Good evening, Acting Mayor and Council. My name is Simon Jay, and I'm the rezoning planner for this rezoning application for the Jewish Community Center, or JCC, at 490 to 590 West 41st Avenue. Staff would like to note that there is a yellow memo attached to this project that provides additional information about the ODP amendment, as well as information on a change of ownership since the report was referred.

The site outlined in red is an irregular shaped 1.35 hectare or 3.3 acre parcel located on the south side of 41st Avenue to the west of Willow Street. It is currently developed with the three-story Jewish Community Center and a surface parking lot. The surrounding area is undergoing significant change. The Oak Ridge Center is currently being built and is a multi-tower development with heights up to 52 stories. TO THE NORTH OF THE OKRID CENTER IS THE APPROVED R51 ZONING ALLOWING MULTIPLE TOWERS UP TO 26 STORIES. THERE ARE ALSO TWO ACTIVE REZONING APPLICATIONS ACROSS THE STREET FROM JCC. THE FORMER OKRID TRANSIT CENTER WHICH IS PROPOSING MULTIPLE TOWERS UP TO 33 STORIES AND 809 WEST 41ST AVENUE WHICH IS NEXT UP ON TONIGHT'S PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA AND PROPOSES 32 STORY TOWER.

Under the Vancouver Official Development Plan, this site is currently split designated as Mixed Use Mid-Rise and Mixed Use High-Rise 1.

An amendment to the ODP to change the designation is required to support this proposal. The change is to Mixed Use High-Rise 2 and Mixed Use Low-Rise.

This proposal is being considered under the Oak Ridge Transit Center and adjacent sites policy statement. The policy statement provides direction for renewal and expansion of JCC. It includes guidance on mix of use, built form, and public ground improvements. It says building height should be respectful of the existing and future neighborhood context, but no maximum density is provided.

IN 2018, COUNCIL APPROVED A RESONING AMENDMENT FOR THE JCC CAMPUS. THIS INCLUDES A LARGER JCC AND RESIDENTIAL TOWERS OF 26 AND 24 STORIES. THE 2018 APPROVAL WAS ENACTED IN 2025 AND IS THEREFORE ALLOWABLE UNDER THE CURRENT CD1 ZONING. THE PROPOSAL BEFORE YOU TODAY AMENDS THIS CD1, CD1 285, FOR A FOUR PHASE DEVELOPMENT. It includes two towers with heights of 39 storeys, which is 136 metres tall, and 37 storeys, which is 131 metres tall. The overall density proposed is 5.77 FSR. The application proposes 630 rental units, of which 20% of the residential floor area will be secured as non-profit operated. IT ALSO PROPOSES A 16,000 SQUARE METER TOURIST COMMUNITY CENTER, A PRIVATE CHILDCARE AND A PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL.

UNDER THE VANCOUVER CHARTER, CONSULTATION AND OPPORTUNITIES MUST BE PROVIDED FOR PERSONS, ORGANIZATIONS AND AUTHORITIES AFFECTED BY AN ODP AMENDMENT. Council directed staff to consult with the VSB, CSF, the Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation and TTsleil-Waututh Nation. The VSB noted there are capacity shortages anticipated at the catchment scores, Jamieson Elementary and Hamburg Secondary. The VSB employs several strategies to mitigate enrollment pressures, including reducing out-of-catchment enrollment, relocating districts' choice programs, adjusting catchment boundaries, undertaking renovations, and deploying portables. No comments were received from other groups by the end of the consultation period.

During the public engagement period for this resounding application, support was expressed for this community-led and financed development, that it provides expanded community amenities, it continues the legacy of the existing JCC, increases rental housing, and it's in a good location served by transit. Concerns were related to construction fatigue, traffic and parking, tower height and neighborhood fit, infrastructure strain, and insufficient affordability. staff have the following responses to these concerns.

Staff acknowledge the high level of construction in the area and that construction will continue for the foreseeable future. However, staff note that the most disruptive construction on 41st Avenue has mostly finished and the majority of future construction should be less concentrated. Also, the development must follow city processes and permits, including meeting the noise control bylaw. THE SITE IS WELL SERVED BY TRANSIT AND IT IS NOT ANTICIPATED THAT THIS PROJECT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE TRAFFIC OR STREET PARKING. THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS CURRENTLY CHANGING TOWARDS A HIGH RISE TRANSIT ORIENTED AREA AND THE HEIGHT AND DENSITY OF THIS PROPOSAL FITS WITH THE EMERGING CONTEXT. AS PART OF THE REDEVELOPMENT, JCC WILL PROVIDE EXPANDED COMMUNITY FACILITIES. Staff have worked with the applicant to increase long-term affordability and have secured at least 20% of the residential floor area to be operated by a housing non-profit.

The anticipated public benefits from this project is $19 million, which is approximately $17.7 million in DCLs and $1.3 million in public art. OTHER PUBLIC BENEFITS INCLUDE APPROXIMATELY 16,000 SQUARE METER REPLACEMENT JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, 99 PRIVATE CHILDCARE SPACES AND 630 RENTAL HOUSING UNITS OF WHICH 20% OF THE RESIDENTIAL FLOOR AREA WILL BE SECURED AS NON-PROFIT OPERATED.

THE PROPOSED LAND USE FORM OF DEVELOPMENT AND THE PUBLIC BENEFITS ARE GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT OF THE OTC POLICY STATEMENT. STAFF SUPPORT THIS APPLICATION SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS CONTAINED IN THE REPORT. STAFF AND THE APPLICANT TEAM ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.

Oh, yeah, look at that. No, no, it's all good.

Great. Okay. My name is Ezra Shank, and I am the chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of British Columbia. And after 10 years of working on this, I think I'm in support of it. I think that, you know, it's a good thing.

For generations, The Jewish Community Center campus has been a place where people came together to learn, connect, celebrate, and support one another. It serves not only the Jewish community, but thousands of Vancouver residents from every background who participate in its programs. access its services, and benefit from its cultural and recreational offerings. The proposal before you is about securing that future. I think it's really important to touch on the fact that this is a nonprofit project. The housing component makes it possible to the renewal of critical community infrastructure. Together, the residential and community elements create a sustainable model that helps address housing needs while preserving essential public services and amenities. I also want to acknowledge that this project, like this, do not happen in a vacuum. Many in our community have felt at times they've felt hurt by rhetoric that has questioned our experiences, dismissed our concerns, or made us feel less welcome in civic life and of this city. Yet we are not here tonight to dwell on division. We are here to build. The Jewish community has never measured itself by the volume of its critics. We measure ourselves by what we contribute, what we create, and what we leave behind for future generations. Long after today's debates are forgotten, families will live here, families will learn here, seniors will gather here, and communities will connect here. That will be the legacy of J. West. And in a time when it's often easier to divide than to unite, we have chosen to invest in Vancouver, to strengthen Vancouver, and to help build Vancouver's future. I want to thank... The counselors in this room, so many of you have been along on this journey with us. I have a huge amount of gratitude for all of that. I take none of it for granted. I want to say for the counselors who were here at the beginning who are no longer here, I want to thank them too, who took us every step of the way and for the incredible planning department who has worked side by side with our incredible team here. And with that, I respectfully ask for your support of this transformational project at a transformational time.

Am I okay to proceed?

Thank you. Thank you for having me tonight. Thank you, councillors and acting mayor. So I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have the best job in the world. I've worked in community recreation for nearly 30 years. I am currently the assistant executive director at the Jewish Community Centre. And funny enough, before joining the JCC, I actually spent six years managing Trout Lake Community Centre. Because I've worked on both sides of recreation, I can say with confidence that the Jewish Community Center is one of Vancouver's hidden gems. And I'm here today to speak on behalf of strong support for J-West. For nearly 100 years, the JCC has strengthened this city by complementing Vancouver's recreation system. Every day, we provide recreation, childcare, arts, health, and community programs that help meet the growing demand without relying on municipal operating budgets. Walk through our doors on any given day. You'll find 150 kids in camp, 80 families in our daycare, a room full of older adults playing bridge, packed fitness classes, packed pickleball classes, a full theater, and neighbors gathering around the cafe. Every year, we teach more than 3,000 swimming lessons and have trained 1,500 lifeguards, many of whom are keeping Vancouver residents safe in city pools. Our impact reaches well beyond our walls. Our early childhood center helps train the next generation of educators through partnerships with Langara and Vancouver Community College. While our theater provides hands-on experience for emerging theater technicians at a time when opportunities are becoming increasingly rare in Vancouver. But the magic of the JCC is not found in attendance numbers. It's found in the moments that you cannot measure. It's seeing someone arrive alone and leaving with lifelong friends. It's watching children from many cultures celebrating the Jewish Sabbath, together and learning respect, curiosity, belonging. It's seeing a community where approximately 40% of the people who walk through our doors are not Jewish, but feel just as welcome. As we rebuild the campus, we're not simply replacing a building. We're investing in the next 50 to 100 years, hopefully, of community and recreation in Vancouver. I've spent my career, my entire career in recreation. I know what municipal recreation does exceptionally well. I also know there's something truly unique about the JCC. We do not compete with the city's recreation system. We complete it. Thank you.

