I. 2022 CITY ELECTION

The False Creek South Neighbourhood Association held Conversations with Candidates from all the major parties running for Council. These were led by Allison Murray, RePlan’s Communication’s Coordinator. A summary is being prepared and will be distributed soon. However, most of the candidates indicated support for policies that had been unanimously approved by previous Councils to:

  • Fully engage residents and others in the community planning process
  • Maintain existing housing to optimize its contribution to affordability as long as the buildings are viable
  • Move forward with the campus of care
  • Provide emphasis on a mixed income community with a significant amount of non-market housing.

RePlan is also reaching out to members of the new Council with the intention of establishing a good dialogue on how we can best move forward with the City on the leases and community planning.

II. CAMPUS OF CARE

In keeping with Council’s motion of June 16, Simon Neill, CEO of the Broadway Group, has held several meetings with City staff regarding allocating city land for a new care facility, supportive housing and expanded community health services. This will enable the Broadway Group, in consultation with RePlan, to pursue securing funding from senior governments. RePlan will continue to update this important initiative as the community plan moves forward. 

III. STRATA LEASES

With the municipal election behind us, it is expected that the City will now proceed to present offers of a 20 year lease extension to individual strata leaseholders. Within this framework, leases would end in 2056 for most strata enclaves and up to the mid-2060s for the remainder.

IV. CO-OP LEASES

The Authorized Working Group has been meeting to share information about discussions several co-ops have had concerning future leases. They will be meeting again with Thom Armstrong, ED of the Co-op Housing Federation of BC to help determine how to best move forward. There are concerns that several of the City staff proposals for lease extensions appear to be inconsistent with Council’s policy to retain existing buildings for as long as they are viable. Former Mayor Kennedy Stewart indicated that these proposed short-term extensions might have been interim proposals. This has yet to be confirmed by the new Council.

V. COMMUNITY PLANNING

Representatives of RePlan met with Theresa O’Donnell, General Manager of Planning, and Cory Dobson, Senior Planner, to provide City staff with an overview of the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association and an update on RePlan’s work on the community plan, co-op leases and the Campus of Care. 

Graham McGarva, Chair of the Community Planning Working Group, Richard Evans, RePlan Chair, Simon Neill, CEO of the Broadway Group, Nathan Edelson, Project Manager of RePlan and Tara Jankovic, RePlan’s Community Planning Assistant, have held several conversations with Cory Dobson to provide input into the City’s emerging community planning process.

RePlan’s Community Planning Working Group will be meeting in the autumn and will hold sessions with interested residents on the community plan to prepare for upcoming work with City staff.

VI. REPLAN COMMUNITY PLANNING ASSISTANT

After working as RePlan Community Planning Assistant for three years, (while also raising two young children, working on a Master’s Degree in Urban Studies at SFU, co-chairing the City’s Planning Commission and volunteering with Between The Bridges), Robyn Chan has taken a position with UBC’s Neighbourhood’s Association to work with their local residents. She is also working on a thesis about the history of community organizing in False Creek South. Robyn joins Peer Daniel Krause, Daniel Ward and Wendee Lang as former RePlan staff who have gone on to do great work with other organizations.

The posting of the vacancy for Community Planning Assistant resulted in applications from 16 very qualified candidates. Four were shortlisted and the hiring committee unanimously agreed to hire Tara Jankovic. Tara has a degree in Sociology and Urban Studies and extensive experience in data analysis, teaching and working with community organizations in the Downtown Eastside and Fairview. She is also active with the Vancouver Tenant’s Union where she has helped many residents develop common strategies to support the retention of existing dwellings and the development of new housing and community services. Tara usually works out of 711 Millyard on Tuesday afternoons and welcomes residents who want to find out more about what RePlan is doing and to share their ideas.