To the great dismay but not great surprise of Vancouver residents in general, and residents in Grandview-Woodland in particular, on June 10th Vancouver City Council approved a controversial rezoning application by the Crombie REIT (real estate investment trust) and Wesbank Projects Corp. to build three megatowers ranging in height from 36 to 43 storeys on a current Safeway lot on East Broadway near Commercial Drive and the local Skytrain station.
The motion was passed by a strong majority, with COPE Councillor Sean Orr the only one opposing and Green Councillor Pete Fry abstaining. As is becoming the case more and more frequently, Councillor Orr’s was the only vote based on reason and good judgement.
Those voting in favour pointed to the more than 1,000 new rental units that will come on stream when this project is complete. What they did not acknowledge is that these units will be far, far financially out of reach for all but the very wealthy. Ten percent of the units will rent at city-wide average rental market rates, which currently vary from $2,225 for a studio to $5,100 for a 4-bedroom. Rental rates for the other ninety percent will be set as the developer chooses. No low-income housing will be included in the project.
Just as flooding the market with Rolls Royces will not reduce the price of Volkswagens, increasing the supply of housing stock that is out of reach for most Vancouverites will not address Vancouver’s affordability crisis. Assumptions that it will are based on ‘trickle down’ economic theories — the idea that as new, higher-end housing is built, wealthier households move into it, leaving behind older, less expensive housing for middle- and lower-income groups. Experience proved long ago that this model doesn’t work.
Extensive coverage by CityHallWatch makes it clear that residents opposed to this development responded to Council in droves. Since the public hearing began on May 15th – reconvening on June 10th – a total of 619 individuals wrote letters opposing the project, compared to 459 in support and 32 classified as ‘other’. Approximately 140 spoke at the hearings, the majority in opposition.
Major community opposition has been spearheaded by the group No Megatowers at Safeway, Their website — https://nosafewaymegatowers.ca/ — contains an excellent analysis of all the problems with this now approved development, which include:
- The developer has been exempted from the city’s affordable housing rules and no non-profit, low income, co-operative, social, or other affordable housing is proposed.
- The sunny, welcoming civic plaza promised as part of the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan is no longer included.
- The Community Plan approved buildings ranging from 12 to 24 stories on the site. The towers approved by Council range from 36 to 43 stories.
- Much of the undergrowth, trees, and brush in the adjacent Grandview Cut will be replaced by concrete structures to facilitate tower construction, destroying much needed greenspace and biodiversity and displacing the animals which live there.
Even worse, the developer is getting a sweetheart deal. No Megatowers at Safeway noted in their analysis that site-owner Crombie REIT bought the Safeway site in 2013 for $22.2 million; in 2024 it was assessed at $139.9 million. It can be assumed that the site assessment will increase again now that the towers project has been approved, and there are indications that Crombie may in turn sell the site and pocket its profits. CityHallWatch has reported that Crombie’s CEO stated in a November 2024 investors’ call that after the rezoning, Crombie would consider all its options, including “a monetization of that asset.”
In the early days of designing the site, Vancouver planners worked extensively with residents to create a development that would address the city’s deep need for more housing while also respecting community scale and livability. Retired architect Scott Hein was a senior planner with the City for much of that early process and has extensively documented his experience as to why and how the community-based solutions were distorted over time.
The final form of this project, now approved by Council, does nothing to enhance the community and will fail to improve housing affordability. The City has once again failed the residents of Vancouver.
We need more Sean Orrs on City Council.
Daily atmospheric CO2 [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]
Latest daily total (June 19, 2025): 429.33ppm
One year ago (June 17, 2024): 426.83ppm
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I guess the King is coming and he doesn’t want any peasants in his backyard. Good job on affordable housing. You helped absolutely no one who needs housing. People with that much money who can afford an apt there don’t need affordable housing. The King is exempt from all the rules he put in place. That area and all areas need affordable housing. Vancouver City Council forgot again what affordable means. They forgot why people go to Commercial Drive. They think they can just delete people with a bulldozer. The buildings on Fraser Street are pretty much duct taped together. How about some Affordable Housing there?