As a family living in Emery Village, Emery Place in Lynn Valley, we are gravely concerned about the impeding eviction from our home, neighbourhood and community. Should council approve Mosaic’s redevelopment proposal for Emery Village, I fear that my family and many other families would be forced from North Vancouver to seek affordable housing. Families, like mine, that have grown up here, serve here, built relationships and friendships, contribute to the community and have firm roots in the neighbourhood and community.
To be forced to find a home elsewhere would disrupt the early development of my child, removing him from his pre-school, structure of support and friends. It would remove support for aging parents who will rely on my family members to be close-to-hand. It would also highly likely cause the relocation of a business that has been serving this community for over 20 years.
After starting a family in North Vancouver it was extremely hard to find suitable housing options. We were often turned away once potential landlords realized we had a baby. Then we found Emery Village. This is a community that has vastly benefited my son, somewhere that a sense of community still exists, where children can grow up closely with one another and forge friendships, somewhere that it is safe for our children to play outside and have a healthy lifestyle, and most importantly, somewhere that is affordable for the average family.
Whilst there is a proposal to create “below market” rental options in the new development; I fear that many existing tenants would not qualify for these. Furthermore, families that currently reside in townhomes will have no opportunity to rent “like for like” in the new development. With no townhomes being offered as rental units, they will, instead, be forced into cramming their families into much smaller apartments with no outdoor space.
Furthermore, if a family does decide to move back to the re-developed Emery Village, where are these families to go in the meantime? With an extremely low vacancy rate, and high cost of accommodation, there are few affordable rental options available; they will inevitably be forced further afield.
These are the people that serve in and make this community what it is. With demand exponentially increasing on the North Shore infrastructure, it is only a matter of time that the people who serve in this community, whom have been forced away, will seek employment elsewhere. Eventually the community you seek to build will have nobody left to run it, they will have been forced out and replaced by an elite group and / or empty investment properties.
So far council has seemingly done nothing to honour the OCP and the Rental and Affordable Housing Strategy to preserve and replenish the stock of affordable rental housing; completely disregarding their responsibility to the existing community and constituents. Instead, favouring development projects that cater to investment opportunities.
Council’s actions over this decision will be closely monitored, not only by the residents of Emery Village, but by all North Vancouver residents that rely on affordable housing opportunities and other communities that face the same destine.
Support will be shown to council members that represent and protect the rights of their constituents, not that of developers.
Jon Povey
North Vancouver
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
