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Massive Oakridge redevelopment okayed by Vancouver council saying it’s the city’s green, urban future

March 17th, 2014 · 52 Comments

Hard to keep up with all the major thingies getting approved by council these days.

Oakridge was Friday, where it was fascinating to see two very different views come out among councillors among what it all means. For the Visionistas, this is the exciting new future. For the opposition (NPA, Green), this redevelopment is a sad sign of the tumultuous change the city is going through and the fears it spurs about what will happen to the old Vancouver.

I can’t help thinking this is how the election is going to play out, as the city increasingly diverges between the newcomers quite happy to buy into the towers and townhouses and dense new development going up and those who are entrenched in the single-family neighbourhoods that they hope will never change. (That can be long-time residents, but also brand-new ones who’ve spent a fortune to buy into an increasingly rare commodity — the single-family neighbourhood — and are determined to fight to the death to keep it untouched.)

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  • Dr. Frankentower

    “The inability of most Vancouverites to accept marginal changes within detached neighbourhoods”

    Interesting how people will resort to inventing problems and/or manufacturing polarization for which their only possible solution is towers.

    Mr. Browne, there are precious few examples of neighbourhoods fighting incremental changes in their neighbourhoods when the developments are within the scale and character of the existing buildings. Certainly hasn’t been the case in Mt. Pleasant or Grandview-Woodlands.

    But, by all means, keep proffering up twaddle like this, as it reinforces the idea that there really is no good reason (other than cashola) to accept these megaprojects in our neighbourhoods.

  • Adam Fitch

    Good point, Frances, about the coming election and the divergence on Vancouver city council.

    But you did not mention the obvious point. Not too surprising that Vision Vancouver supports development. That is what they have become known for.

    But the Green Party and the NPA being against development? That goes diametrically opposite to their historic stance, at least for the NPA. And for the Greens, how do they respond to the sustainable development argument, I wonder.

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