I had a longer speech here, but, you know, really it's been covered quite well by Ezra and Allison. Thank you.

Look, it has been an incredible journey for us. We've been at this for 12 years. And, you know, this team, we are ready. really, to get going on this project. And we hope you are too. Really, it could not have been made possible without some incredible work. I just want to name a few people out because it's really taken a lot of commitment and dedication and mostly collaborative work. And that's, I think, what's so exciting about this project is that we really, truly have come together as not just the Jewish community, but the larger community, planning department, the housing department, and yourselves, the councillors and mayor of the city. So just a special shout-out, because so much time was spent on this, to Josh and Donnie and Armin and Templer and the entire housing department and, of course, Simon. So we're ready to go, and we really appreciate all the time and the commitment in the process to get us to this point.

YEAH, MY COLLEAGUE MOLLY FROM HOUSING CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION.

Hello. Hi. Hello. So the intent of that definition is that there is no affordability secured on title. However, the 20% floor area must be long-term leased or owned by a non-profit housing operator for 60 years of life of the building.

Thank you, Council, for the question. My name is David Port. I'm the co-chair with Joe of the J-West project. So this is a community project, community-led, community-run project. The housing will 100% remain owned by the community in perpetuity. So we will be working... with a housing provider on the affordability. What we see in the long term is quite different than a typical project and other projects might see in front of you. What we see in the long term is that we want to expand the affordability as far as we possibly can. However, on day one, we won't be able to because we'll just be getting started.

On day one or on day future?

I don't know what day one will look like. Day one, we'll be working with a housing provider. And we'll let them govern the housing part of it, the nonprofit housing. And what we see over the fullness of time is we expect to well exceed that 20% as the cash flow allows and as we're able to.

We'll have affordability on day one. We have a requirement from our donor base that there's affordability on day one.

We don't have a definition of it yet. We'll work with our housing providers. We'll probably be teak for housing to define that.

Or the applicant, maybe?

Short answer, yes, economically not feasible to do that deep level of discount. But as well, an important component of this project is we want to see this project as self-sustaining. So we've got a community center, we have a school, and we have the housing. And in the fullness of the project, the project is to be economically self-sustaining. So the housing has to help us generate funding for the community center for the long term, pool replacement, roof replacement.

Cost, yeah, massive, massive costing.

Oh, massive, yeah.

Were any community amenities added?

The community center has always been a part of the application, so, I mean, that's clearly the community benefits, a $180 million community benefit.

No other changed.

Oh, yeah. Childcare. We've got Aquatic Center has not changed. That's like a key component of it. There's no change to Aquatic Center. We've worked really hard for that. Theater, still in place, like this big piece of it. Two gymnasiums, large fitness center, huge childcare component. Vancouver All-Cross Education Center, big, important part of it.

The community center is fully open to the public. It's always been a public community center, continues a public community center. It's one of the most beautiful parts. Including the pool. Including the pool. It's one of those beautiful parts of what Ezra said. It's a community facility that we're so happy to be a part of. We have a competition pool. That's part of the committee part of the how long is how long is the pool what if I made her?

The other one might be for staff. Okay, no problem. So new high school will replace existing high school, correct? It's a larger facility to accommodate the growth of the school, which we can accommodate on the existing site. Current site is privately owned, so the owners will decide what they're going to do with that when the high school moves to the new location.

It's not owned by J-West, yes. Not a part of the project at all, but we're super excited to bring the school in as part of this project.

Phase two, so quick phasing is we're going to build a new community center on the existing parking lot, if you're familiar with the site. Because we want to remain operational in the community center for as long as possible. Once the new community center is built, we can demolish the community center. So phase two, let's call it, would be the high school, 2A, and 2B would be the residential component. But the high school comes immediately after the community center.

We're expecting three years-ish from commencement to full commissioning and being operational.

Absolutely, yeah. That's the beauty of this parking lot is that we've got the ability to keep the community center running while we build the new.

We are securing parking throughout the neighborhood right now. We're working quite hard on that, securing parking throughout the neighborhood for both staff and for customers, patrons, members, visitors, whatever you want to call them.

Which all three phases? So community center itself is going to be approximately a three-year construction timeline, and then we'll move into the subsequent phases.

The school probably will be another two years, let's say, after that, and the residential market dependent.

That's the question mark, obviously, we can't answer today. Like anybody else, like any other, you know, in the rest of my world when I work as a private developer or looking five years out what it's going to be, don't know. But right now, really, we're focused on the community. We're a reverse project. Josh said it so nicely. We're a reverse project. We're going to deliver the community benefits first. First thing is going to be the community center. We're going to spend $180 million of privately raised money to the community center. Then we're going to move on to the school, and then we're finally going to get to the residential at the end. So we're doing a reverse role here. But our key really is the community aspects of it, which for us as a community center and the school, that's really the key. And the residential, when time allows and the market allows, then that would be time for that to come on board.

It's the reverse of most projects you see. Most projects you see, they want to do the residential first and give you the other part last. We want to do this part first. It will be in the next five years, so that will be done. And then when the market allows, move into the residential component.

There's no parking under the community center, partly because of the pool and partly for security reasons. We don't have parking under the community buildings. The parking is, again, it's going to depend on when the residential happens. It's both under the residential and under the playing fields. or at surface, depending on the timing of the residential. We have a plan for both those two options, depending on which way the development goes beyond that.

Yeah.

Some people know, and if you know, you know. If you don't, you don't. And... So to access the services at the community center, you do not have to be a member. There's no membership required. The vast majority of the people taking our swimming lessons are regular people not paying a membership. So a membership is sort of your regular fitness. So it's sort of like very similar to your one card in the city of Vancouver where you pay a monthly... And actually, if you look at the costing of the membership itself, it is not vastly different from a regular pass to a community center. And so when you're looking at affordability, it is not that much more. We always think about ourselves as, you know, there's... accessible recreation within vancouver and there's 24 community centers we are an alternative choice to the 24 community centers you're not like a private community like private club style community center is what i'm here we are not a private club style as i mentioned we have 40 of our membership that are not jewish and that's an estimate because we don't monitor that very closely we just want we want to make sure we're as open as possible One of the interesting things from affordability is, you know, our theater, like I had mentioned, we have 30,000 people who come into our theater on a, I don't know if I even mentioned it, but on an annual basis, the vast majority of people who come there said, oh, I've never been here before. They start touring around the center so many times where people start saying, oh, maybe I'll join. Maybe I'll become a member because that's what brings them in. And they realize that it's not this hidden club that they can access the pool. And the pool is key. Wonderful. We all know. Thank you. That's my time. That's my time. Thank you.

Thank you.

My name is Diego Matlabom. I live in North Vancouver, but I work in the city of Vancouver. Okay, thank you.

Thank you, everybody, for your time. I want to voice my very strong support for this project, both as what I would consider myself a proud Vancouverite, a proud member of the Jewish community. But the reason I support this project beyond all of the social benefit that I think we've heard here today is because there's no better community center than one with community energy. And there's an infrastructure story here that this project can help unlock that people might not be very familiar with. So I'm the chief development officer of a company called Corex. We develop, invest, and own district energy systems, low-carbon ones, regulated by BC Utilities Commission. And when Oak Ridge Park down the road was first being conceptualized back in 2015, 2017, that was a long time ago, there was the new green building policy that was coming out, and it was envisioned that Oak Ridge Park would be the anchor for a new low-carbon district energy system that would provide low-carbon energy for all of the Canby Corridor and the Oak Ridge area. Very proud to say that we've developed that system. We're a 50% owner of that system. So Oak Ridge Park actually has about 500 geothermal boreholes underneath and it heats and cools that entire development. But the intention is to turn that into a true broader community asset that can serve the community around there and to expand that infrastructure so it gets beyond Oak Ridge Park. The Jewish Community Center would be the first potential expansion customer for that infrastructure. And what that unlocks is not just benefits for the Jewish Community Center to be sustainable, reliable, and low carbon, but it actually then unlocks piping in the street that can then serve all of the developments around there. So whether it's Oak Ridge Transit Center or the other things that are coming down the pipeline, no pun intended, we then have the ability to serve them through the district energy system. And if we miss the opportunity with the Jewish Community Center, it's a very real possibility that that beautiful district energy system under Oak Ridge Park remains only to the servitude of Oak Ridge Park, and that would be a real tragedy. And so as you consider this, please consider the infrastructure and sustainability and climate action that can be accomplished by having the Jewish Community Center project go forward. That's why I would like to voice my strong support for the project. Thank you.

yes uh good evening acting mayor and council arnold mattis architect applicant we will waive any presentation but we will be happy to answer any questions and with that i'd also like to introduce ian o'donnell who's with us today from alberta who's representing west rich pacific the development developer for the project do you want to say a few words ian Good evening and thank you so much for having us. We could not be more excited to be bringing our first rezoning to the City of Vancouver. And while we have a project around the corner in DPBP 39th Granville, this will be our first significant project potentially in the City of Vancouver. And we're incredibly excited to be investing in Vancouver and bringing a mixture of housing and other amenities to the area. And we are builders. We do not sit on land. We actively build and have over 1,500 units under construction across Canada in many major markets. So looking forward to any questions you may have and just really excited to be in the city of Vancouver and bringing this project forward.

