And I walk there every single day. Sorry, I'm just trying to scroll through my email here. the um the uh baba michaels building that was recently completed has many small and young children living in it and they have to witness and walk through these daily as well we should immediately stop normalizing such such circumstances and in my opinion a certain degree of gentrification will help and must happen i understand there may be concerns of over gentrification by many folks But I'd like to point out that the status quo that has maintained the last 15 years has been ineffective. In fact, it is the opposite. It's going in the opposite direction. It's about time we did something differently. And I have to really emphasize, like, as the president of our strata corp, we're a small little building. We don't have a concierge. I have to deal with these matters on a daily basis. On a daily basis, we have people urinating and defecating in our doorway. On a daily basis. People starting fires. People are threatening people. People are leaving our building. And I heard early on in the presentations from city staff, there's been concerns about gentrification and protecting certain historical values. Right now, all we're protecting is despair and decline. And people are literally, I've literally been threatened and told that we need to leave, like our building needs to leave the neighborhood because it belongs to others and not people, not residents that want to live there. And they want us to leave. And so I just really want to emphasize that this is a very wholesome, integrated... thoughtful development. We wholly support it. And we are residents that live a stone's throw away from the buildings. We wholly support it. And the neighborhood is desperately in need of revitalization. There's a reason London Drugs left. And nobody's being displaced by this development. In fact, you have a very solid, good, non-profit Indigenous Housing Association that is part of this. In fact, they're creating social housing, and we really wholeheartedly... support this. We applaud Jackie Cohen for moving ahead with such a thoughtful development. But as the residents of a building that is very close by, we are literally pleading for this development to go ahead. Residents are moving out. I helped a young man move in.

Mark, just to jump in, you've reached your five minutes, so I just appreciate you calling in this evening.

Statement Watch

My name is Sean Cassidy. I'm from Vancouver. I think we already figured that out. Yes. I'm here to speak on the project. It wasn't really an intention, but being here, I know this project. I know the area very well. I know the Army and Airby store extremely well. Full respect to the Cohen family for what they've done over generations with the neighborhood, the store, New Westminster. Tremendous anchor in this city. I can't say enough. about how the Army and Navy anchored the city. You go to the New York and you go to the Bronx, there's a store called Conway's. Have you ever heard of Conway's? It's very similar to Anchor's Fordham Road. Reflecting back here, circling back, I was a former deputy treasurer of Canada Morgan Housing. I've raised a lot of money, done a lot of projects, worked as an investment banker, financed real estate, worked for a developer. This project, given the neighborhood to the area, it's a lot of density. And the notion of affordable housing is... It's 20% in market rental for our one bedroom here will probably be around $4,000, $38,000, $4,000 a month. So does it fit into the neighborhood? Has planning, what they stated about the, does it match the zoning in the area? It's a stretch. This is a game changer. It's very similar to what's going on in Vancouver. We had the Broadway plan. You would up zone the whole downtown east side. You took out the view cones. So this is an added next up, you know, this is like density night tonight. I support the Army and Navy. This project, I think it's too much. It's beyond what's encompassed in the context of the neighborhood. in terms of the social aspects of the neighborhood i feel change is needed i also worked at oppenheimer park when i was a student i ran oppenheimer i know the area extremely well there's a lot of issues in that neighborhood and it's very hard to run a business Chinatown has been directly impacted, but this neighborhood and the building is just gentrification, effectively. With the 20% aspect, I know Carol Lee and Bob's house go back a long way with that project. So I think the planning department kind of stick-handled this in. But I think as counselors, you have to ask serious questions around this project and around the future of the downtown east side if you want to turn it into the next park place. Because there's a lot of things that are not being asked. So I'll leave it with you, and I'll leave it with that. But for respect to the Army and Navy store, for respect to... you know, the anchor of the city in a lot of ways, going back to the days when Hastings Street was extremely vibrant in the 30s, 40s, 50s. So kudos. Okay, thanks.

Statement Watch

Sure. My name is Amit Johal. I live in Chinatown, and I'm speaking in support of the application. Go ahead. I know it's been a long night for you all, so I'll keep my comments short, and I do appreciate the opportunity to share. All of us who have spoken tonight share a deep passion and commitment to our community, and I have deep respect for that. I applaud everyone for making the effort to participate this evening and share opinions. One of the main reasons I'm in support of this proposal is the many years of engagement that I've observed from the applicant, which I believe is reflected in what's before you today. You can see through the application progression how they've tried to balance what makes sense economically with what the community needs. I believe it's landed on a balanced application that will deliver tangible benefits. to diverse members of the neighborhood and local stakeholders. I really appreciate the partnership with BC Indigenous Housing, which will ensure that the below market homes are operated by experts, which I think is needed with years of experience in the neighborhood, inherently understanding the needs of the community. I believe the Boutique Hotel will also be an asset here. The Gastown neighborhood is full of unique shops as in our Chinatown neighborhood as well, and the visiting community will help to provide a steady income base for these deserving businesses and the future retail included on-site as well. And finally, as you know, we need housing. The market rental paired with the below market will provide new homes for the many in search of new professionally managed, secured rental housing in the downtown area. I'll end my comments there. So thank you for listening. And I hope to hear that this marquee site can continue to be a legacy site for Vancouver. Thank you.