Dear Editor:
The headlines DNV Scraps Townhouses and DNV Rejects Delbrook Affordable Housing Project have local residents sharpening their pitchforks, without all the facts. The Urban Development Institute and Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association are upset, the developers are upset, and why wouldn’t they be? They’ve been given carte blanche for years.
I went to those meetings, and I’m no NIMBY. I believe in densification.
But the Boffo project (1031-1045 Ridgewood Dr.) had flaws: a sidewalk and bike lane ending on a property they don’t own, the height of the building (on a hill) rendering it an imposing monolith towering over Edgemont.
And affordability? Friends of mine rent one of the homes slated to be demolished. Other rentals in the area are unaffordable; their family would be forced out of the community. They can’t afford Boffo. If the prices are so affordable, why weren’t all the Edgemont townhouses sold immediately, snapped up by those “downsizing?”
As for Delbrook – hundreds of hours went into community input. The people wanted daycare, green space, affordability: not delivered by the current plan.
Rent is income based; if one starts to earn more, they’re out. Spouse gets a raise? Lose your home. There needs to be a plan, other than “we’ll figure out where they’ll go when they make too much.”
I’m glad council didn’t push plans through to say they did something: do it right the first time. This council doesn’t want to say no to all development, they want responsible development that truly helps the community, with infrastructure upgrades and time managed construction.
When I have asked developers at community meetings which units will be offered at below market rates, or set aside for rentals, I get the same answer: none.
If developers realize this is a need, and work with the council to provide it, then we’ll get somewhere – hopefully sooner than later.
Erin McNair
North Vancouver
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