Vancouver councillor Suzanne Anton believes the city needs to take action to boost sluggish sales at the Olympic Village.
Anton, the lone NPA council member, said she plans to introduce an emergency motion at council Tuesday to enliven the village with food and newspaper kiosks, buskers and entertainment.
“Let’s try and sell these units,” she told Business in Vancouver.
Her comments come just days after it was reported that Olympic Village developer Millennium Development defaulted on its multi-million dollar loan payment to the city.
Anton has also called for the city to do away with the village’s social housing component, saying it is a poor deal for taxpayers and people in need of affordable housing (See “NPA councillor urges city to eliminate social housing at Olympic Village ” – BIV Business Today, October 1).
Her plan to draw attention to the village should not cost taxpayers a dime, although the proposal contains “budget implications.”
When asked why the city should step in and help Millennium market the village, Anton had this to say:
“The city is not the marketer, let me be clear about that. The city is not the owner or the marketer, but we are the lender and the city has a huge financial interest in the success of the development, so let’s see what the city can do to help this.”