2 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014 EDITOR TRICIA LO Cws Oakridge voices frustration Residents’ fears emerge at the NPA’s Oakridge community forum By MIKE HODDER ncereased density and lack of consul- tation were the major concerns of frustrated Oakridge-Langara resi- dents who spoke at a community fo- rum hosted by the Non-Partistan Asso- ciation on Jan. 29. Many expressed extreme frustra- tion over a rezoning proposal in the area that would see the construction of 13 towers up to 45 storeys high. Overall, the redevelopment would double the size of Oakridge mall and create more than 2,900 residential units. Proximity to the Canada Line makes the Oakridge area prime real estate for large-scale re- development. Olivia Yarmo- luk, who has lived in the area for 28 years, said though she is not opposed OLIVIA YARMOLUK to development Oakridge resi- there isn’t enough dent of 28 years room in her neigh- bourhood for a sec- ond downtown. MIKE HODDER photo Frustrated Oakridge-Langara residents say there has been a lack of consultation about a pro- posed rezoning application that would see a massive development built in their neighborhood. da Line’s capacity to handle this type of But many residents said they aren’t 66 “Density, a ° ° 45-storey tower, This train these are the isn’t made things 1 don’t like,” Yarmoluk said. f or anoth “That train isn’t er 30,000 made for another 30,000 people.” peop le Whether or not the Canada Line can sustain a sig- nificant increase in increase in traffic. volume was a major concern at the meeting. Vision Vancouver Coun. Geoff Meggs said transit congestion on the Canada Line is easy to fix. “IT can understand that the platforms are too short and so on, but they could double the frequency of trains on the Canada Line without any difficulties just by buying more cars,” Meggs said. “Tt’s a computer-driven system with very high tolerances and it’s possible to make that really, really efficient.” TransLink is now studying the Cana- prepared for the other impacts of den- sity.Of the roughly 50 people in atten- dance, the consensus was that greater density would bring increased crime, traffic and property taxes, something they said the City doesn’t want to hear. Two open houses were held to dis- cuss the proposal on Oct. 3 and 4, 2013 but many at the forum felt there hasn’t been enough effort to include the pub- lic in the development process. “There is room for community con- sultation, and we don’t want to be spoon-fed by somebody else, particu- larly big money,” said local business owner William O’Brien. The Oakridge forum is part of a se- ries of neighbourhood- and issue-based community consultations being put on by the NPA. In the gear-up to the No- vember 2014 municipal elections, the NPA has been campaigning with the promise to listen to local concerns. The first policy forum happened in Kitsilano on Dec. 11 and covered topics such as development and small busi- ness. The next forum is scheduled for Feb. 9 in the Chinatown and Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. WILLIAM O'BRIEN Business owner near Oakridge Student hotel at Langara? An education company aims to build two hotels for international students By LESLIE KAM could be coming to the Lower Mainland - one near Langara and one in Richmond. CIBT Education Group Ine. is plan- ning a $48-million housing project to establish a hotel on Cambie Street and 50th Avenue, and one on Capstan Way, Richmond. The hotel near Langara is expected to accommodate 234 students from Sep- tember to June, while the Richmond hotel would house 124 students. Rent would be consistent with the homestay rate in Vancouver once the project is completed in the next 24 to 30 months, said Toby Chu, CEO of CIBT. “We are looking at between $850, one room, to about $950, depending on the market at that time,” Chu said. A one-bedroom Vancouver apart- T: international student hotels ment averages $982 in monthly rent, and the Vva- TONY CHU cancy rate is drop- president and ping, according to CEO of CIBT the Canada Mort- gage and Housing Corporation. In 2012, B.C. housed more than 68,000 international students, which was nearly 26 per cent of Canada’s total for- eign student population. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has proposed to increase the foreign stu- dent population from 265,000 to 450,000 by 2022. Chu wants to capitalize on that demand. “Homestay is becoming more and more complex in terms of pricing, prox- imity to SkyTrain stations, security and safety,” said Chu. “Our background [has] always been education, so that’s why we know the sentiment of the schools and the mar- ket demands,” Chu said. CIBT hopes to build more hotels along the SkyTrain to accommodate as many as 1,400 foreign students. Kids’ sunlight t poe “f LUKASZ JONCA photo Tracy Beshara standing outside Marpole Oakridge Family Place. Flooding on Dec. 7, 2013 caused severe damage to the building, which has been closed since. Marpole will see two new residential towers and a $2-million daycare By LUKASZ JONCA corridor has been exempted from city height restrictions so that children playing at a next-door daycare can enjoy more sunshine. Wesgroup Properties was given the green light to build a $2-million child- care facility and community place, as well as two residential towers at Ma- rine Drive and Cambie Street. One of those towers is a 12-storey residential building that will be located at Marine Drive and Lord Street. This violates the six-storey height limit out- lined in the Cambie Corridor Plan. In keeping with city regulations, the developer’s initial proposal called for a wider, six-storey tower. But concerns Ae: tower coming to the Cambie were raised about the shadowing that it would cast on the daycare. The City of Vancouver’s design guidelines state that sunlight must penetrate outdoor play areas for at least three hours per day during opti- mal playing times, such as recess and after school. To reduce shadowing but maintain the same density, the city’s urban de- sign panel endorsed a modification to make the tower narrower and taller. “This is a spectacular solution for a daycare that is so much needed in that area,” said Coun. Elizabeth Ball at the Jan. 21 public hearing. Many community organizers were pleased that there would be 37 new childcare spaces. Janet Fraser from Marpole Matters said this would create a hub for families with young children. “T thank the City staff and develop- ment team for their work with our com- munity to date and urge them [to] strive for a site we can all be proud of,” rumps tower height limits reads an excerpt of Fraser’s letter to city council. Tracy Beshara, executive director of Marpole Oakridge Family Place, said density in Vancouver is inevitable. “To work with the city instead of working against the city and fighting it is the most positive thing you can do,” Beshara said. At the public hearing, Mayor Gregor Robertson praised the level of coopera- tion. “It’s great to see some integration in the design work at Marine and Cam- bie.” “All the different proponents there — architects, designers and developers — have had quite a collaborative ap- proach to this so that we end up witha new neighbourhood there that is strik- ing on the edge of the city.” The development will be built on the northwest corner of Cambie Street and Marine Drive, close to Sir Wilfrid Lau- rier Annex elementary school and Ash Park.