DNC Board Meeting - November 26, 2013
Attendees:
Board Members: Roland C., Bill B., Jacek L., DJ J., Richard C., Leo M., Jezz M., Hendrik B.,
Non-Board Members: Jak King, Richard, April S., Pete Fry
Debbie K - gave her regrets, Rob M - gives his regrets
Agenda
---------------------
1) Jak King from GWAC
2) Judy McGuire on Stamps place LAPP seat
3) DNC Christmas plans
Notes from initial conversation with JK
DTES, West End, GWAC, Marpole
Citizen's Assembly
10 years ago in BC on voting system
Plan was given $270k
Plan B - is citizen's assembly directed by GWAC parallel process
April reads the constitution
Round of introductions
Roland reads minutes. Bill motions to accept the minutes, Richard seconds, motion passes
Agenda passes
Jak King leads discussion on the GWAC process
DTES LAPP is completely different than all the other processes
GWAC had only one afternoon to discuss the terms of reference
GWAC had no joint management committee of any kind
No plan since 1979 in GW. Quite excited in the beginning, lots of discussion
on arts, etc...
June, emerging directions document came out. Lots of good stuff about arts, but also lots
of land use and zoning that was not discussed at all in the sessions
The changes that they proposed were so big it was easy to get people on the streets
One of the advantages of not having a joint management committee is that if things went
wrong they could go right to the street. They would have been forced
Marpole also went to the streets - 2,000 lawn signs all over the neighbourhood
In GW they got the plan stopped dead in July, and now nothing further has happened.
In Marpole - PB was so pissed at the bad press. Jackson report came out
September 25 - delivered report
GW got 12 extension to process and added a citizens assembly, but city refused a joint management group
There was no definition of this in the jackson report.
definition never came forward. Now, in December no conversation at all about the details of the
citizen's assembly.
got together a group of 60 people or so, adhoc group across the neighbourhood and set out what a
citizen's assembly should look like.
It may have been worse if there was a joint management cmte, since the process would be used to
prevent direct action
Originally asked for 6 month extension
Wanted the project finished by October, but they delayed until after the next election.
Expect maybe 5-6 months of workshops in summer and perhaps make it into an election issue
JK - At the beginning of the year, met with other community groups and built the coalition of neighbourhoods
Every group had a different view of the viaducts, but every group also had a story of being disrespected
by the city
Leo - terrible plan for the viaducts
When the emerging directions came down in GW, MP, and DTES, all four groups had the same experience with City
Group of 21 neighbourhoods signed on to the coalition
Goal is not to deal with specific issues, but to develop a whole new planning
Pete - conversation with Ray Spaxman - Geller had issue with 60/40, Strathcona had issue with the heights increase the heights is just a speculation craze. Behind closed doors the city appointed the two co-chairs, with the old DNC which was mostly CCAP at the time.
Lots of time talking about soft targets like safety, arts, etc... but no discussions on built form
14 stories on Hastings St never came up in the discussion and now it was in the preliminary documents
76 percent of people who reviewed the documents did not like it
Part 3 - the housing section has still not been released
Emerging directions was released
Urban design panel saw the housing document but it has still not been released
Pete - I just asked today what the urban design panel saw and they wont tell him
It is a similar story with all the neighbourhoods that the real stake holders are not being consulted
Richard - process for forming the LAPP, the city got the people that they knew could influence.
Richard was not being told about meetings
When the city presented the emerging directions doc, most people did not know what the city was talking about.
Housing is still the central issue
Pete - CBC doc zone - condo game is discussed.
Concrete form construction (over 6 stories), increases the cost enourmously.
Wood form is so much cheaper and BC has an abundance of wood
land lift - because zoning includes additional heights
It feeds the speculation frenzy if heights are removed
Probably lots of developers that would be interested in wood form modest development
DEOD has the 20% limit (also somewhat outside of the DEOD)
Jezz - the main thing is to prevent displacement because if you
Jak - Nanaimo to Hastings, and First single family homes will be removed and stacked town houses
will replace them
But what will happen is that a $700/mo will be replaced with $1,500/mo apt. this is not 1 for 1 replacement
Bill - where is LAPP on community gardens issue
Pete - not sure, but not fully supported. Sahoda family had the lot next to Astoria and got big tax holiday
for sole foods garden.
