This Wednesday, one day after B.C.’s provincial election, Vancouver city council, led by Mayor Gregor Robertson and his Vision majority, will approve the development of four city-owned sites, including a riverfront property on Southwest Marine Drive, as part of the mayor’s grand plan for “affordable housing” in Vancouver.
In August 2012, city hall issued a cattle call and began accepting bids from developers, with the following conditions. You build “affordable housing,” a term not clearly defined, at these four sites, and city hall will waive development cost levies, relax parking requirements, fast-track the permit and zoning process and allow additional density, which means higher buildings, which means more condos to sell or apartments to rent.