Opinion: I'm pro-development in Chinatown, but opposed to 105 Keefer

Opinion: I'm pro-development in Vancouver Chinatown, but opposed to the 105 Keefer Street proposal

Artistic rendering of the proposed mixed-use building at 105 Keefer Street, Vancouver. (Merrick Architecture/Beedie)

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Michael Tan, who is a volunteer director of the Chaun Luen Society and a co-chair of the Chinatown Seniors Affordable Housing Group.

Vancouver’s Chinatown is iconic and holds immense historical and social significance not just for the Chinese-Chinese community, but for Canadians from all walks of life.

Next week, the City of Vancouver’s Development Permit Board (DPB) will decide on the application by Beedie to develop luxury condominiums at 105 Keefer Street.

I strongly believe that the development of new housing in Chinatown is critical to revitalizing the neighbourhood, but I am standing against this proposal as it will not bring about the revitalization we hope for to the legacy, cultural, and family-owned businesses in the neighbourhood and instead will diminish the Chinese-Canadian Memorial and the memory of the ancestors it commemorates.

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Most people wonder, “Why are we fighting over an empty lot?” and are quick to say that “they should develop it so we can add new residents to Chinatown and help revitalize its businesses!”

What many overlook is just how close the 105 Keefer Street development is to the Chinese Canadian Memorial, which has a sculpture commemorating a railway worker, and a separate sculpture honouring a veteran.

Anyone who has watched a Heritage Minute knows that during the building of the Trans-Canada railway, there is a dead Chinese railway worker for every mile of track. The soldier recognizes the ultimate sacrifice of Chinese-Canadians who fought in the Second World War, at a time when not only could they not vote, but were unwelcome in Canada at all due to the Chinese Exclusion Act.

In 2017, eight Chinese Canadian veterans came out to oppose the application, but they haven’t spoken out this time as most have passed away. The building as proposed by Beedie would tower over this monument. Arthur Cheng, the sculptor of the 2003-built monument, has come out vehemently against it.

If this application was next to Victory Square, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Existing condition of 105 Keefer Street, Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

105 keefer street vancouver site vacant f

The vacant site of 105 Keefer Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

While development is essential for progress, it is equally important to approach it with sensitivity and thoughtfulness. In the case of the proposed 105 Keefer Street development, we find ourselves at a critical juncture where we must weigh the benefits of progress against the potential loss of a culturally significant site.

The main argument proponents of the Beedie application have presented is that the addition of housing will bring 100 residents to Chinatown and will serve to help revitalize the neighbourhood. I’ve seen this movie before.

In the past 10 years, 524 new condominiums were been built in the Chinatown area. The hope from many in the community was that these new residents would patronize the heritage, cultural, and family-owned businesses. Instead, what we have discovered is that this is categorically a pipe dream.

We have seen the commercial vacancy rate in Chinatown hit 23%, meaning almost one out of four commercial spaces sit empty. Instead of revitalization, these luxury condominiums increased development pressure on the surrounding neighbourhood and we watched as our beloved neighbours, businesses that catered to low and middle-income clientele like Goldstone, Mitzies, Tinland, and Kent’s Kitchen closed up shop for good. It is telling that many of the few remaining legacy businesses like New Town Bakery and Kam Wai Dim Sum have stood in opposition to the project.

But isn’t it just an empty lot? It currently is, but if it is allowed to be developed as luxury condominiums, that’s all it ever will be.

In February, the Chinatown Seniors Housing Group released a study showing a current shortfall of 4,000 units of housing for seniors in Chinatown and for that figure to double in the next 10 years. Instead of luxury condominiums, 105 Keefer Street should be developed as a housing co-op, which could house not just Chinese seniors but middle-income families, who would be better supporters of the heritage businesses.

105 keefer street vancouver beedie 2017 design

Keefer Street frontage perspective; artistic rendering of the proposed mixed-use building at 105 Keefer Street, Vancouver. (Merrick Architecture/Beedie)

Columbia Street frontage perspective; artistic rendering of the proposed mixed-use building at 105 Keefer Street, Vancouver. (Merrick Architecture/Beedie)

Keefer Street frontage perspective; artistic rendering of the proposed mixed-use building at 105 Keefer Street, Vancouver. (Merrick Architecture/Beedie)

Site of the proposed mixed-use building at 105 Keefer Street, Vancouver. (Merrick Architecture/Beedie)

In late May, over 400 Chinatown residents, the vast majority being seniors, turned up at a rally to oppose the development application. Many of those seniors proposed an alternative development, to develop low- and middle-income housing in the space, but also to develop a senior-focused community centre, where seniors can socialize and congregate. This type of residence with adjacent services would not only activate the space but give credence to the seniors that are so important to our community.

Opposing the 105 Keefer Street development does not mean rejecting progress altogether. It is essential to explore alternative approaches that balance development with the preservation of Chinatown’s unique character.

Embracing mixed-use developments that incorporate affordable housing, community spaces, and cultural centres would allow for a more holistic approach to progress — one that cherishes the neighbourhood’s heritage while adapting to the changing needs of its residents. Let us work together to find alternative solutions that honour the past while embracing the future of Chinatown.

That would definitely make our ancestors proud.

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