New UBC development proposal draws criticism
The University of B.C. campus has been transformed in recent decades by clusters of mostly market condos and townhomes, along with retail space and thousands of new residents.
By providing land to real-estate developers on 99-year leases, the university has been able to significantly increase its endowment fund.
Now there is a proposal to develop another major campus neighbourhood known as Stadium Road.
Even though some are in favour of increasing the supply of on-campus housing, especially for staff and faculty, the proposal is rankling other residents because it includes four or five much taller condo towers, and density that is almost double the allowances in a land-use plan approved by the province in 2010.
Elsewhere on campus, condo towers have been no taller than 20 storeys, with many at about four or five storeys, said Murray McCutcheon, a resident in the area. The towers being proposed for Stadium Road are up to 36 storeys.
McCutcheon and hundreds of others have signed a petition demanding that the development conform to the existing land-use plan. Developers are seeking more generous allowances and provincial approval by next February.
“We’re not opposed to development, and not asking to not develop this land,” said McCutcheon. “We are asking to respect the land-use plan and to have more objectives in mind than only economic ones.”
The plan proposes a split of 40-per-cent rental housing for university staff and faculty, and 60-per-cent market-rate condos.
McCutcheon and others are calling for the new development to give greater priority to faculty and staff housing and to consider concerns about the lack of schools and community centres.
UBC board chair Michael Korenberg issued a letter in mid-October saying the university would slow its consultation process on the development. “This phase of engagement has also made it clear that more work is required to address some key areas of concern and interest before the plan is finalized,” wrote Korenberg.
A range of things are being considered in response to the criticism, said Michael White, UBC associate vice-president for campus and community planning
These include adjusting the ratio of faculty and staff rental housing to market housing. The towers’ maximum heights could also be lowered to 32 storeys, and the university is identifying sites for amenities, such as elementary schools, he said.