I'm trying to talk and I can't hear. It's so noisy.

Oh, okay. Thank you, Chair and members of Council.

Yeah, I support the transit-oriented development of the provincial government, but just one block south, at 42nd and Willow, the city planning department approved a townhouse complex instead of a rental apartment. So we have to be consistent. We see in a certain distance of the station, we have to provide rental apartments, not market townhouses. The problem with this site is it's part of the bigger... Huge site bounded by 41st to 37th and Willow Street to Oak Street, which is probably about 16 acres. And this is done separately instead of doing the whole site properly at one time and, you know, splitting it into different parcels just doesn't make any sense. planning perspective and from the way things are done and I just hold on a second here the the traffic report that was produced for the Oak Ridge Transit Center development. It's the 250 pages. Admit that there is going to be very bad congestion. It'd be like downtown Vancouver at 41st and Oak, or even worse, and the whole corridor, Oak Street and 41st. I mean, there's an accident. Every week, there's at least one accident. especially on Oak Street. And it's just going to get worse if the development is not done properly. And as I said, it's not properly done because it's just one parcel out of all big 16-acre site, you know, and that's what the problems are. And as... As Councillor Orr pointed out, there is no 24-7 bus service on Oak Street. There isn't one on 41st Avenue. When you have such a dense number of people, you have to provide 24-7 bus service. Otherwise, people are not going to use the bus all the time. And when they buy a monthly pass, they want to use it every day, 24-7. So, oh, yeah, there is also the three schools along Willow Street, 33rd, 37th, and 41st. And, you know, there's lots of traffic there, and we need proper traffic signals, not push-button signals, but regular traffic signals all around that area. As was pointed out in the Netherlands, 350-page traffic report, and nothing has been done. So we have to mitigate many things to get proper mitigation for the whole area and for Oak Street and 41st. So that's many problems. And unless they are being done, you know, we're going to have big problems in this whole corridor.

Yes, I need to declare a conflict due to a close personal relationship with someone employed by the applicant.

Good evening, Council. My name is Allison Smith, and I'm the rezoning planner presenting the ODP amendment and CD1 rezoning for 1683 to 1691 East Pender Street and 485 Commercial Drive.

The subject site is composed of one parcel located in the Granview Woodland neighborhood at the northwest corner of Commercial Drive and Pender Street. The site is currently vacant. The surrounding neighborhood consists of a mix of purpose-built rental and strata buildings as well as commercial and industrial uses. The existing built form is primarily low to mid-rise forms with some higher forms anticipated to be built in the area in the future. A number of existing social service centers and community and cultural spaces are concentrated in the area, including the existing Kettle Friendship Society facility on Venable Street and the Urban Native Youth Association and Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Center on Hastings Street.

The site has a split generalized land use designation in the ODP of mixed-use mid-rise on the western portion of the site and mixed-use low-rise on the eastern portion of the site. Mixed-use mid-rise and mixed-use low-rise designations consists of mixed-use buildings with non-dwelling uses at the ground level and office or dwelling uses above, up to 12 and 6 stories respectively.

The application proposes to change the GLU designation for a portion of the site to residential high-rise one, which permits buildings of up to 26 stories. As the application proposes to change the GLU designation through an ODP amendment, a public hearing is required.

The eastern portion of the site is designated commercial drive north in the plan, which permits six stories and a maximum density of three FSR. The western portion of the site is designated as the Pender Street transition area, which allows for up to 10 stories with a maximum density of 3.2 FSR. A minimum of 20% floor area of non-market housing is required in the Pender Street transition area.

Section 7.1 of the plan aims to increase housing options for vulnerable community residents and to end homelessness, including by working with service providers to respond to the specialized housing needs of communities that are disproportionately at risk in the neighborhood housing market. The housing policies of the plan permit consideration of modest increases in height and density for delivery of non-market housing, including supportive housing, to assist with project viability subject to fit within the neighborhood context. Although originally envisioned for development at a different location during creation of the plan, the plan prioritizes the renewal and expansion of the Kettle Friendship Society facility with a minimum of 30 non-market supportive housing units.

Proposal is for a 21-story residential rental building with 239 market rental units and a six-story mixed-use building with a two-story drop-in center and 40 social housing units in four floors above. The 40 social housing units would operate as supportive housing. The total site density is 7.78 FSR, which is in excess of what the plan envisioned. Staff are supportive of the increase in height and density to support the delivery of the social housing and drop-in center. Proposed development is a partnership between Cressy and the Kettle Friendship Society. If approved, a condition of enactment would require subdivision of the site. Cressy would retain ownership of the western portion of the site for the market rental tower and transfer ownership of the eastern portion of the site to Kettle. Kettle would own the subdivided east portion of the site and the drop-in center, while BC Housing would own the air rights to the social housing and grant a long-term lease with Kettle for the operation and management of the supportive housing units.

Under the Vancouver Charter, consultations opportunities must be provided for persons, organizations, and authorities affected by an ODP amendment. Council directed staff to consult with the VSB, CSF, and the Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation, and the TTsleil-Waututh Nation. The school board noted that there is continued surplus capacity at the site's catchment schools, both Admiral Seymour Elementary and Britannia Secondary School. No other comments were received from other groups by the end of the consultation period.

Public support was expressed for new housing, both in the form of rental and social housing, as well as focusing density near to transit routes. Some respondents supported the proposed height, density, and massing at this location. Others noted that the development will replace an underutilized site with a project that improves and serves the neighborhood. Staff have the following responses for the concerns that were expressed. Firstly, in relation to the comments of excessive height, scale, and massing. The proposed height of the market tower does exceed the 10 stories contemplated in the plan. However, staff are supportive of this extra height in order to facilitate the delivery of the social housing and the drop-in center. Secondly, in response to the concern for over-concentration of social and supportive housing in this area, staff note that the plan does encourage new non-market housing in the neighborhood and that it is the city's goal to ensure that there is a range of affordable housing options in every neighborhood. Thirdly, in terms of pressure on amenities, traffic, and infrastructure, staff note that the project includes an expanded social service center to benefit local community members. And staff are looking at strategies to respond to pressures on local services across the city's portfolio as part of capital planning reviews. In terms of neighborhood impact from the proposed social service center, staff note that the Kettle Friendship Society currently serves the neighborhood at their existing drop-in center location, and they're proposing a continuation of their services which benefit the community while also integrating housing at the new location. In response to concerns about the planning process, staff note that every project is reviewed based on its own merit.

The total anticipated public benefits from this project is $2.7 million, including $0.3 million for public art and $2.4 million for DCLs. Other public benefits include the 40 social housing units, 236 rental housing units, and approximately 14,000 square feet for a social service center.

In conclusion, the proposal meets the intent of the Grandview Woodland Community Plan and staff support this application subject to conditions contained in the report. Please note that there is a yellow memo attached to the application, which has two items. The first relates to additional information that Council must consider when amendments are made to the Vancouver ODP. And the second is to provide revised engineering conditions of approval in response to a request from the applicant after referral to separate the services agreement conditions for the two future proposed land parcels. Staff and the applicant team are available to answer questions.

