Rod Raglin is right about the cohousing development planned for 33rd and Commercial being a concern for the neighbourhood. I was at the second night of council when they approved the developer’s application to rezone three single-family lots to allow a 31-unit strata building. It was clear that the City of Vancouver staff present were keen to get the project rammed through despite the fact that its design was terrible for neighbours, especially those in adjacent lots.
An 11-year old boy begged council not to destroy his yard, which would be overshadowed by the new monolith with the 190-foot long wall.
Why is it 31 units? It seemed from the Courier article that it wasn’t sold out, so they clearly didn’t need to build it so large. What’s wrong with 20 units and a smaller building?
The answer is money, of course. I get why developers (cohousers, in this case) buy these single-family lots — they’re cheaper than lots zoned appropriately for their multi-unit plans.
What I don’t get is why the city rezones on request, despite serious opposition from the people who make this neighbourhood their home
Cohousing, whatever. In this neighbourhood we already share food, child care, social events, school activities, movies, music — we don’t need to live in a specially-designed building to support each other.
I hope the new behemoth provides everything the cohousers dream of in their social lives, because they sure upset enough people to get it.
