Questions of Truth and Trust

City Conversation #115: Questions to ask City Council as they consider “Missing Middle Housing” + Simplifying Regulations on September 14th

Who will protect street trees in future?

I will not be in town for the public hearing[1] to consider Adding Missing Middle Housing and Simplifying Regulations on September 14th —my plans predated staff’s date selection, coming as it does hard on the heels of back to school. This is my submission to Council.

The name of this staff initiative is often shortened to multiplexes—stands for up to four strata homes on a 10m (33 foot) lot, six on a 15m (50 foot) lot, up to eight if some of the homes are rental. Multiplex is the name I’ll use below.

You may not have heard about the multiplex initiative. City staff neglected to advise any citizens except through a difficult-to-find city website[2]. Yet there are 60,000 properties affected by this initiative.

To clarify things for my simple mind and make it easy for readers to zero in on their areas of interest, I have posed pairs of truth and trust questions that Council, city staff and speakers at the public hearing may wish to consider. They are organized by general topic. Apologies to all of those whose content I have copied.

---

Process encompasses the ways that city staff developed the proposals before you today:

• Is it true there was, in fact, very little input from the owners and renters of 60,000 RS properties as compared to builders and developers?

• Can we trust that further citizen input will be sought before this single zone is implemented?

• Is it true that there will be no pilot program for this major initiative, although that was implied in previous work including Council’s 2022 motion and the now-adopted Vancouver Plan?

• Can we trust that citizens will be included in any monitoring around the implementation of this programs?

• Is it true that staff have indicated their next steps will be to apply the multiplex concept to all of the city’s duplex (RT) zones?

• Can we trust that residents in RT zones will be properly consulted as part of any proposed multiplex changes?

• Is it true that the multiplex proposals will lead to the loss of many existing and affordable secondary suites and that city staff are not quantifying or tracking this affordability loss?

• Can we trust this tracking will be done, and heeded?

---

Infrastructure includes all the stuff needed to support a community, especially as it grows:

• Is it true that this initiative comes with no new schools, parks, community centres or other community amenities?

• Can we trust that needed additions that go with more folks will be identified and completed as quickly as the new housing?

• Is it true that engineering infrastructure such as sewers and water mains is not being enlarged or increased to accommodate growth?

• Can we trust that these will be improved in a timely fashion?

• Is it true that there will be increased rainwater runoff from multiplexes resulting from increased hard surfaces, resulting in the need for $25,000 rainwater detention tanks on most sites?

• Can we trust that the costs of these tanks will not be passed on to other city residents or businesses?

• Is it true that electrical infrastructure increases will be required for multiplexes, at an estimated cost of $70,000 to $150,000 per site, plus a 12 foot (3.6m) square pad for a transformer? Is it true that discussions between BC Hydro and city staff suggest some of these multiplex servicing costs will be charged to neighbours?

• Can we trust that neighbours and local businesses will be involved in decisions that may increase taxes or levies on them?

• Is it true that there will be no onsite parking requirements for multiplexes, including electrical vehicles (EVs), even though staff say there will be, on average, one new car per multiplex unit, which is 4-6 cars depending on lot size?

• Can we trust that there will be many many more public high speed charging stations so that EV owners can actually charge their vehicles?

• Can we trust that all RS zones will not now change to paid resident only parking?

---

Neighbourhoods were, until now, the building blocks of our city. There were 22; the Vancouver Plan proposes to reduce this to six neighbourhood “types:”

• Is it true that 22 will now become six neighbourhoods, all with the identical zoning?

• Can we trust that city staff know how to lead a real consultations with citizens around this compression in such a way as to preserve neighbourhoods?

• Is it true that this proposal involves collapsing nine RS residential zones into just one?

• Can we trust that this will not affect Vancouver’s legacy as a city of distinct neighbourhoods, which was a frequent concern staff noted in the (limited) engagement with citizens?

• Is it true that the multiplex plan will reduce incentives for retaining character and heritage homes, and encourage their demolition?

• Can we trust that the well established Character House Network will be meaningfully consulted about this?

---

Urban Design describes how buildings meet the street, the lane and their neighbours, including shadowing, trees, sidewalks, etc.