My name is Julian Kendall. I'm Vice President of Development at Crecy Development Group, and I'm pleased to be here on behalf of the project team. And since staff just did a great job of summarizing the application already, I'll just do a short introduction and then turn it over to a representative from Kettle to highlight some of the work they currently do in the community and the programming intended for their portion of the project. Cressy is a local family-owned real estate company focused on developing, owning, and operating real estate with a long-term ownership approach to rental housing. Cressy currently owns and operates nine rental buildings in the Grandview Woodlands neighborhood alone. We have been working closely with Kettle for over three years now on this project and have a great amount of respect for the work that they do in the community. Both Kettle and Cressy have deep roots in the Gramby Woodland neighborhood, each with over 50 years of history here. That shared local experience allows us to bring a thoughtful, practical, and respectful approach to delivering this project to the community. As proud long-term owners, both Cressy and Kettle are invested not only in our buildings, but also in the communities around them. We work hard to ensure each project is a good neighbor and a positive addition to the community, as reflected in the long-standing track records of both organizations. If approved, this project will deliver 40 supportive housing units, 100% of which will be at shelter rates, plus an expanded 14,000 square foot social services drop-in center, all in a self-contained building to be owned and operated by the Kettle. This building represents 20% of the floor area for the overall project. In the tower, there will be 236 secured rental units, all of which will meet the Class B DCL waiver rents, which are significantly more affordable than market rents in the city. This building will be owned and operated long-term by Cressy.

The existing property, which is over half an acre in size, is sitting completely clear of any buildings, meaning there will be no tenant displacement. This project would allow the currently underused property to contribute much-needed rental housing, supportive housing, and social services space to the community. Both Cressy and Kettle are extremely proud of the project we've proposed for consideration this evening and are confident we have the expertise to deliver the project in a timely manner and to ensure it will be managed responsibly over the long term, resulting in a lasting value for the neighborhood at large. I'd now like to introduce Janet. You're speaking. Janet Smith from Kettle, just to say a few words. Okay.

Good evening, Deputy Mayor and Council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Janet Smith, and I am here in my role as Director of Housing and Real Estate on behalf of the Kettle Society, proposing the redevelopment of 485 Commercial Drive. I'm joined this evening by Michelle Jerome, who is the Director of Community Services. We are very proud to be partnering with Cressy Developments to bring this project forward and create a much needed homes and services here in the Grandview Woodlands community. Together we are working to deliver a purpose-built community asset that combines the Kettle's decades of frontline mental health, housing, and community service experience and thoughtful redevelopment capacity. The Kettle has been located in the community for 50 years. Our reputation has been built through decades of intentional operations, strong relationships, and a clear understanding that we are responsible not only to the people who come through our doors, but also to our neighbors, businesses, and the public spaces around us. The need this project responds to is not theoretical, and it is not new. Our current building is aging, overcrowded, and no longer adequate for the level of demand we are seeing. Demand has increased by 15% this year alone and has grown by 50% since 2020. When the redevelopment is complete, our current drop-in will close and relocate three blocks away. The people we serve and services we provide will remain in the community What will change is our ability to respond to the growing demand and the facility that is larger, safer, and purpose-built for today's needs. The building will be purpose-built with community safety in mind, features such as separate entrances, part storage, improved sight lines, better circulation, and enhanced staff oversight directly addresses concern raised by neighbors and operational challenges we face today in a building that was never designed for this level of demand. The project also brings supported housing and community services together under one roof, which reflects the Kettle's longstanding belief that housing and support must be delivered together for people to achieve long-term stability. Pedal on the Drive will include 40 self-contained subsidized homes connected to wraparound supports, relationships, and community services that help people stabilize and stay housed. The co-location model has several important benefits. One of the most significant is the supported housing will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing ongoing presence and added oversight on the block during the times when the drop-in is closed. It also creates opportunities for stronger connections to support. When tenants or their guests need assistance, they can be connected directly to the drop-in, helping them access the resources and the support they need to improve stability and well-being. The Kettle is well-positioned to operate this housing. We currently operate more than 400 homes across the continuum that includes licensed care. enhanced care, supported housing, portable subsidies, and transitional housing. By spring 2027, that number will grow to more than 500 homes as we expand our portfolio to include complex care. Our mental health model is built around strong staffing, wraparound support, advocacy, health connections, and early interventions. We are equally committed to strong operations and accountability. This project will be supported by upfront investment in staffing, including 24-7 on staff coverage for the housing, trained mental health workers throughout the drop-in, 365 days a year. We will be implementing our good neighbor policy, which we take great pride in at all of our housing sites. We have a posted number that people can contact for urgent concerns. We maintain clear complaint and issue resolution processes, and we form a community advisory committee so neighbors, local businesses, partners, and the Kettle have a regular forum to share information, track concerns, and work together through solutions so all of the community is partnered together. This project is a practical investment in the future of this community. It will improve the capacity, accessibility, and the safety of our drop-in, while adding much needed supported housing connected to services people need to succeed. Kettle on the Drive will give us the space, Staffing and tools to respond more effectively to the needs that already exist in the neighborhood We respectively ask council to support this project so the kettle can continue serving the Grandview woodland for decades to come Thank you for your time Okay, thanks very much Are there any questions from council to staff or the applicant noting?

The space we're in right now, BOFO is interested in purchasing it, and they will allow us to stay there so we can directly move from there into our new space without any disturbance in service.

The drop-in center and the 40 social housing units make up 20% of the floor area.

Yeah, thanks. Thanks for the presentation. And, you know, having recently toured Kettle, I can attest, you know, that they definitely need a bigger space. My question is more around, I guess, this one sentence, the cost to develop the social housing and social service center building will be solely the responsibility of Kettle. Yeah. I suppose, I'm not sure who I'm asking, perhaps maybe Kettle or maybe the applicant around, what does that look like in terms of what funding has already been secured for that to make that happen? I'm just sort of thinking, you know, we approve this and some, heaven forbid, some funding falls through from senior levels of government or whatever, and then now we just have the market component and... you know, an empty site. So just wondering, I know that if Kettle doesn't take ownership, you know, there's a clause in there that it does go to another nonprofit, but that's not my question. It's just more around... The funding that has already sort of been secured has magically got lower.

Thank you for your question. Basically, our first goal will be to get through rezoning. We've already been working with BC Housing for about a little over two years on the site. We're already quite a ways through some of the development permit design work. We are not, our project hasn't been cancelled under the supported housing with BC Housing. It's been put on a temporary pause and we have full confidence through the discussions that we're still having that once the ownership takes place we'll be able to negotiate a deal. And we've already started the quiet phase of our capital campaign, and we've already raised significant money for that. Once it's rezoned and the ownership transfer happens, it makes everything a lot easier because it's kind of almost hearsay at this point. So we're fully confident that the funds will be able to be raised and that we've been planning it for a decade. So, yeah. I remember the old site, too, as well. It's been a long time coming, and that's good to hear that that's going through. And, yeah, we've heard that through a few different rezonings where this process has to happen, and then we can continue on. So thank you for that. That's all my questions. Thanks.

We've actually worked on this quite in detail. The current drop-in is about 6,000 square feet. The other one that we were looking at last time go around, we were looking at about 12,000. Yeah, I was here for that. And we have actually done quite a lot of discussions with all the teams and looking at what we perceive as what we're going to need in the future. So we've actually put in about a 20%, 25% buffer for growth. even past the five years of what we're planning for in our strategic plan for the next five. So we feel the 14,000 is quite significant.

No, what we're working on right now that we've been working on for a while, we're not actually been in negotiations with BC Housing under any formal proposal call. So we're working directly with them doing the supported housing and having ownership of the site.

Yeah, so... If we're fully confident, like I just met with them last week, I'm fully confident that once we have ownership, a deal will be being made because they're still very interested in supported housing. We were able to get those rezoning through supported housing. And we do have, though, a backup opportunity that I don't really want to talk about now, but we do have a backup opportunity to be able to develop the supported housing if BC Housing does not come to the table.

But I'm fully confident they will.

Well, we're hoping that all of the finalizing will be done soon after the reenactment of the rezoning, because we want to start moving on the DP right away.

All right. Thank you, Council, all of you for listening. And I know you guys have long days and nights these days. My name is Arno Kopetsky. I live next door to the proposed tower at 1647 East Pender. It's a 10-unit townhouse complex. I'm the strata president. We are opposed to this project for a couple of reasons. But I do want to say, first of all, that I appreciate the city is grappling with a bunch of emergencies, particularly housing, mental health. I am super sympathetic to those issues. I am an environmental journalist myself and have written extensively about the need for densifying cities. I know there are a number of reasons to do so, environmental, social, providing housing, making it affordable. My feeling, and I think I speak for my entire strata, is that somewhere between You know, we live in a five-story townhouse complex. Somewhere between five and 22 stories is perhaps a reasonable medium that isn't quite as extreme. This 22-story tower is more than twice as tall as the Grandview Woodland Plan had envisioned. That was a plan that people spent years developing. I've lived here for 10 years, so that Grandview Woodland Plan, I sort of moved into it. It would, the impact of this tower on, you know, commercial drive is a pretty special place in this city. We are at the northern gateway to it. I feel that this would have an immense, not just aesthetic impact, although that is real, it would also impact, you know, the amenities, that it would shade out a whole bunch of houses. It would really sort of restructure the whole architecture of that neighborhood. I'm also aware that two towers have already been approved, I believe one yesterday, just north of us on Hastings.

