The tone here is very dismissive. It wasn’t a “hoohaa”; it was a serious concern on the part of people who had made the West End what it is today — the very reason that developers want to start building here again.

What makes the West End unique are the low rises, the Mom & Pop shops that still exist. Developers are sucking the vitality out of the West End. Where are the people who work at the “crappy” jobs supposed to live? They will not be commuting to downtown Vancouver to work at Starbucks when it costing them $10.00 per day in transit. If you people do not do your jobs and think about these re-zoning proposals and force social obligations you are going to lose the West End. Private companies will never think about the greater good as the motivation is to make money thus as City Planners you can force them if they want the permit to provide rental units at the suggested amount in this letter. Why can’t the City for the first time force these developers to be socially responsible? You can set the example that developers who speculate on property must provide an equal amount of rental options for the people in the West End. How is offering 33 unties going to benefit the city if you do not cap what they can charge for rent? The development proposal is for a 20 story high-rise assuming 1000 units total. In order for it to benefit the City the number of rental units should be 400 and condos at 600 assuming that each condo will sell for 1 million that is 600 million dollars that is more then enough profit. Out of the 400 rental units 200 to market rent and the other 200 to be capped. Now, that is making a difference here in the West End. It sends the message that developers cannot railroad the process or assume they will get their re-zoning proposals approved because they applied. This may have never been done in Vancouver but it does not mean it shouldn’t be done. This process has been done in major European cities and we can do it here. Everyone is responsible for the problems in Vancouver and we cannot expect the developers to have a social conscience unless we compel them.

Did you know that the building they want to tear down was once an infamous brothel???

Did they do the research on what the average person makes per month that live in the West End? A vast majority of the residents that live here make modest to low income minimum wages. ($1,408.00 per month) I would like to know what the company will charge for these rental units. Will you be charging the artificially priced market rents that Hollyburn charges for a 1 bedroom? Keeping in mind that thousands of people living here in the West End are having difficulty paying the current market rents? Even better declare the West End off limits to any further development or loss of off low rises. There is 1% vacancy rate does this not point to the obvious? We have nowhere to live except where we are PLEASE DO NOT APPROVE ANY RE-ZONING. The people living here make minimum wage, some are on disability etc. and cannot afford to relocate.

What is the rent going to be for these units? Will these rental units be rented at a reasonable rate? I do not trust developers as they are motivated by money and greed. These units should have a maximum of no more then $850.00 per month for a one bedroom and $1000.00 for a two bedroom. It should be based on the economic reality of the residents of the West End and not the artificial inflated market rent.

The people currently living in the West End do not make $50,000.00 and are suffering. If they want to build this place there must be a guarantee that the rental units be capped and to take into account what the average person makes rather then market rent.

The Vancouver market rent is artificial and inflated. It’s not what people can afford its what people are forced to pay by thoughtless and selfish property owners who are looking only after their interests.

So, please address the issue and what guarantees will you provide to ensure that the rental units are rented at a normal rental rate that you can find in Montreal, Ottawa etc? What are you going to do with the rest of these re-zoning applications? Will you actually say no to some of them?