Opponents of Jericho Lands proposal want low-rises instead of towers

Opponents of Jericho Lands proposal want low-rise development instead of towers

Not the real Jericho Lands concept being considered; a community group's low-rise depiction. (Jericho Coalition)

Through the Jericho Coalition organization, local residents near the Jericho Lands development site in West Point Grey are voicing their opposition to the recently unveiled proposed master plan concept for the new mixed-use neighbourhood.

On June 16, the MST Development Corporation and Canada Lands Company (CLC) — the owners and proponents of the project — revealed their proposed revised concept for a more ambitious, denser development of the 90-acre property, which is a largely undeveloped former military installation.

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The revised concept by the Indigenous-led proponents calls for 13,000 homes for up to 24,000 residents, which is a substantial increase from the previous October 2021 concept of 9,000 homes for 15,000 to 18,000 residents.

At least 30% of the residential floor area will be dedicated to affordable housing, such as secured rental housing and social housing. The only type of ownership housing offered will be leasehold strata to enable the First Nations to own the land in perpetuity.

There would also be significantly more commercial uses, such as retail, restaurants, offices, and possible a hotel and creative industrial spaces — enough employment uses to support 3,000 on-site jobs.

There are now also dozens of high-rise towers in the revised concept, with the vast majority over 20 storeys and the tallest being a trio of 49-storey towers. There would also be low- and mid-rise buildings.

Furthermore, the total building floor area is now pegged at 13.6 million sq ft — up from the 2021 concept of 10 million sq ft.

jericho lands mst clc vancouver concept june 2023

June 2023 revised concept of the Jericho Lands. (MST Development Corporation/Canada Lands Company)

Building heights; June 2023 revised concept of the Jericho Lands. Click on the image for a larger version. (MST Development Corporation/Canada Lands Company)

June 2023 revised concept of the Jericho Lands. (MST Development Corporation/Canada Lands Company)

TransLink, TransLink’s Mayors’ Council, and the City of Vancouver have already identified their preference to provide the Jericho Lands site with an on-site subway station, as part of the future SkyTrain Millennium Line extension west of Arbutus to the University of British Columbia. Such a station location is strategically intended to help increase the development potential and resulting ridership potential.

MST is a for-profit company jointly owned by the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, while CLC is a federal crown corporation. This partnership acquired the two parcels that form the Jericho Lands from the provincial and federal governments for a combined $717 million in separate deals about a decade ago.

As the Jericho Lands is not a reserve, unlike Senakw, the proponents are required to abide with the City of Vancouver’s review process, policies, and bylaws. Currently, the proponents are in the process of working with the municipal government to draft a master plan to form a policy statement for the Jericho Lands, which will guide future rezonings for the multi-phased development over decades. Vancouver City Council is expected to review and consider the policy statement for approval before the end of 2023.

June 2023 revised concept of the Jericho Lands. (MST Development Corporation/Canada Lands Company)

View of the Jericho Lands from the site’s southwest corner, looking northeast from West 8th Avenue. (Google Maps)

Aerial of the Jericho Lands in West Point Grey. (City of Vancouver)

In response to the release of the revised, larger development concept earlier this month, the Jericho Coalition group today says it was opposed to the previous 2021 concept, and it is now certainly also against the new, more ambitious concept.

Instead of high-rise towers, the group wants the proponents to drastically pivot to low-rise buildings — generally between four and eight storeys, using wood construction, and featuring internal courtyards.

“The new MST/CLC plan is extremely disappointing and completely ignores all input from neighbourhoods near the project and across the city,” said Jericho Coalition spokesperson Bill Tieleman, who was a city councillor candidate in the 2022 civic election.

“There is a better, low-rise, more livable and environmentally friendly way to create thousands of housing units without high-rise luxury concrete towers – and that’s why we’ve created an alternative vision that we hope the developers and city will seriously consider.”

Highly conceptual artistic renderings by the Jericho Coalition of their alternative vision of a low-rise neighbourhood suggests such a lower density concept, while still relatively significant compared to what exists at the site today, would not come close to MST and CLC’s proposed 13.6 million sq ft of building floor area.

The group’s alternative concept of achieving density horizontally by requiring a larger land footprint for buildings, in lieu of verticality, also provides less public and open spaces. For instance, the group’s concept, based on their illustrations, suggests the development of the existing four-acre forest near the centre of the site fronting West 4th Avenue. Overall, their provided public and open spaces within the low-rise concept appears to come at the expense of density.

jericho lands jericho coalition not real concept

Not the real Jericho Lands concept being considered; a community group’s low-rise depiction. (Jericho Coalition)

In contrast, the MST and CLC concept preserves 75% of the forest. Moreover, the real concept under consideration sets aside 33% of the property — about 30 acres — for public parks and open spaces, and recreational and naturalized uses.

There is no question that this is largely a for-profit development, which is the mandate of MST — to provided a new added source of wealth for its three First Nations owners, while also providing public benefits and economic growth for the region.

A significant reduction in density would appear to go against MST’s mandate and the purpose of their portfolio of major properties for development, in addition to generating fewer new housing and employment opportunities.

“Following the release of two conceptual site plan options in Fall 2021, MST leadership asked the project team to review whether ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands could provide additional housing and affordability, greater inclusivity and open spaces, additional employment and training opportunities, and a deeper recognition of the cultural importance of the site,” reads the First Nations’ owners’ rationale for the more ambitious project.

In a previous statement reflecting on the revised concept, Tsleil-Waututh Chief Jen Thomas said this project is “not only for the benefit of current generations, but also for the next seven generations — for the cultural and financial sustainability of our people.”

Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow said “not only are we taking our rightful place as landowners and economic leaders, but we will be showcasing our culture like never before.”

The policy statement master planning process for the Jericho Lands is essentially the same as what was carried out for the future redevelopment of the Heather Lands, which is also owned by MST and CLC. The Heather Lands, a 21-acre site west of Queen Elizabeth Park, previously home to the BC RCMP headquarters, saw its policy statement approved in May 2018, and the rezoning application approved in June 2022. This project on the Cambie Corridor will generate 2,600 homes in buildings up to 28 storeys.

heather lands vancouver mst development corporation 2022

Heather Lands redevelopment, Vancouver. (Dialog/Canada Lands Company/MST Development Corporation)

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