So perhaps that's an argument in some people's eyes. Well, there's already two in there. Why not one more? I would argue perhaps maybe there has to be a limit somewhere. So that's, you know, as far as the tower itself going in, that's sort of our concern is just, I guess you can imagine what it would feel like for a 22-story tower to go in right next door to you where no towers currently exist. I do feel... that there is an element of exploiting a social need. I have immense respect for the people who run Kettle and the good work that Kettle Society is doing. I have immense sympathy for the people who are living on our streets and have housing issues, mental health issues, addiction issues. I support helping them in any way possible. It feels to me like Pressy is cashing in on an opportunity to build... A tower that is, again, more than twice as tall as was envisioned in the original zoning plan.

It's not entirely clear that Cattle Society is going to be able to build this and to come up with the funds, as a couple of your questions alluded to. I hope they can find a home. I know it's been a long struggle for them.

Our neighborhood and our unit is also grappling right now with... the Lookout Society that just shifted operations across the alleyway from our place. So they took over from the Friendship Society, had been running an overnight shelter up until very recently. And then a couple months ago, Lookout Society moved in, turned it into a 24-7 shelter, low barrier. So that has turned our neighborhood into just an open drug use zone. I know, Councillor... Klaassen, I believe you've been to the site. You've communicated with my neighbor, Paul. I believe Councillor Meiszner has as well. We're pretty concerned. I have a 10-year-old daughter, and I can't let her outside of our house without supervision. If we open the windows, we hear people screaming. There's paraphernalia, people using everything right outside, people passed out in the alleyway. It's been a really dramatic difference.

I don't know how much of that is lookout societies fault versus the city's fault I'm not trying to cast blame really but we are kind of want to implore whoever's in charge could you if you want us to support these kinds of projects you'll need we were I guess we're begging you to provide some patrols that could keep the alleyway clean and safe people are defecating in our doorways Like I said, screaming at all hours of the day and night, groups of people huddled around using. Again, I don't want to vilify folks who are in crisis. I see I have 12 seconds left, but it does not give me or us immense confidence in more of this stuff coming into our neighborhood. We're worried about being engulfed by more shelters and the tower feels like it's a part of that. That's my five minutes, so I'll let it go.

Two were able to attend and the other one couldn't. So they're sitting over here.

Question, though. I had a late submission for my presentation, and I'm wondering if council would consider suspending the role so that I can present. The clerk does have my presentation.

It's a PDF.

Yes.

Mm-hmm I'm gonna get you to try and be as descriptive as possible in the eight minutes and we'll start now Okay My name is Nolana Greaves I am the strata president at 1588 East Hastings the Oham and I'm speaking on behalf of myself AJ Prasad Jennifer Chu and Wendy Maynard who are all part of the strata Council and I am a resident of Vancouver, and I oppose this application. I support affordable housing. I do not support concentrating the impacts into one neighborhood without proper planning. I had pictures on my presentation of the Hastings bus stop that is consistently used as a public space for defecation, hanging out. drug use, part of the city's public transportation with a lot of foot traffic. We've raised significant concerns of the decline of public safety, livability, and emergency services that are happening in this area. I have pulled the freedom of information from the emergency response services and 1,113 emergency medical responses from 2022 to 2025, with 686 transported to the hospital. It was a 62% increase.

BC Emergency Health Services data confirm that the immediate area surrounding the proposed development is experiencing high concentration of emergency medical responses in East Hastings, reinforcing residents' concerns regarding public safety, emergency demand, and neighbourhood livability. The highest response for calls is 180, and they are for overdoses.

had a graph with some of that I also had some pictures to show the neighborhood concerns which is broken cars biohazards fires consistently fires in the neighborhood there's many things here that we are trying to address and I think the bigger issue is that the growth has to match the municipal services. Street cleaning, graffiti removal, coordination of emergency community services, monitoring the neighborhood livability. Good planning is not only about approving new development, but also about ensuring the municipal services infrastructure and neighborhood livability grow alongside it. While I recognize that not all services are delivered by the City, the Council is responsible for land use planning and decisions about where growth and social services are located. Those decisions should be accompanied by appropriate municipal infrastructure coordinated support from provincial partners. I did pull the records and the FOI from Shape Your City. And there was 69.3% that were opposed to have the project built on this site.

And when we talk about incremental growth, you have approved 561 approved affordable housing units over this last little bit. The Place of Cedar has 191. The Indigenous Social Housing has up to 150. And then the 800 Commercial has 180. If you put 239 units plus 40 units, that's 840 units. That's not incremental. Part of the Grandview Woodland Plan would be to be incremental. Approving the application risks placing additional demand to a neighborhood that is already experiencing significant pressure on public safety, emergency services, infrastructure, and overall livability.

I did hear the staff talk about an industrial area, but if you pull up the pictures for where this site is to be placed, There are homes there, townhomes across from this building that's going to block the light for them. In addition to that, it is a proposed height that is not within the woodland plan. It doesn't sit within the character of the community. It's excessive. And like I said before, you already have approved 500 and some. Now you're looking at approving more to have 840 units in a three-radius block. And with the social service center, it does include what I read is a nurse, a bank, an advocacy department, a support and employment groups. And I do like that they address that there is wraparound services, but there's other questions that we have, such as security, access to buildings, and how will social service be managed with visitors and outdoors? What good neighboring agreements will there be in place because there's none today? As you heard from Arno, we are living in the same community and we're suffering. And we don't feel like we have the support. We have talked to the Lookout Society and they do not have enough staff to mandate this. When I look at the cumulative impacts, is the neighborhood infrastructure roads and sidewalks all the way around, all blocks, not just in that corner block, but on 1500 block where we live, going to be supported? And the buses that are going to be used, is that going to be supportive? So is the level of concentration, is what I'd like to know, consistent with the city's policies on equitable distribution of housing and services across Vancouver? And then I ask about public safety before approving or amendment to official... development plan a significant increase in density can council confirm that has been provided with a comprehensive assessment of the cumulative impacts on public safety emergency services infrastructure and neighborhood livability because livability is a core principle planning of the City of Vancouver's Healthy City Strategy. And what I see today is that the livability has been dismissed by staff in reports, that 506 already-approved social housing has been put in place. We have not seen a report on cumulative impacts. In the evidence-based planning, what assessment demonstrates livability been considered that this is required of the Healthy City Strategy? And if livability is a core principle of Vancouver's planning framework, I respectfully ask Council to demonstrate how the livability of this neighbourhood has been protected in making these recommendations. In my presentation, it shows the public safety police reporting from 2025 to 2026. and also the emergency services that are overburdened. I personally can speak to this because I hear the sirens every day. So I respectfully request for Council to oppose the resigning application. I request the following to be reviewed prior to approvals. a comprehensive cumulative neighborhood impact assessment, a public safety emergency service assessment, an infrastructure and municipal services capacity, and demonstrate that the proposal is consistent with the city's commitment to livability of the Healthy City Strategy and Grandview Woodland Plan. A clear plan showing how municipal and provincial services will support existing and future residents. And that's my ask. And I leave this on stating that it disheartens me that I have to sell my home because of the livability that I'm living in and my psychological health and safety has taken a dive. I'm not medically equipped to deal with drug overdose every day. Cleaning up human.

Thank you for your time today. Let you know that I am moving out of the neighborhood because of this.

I did send it.

Yes, I called the clerk today and I apologize for putting in a late response. I work full-time and just lost track of time, and they emailed me back and said that I could submit it as a public comment, and I did. So it is in there, and it will show you the pictures and just the information that I went over today. And I thank you for your time. Thank you.

Hello.

Great, thank you. My name is Nadine Chambers. I am five years in East Van and 17 years a block away from this project. Slide one, please, should be on screen. I'm not sure if it's there yet. I'm hoping it is.

I am against this particular project because I feel that it brings another dense market value scheme.

Can you hear me right now?

Okay, so there was no consultation with the community that I heard about, but have been there. I worked across the street with the kettle in the 1990s, and it has changed. know about this good neighbor policy and phone number it's not visible to me i care about kettle users they pass my building every day the kettle has had facebook ads nadine

I'm not really sure how I can assist with this. I'm in a quiet room. I'm on a phone. It's not on speaker.

Absolutely. I've been listening.

I will email to call back on a landline. I will email a landline number to call back. Is that okay?

