Initial Consultation: 2195 Gordon Avenue

Phase 1: the proposed use

To address housing affordability and balance revenue needs for other District public projects, the District is proposing to use this property to create:

• 170 below-market rental units to be operated by an independent third-party with no ongoing cost to the District
• rents at an average of 70% of market rent for comparable new units in West Vancouver, that are income targeted for moderate-income people, including families with children in West Vancouver schools, and moderate-income people who work in West Vancouver
• 30 strata condominium units
• a range of units from studios to 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units
• $20 million in revenue (to recover the initial purchase price of $16 million-plus a reasonable return)

Two Possible Building Forms

Council has identified two possible building forms (based on a density of 2.6 Floor Space Ratio) to try and balance the footprint of the building within the property:

• Option A with three six-storey buildings

Aerial View Looking from South West

Aerial View Looking from South East

• Option B with one six-storey building and one seven-storey building

Aerial View Looking South West

Aerial View Looking South East

Thank you for completing the survey

The survey closed on Monday, April 15, 2019 at 4:30 p.m.

Thank you for providing meaningful input on various aspects of the project.

Consultation Meeting Boards

The public consultation took place from February 7 to April 15, 2019.

The District hosted the following Initial Consultation Meetings to hear community input about the project:

Thursday, February 7, 3–7 p.m.
West Vancouver Community Centre, Lalji Family Atrium
2121 Marine Drive

Tuesday, February 19, 5–8:30 p.m.
Seniors’ Activity Centre, Arts Room
695 21st Street

Wednesday, February 20
West Vancouver Community Centre
2121 Marine Drive

• 5–7 p.m. | Lalji Family Atrium
• 7–9 p.m. | Cedar Room (third floor), Q & A session

All three of the Initial Consultation Meetings had the same format, with the exception of the Q & A session from 7-9 p.m. on February 20, 2019.

Small-Group Sessions

In addition to the Initial Consultation Meetings listed above, we are also offering an opportunity to meet with District staff in small group sessions to ask questions and learn more about the project.

If you would like to meet with staff in a small group setting, please contact Jenn Suggitt at 604-921-2939 or jsuggitt@westvancouver.ca).

Pop-up sessions

District staff hosted several pop-up information sessions. Follow @WestVanDistrict on Facebook and Twitter to get notified when they are happening.

Project updates

July 11, 2019

In July, the District will be proceeding with the demolition of the two vacant buildings located at 2195 Gordon Avenue. The buildings have been vacant for some time and the Fire Chief has recommended that they be removed for public safety reasons.

Please note that the demolition does not mean that the District’s housing proposal for the site has been approved. That process is continuing, as directed by Council at the April 29 Council meeting. The direction to staff was to proceed to a rezoning application for Council consideration that will include further public consultation both at the pre-application and application stages. The buildings will have to be removed regardless of the outcome of that process as they are beyond useful life, have current deficiencies and as mentioned above, need to be removed for public safety reasons.

Work is expected to start in July and take approximately three months to complete.

May 3, 2019

At the April 29 Council Meeting, Staff reported back to Council on the results of the Initial Public Consultation and sought direction on next steps. A copy of the Council Report and powerpoint presentation considered at the April 29 meeting is available in the “Document Library” below.

After considering the results of the Initial Public Consultation (including survey responses and correspondence) and comments from the public made at the Council Meeting (see Document Library), Council voted unanimously to continue moving the project forward. In particular, Council authorized Staff to prepare and submit a rezoning application with the following parameters:

• three building configuration similar to the proposed Option A but with two 6 storey buildings, and 8 storeys (with the 8th storey set back) on the southern-most building;
• Floor Area Ratio of approximately 2.8;
• 217 units total comprised of 167 units below market rental (77%), and 50 units strata condominium (23%);
• rents at an average of 70% of market rent for comparable new units in West Vancouver;
• rental units income targeted towards moderate-income people, including workers and families in West Vancouver;
• Adult Day Centre of 3,000 sf with 1,000 sf outdoor space on the ground floor of one of the rental buildings (subject to confirmation that the District will not be responsible for any capital and operating costs);
• a variety of unit sizes: studio; one-bedroom; two-bedroom; and three-bedroom (with the precise mix to be determined); and
• approximate revenue objective of $26,000,000.

Council also directed Staff to proceed generally with the process outlined in the Council Report and approved funding of up to $100,000 for this next phase of work up to submission and consideration of a rezoning application. This will include further public consultation both at the early “pre-application” stage and also during the rezoning process (which would include a public hearing and statutory notification process).

April 16, 2019

The survey closed on April 15. Thank you for providing your feedback.

Staff are now compiling the results from the initial public consultation and they will be presented at the April 29 Council Meeting which starts at 6 pm in the Municipal Hall Council Chamber.

Emails and letters on this proposal can continue to be sent to Mayor and Council (mayorandcouncil@westvancouver.ca or 750-17th Street, West Vancouver, BC, V7V 3T3) even after April 15. Any emails and letters received up to noon on the day of the Council Meeting will also be provided to Council at the Council Meeting for their consideration.

As mentioned previously, if you would like to meet with District staff to discuss this proposal or ask questions, please contact Jenn Suggitt at jsuggitt@westvancouver.ca or 604-921-2939 to arrange a meeting time.

March 14, 2019

The District has been conducting initial public consultation on the District’s proposal for its site at 2195 Gordon Avenue since early February.

Staff are currently anticipating reporting back to Council with the results of the public consultation in around late April/early May.

With this anticipated timeline, the District is able to extend the public consultation period, and the District’s survey deadline is being extended to remain open until Monday, April 15 at 4:30 p.m.

Emails and letters on this proposal can continue to be sent to Mayor and Council (mayorandcouncil@westvancouver.ca or 750-17th Street, West Vancouver, BC, V7V 3T3) even after April 15. Any emails and letters received up to noon on the day of the Council Meeting will also be provided to Council at the Council Meeting for their consideration.

Council has directed that this initial public consultation take place on the District’s proposal. Council and staff welcome all input on this project, including about the proposal itself, or other potential ideas, considerations and uses for the site.

As mentioned previously, if you would like to meet with District staff to discuss this proposal or ask questions, please contact Jenn Suggitt at jsuggitt@westvancouver.ca or 604-921-2939 to arrange a meeting time.

Our community is facing unprecedented housing affordability challenges with some of the highest rents and housing prices in Canada. We have very limited rental housing, and have one of the lowest vacancy rates in the region at 0.6%. People are leaving our community, and West Vancouver (and the Village of Belcarra) are the only municipalities in Metro Vancouver to have decreased in population between 2011 and 2016, while the region grew by 6.5%.

The share of children under the age of 14 has fallen from 30% of the population in 1961 to 14% in 2016. There is a “missing generation” of younger adults without children between the ages of 25 and 34, accounting for only 2% of the population.

Our high housing prices, limited housing supply, and demographic challenges affect our community in many ways: reduced population and imbalance; more people commuting to our community every day to work or attend schools, resulting in increased traffic and greenhouse gas emissions; reduced local workforce; and reduced services and increased costs for services in our community.