I recently spent a week in Saint Petersburg at an urban planning conference. I was invited to speak on two panels exploring strategies to encourage the private sector to invest in heritage property restoration, and how best to prepare a master plan for the city.
Ironically, back in Vancouver, two debates were taking place on similar topics. Should the city designate Shaughnessy a Heritage Conservation Area? Should Vancouver have an overall city plan to avoid what many see as ad hoc zoning decisions?
These conversations have continued following the announcement of Penny Ballem’s sudden departure as city manager, and a speech by Brian Jackson, Vancouver’s outgoing general manager of planning and development, to the Urban Development Institute.
My colleagues Allen Garr and Naoibh O'Connor have written about Ballem’s departure and the Jackson speech. However, given my previous concerns and columns related to the city manager’s office and planning department, I would like to offer these further remarks.
Dr. Penny Ballem and I were not friends. She did not appreciate my criticism of the city’s initial mishandling of the Olympic Village file, nor the time I tweeted that I promised not to perform any medical procedures if she would promise not to undertake any more real estate developments.
While I was amongst those who considered her a brilliant woman, I was disturbed by the manner in which she ran city hall. Many of the city officials who I admired left under her reign, simply unable to deal with her micro-management and bullying.
As I reported in an April 14, 2015 column, the working environment had become toxic, in large part due to her management style.
I am pleased that she has gone, although like many others, I am upset with those who negotiated her compensation arrangement that granted her severance pay if she left, with or without cause.
Brian Jackson and I were not friends either. He took great exception to my criticism of his department’s handling of the local area planning for the Downtown Eastside, and his approval of projects that in my opinion were designed to achieve financial goals, rather than good urban design.
I attended his speech to the Urban Development Institute and listened very carefully. While I enjoyed its creative moments, including a movie clip of Betty Grable, I was surprised by the defensive and angry tone. I also disagreed with much of what he had to say.
On the question of proposed towers along Commercial Drive, one of which I criticized in a July 14, 2015 column, Jackson argued that in the absence of government funding, it will be necessary for the private sector to build affordable housing using density bonuses.
While I support public-private partnerships, some of these new developments, such as the Kettle and Brenhill towers, result in excessive densities that are out of scale with their surroundings.
This brings us to the question of whether the city needs an overall city plan to guide development proposals. Jackson argued vehemently that we do not, noting it would require us to freeze development for three years, and spend up to $9 million. I disagree.
He went on to say that we know where and how we will accommodate the 150,000 population increase people over the next 30 years, which he added is less than we accommodated in the past 30 years.
The irony is that as Jackson delineated where this new growth would go, I could not help but think this is precisely the type of information that would serve as the basis for a new city plan.
This would allow us to properly zone land for desired uses, rather than wait for developers to come forward with rezoning proposals. It would also allow us to pre-determine what financial contributions, including Community Amenity Contributions (CACs), would be required from developers, rather than negotiate each deal on a project-by-project basis, often after the building is designed.
Rationalizing CACs is something Jackson promised to do in his first speech to UDI, and he admitted that this still needs to be done.
Upon this we agree; as well as the need for more townhouses and stacked townhouses around the city.
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