Last month, the City of Vancouver approved a comprehensive $1 billion, 30-year development plan to revitalize the Downtown Eastside with market, social and rental housing and with new retail components that aim to make this a more vibrant and walkable neighbourhood.
The new plans are not only exciting for the current residents of East Vancouver, but also for new businesses, future homeowners looking for the next budding Vancouver community and the city as a whole. The plans reflect a vision that resident-led committees aspired for: a diverse community with safer and more stable housing, stronger support for mental health and a more vibrant local economy.
Some people have expressed concern that revitalizing this neighbourhood may displace current low income residents as a result of new development. However the approved plan not only addresses this concern but also includes strategies to amalgamate all residents regardless of income level in one harmonic neighbourhood. This includes affordable housing and a number of opportunities for market rental and market condos. Other strategies to improve the Downtown Eastside include the following:
- Create housing choice through achievable and aggressive housing targets and policies
- Considering additional height in specific locations to help improve the well-being of all residents
- Strengthen Hastings Street as a mixed use corridor with local-serving retail
- Foster local economic development and social innovation
- Secure community assets and manage the social impacts of change and development particularly for low income people
In creating the new plans, the City of Vancouver and the committee members wanted to ensure that they maintained the existing zoning in Strathcona and the heritage preservations in Gastown and Japantown, and concentrated new development at hubs like Clark and Hastings, which is absolutely commendable.
Having watched many long-term revitalization plans (such as Yaletown) complete, it is exciting to look forward to the future of Downtown Eastside. And it is great to see that the plans have included feedback from so many stakeholders including resident-led committees, laying a foundation for an all-inclusive community.
