Have Vision Vancouver city councillors made up their minds on a massive redevelopment proposed for Oakridge mall?
That was a common refrain from speakers at a public hearing on the Oakridge Centre redevelopment at city hall March 11. It was the second round of consultation on a rezoning which, if approved by council, would see 11 residential towers and almost 170,000 square metres of retail space built at 41st and Cambie Street — a "mini-city,"" said one speaker. Council is taking public input on the development before a final vote. If approved, developers hope to finish building by 2025.
The majority of speakers were against the proposal. Many claimed council would "rubber stamp" the development.
"We've heard over the last year and a half that [Oakridge] is a done deal," Danny Kornfeld, who lives in The Terraces, a 32-unit strata located above Crate & Barrel in the mall, told city council. "[I believe] it has always been a done deal."
City council has tried to strike a balance between adding housing density along the Canada Line, while controlling for traffic, school crowding and maintaining amenities.
The proposal from Henriquez Partners Architects and Stantec Architecture would see around 2,900 residential units added to the site, spread between 11 buildings with heights up to 44 stories.
A hundred units would be set aside for affordable housing, while 390 and 138 units would be reserved for renters and seniors, respectively.
In addition to residential properties, developers plan to add 168,059 square metres of commercial space, and pay for a daycare, seniors centre and library branch. A nine-acre rooftop park is also in the plan.
Most speakers March 12 balked at the size of the project.
"I'm worried about building another downtown in a residential neighborhood," said Diana Leaney, a resident of Cambie Street.
Another speaker, Sophie Petric worried about strain on transit and schools. "It would change the nature of South Vancouver so rapidly. I don't think any neighborhood in North America would accept this," she said.
NPA Councillor George Affleck could not speak directly on the proposal, but echoed concerns that the majority Vision Vancouver council had already decided to approve the redevelopment.
"I always hold out hope that my Vision colleagues won't rubber stamp something, but if you look at their track record, that has certainly been the case in every public hearing we've had since I've been on council," he said, citing last summer's decision to build a bike lane on Point Grey Road.
Not true, Mayor Gregor Robertson told speakers. "Council isn't legally allowed to make up its mind until it has heard from the public," he said.
More than 130 people signed up to speak at the hearings, which are set to continue up Friday morning at 9:30. Council has not set a date for a final vote on the Oakridge project.
© Vancouver Courier
