4545 West 10th Avenue – Second Enquiry (Archived Link)
One does not have to be an expert at ranking well… pretty much everything, to know that out of all our city’s retail nodes, the West Point Grey Village is suffering the worst. As a UBC alumni myself, I watched that decline everyday for years as store after store would shutter, including one nearby where I learned to make macarons. However, on this day the village sidewalks were busier than normal, with those young and old gathered in several groups.
Most seemed to be coming from this open house at the West Point Grey Baptist Church, but perhaps some, like Darren, were drawn to the garage sale down the block. After I dragged him away, we descended into this basement room which was buzzing with conversation, as over 100 people would drop in before we left. All were eager to see the latest revisions to what might fill the hole Safeway’s departure had created in their community’s heart.
Arguably, the most notable change is that these 14 floor towers have grown to 17 and 19 stories, with the latter having also been rotated by 90 degrees. Apparently, with interest rates now at their highest point in 22 years, this increase was necessary to keep this mix of market and moderate income rental homes fiscally viable. Conversely, the reason for the western building’s new orientation was far more local, as anyone who attend last year’s open house should know.
Whether this spin was enough to calm the angry residents of the Point Grey Place condos is impossible for us to say, as they were given a private presentation, and no one would tell us how it went. That said, several individuals at this event criticized that move, and the decision to eliminate the building’s terraced steps down to West 9th Avenue. In their view, this was a step backwards that threatened the small scale feel of West 10th Avenue.
Instead they would have pushed more density towards the single family homes to the north, which was not the response I was expecting. Perhaps that reflects how badly the community wants to see a grocery store return to their neighbourhood, which is still the plan, or maybe it has more to do with the transformation of the Jericho Lands planned down the hill. Once again, that subject dominated the room, as did discussions about the potential UBC SkyTrain extension.
While some doubted that would ever materialize, others were disappointed to learn that city council had ruled out a Sasamat station when they selected a preferred route last year. As Darren and I, along with almost 500 others, had recently attended one of the sessions for the Jericho Lands, I was able to let them know that a station there would only be about a 12 minute walk away. Unfortunately, this brick chamber’s acoustics made deeper discussions nearly impossible.
Things were so busy that at one point an applicant team member who had spilled their cup of water did not have time to clean-up until Darren grabbed them napkins. Even by the end of the night a couple small groups remained, including supporters from the Vancouver Area Neighbours Association. Though they were the only people I recognized from the original reveal, I am sure others were present, as anyone who had registered for updates were emailed about this meeting.
Granted, we did not expect it would be needed, or that this proposal’s application for rezoning would be delayed as our province’s primer had previously expressed support for this enquiry. Which goes to show that every voice matters, and is treated equally by city staff, so make sure they hear yours by submitting your comments here before 11:59pm, July 18th, 2023.
You can view more of our photos from this meeting here on our Instagram or view the virtual event here (Archived Link).
Applicant Team Information:
Developer – BentallGreenOak (A division of Sun Life Financial)
Architects – Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership
Landscape Architects – Durante Kreuk Ltd.
City Duo 