DJ - Sahodas are #1 slum landlords of the DTES. DJ did an article on them but got a lot of pressure since
she lives at the Balmoral.
Hendrik - when the garden came in, rats actually left. Sole foods are doing a good thing. Rats were undermining
the ashvault before. Sahodas kept one step ahead of the city by doing the bare minimum. There is very little
attention paid to what was here originally. There should be traditional methods of governance and native.
Richard - City hall needs to act more like city hall instead of developer hall. They are clearly all about the
money. Homelessness now is worse than I've ever seen it now.
Jak - whatever success we've had at GW is because we don't allow things to be hidden, we write continuously.
We say it out loud and we don't hide anything.
Pete - the general sense is that 30% will be at shelter rates. 30% hills - below market
and 30% market rates. Geller bet me a bottle of bourbon that nothing will get built.
It is possibly a mugs game. Let's not rely on the concrete tower construction is incredibly expensive,
very green house gas intensive.
The viaducts may have tons of asbestos from the 1950s in it.
Leo says that we should just shut the viaducts down.
Richard - zoning now, and the construction of these streets it takes 1/2 hour to get from my street to DTES
Hendrik - need to limit the cars anyway. Europe does this quite well.
Pete - the super road is on the map. They will reconfigure Pacific with a 6 lane super road.
Richard - they are digging up Powell and this may join with Prior
Smoke break
Christmas Planning
---------------------
Discussion of holidays
MOTION: Richard motions that we take a break on board meetings on 24th and 31st of December, DJ seconds, motion passes
MOTION: Richard motions that we have an open house party on the 17th of December from 4pm to 6pm, DJ seconds, motion passes
MOTION: Richard motions that we also take off January 7th and have no board meeting, DJ seconds, motion passes
(Bill and Leo vote against, one abstension)
motion to adjourn
Attendees:
Board Members: Roland C., Bill B., Jacek L., DJ J., Richard C., Leo M., Jezz M., Hendrik B.,
Non-Board Members: Jak King, Richard, April S., Pete Fry
Debbie K - gave her regrets, Rob M - gives his regrets
Agenda
---------------------
1) Jak King from GWAC
2) Judy McGuire on Stamps place LAPP seat
3) DNC Christmas plans
Notes from initial conversation with JK
DTES, West End, GWAC, Marpole
Citizen's Assembly
10 years ago in BC on voting system
Plan was given $270k
Plan B - is citizen's assembly directed by GWAC parallel process
April reads the constitution
Round of introductions
Roland reads minutes. Bill motions to accept the minutes, Richard seconds, motion passes
Agenda passes
Jak King leads discussion on the GWAC process
DTES LAPP is completely different than all the other processes
GWAC had only one afternoon to discuss the terms of reference
GWAC had no joint management committee of any kind
No plan since 1979 in GW. Quite excited in the beginning, lots of discussion
on arts, etc...
June, emerging directions document came out. Lots of good stuff about arts, but also lots
of land use and zoning that was not discussed at all in the sessions
The changes that they proposed were so big it was easy to get people on the streets
One of the advantages of not having a joint management committee is that if things went
wrong they could go right to the street. They would have been forced
Marpole also went to the streets - 2,000 lawn signs all over the neighbourhood
In GW they got the plan stopped dead in July, and now nothing further has happened.
In Marpole - PB was so pissed at the bad press. Jackson report came out
September 25 - delivered report
GW got 12 extension to process and added a citizens assembly, but city refused a joint management group
There was no definition of this in the jackson report.
definition never came forward. Now, in December no conversation at all about the details of the
citizen's assembly.
got together a group of 60 people or so, adhoc group across the neighbourhood and set out what a
citizen's assembly should look like.
It may have been worse if there was a joint management cmte, since the process would be used to
prevent direct action
Originally asked for 6 month extension
Wanted the project finished by October, but they delayed until after the next election.