Yeah. Good evening, Mr. Deputy Mayor. Vancouver Council. My name is Robert Milroy. I am a local business owner on Commercial Drive. I'm a commercial property owner on Commercial Drive. My family lives in the Grandview Woodland area, and I've been fortunate to be the direct neighbor to the Kettle Friendship Society drop-in center for the last 10 to 12 years. I'm here to speak to... what it is like to be the neighbor. Kettle Friendship is not a good neighbor. They're a great neighbor. I'm enthusiastic about the new space that they've proposed. I think they deserve it. I can report that over a period of 10 years, we have never had a single negative incident related to the kettle. Quite the opposite. We've had an excellent working relationship. And not just with the staff of the kettle, but with the clients who benefit from the drop-in center. As a pharmacy operator and working on the front lines of health care, I have experienced a lot of different organizations. in the mental health as well as addiction and geriatric care space. I can attest that the Kettled is a unique society. I think all organizations have their place and have a different profile. I would like to assure... anyone in this room today that the Kettle has a unique and impeccable reputation as an organization. They don't grow for growth's sake. They don't take on new operations for any kind of, I don't know, empire building or boredom. Honestly, any project they take on, they do excellently. And they've had that reputation for decades.

I can... I can say that their clientele is, their mission and clientele is fairly specific. They have a unique approach by working specifically with mental health and providing things like art and shelter and engagement to bring a benefit to the community. People in our communities that benefit, and it's not just the clientele, it is the businesses, It is the families, young families like mine, because quite frankly, I think our little area is quieter and more stable because of the kettle's presence. So I'm actually glad they're not moving very far down the street because it would be, our little area would be worse off without the presence of the kettle. So I'm happy to enthusiastically recommend this. this change of council, I hope you'll vote in favor. And anyone who is concerned about having the kettle as a neighbor, in my opinion, should not be. They're very open, they're very approachable, and very open to responding to any issues that could ever come up. So I want to thank you guys for that. Thank you.

I am. Can you hear me?

Okay, great. Side one, please. Hi, I'm Nadine Chambers, 35 years in East Van and 17 years a block away from this project. I'm really glad somebody ahead of me said they support the kettle. I'm really glad that as a neighbor at Venables, that's working for you. And I support the kettle and the work I've worked in the downtown Eastside, but I am against this project because I feel it is another dense market value scheme dotted with a few kettle apartments. There was no consultation with the community immediately around this site. I would have heard about it. I would have been there. I worked across the street with the kettle in the 1990s, and it's been a bit changed. What good neighbor policy and number? Not visible, and I walk by there all the time about rising. The kettle had a couple of Facebook ads that I saw and a single postcard late that came to my building, which is two blocks away. The admin building at Salisbury is sealed to the public. And leadership I asked about this in choices did an about face. Didn't want to answer even a light question. The market side is over height. How does the higher buildings policy review consultation in Grandview Park on April 10th protect us? Went through the whole thing there. It kills the skyline for the current community south of it. That strata is next door to me. It looms over the kettle side. The Kettle Social Services Center is a hard nine to five currently. Is there something new planned for non-Kettle residents after hours, such as the shelter? I wish to have serious follow-up on the following. What is the traffic diversion plans for the bus stop areas for this development and the other two? So on my form there that you see that slide, the explosions are three planned projects right now. We're dealing with this one here. Three planned projects, indigenous housing, no problem with that across from the strata, and then on the corner. The slight spark points are bus stops and then, of course, Fire Hall 11. What demands are being made within the permit for construction that tends to pedestrian safety at the number 20 stop? What is the scheduling of construction that impacts pedestrians and bus commuters on commercial from Hastings to Venables? What specific logistics plans and implementations regarding loading and movement of construction materials, machinery, workers, and the community, and the safety in the East Pender Alley and elsewhere, just in terms of construction? To me, this is a front for bulking up private development market housing in its crisis with a social services nonprofit as a moral permission and public funding appendage. I'm still thinking about the full forensic report on community amenity contributions. The yellow memorandum clearly shows that there is a ton that was added last minute. Nowhere does it state how this will be implemented, specifically the kettle sections, page 3 to 6, C to L, in the middle of our existing community. In England, there's a considerate constructor scheme. Keeping an eye on how construction activity impacts the community, environment, and its workforce. Not here. I'm a one-woman schemer for the 20-block radius. My dad was a first-generation engineer who got me a hard hat as a kid and took me to work sites. I have a healthy skeptic view of architects. I've read your plans. It's lovely. I see nothing about safety and construction. Traffic control was my focus yesterday. Today, it's about how the permits the city allows for construction creates traffic agitation, impacts that have been ignored. Basically, I look at slide after slide one, looking at slide. I don't see this as separate. This past summer, I documented the original building's demolition. I was relentless. The minute the machine started up, I was on the block watching, calling 311, sending in documentation. By the end, the company's respectful question was, is she, Nadine, satisfied? Where is the community safety in the planned construction of this Kettle Cressy development? Slide two. Unlike Hastings and the Templeton developments that are side-by-side, a couple of blocks away construction that saw the roads sealed off, that is not possible here. Does the city and the constructor communicate plans early with TransLink, with us in the community? Slide three, what are the logistics for traffic coming off Hastings with the median on one side, the bus stop on the other, and a narrow lane that narrows again for residents and newly converted to paid parking that's just recently happened? That summer, I spent hours watching people try to get to the bus stop. It was a nightmare. I'm just going to stop there. Allison Smith spoke about the industrial mix. The alley for Francis Street Weekly is already quietly being used by trucks to deliver to light industry just west of Woodlands. Note in this picture on the right that there's a truck making its way nipped through. on this McLean Street. And that's it.

Hello, Duncan Higgin, Vancouver homeowner in the neighborhood. Just making sure that I'm coming through clearly.

So I'm calling from 1500 block of Pender Street, one block from the site of development. I want to back here and listening to my neighbors and community members, I hear their concerns. I also walk with my two children into Woodlands Park every day and witness in the morning and the evening people packing up tents. and packing up where they live in our community, our neighbors. I cannot, full-throatedly enough, support this development. When we're talking about 40 units of supportive housing, and more importantly, access to a meaningful drop-in center for mental health concerns, those are the type of intervention points that Commercial Drive and this neighborhood has always recognized as imperative and important. And while I hear individuals speaking and discussing ideas of sight lines and views, I recognize that. I also recognize a dire need in our community for our colleagues and our friends and our people who live in community right now on the street. Cannot support this enough. Kettle has a longstanding history of running well-run intervention points and support services in our city. They'd be doing work when it was desperately unfashionable to do it. I have great faith in that. The increase in density? I'm worried where my kids will be able to live in this city if we aren't creating enough housing necessary for them to be able to move into an affordable fashion. I've heard time and time again in this whole conversation ideas of livability. I live indoors and I sleep every night on a bed. And we have neighbors and community members who are sleeping in parks or defecating in alleys. The only solution I can come up with and think of regarding the unhoused is, I don't know what to call the housing. We're looking at units of rentable housing and supportive housing and a drop incentive to support our neighbors and our community members. cannot support this project enough we will be impacted here in this household all of us by the construction and still favor this approach I'm not sure how else we're going to address it we have a homeless count that's up north of 2 700 individuals unhoused over 700 of whom in our own city are sleeping on the street every day the only pathway to solving this livability and the notion of safety is to house individuals and approach this which is long delayed it's over 10 years in discussions it's come up a couple times cannot be supported enough to see this reified and actually activated in our community it's what our community needs whether we are housed and have an address whether you're like me in your own house regardless you have a right to be indoors and projects like this help that happen and i cannot cannot impress upon council the importance of this level of engagement this level of activation in our communities and we need to see it broadly we've heard conversations tonight around densification of support services we are clearly in need when we have 2700 individuals in our city who don't have housing we can't open enough Let's see it broadly across the city, but let's not then act in this fashion as neighbors and as community members that suggest that this neighborhood is overburdened when another neighborhood should have more. I assure you, I walk this community every morning, every evening with my dogs and with my family and with my kiddos. I see plenty of need here. They're not shipping in individuals from elsewhere in the city. They're simply supporting the individual. community where we already exist. And again, this idea of livability and safety, we all become safer and we all become healthier and happier when people in our community who are outside sleeping rough are moving indoors.

