City council approves phase three of Cambie Corridor plan

We are transforming Vancouver’s single-family neighbourhoods so more people can live, work and play there, while also adding new parks, community facilities and public spaces, and improving transportation.

Vancouver city council unanimously approved phase three of the Cambie Corridor plan May 1.

Phase three, a framework to guide growth and change in the neighbourhood, deals with land use policy for areas off of the arterials, as well as the new municipal town centre around Oakridge mall. Within phase three, there are also nine unique sites, which are larger sites, roughly between two and four acres, such as King Edward mall at Oak and King Edward.   The Cambie Corridor planning area covers 16th to the Fraser River between Oak and Ontario streets, which translates to about 1,000 hectares. The Cambie Corridor plan is meant to address growth up to 2041.

Council was under pressure to address affordability concerns in phase three after phase two spaked a spate of expensive developments. Phase three will “transform single-family neighbourhoods by permitting new townhomes, secured rental, below market rental and social housing, and add significant new job space, better connections for all modes of travel and improved public amenities,” according to the City of Vancouver.

By 2041, the city anticipates the plan will deliver 5,000 secured market rental units, 2,800 social housing units and 400 below-market rental units. Below-market rental is geared to annual incomes of between about $30,000 and $80,000.

The city says phase three paves the way for more than 1,700 single-family lots to be opened up for new types of housing, including mid-rise and high-rise market and below-market rental apartments, along with townhouses.

Goals for Oakridge Municipal Town Centre, which covers the area around Cambie Street and West 41st Avenue, include, according to the City of Vancouver, “increasing height and density to provide social and rental housing opportunities, increasing job space, delivering amenities and establishing buildings that reflect the importance of this transit-oriented, regionally significant hub. The plan also delivers a Public Benefits Strategy to guide the development of community facilities, parks and childcare centres, and a Public Realm Plan for features such as sidewalk improvements, landscaping, and plazas.”

“The Cambie Corridor Plan represents a major step forward on Vancouver’s housing and affordability goals,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson in a May 2 press release. “This plan will provide more of the right supply of housing, with nearly a quarter of the 32,000 new homes designated as secured and below-market rentals and social housing. We are transforming Vancouver’s single-family neighbourhoods so more people can live, work and play there, while also adding new parks, community facilities and public spaces, and improving transportation.”

Targets outlined in the plan over the next 30 years include:

• New opportunities for multi-family housing on 1,700 single-family lots and larger sites
• Approximately 32,000 new housing units, of which 25 per cent are affordable for people on low and modest incomes, including 2,800 social housing units and 5,400 secured rental homes
• 1,080 new childcare spaces
• New and improved community facilities, including a new civic centre and seniors centre
• More than 20 acres of new parks, including a new 10-acre Fraser River park
• Space for more than 9,200 new jobs throughout the Corridor area with a new business centre in the Oakridge Municipal Town Centre
• Working with TransLink to improve Canada Line capacity and establish a new dedicated B-line service on 41st Avenue
• Upgrading and expanding the cycling network
• Improved walking areas, and the renewal and upgrade of roads and signals
• Public spaces, including a series of new public plazas and connections
• More than $475 million in investments in the Corridor within the next 10 years, and over $200 million funding set aside for future priorities.