On March 16th we circulated a letter from Mayor Gregor Robertson in which he committed to engaging with the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association (FCSNA) in a collaborative planning process with our community. (Find this first letter here). Last month he followed through on his promise by chairing a meeting that 
included Penny Ballem -City Manager, Brian Jackson – General Manager of Planning and Development Services, Mukhtar Latif, – Chief Housing Officer, Mike Magee – Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff, Kevin Quinlan – Mayor’s Office Deputy Chief of Staff, and several members of the FCSNA’s *RePlan Committee.
We are pleased to share with you the Mayor’s follow-up letter in which he outlines the principles for a collaborative process, identifies Penny Ballem as chair of a steering committee of City department heads, and names Brian Jackson as our key staff contact. We feel encouraged by the process the Mayor has outlined and by his commitment of senior staff resources to work with us.
We attended the first in a series of scheduled meetings with Brian Jackson and other Planning staff on June 8. This meeting focused on how to secure the demographic data needed for future community visioning and policy planning work and the process of entering into negotiations for lease renewal. We also agreed to develop a work program within the term of the current council, to give high priority to the concerns of three co-ops that are nearing early lease-end dates, and to involve the FCSNA in proposed improvements to the seawall.
RePlan intends to continue our own independent research and community consultation in parallel with our meetings with the City. Our priorities are currently focused on lease valuation models to support future renewal negotiations, new land governance models to address our long term security of tenure, and opportunities to maintain and create affordable homes that meet the needs of existing and future residents while respecting the area’s historic character.
Our community priorities are: amalgamating the FCSNA and the RePlan websites, meetings with co-op members, strata owners and the boards of non-profit housing societies, and providing information at such community events as the upcoming Grill and Chill on August 8th where RePlan will set up an “Information and Input” table. We would like to hear your questions and concerns at the Grill and Chill, and at any time via email to: *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*
Thank you for your continued attention to the critical issues of lease renewal, land governance and community planning. We love where we live and want to have a strong voice in its future!