• Is it true that city staff’s own report[3] indicates there will be significant loss of street and onsite trees for each multiplex development?

• Can we trust that staff will require and verify that lost trees are replaced with like?

• Can we trust that staff will amend their climate emergency program to find a workable solution or compensation for climate change and heat domes arising from tree loss?

• Is it true that the allowable building area for existing heritage and character homes will be decreased in favour of multiplexes?

• Can we trust that Council and staff will not permit the wholesale destruction of Vancouver’s character and heritage?

• Is it true that bigger, bulkier multiplex buildings will create shadows and reduce privacy, a concern listed as a “trade-off” in a January 2023 staff presentation to Council, but not mentioned in the July report?

• Can we trust that Council cares?

---

Building Design describes the details of a building design governed by its zoning.

• Is it true that multiplexes will have increased height, massing and floor space (FSR)?

• Can we trust that increased floor space and height will be modelled before this proposal is approved?

• Can we trust that these will actually be verified in the field, whereas now building inspectors trust what documents tell them but do not verify what is actually built?

• Is it true that staff do not know what kind of multiplex buildings will emerge under this plan? That they have no design guidelines?

• Can we trust that these new buildings will not just become “a sea of homogenized blocky buildings,” as suggested[4] by some in the housing industry?

• Is it true that images and renderings to be shown at the public hearing have not yet been seen by Council and citizens and will probably not be revealed until after the public hearing speakers list has been closed, so cannot be questioned or challenged?

• Can we trust that Council will insist on realistic imagery before making this decision?

---

Conclusions I am forced to draw:

• Is it true that after all these consultations with developers and builders, but few with ordinary citizens, staff are suggesting that multiplex sites will enjoy further increased land values, resulting in only marginal (if any) affordability improvements?

• Can we trust that this was not the intent all along?

• Is it true that multiplexes will increase development pressures, hence reduce affordability as compared to the existing homes that will be demolished?

• Can we trust that this was not Council’s intent and that they will defeat this assault on our city?

---

Was trees, now just gravel

Some information for concerned citizens, courtesy of CityHallWatch.com :

• Public Hearing Agenda - Thurs. Sept.14 at 1:00 pm (documents, correspondence, how to write/speak to council, video link, etc.): https://council.vancouver.ca/20230914/phea20230914ag.htm

• City of Vancouver - staff report report to council for 25-Jul-2023 (referral report, 124 pages) "Adding Missing Middle Housing and Simplifying Regulations – Amendments to the Zoning and Development By-law": https://council.vancouver.ca/20230725/documents/rr2.pdf

• Send letters to be counted in the Public Hearing record. Link - htthttps://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-council-public-hearing.aspxps://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-council-public-hearing.aspx

• Request to speak to Council, by phone or in person at City Hall. Link - https://vancouver.ca/your-government/request-to-speak-at-a-public-hearing-form-2.aspx

• Send letters also directly to Council: ken.sim@vancouver.ca, mike.klassen@vancouver.ca, peter.meiszner@vancouver.ca, brian.montague@vancouver.ca, sarah.kirby-yung@vancouver.ca, , rebecca.bligh@vancouver.ca, lisa.dominato@vancouver.ca, lenny.zhou@vancouver.ca, adriane.carr@vancouver.ca, pete.fry@vancouver.ca, christine.boyle@vancouver.ca

---

If you appreciated this post, consider becoming a free subscriber to City Conversations at https://brianpalmquist.substack.com/ in order to remain in touch at least until the complaint against me[1] that somewhat limits my writing is resolved.

Brian Palmquist is a Vancouver-based 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, writing and consulting a bit, but not beholden to any client or city hall. These conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on a 45+ 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 and AIBC Construction Administration course text, “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” and working on a book about how we can accommodate a growing population in the cities we love.



[1] https://brianpalmquist.substack.com/p/shall-i-write-no-more-forever



[1] https://council.vancouver.ca/20230914/phea20230914ag.htm

[2] https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/multiplexes

[3] https://council.vancouver.ca/20230725/documents/rr2.pdf

[4] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/vancouver/article-vancouver-ponders-plans-to-expand-multiplex-development/