High-rise Hypocrisy Part 3—The Human Toll of the High-Rise Path
City Conversations #30—The Toll on Seniors
Vancouver and BC Politicians and developers say high density high-rise is the only path to affordability. Meanwhile they are losing sight of who pays the toll on that path.
The arguments for high-rise ignore many of those most impacted.
“City planners and politicians in Vancouver are not just ignoring the science, they’re ignoring the folks who already live here, especially our elders!” Paul said in exasperation. Paul is a member of the Fairview/South Granville Action Committee (FSGAC), a small but well-informed and growing group of folks voicing their opposition to the city’s Broadway Plan as well as a handful of proposed high-rises trying to sneak in before the plan is even considered by City Council later in 2022.
For those who don’t know it, the Broadway Plan proposes to make of Broadway a forest of high-rises stretching from Vine Street to Clark Drive and 1st Avenue to 16th Avenue, 30,000 new homes designed to house 50,000 new residents over the coming decades. Just the fact that the average Vancouver household has 2.2 residents (still not sure what that 0.2 looks like) tells you that this massive addition to the area’s homes, with an average of less than 2 residents per apartment, is not designed for families. Never mind that the City’s population continues to grow at a rate of barely 1% per year (that’s about 7,000 new residents or 3,200 homes each year)—last year it actually shrank by about that many folks.
I couldn’t help responding to Paul’s exasperation. “It’s not as if displacing senior renters is even required. Since the last civic election, City Council has rezoned properties totalling close to 60,000 homes, with another 30,000 proposed, not including the Broadway Plan! Almost none of those have actually been completed, such being the speed at which rezoning moves to actual construction in Vancouver.”
As a scientist, Paul is very good at mental math, immediately responded: “So the city has rezoned an almost 20-year supply of homes in the past 3-1/2 years, and has another almost 10-year supply in process? And that’s not even including the Broadway Plan! What’s the rush to add yet another 10-year supply by redeveloping the Broadway corridor anyway?” I shrugged, having no immediate answer.
Paul is also a member of the South Granville Seniors Centre. He recently chatted with Douglas Dunn, Executive Director. “I am seriously concerned regarding the impact of the Broadway Plan on our senior renters,” said Douglas. Paul filled in the blanks for me: “The South Granville area is home to over 5000 seniors, most of whom rent in older, well-maintained three-story buildings. If the Broadway Plan proceeds in its current form, the landlords of these buildings are going be very tempted to sell for high-rise development. While the Plan has some proposed protections for renters, such as right of return at similar rents and subsidies for temporary accommodation, these fail to take into account a few salient facts.”
“What do you mean?” I asked Paul. “Right of return at similar rents and interim subsidies sounds like a pretty good deal!”
He continued: “Concrete and steel high-rises take two to three years to design and build. Most seniors are long past the time when they want to move twice in three years. And they would typically be moving back into a much smaller suite than they vacated; perhaps only 320 square feet.”
I interrupted Paul’s recounting. “320 square feet is tiny—think of a 12-foot wide hotel room with a small kitchenette if you want a comparison. My 30-something son lives in South Granville in an older studio that’s about 450 square feet—it works for his younger life style, but only because he stores much of his out-of-season clothes and gear in our home. Imagine trying to store the mementos of a lifetime!”
Paul continued. “Many seniors are worried about exiting down long, crowded stairwells in the case of fire or earthquake—not to mention, the extra time taken for access by first responders, which significantly reduces the chance of surviving a heart attack above 16 floors. Rather than move into new high-rises, they are likely to become refugees from the neighbourhoods they have called home for decades—although I’m not sure where they’ll go. To exacerbate the situation, real estate agents are hard at work winding up older low-rise condos for high-rise development which will displace even more renters. Up to 30% of residents in many South Granville buildings rent condos—they will have neither right of return, nor subsidies for temporary accommodation.”
“And as for your son and his studio,” continued Paul. Uh oh, I thought. “The City of Vancouver seems focused on young urban singles like him with incomes up to $57,000 and couples with up to $84,000, ignoring the plight of seniors in existing rental suites that are already barely affordable for their often fixed incomes. BC Stats projects that 25% of BC’s population will be 65 and over by 2041.” I had no immediate comeback.
“Douglas mentioned another irony when we talked,” continued Paul. “He pointed out, ‘Even our Seniors Centre is at risk—we are on a month-to-month rental. Our site has been sold and is proposed for redevelopment into market rate condos. If we are forced out Fairview will lose its only seniors centre, in an area with the highest concentration of seniors in the city.’”
Paul suggested: “Focusing more on mid-rise construction and limiting the height of any necessary high-rises to curb runaway land prices might moderate the current land rush enough to achieve a less stressful, more affordable transition.”
I added, “The last thing seniors, in fact almost anyone needs is more city-induced stress. Even my high energy snowboarding, cycling son looks to his small South Granville ground level studio as his sanctuary. He’s created his own street side patio, often comes home to find upper floor neighbours there, enjoying moments together by the passing scene. He worries that the Broadway Plan’s likely redevelopment of the building he lives in will destroy that community.”
Paul concluded: “People nearer the other end of their lives feel the same.”
Today’s question: Do you wonder where you will live when you get older? I read and respond to all comments made below.
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Brian Palmquist is a Vancouver-resident architect, building envelope and building code consultant and LEED Accredited Professional (the first green building system). He is semi-retired for the moment, still teaching and writing, so not beholden to any client or city hall. City Conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on his 40+ year career including the planning, design and construction of almost every type and scale of project. He is the author of the Amazon best seller “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” He is also a member of TEAM for a livable Vancouver, a new political party dedicated to restoring a livable Vancouver starting with the 2022 civic election. City Conversations are generally congruent with TEAM policy, so if you like the ideas that I’m writing about, please consider joining TEAM.
High-rise Hypocrisy Part 3—The Human Toll of the High-Rise Path
Yes. The almost certain passing of the 'Broadway Plan' means my almost certain demoviction (along with tenants in virtually every low-rise apartment building between Broadway and Great Northern Way). At 64, this keeps me up at night. Very stressful. Nowhere to go.
People who live here are irrelevant, except for paying taxes, as the development industry has no use for them.