Silent Movie, Silent Voice

November 27, 2012 Vancouver Councillor Adriane Carr had planned to present a Motion on Notice that would ask the Mayor’s Interim Rezoning  Policy that Increases Affordable Housing Choices in Vancouver’s Neighbourhoods be reviewed by the General Managers of Legal Services and Planning and Development.

see: Motion

Dunbar Re-Vision had planned to speak to the motion. We are like all the other resident groups that appear before council, desiring to have a hearing. We would have addressed the community’s stated desire to have any construction in the community governed by our Community Vision statement:

DunbarCommunityVision

Our presentation would note that the Pacific Arbour Retirement Communities proposal would ask for a minimum of six stories.  They would explain that their business model is not profitable for anything less (see blog post herewith called CKNW offer Pacific Arbour and Dunbar Re-Vision a Voice).  Globe and Mail reporter, Brent Jang, would estimate the desired single family zoned land for construction would cost approximately $20 million to assemble. Hardly the basis upon which affordable housing would result when one also considers that the more costly concrete construction is required for this project.

The final portion of our presentation was our Petition  to Council.

That was of course until the motion was ruled out of order by Mayor Robertson. Again, the community is silenced. Dunbar has a population of approximately 21,000 people. A significant voting block. How many are on those petitions remains a mystery. (Another mystery will be to determine where the affordable housing will materialize.)

Today, via Express Post, a letter was sent to the Mayor requesting  an appointment, so that our community can express its point of view.  Under council’s lack of interest and attention to its citizens, will we have to wait ’til 2014 to communicate?

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