The open drug use, just to address that, that has been going on in this community long before Lookout, Kettle, or anybody else had. anything open or even support services in this neighborhood that was activated and happening and is a response of individuals not having a space where they can do so indoors if they need to and so again i just reiterate my utter support for this project calling you from the 1500 block of pender one block away thanks for calling in thank you okay be well

AND I WOULD JUST ECHO THE SPEAKERS, ESPECIALLY THE ONE WHO JUST SPOKE, HAS SAID A LOT OF WHAT I WANTED TO SAY, SO I WON'T REPEAT THAT. BUT I'VE LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR DECADES, NOT JUST 10 OR 15 YEARS. and walk by Kettle pretty much that whole time. And they are an outstanding neighbor. And just like the gentleman before me, I've never, you know, hundreds of times of walking by Kettle, never seen any issues. And I really think that the people that are not supportive are conflating a large-scale problem of homelessness with a much smaller scale problem of this issue that's before council right now. And the development has been on the books, has been asked for, has been needed, has been developed for a decade, as we've already heard. And it's high time that it happened, and I'm so glad to hear that it's expansive. And finally, if homelessness uh is bothering the neighbors then a development project to provide 40 units of housing is exactly the solution that we need in our neighborhood and with that i hope council will support this and this can move forward as fast as possible thanks very much

Hi there. My name is Anna Cooper, and I'm here to speak in favor of the Kettle Project. I have lived in the Commercial Drive neighborhood since I moved to Vancouver in 2001, and I am a community nurse in the Grandview Woodlands, downtown Eastside neighborhoods. I am fortunate to live in a housing co-op, one of the last built with federal financing in 1987, providing stable, affordable housing for my family, along with a built-in community for myself, my partner, and our children. My children attended local schools, we purchase our food on commercial drive, get our haircuts and dental care on the drive, and use the fabulous Britannia Community Centre for a variety of programs, and have accessed healthcare at Robert and Lily Lee Family on Broadway. All within walking distance, making our quality of life on the higher end of the scale. As a nurse, I meet homeless and poorly housed members of our community every day. They too are connected to our community. They may sleep in the parks, get their food at local shops or at the Kettle, both prepared lunch and groceries to go, participate in recreational activities at the Kettle or Britannia or Grandview Park, and access health care at Reach Urgent Care or with me at the Kettle Clinic. Several members are part of the street cleaning team, ensuring a clean environment for all of us neighbours. Petal members also struggle with mental illness and or addiction, as well as extreme poverty, all leading to poor health outcomes. They need, like I did, housing that is in their neighbourhood and will provide the peace of mind affordable, clean and stable housing offers. It is not a question for debate that housing is a key social determinant of health and leads to improved health outcomes. Multiple studies have shown this, including a 2012 study led by the Canadian Mental Health Commission, which included several Kettle members.

Lastly, the Kettle Society has been an integral part of our community for 50 years and are well respected and used by neighbours, members and other service providers. Mental illness and addiction are in all our communities, whether people are impoverished and live on the street or live in private homes supported by family and friends. They too can benefit from the Kettle services. I encourage you to vote yes for this project.

I am on the line, and I do live in Vancouver.

Well, so I've lived on the drive for more than a decade, and I'm a resident of the 1500 block of East Pender, just one block away from where this development will take place. I'm very excited to strongly support this project by the Kettle Society, a wonderful organization that has been providing transformative services in this community for many years. I love living on the drive, and I love all of its diversity, and I've been delighted by the improvements that the city has made possible on the drive in recent years. The planning that has been taking place has truly made the drive come alive in exciting ways with the parklets and outdoor seating and improvements to cycling infrastructure. And really, the case I would make is that homeless and low-income Vancouverites should be able to participate in this exciting revitalization as well. As other community members have pointed out tonight, the reality of our city and of cities across the country is that economic stratification is increasing, that there has been a vicious turn against harm reduction principles, and that rates of homelessness are rapidly increasing.

Safety does not work through exclusion. And what my neighbors have described tonight when they are in opposition of this project is actually securitization. It's not only that we don't get to create an invisible wall around this community and exempt ourselves from this broader reality that is happening at much higher levels than the municipal level. It's the reality that our responsibility to one another and to our community members is to embrace the complexity of what it means to refuse this violence and to choose to find a way to live together in our city across the divisiveness of stigma. I really want to reframe the discourse around public safety that has come up in this forum because I am within yelling distance of the two condos strata members that spoke tonight, and I do not hear persistent screaming and yelling. I do not walk in feces every day, and I walk my dogs every day in the alley behind the proposed development. I chat with my neighbors, housed and unhoused. More than once, they have offered me things that they have. They've given me a dog bag for my own dogs, and I didn't have one. They pet my dogs. They engage. I have never once felt unsafe. And in fact, these community members are what make me want to live here and to continue to live here. We need to consider that when we see signifiers like PCs in an alleyway, a person screaming in distress, discarded drug pedophilia, These are not fundamental threats to our safety. These people are members of our public. And this is a reflection of the incredible risk that those community members live in every day and the lack of safety that they are living in without safe places to toilet, without running water, without appropriate care and support and shelter. The reality, too, of homelessness is that different communities need different things. There seems to be a notion among many Vancouverites that we can ghettoize everyone in the downtown east side, and not everyone in the homeless community is created the same or has the same needs. There are people already living in this community. The question is whether we make the decision to shelter them and to provide them with appropriate services, and I have every confidence in the Kettle Society to do that with this project. Thank you.

Okay, good evening, Council. My name is Ricardo Peggi. I'm the rezoning planner assigned to this application at 75 East 8th Avenue for a 21-story mixed-use hotel and industrial building.

The subject site is comprised of three parcels, located at the northwest corner of Quebec Street and East 8th Avenue in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. The site is currently developed with a three-story apartment building, including 27 units of primary rental housing. The site is located towards the edge of the Mount Pleasant Industrial Area, a block west of Main Street and a block north of East Broadway. Lands to the north and west are generally used for a mix of office, service, and industrial uses. Lands to the south and east of the site contain a mix of office, residential, and commercial uses. The neighborhood is undergoing significant change with future redevelopment as per the Broadway plan, as well as with the SkyTrain extension. The future Mount Pleasant Station is located approximately 175 meters to the southeast.

The existing apartment was constructed in 1961 and predates the current industrial I-1 zoning that applies to the property. The building is considered a non-conforming use, which means that it may be maintained but may not be expanded or reconstructed under the current zoning.

Metro 2050 is the regional growth strategy for the Metro Vancouver region. The RGS sets regional land use designations at the parcel level to ensure sensitive and important lands are protected. The city is required to then align land use policies and zoning with the RGS. The site is designated as industrial, and those lands are intended for industrial uses, as well as complementary job spaces, and are not intended for residential uses.

The site is designated as industrial employment in the generalized land use map in the Vancouver ODP. This designation supports a number of industrial and employment uses, including hotels near rapid transit areas, and generally does not permit residential uses. The Vancouver ODP does not prescribe applicable heights for this designation.

Site is located in the Mount Pleasant Industrial Area, Area A of the Broadway Plan, which enables industrial, office, service, retail, cultural, and institutional uses, typically with heights up to 11 stories. While the plan does not enable a hotel development at the subject property, this location has similar characteristics to area where the plan does consider hotel use. namely along the periphery of the Mount Pleasant industrial area and near to rapid transit. Further, the proposed height and density will be consistent with other developments enabled by the Broadway plan near to the Mount Pleasant SkyTrain station.

The proposal is to rezone the site to a comprehensive development district to enable the development of a mixed-use hotel building with an industrial podium. The maximum height is 21 stories or 70.9 meters, and the proposed density is 12.1 FSR. The proposed development contains 190 hotel units and industrial uses in the bottom two stories.

The site contains 27 units of primary rental housing, of which 25 are eligible under the city's tenant relocation and protection policy for the Broadway Plan area. The proposal does not include any replacement rental units, so the right of first refusal and associated rent top-ups will not apply. The applicant will be required to support eligible tenants to identify housing options that reflect tenant household needs and priorities, including assisting low-income tenants and tenants with additional barriers to secure affordable housing and provide additional moving assistance as required. Staff worked with the applicant to propose additional enhanced relocation supports. Should the application be approved, The applicant will be required to support eligible tenants to find housing at rental rates that do not exceed 20% below citywide average market rents and assist applicable tenants with applications for non-market housing, provincial rental assistance programs, or other applicable supports.

At the time of drafting the report, 204 pieces of correspondence were received through the Shape Your City platform and by email, including a letter collectively sent by 36 tenants who live at the subject site. A form email in opposition to the proposal was submitted to staff and council with 651 submissions counted.

