The Lauren offers little for West End
The Lauren at Comox and Broughton Streets (Westender Sept. 18-24, 2014) is being marketed as the “first purpose-built market rental tower for close to 30 years” but the 22-storey rental tower at St. Andrews Church three blocks to the east was built only 10 years ago. Rezoning of The Lauren site was contentious and bolstered neighbourhood demands for an updated West End Community Plan, a plan that now prohibits similar tower development in the centre of the West End.
The Lauren was approved under the City of Vancouver's STIR program and received a huge 375 per cent increase in density and forgiveness of $1.7 million in Development Cost Levies. The developer did very nicely thanks to Vancouver taxpayers who will pick up the future tab for municipal infrastructure this project should have helped finance.
The Lauren contains six units under the provincial government’s SAFER program with a rent subsidy to eligible seniors and rents starting at $1,175 per month, but these units are offered for only five years. While the developer has promoted his benevolence, what will become of the surprised seniors at the end of the five-year period?
During the rezoning process, city council and the public were told by the developer that market studio and one bedroom apartments would rent for between $860 and $1,465 per month. Instead, these same units range from $1,400 to $1,800, with townhouse units at up to $3,200. It’s convenient for the leasing manager to sing the building’s praises, but while the project was approved as “affordable rental housing” the units are instead some of the priciest rentals in the West End. There is little “affordable” about this project, and little in it for the community.
–Virginia Richards, longtime West End resident
Forget chair yoga, seniors need affordable housing
Oct. 1 was National Seniors Day. The Vancouver Seniors Advisory Committee sponsored a glorified sewing circle at the Vancouver Public Library complete with seminars on: Laughter, chair yoga…the list is too dreary to detail in its entirety.
Perhaps the mandate of the Advisory Committee doesn’t include concerns for seniors living hand-to-mouth because of greedy landlords. Who does express this concern, exactly? I was informed by an NDP representative that we live in a capitalist society! (Thankfully, Tommy Douglas doesn’t have to endure what happened to the Party).
We’re living in a city where city council considers $1,433 a month for a studio apartment to be affordable. One would think the Committee would consider this at least as important as the plight of the elderly LGBT community and take aim at all political parties countenancing landlords taking tenants hostage.
Over 10 per cent of renters are paying 50 per cent or more of their income on rent, a position putting them one pay cheque away from homelessness. Imagine an elderly person, already beset with problems facing the possibility of eviction or having to do without in order to satisfy insatiable greed.
With elections looming, it's high time we held feet to the flames and demanded roll-backs on rents before renters are ushered off to the hinterlands of the province to make way for those with bigger bucks.
–Victoria Joss
Virgin diary
Re: "Sex with Mish Way: Virgin territory" (Oct. 2)
Sounds better than how I lost mine. I lost mine at 14 in a cold, dark, wet shed. It sounds really dubious but I can assure you it was consensual. My boyfriend at the time and I had no place to do the deed, so shed it was.
–Amelia
Aww shucks…
I just wanted to let you know that yesterday I picked up the Westender and am really pleased with the new newspaper. It is so much easier to find the items that I am interested in. The whole look of the paper is so much better.
I am particularly interested in the music and entertainment. The music is way easier to find out what is on every day. Thank you so much!
–Wilma DeVito
Um...thanks?
@WestenderVan was starting to feel like a few bits wrapped around a real estate section. This is definitely an improvement.
- @v_diz