Expect maybe 5-6 months of workshops in summer and perhaps make it into an election issue
JK - At the beginning of the year, met with other community groups and built the coalition of neighbourhoods
Every group had a different view of the viaducts, but every group also had a story of being disrespected
by the city
Leo - terrible plan for the viaducts
When the emerging directions came down in GW, MP, and DTES, all four groups had the same experience with City
Group of 21 neighbourhoods signed on to the coalition
Goal is not to deal with specific issues, but to develop a whole new planning
Pete - conversation with Ray Spaxman - Geller had issue with 60/40, Strathcona had issue with the heights increase the heights is just a speculation craze. Behind closed doors the city appointed the two co-chairs, with the old DNC which was mostly CCAP at the time.
Lots of time talking about soft targets like safety, arts, etc... but no discussions on built form
14 stories on Hastings St never came up in the discussion and now it was in the preliminary documents
76 percent of people who reviewed the documents did not like it
Part 3 - the housing section has still not been released
Emerging directions was released
Urban design panel saw the housing document but it has still not been released
Pete - I just asked today what the urban design panel saw and they wont tell him
It is a similar story with all the neighbourhoods that the real stake holders are not being consulted
Richard - process for forming the LAPP, the city got the people that they knew could influence.
Richard was not being told about meetings
When the city presented the emerging directions doc, most people did not know what the city was talking about.
Housing is still the central issue
Pete - CBC doc zone - condo game is discussed.
Concrete form construction (over 6 stories), increases the cost enourmously.
Wood form is so much cheaper and BC has an abundance of wood
land lift - because zoning includes additional heights
It feeds the speculation frenzy if heights are removed
Probably lots of developers that would be interested in wood form modest development
DEOD has the 20% limit (also somewhat outside of the DEOD)
Jezz - the main thing is to prevent displacement because if you
Jak - Nanaimo to Hastings, and First single family homes will be removed and stacked town houses
will replace them
But what will happen is that a $700/mo will be replaced with $1,500/mo apt. this is not 1 for 1 replacement
Bill - where is LAPP on community gardens issue
Pete - not sure, but not fully supported. Sahoda family had the lot next to Astoria and got big tax holiday
for sole foods garden.
DJ - Sahodas are #1 slum landlords of the DTES. DJ did an article on them but got a lot of pressure since
she lives at the Balmoral.
Hendrik - when the garden came in, rats actually left. Sole foods are doing a good thing. Rats were undermining
the ashvault before. Sahodas kept one step ahead of the city by doing the bare minimum. There is very little
attention paid to what was here originally. There should be traditional methods of governance and native.
Richard - City hall needs to act more like city hall instead of developer hall. They are clearly all about the
money. Homelessness now is worse than I've ever seen it now.
Jak - whatever success we've had at GW is because we don't allow things to be hidden, we write continuously.
We say it out loud and we don't hide anything.
Pete - the general sense is that 30% will be at shelter rates. 30% hills - below market
and 30% market rates. Geller bet me a bottle of bourbon that nothing will get built.
It is possibly a mugs game. Let's not rely on the concrete tower construction is incredibly expensive,
very green house gas intensive.
The viaducts may have tons of asbestos from the 1950s in it.
Leo says that we should just shut the viaducts down.
Richard - zoning now, and the construction of these streets it takes 1/2 hour to get from my street to DTES
Hendrik - need to limit the cars anyway. Europe does this quite well.
Pete - the super road is on the map. They will reconfigure Pacific with a 6 lane super road.
Richard - they are digging up Powell and this may join with Prior
Smoke break
Christmas Planning
---------------------
Discussion of holidays
MOTION: Richard motions that we take a break on board meetings on 24th and 31st of December, DJ seconds, motion passes
MOTION: Richard motions that we have an open house party on the 17th of December from 4pm to 6pm, DJ seconds, motion passes
MOTION: Richard motions that we also take off January 7th and have no board meeting, DJ seconds, motion passes
(Bill and Leo vote against, one abstension)
motion to adjourn
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