Chorus grows louder against downtown tower blocking mountain views
The volume and number of voices are increasing against Vancouver city council voting next week to allow a tall tower to be built downtown because it would pierce through “cones” that have longprotected views of the city’s spectacular mountains.
More than 1,000 names, including former city planning director Larry Beasley and past city councillor Marguerite Ford, have been collected on a petition being circulated by a group called SaveOurSkylineYVR.
More than 160 letters have been filed with the city in opposition (compared to nine in support), including one from the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods, which represents 27 community residents’ associations.
On Tuesday city council is set to give the go-ahead to a proposal from PavCo for a 400-foot tower at 777 Pacific Boulevard that would be the first of three mixed-use, but mostly residential condo buildings that would exceed the view cone limit.
These would sit in the Northeast False Creek area. There are other proposals in the pipeline for two more tall condo towers from Concord Pacific that would also apply to break the view cone.
“The view cones were established in 1989 to preserve views of mountains, and possibly the ocean, but mostly the mountains which are unique,” said Larry Benge, co-chair of the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods.
“That is Vancouver. I was at Kits Beach with a friend and we said, ‘isn’t this amazing’ and it is because of the physical beauty. We would be losing something.”
If the proposal gets a green light, it will be first time the view cones are compromised since they were established in 1989.
There are 27 view cones in the city that limit building heights at key spots so that views of the North Shore mountains, the city skyline and water are accessible from various areas.
In the past, other architects and developers have had to change drawings, lopping off and adjusting parts of their buildings to comply with the view cone policy.
In 2011, the city added new view cones, but also allowed for higher buildings in other areas. In 2013, it allowed for higher buildings in some areas of the West End.
In this case, one alternative would be to allow a tower that is only 300 feet high, which would set it just below the top of the view cone.
There are details of this option in a June 5 planning report to council, which says a larger, lower floor-plate could be used instead. But it would mean a lower level of density for the developer. Instead of 37 storeys of residential use, it would be 26 storeys or going from a total of 40 storeys to 29, said community advocate Melody Ma, adding these are just estimates.
“Folks from across the political spectrum have signed (against) it,” said Ma of SaveOurSkylineYVR’s petition against the piercing of the view cones.
Other former planning directors including Brent Toderian and Ray Spaxman have also expressed concerns about breaking the view cones.
Ma pointed out that, as detailed in the planning report, in exchange for taking away public views, PavCo or the B.C. Pavilion Corp. will not pay any community amenity contributions in cash and gets other development fees waived for this rezoning because in 2008, it cut a deal with the city when it replaced the roof and upgraded B.C. Place Stadium.