BCBUSINESS.CA JUNE 2017 BCBUSINESS 23
end and to homebuyers only.
So building rental housing and
more aordable options for the
so-called missing middle or the
generation squeeze, the young
generation that's wanting to
either nd a family-size rental
or to buy a rst-time home, we
need to pay attention to that.
That is the future of the city,
and that is the workforce that's
going to be working in the
creative economy.
What are you doing to sim-
plify development approval?
One is, how do we simply speed
up the permitting process. I'm
launching a regulatory review
process in this coming year
which will look at this hoary
thicket of regulations in Van-
couver that's been built up over
time. Particularly if we want to
keep up with the need for aord-
able housing, we have to nd
ways to expedite some of that.
The other piece is that the Van-
couver development system is
almost addicted to this notion of
individual property rezonings as
opposed to doing that through
larger area plans. It's very
cumbersome, time-consuming
and opaque both to developers
and to neighbourhoods. One
of the shifts I'm trying to make
is to have that system be more
uniform across districts, be done
at the time they do an area plan
and be much more xed-rate
developer contributions.
How is Vancouver like and
unlike other West Coast
cities?
All are highly prosperous,
politically progressive, highly
livable and therefore attractive
for new people moving here,
for the young generation of
workers and entrepreneurs.
The other piece they share is
an aordable housing crisis.
That's the Achilles heel of all of
these great cities. In some ways
Vancouver and Portland share
a similarity of neighbourhood
patterns and are both strug-
gling with what inll growth
looks like. They share also a high
degree of civic investment in the
future of their cities. Vancouver
and San Francisco share a more
internationally recognizable
kind of skyline, an international
population and a presence on
the water. Vancouver and Seattle
are so close that they're almost
becoming one economy. That's
something that Vancouver can
benet from, but it still needs to
nd its unique identity.
Some of that uniqueness is
going to come from homegrown
innovation. The congestion
and the housing prices and the
sprawling nature of the Seattle
metro area are going to make
Vancouver very attractive for
a lot of the innovation folks.
I think Vancouver is the next
great place here on the West
Coast. I really do.
City of
Vancouver
building
permits (2016)
Assembly
buildings: 319
Institutional: 39
Residential: 3,033
Business/personal
services: 1,032
Shops/markets:
304
Industrial: 160
Miscellaneous: 87
Demolitions: 819
Salvage/
abatement: 322
TOTAL: 6,115
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