The proposal is consistent with the Vancouver ODP, but less than 50% of the floor area is proposed for residential use. Council therefore had the discretion whether to refer the item to a regular council agenda or to refer the item to a public hearing. Given the volume of public feedback, staff recommended the item be referred to a public hearing, and council did so on June 2nd. Public feedback expressed support for additional hotel space, the location for the project near to rapid transit, and the attractive building design. Concerns were also expressed. Firstly, that the proposed development should include replacement rental housing units for current tenants. It should be noted that the proposal does not contain residential uses, so a full staff review of the inclusion of residential uses has not been conducted. Staff point to the Broadway Plan, Vancouver ODP, and Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy, all of which do not permit new residential uses in the Mount Pleasant Industrial Area. The inclusion of housing would require a redesignation of the site under the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy and would require an amendment to the Official Development Plan. The second is that the proposed rezoning is removing existing affordable rental housing and will displace residents with no comparable housing costs nearby. As mentioned, staff worked with the applicant to propose additional enhanced relocation supports for tenants. The applicant will be required to support eligible tenants to find housing at rental rates that do not exceed 20% below citywide average market rents and will assist applicable tenants with applications for non-market housing, provincial rental assistance, or other supports. Lastly, the proposed building height is inappropriate for the area and is inconsistent with the existing scale and neighborhood character. The proposal maintains compliance with key urban design performance criteria, including protected viewcones, shadowing, and minimum tower separation requirements. In addition, the site is located within an outlying area of the Mount Pleasant Industrial Area near to the future SkyTrain station. The proposed built form is consistent with the emerging context near to the Rapid Transit Station.

The public benefits from this application consist of a cash CAC based on the commercial linkage fee, DCLs, and a public art contribution with a total value of $5.4 million.

In summary, the proposed land use is generally consistent with the intent of the Broadway Plan to permit mixed-use hotels and industrial developments on the fringes of the Mount Pleasant Industrial Area near to transit, and the land use is consistent with the Vancouver ODP. While the proposal raises concerns related to tenant displacement, Staff have worked with the applicant to develop a site-specific approach to tenant relocation that is as close as possible to the full enhanced TRPP per the Broadway plan. Staff therefore recommends approval of this application subject to the conditions outlined in Appendix B. And that concludes my presentation. Staff and the applicant team are available to answer questions.

Yes, thank you very much.

Good evening. I'm Josh Anderson, VP of Development at Nicola Real Estate, here on behalf of the applicant team. We've worked closely and collaboratively with staff on this application, and we're proud to bring this project forward as part of the evolution of Mount Pleasant. keep my remarks to the big picture why a hotel and why here as a starting point this site in this area have long been protected for industry and employment and under vancouver city policy housing is not permitted as a future use For more than three decades, the city and the region have deliberately protected this part of Mount Pleasant for jobs and industry, beginning with Vancouver's industrial lands policy in 1995, reaffirmed since then through the Broadway plan in 2022, and Metro Vancouver's 2050 regional growth strategy. And the direction running through every one of those layers is the same. Protect this land for employment and use it more intensely. Intensively, pardon me. Our proposal does just that. So again, why a hotel and why here? Look at what surrounds this site. Mount Pleasant has become one of the city's true innovation districts. Life sciences and biotech firms like Abcelera, tech and gaming studios, film and production companies, makers and breweries. These businesses bring people to Vancouver, sometimes for weeks at a time, relocating staff, visiting clients, contractors, and researchers who all need somewhere to stay. And today, there is no hotel of any kind on this part of the Broadway corridor. Nothing east of Heather Street or on this side of the downtown. We're also within short distance of Rapid Transit and three hospitals. Mount St. Joseph and VGH are here today, and the new St. Paul's Hospital is opening in 2027. A facility for patients in longer treatment, the families who come with them, and the clinicians and researchers who follow. These are people who need accommodations sometimes for a night and sometimes for a longer stretch.

Okay, cool.

As staff themselves note, a hotel here is a compatible service use, one that supports businesses, workers, and visitors this area is being built for. Vancouver's hotel development policy identifies a clear need for more hotels in the Broadway corridor, and the Broadway plan enables exactly this hotel in industrial form. Let me also say a word about who's behind this application, as I think it's important to mention. Nicola Real Estate, which is part of Nicola Wealth, is a Vancouver company with a local team, and we invest in Mount Pleasant for the long term. Along with several industrial and office buildings nearby, a few blocks away from this site is 2111 Main Street, and we're redeveloping the old city center motel into 447 new rental homes with retail and a dedicated arts and culture space at the base. For the past five years, rather than fence off the site, we've partnered with David Dupre and the Narrow Group to create what became known as the Arts Lodge and still is, affordable art studios and event space that has given the local arts community a home for several years and earned international recognition as a result. More broadly, through our staff giving program at Nicola Wealth, we've contributed significant charitable donations and staff time from our own company to over 300 organizations since 2016. Covenant House, who provides safe shelter, meals, and around-the-clock care to young people aged 16 to 24, escaping homelessness and human trafficking, the Arts Umbrella, who provide accessible arts education to more than 20,000 children a year, and the Union Gospel Mission, who provides meals, shelter, and addiction recovery in the downtown Eastside, have been amazing community partners for Nicola Wealth. I don't want to raise this as a reason to approve the rezoning, but just so you know the kind of neighbor standing behind the project and the proposal. Finally, I want to speak to the residents of the apartment building at 75 East 8th today. We are following the city's tenant relocation and protection policy, and we're working closely with city housing staff to go beyond what it requires. In the outset, we've reached out to tenants directly and one-on-one through a professional relocation firm, Nestwell, since the application in 2025 in November. We've hosted on-site open houses week after week. Neswell has been working with every household individually or attempting to do so, and city housing staff have been part of the table throughout. And when the time comes for the project to potentially move forward, if approved, we'll go further still. As mentioned by staff, we'll be helping residents secure new homes at below-market rents so that with our support, hopefully they have a chance to stay in the neighborhood. Several long-term residents have already chosen to move out of the building for their own reasons, and with the full TRP compensation and support, have actually shared positive feedback with us about their process and about the relocation experience. It's also worth putting the timeline in perspective for this project. Even if this is approved through this rezoning, to move quickly through this would be difficult in the current climate, and we expect no less than two years of time between now and construction could possibly begin.

No, it's past their bedtimes.

Thank you. I am Michael Cook, a co-founder of the Myron Manor Collective at 75 East 8th Avenue, a parishioner at St. Patrick's Church with my wife and our two sons. I'm a member of the BCGEU, an instructor of metal fabrication and ship construction at BCIT.

Yeah, I was supposed to represent more than three. I am representing eight children who live in our building. As I mentioned, they're all in bed now. So this is another one of the barriers that's created to limit public input. And you can have those three minutes. First, I want to ask council to consider two amendments. First, that the hotel development policy be amended by the removal of subsection 3.2.2.1D. The subsection declares all displacements of rental apartments by hotel developments to be in conformance with all community plans, despite the stated intent of those community plans and the official development plan to minimize displacements. Second, that the council immediately redesignate 75 East 8th Avenue to general urban use, according to the authority granted by Metro 2050 Regional Growth Strategy subsection 6.2.7a, in order to prevent the displacement of tenants. The site has never had an industrial use. The current building predates its industrial designation, and the developer is not applying for an industrial use. I noticed that city staff did not make the claim that, as they've made several times before, that, quote, for new residential uses to be considered on the site, the site would need Metro Vancouver Board approval for redesignation from industrial to general urban. According to 6.2.7a, council has the authority to make that decision. However, we heard that false claim from planning department staff many times in writing. We also heard it in person. We also heard it from the relocation specialist who claimed to be representing our interest.

I want to state for the record that the process of this rezoning has been unfair throughout because of misleading statements made by the planning department staff and representatives of the developer. I think I want to thank the applicant for acknowledging our existence and taking a moment to speak to us and talk about his expectation that it will take two years to start construction. At the beginning of this process, Nestwell told us that it would be 18 months before there was a hearing on the rezoning. That was eight months ago.

City staff in the same call said 12 months until a rezoning hearing. creates different expectations than the expectations that are actually being claimed when those expectations are not met. Another expectation I'd like to talk about is the planning department's claim in the referral report that displacements like these are expected to be infrequent. Why would that be the expectation? The extended stay hotel model is a 10x revenue multiplier on a traditional rental apartment. That's the reason for the application. They want to multiply revenue. That's their job. They're wealth managers.

If the city's going to allow... extended stay hotels to replace rental apartments, then, of course, developers are going to apply to do that everywhere. And if the developers and the city staff are working so closely together to find loopholes to allow it, then, yeah, why would you expect it to be infrequent? It seems like a false claim coming from people who've made a lot of false claims on the record. I'd be interested to know when they decided to stop claiming that they needed Metro Board approval to redesignate the site. When did they decide to stop claiming that? Because they've claimed it to us in writing many times, many times. I won't have time to get through all the contradictions in the city's zoning policy or all the false claims that we've been told by city staff, but this has been entered into the record.

I will say about the Tenants Need Survey, it was distributed in April. It was filled with misinformation, offers of potential supports that we've been told before and since don't exist. And... And we were told that it was critical for us to fill out that survey a month after we had asked for a corrected survey, and we were still waiting for it. And at that same meeting, Nestwell already knew that this hearing was going to happen nine months early, and we weren't told. And the city staff claimed that there was no special treatment being offered and no particular fast-tracking for this at the meeting where the developer already knew that this was happening in the summer.