Controversial Kitsilano supportive housing project sees permit approval

Just over a year after the previous Vancouver City Council approved the rezoning application for the Kitsilano supportive housing building, it has now passed its next major hurdle of the development permit application.

The City of Vancouver’s Development Permit Panel (DPP) approved the application for 2086-2098 West 7th Avenue and 2091 West 8th Avenue just after noon today, after hearing from public speakers who voiced many of the same concerns during the rezoning.

The decision was unanimous amongst the DPP of three City staff leaders — chief planner Teresa O’Donnell, chief engineer Lon LaClaire, and general manager of development buildings and licensing Andrea Law.

This is for BC Housing’s project to build a 154-ft-tall, 13-storey supportive housing tower on a City-owned site immediately north of SkyTrain’s future Arbutus Station and bus exchange. The site is also immediately to the east of St. Augustine Elementary School and to the west of the Arbutus Greenway.

In April 2023, the provincial government made legislative changes to quash a petition to the Supreme Court of BC seeking a judicial review of City Council’s rezoning approval. This enabled the municipal government to continue its review of the development permit application to approval.

The approval is subject to meeting conditions, which are mainly related to design, given the legal limitations of what can be considered and stipulated during the development permit process, unlike rezoning. This includes creating a more visually distinct southern facade, as it will provide the frontage to the future busy transit hub, and a more welcoming and human-scale pedestrian experience along the Arbutus Street frontage.

Previous 2022 revised design during rezoning:

2022 revised concept of the supportive housing tower at 2086-2098 West 7th Avenue and 2091 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (BC Housing)

Current 2023 revised design:

2023 revised design of the Kitsilano supportive housing building at 2086-2098 West 7th and Avenue 2091 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Human Studio Architecture and Urban Design/BC Housing)

Compared to the rezoning stage, the design by Human Studio Architecture and Urban Design has already seen further changes, such as the removal of the facade’s metal screening with a higher quality finish of terra cotta panels, and improving the building’s visibility along the Arbutus Greenway frontage.

“The conditions are very thorough and they speak precisely to the concerns voiced today and during the rezoning process,” said O’Donnell.

LaClaire said the conditions address the concerns relating to the previous’ design’s “institutional look.”

The building will be modular using pre-fabricated components that will be assembled on-site to accelerate construction, but it will also be built to a permanent standard, with a Passive House green building design.

Previous 2022 revised design during rezoning:

2022 revised concept of the supportive housing tower at 2086-2098 West 7th Avenue and 2091 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (BC Housing)

Current 2023 revised design:

2023 revised design of the Kitsilano supportive housing building at 2086-2098 West 7th and Avenue 2091 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Human Studio Architecture and Urban Design/BC Housing)

There will be a total of 129 single-occupancy units of supportive housing, along with various ancillary spaces including a supervised safe injection room intended for building residents only.

Similar to the issues raised during the rezoning application stage, over 400 comments received by the municipal government earlier this summer and those who spoke today expressed concerns relating to public safety, crime, and disorder to the area — including specific impacts to the adjacent elementary school, playgrounds, public park, and Arbutus Greenway — and questioned the effectiveness of the supportive housing model.

Some members of the City’s Urban Design Panel also agreed with some public comments suggesting a mix of family-oriented social housing would be more appropriate for the site.

One commentator today uniquely expressed concern that the vibrations of the future subway, opening in 2026, could affect the structural integrity of the modular building.

In-person today, Colleen Hardwick, a former Vancouver city councillor and mayoral candidate, told the panel the project’s process was undemocratic and lacked proper public consultation, and that the approval was pre-determined.

“I want to acknowledge the many concerns that were raised in response to a number of issues that were spoke to earlier. A lot of these are not before the board today for decision… many of the conditions have and will be addressed through the rezoning process,” said Law.

“The operating model will be key to address a lot of the concerns of the members raised by the community.”

Layout of the supportive housing tower at 2086-2098 West 7th Avenue and 2091 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Human Studio Architecture & Urban Design/BC Housing)

Site of the supportive housing tower at 2086-2098 West 7th Avenue and 2091 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Human Studio Architecture & Urban Design/BC Housing)

Site of the supportive housing project at 2086-2098 West 7th Avenue and 2091 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

City Council approved the rezoning application in July 2022 in a marathon public hearing that spanned six meeting dates to hear from about 300 public speakers who were largely in opposition.

Today’s approval was procedural, given the emphasis the provincial government has made to seeing the project reach this stage and avoid further delays, particularly with its move in overriding the legal action against the project. Construction is expected to begin in late 2023 or early 2024, after it passes the development permit conditions and receives the building permit.

This project is part of the City of Vancouver, BC Housing, and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2020-signed partnership of building 350 new units of permanent supportive housing. A similar supportive housing project was also approved for the southeast corner of the intersection of Knight Street and King Edward Avenue.

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