Abundant Housing Vancouver
@ahvancouver.bsky.social
We are a non-partisan group of advocates supporting more housing of all types for everyone in Metro Vancouver
It's the penultimate AHV Happy Hour before the Vancouver election! Who are you leaning towards voting for? What are your hopes and worries for the next council? Come say hi and let us know!
Abundant Housing Vancouver Happy Hour
Come meet your pro-housing neighbours at happy hour with AHV!
eventbrite.ca
Seattle’s infill boom from 2000 to 2020 “eliminated about 1 million tons of potential greenhouse gas emissions basically for free… this category of climate action has been better than a free lunch. It’s been a lunch the region got paid to eat.”
Infill housing delayed is climate action denied
Urbanites have smaller carbon footprints than our suburban neighbors. That isn’t just something to feel smug about – it’s a call to action to embrace more infill housing in cities.
ggwash.org
Our monthly happy hour is TOMORROW, Thursday August 13! Rogue in Waterfront Station, starting at 5 pm, but just drop in when you can! With the Villages Plan defeated and an election coming up, what are YOUR hopes for the next council?
Abundant Housing Vancouver Happy Hour
Come meet your pro-housing neighbours at happy hour with AHV!
eventbrite.ca
"...the Anglican Church...is calling on the B.C. government to bring in deadlines on affordable housing approval processes after the organization’s tireless but frustrating attempts to deliver community housing on their lands. bcbusiness.ca/real-e...
two days after Vancouver city council voted down their own Villages Plan, west side residents who opposed the plan en masse are complaining that Dunbar (!!) doesn’t have any wine bars, boutiques or gyms — the kind of amenities that require neighbourhood density to support
Economists: “here are 10,000 papers showing supply lowers prices and rents” Media/Govt: “Interesting, this smug landscape architect wearing all black in the dead of summer claims otherwise”
The Vancouver Villages Plan is up for a vote today! It would be a meaningful step in the right direction: low-rise apartments on off-arterial streets; walkable communities. We know it's the right direction for the city. It was prioritized by Ken Sim and ABC. Will they have the courage to pass it?
Peter Waldkirch 華彼德@pwaldkirch.bsky.social · 2mo agoDay 3 of the Vancouver Villages Plan is starting up. Here's a live update of how it's going: (As before, I'll be listening but not posting on every speaker---too much psychic damage.) bsky.app/profile/pwal...
Everyone loves large planning exercises like the Vancouver Plan. But when it's time for implementation people get cold feet. Even though the Villages is probably the mildest portion of the overall plan. Will the Vancouver Plan suffer the same fate as City Plan in the 1990s and just fizzle?
Abundant Housing Vancouver@ahvancouver.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe Villages Plan is not that controversial & Council should approve all 17 villages. There was not that much opposition considering most complaints were poorly founded & the result of NIMBY fear-mongering. For comparison, consider 1805 Larch, ONE 5-storey apartment building.
Spreading growth over 17 villages saves taxes by using existing infrastructure capacity, & allows time to address emerging needs. Denser development is much cheaper to service in the long run.
Abundant Housing Vancouver@ahvancouver.bsky.social · 2mo agoSome councillors suggested doing only one or two villages as a pilot. This would not be representative, as it would concentrate development in one area & they all have different characteristics. More important: Housing is needed now! Council should approve the whole plan.
Some nearby house-owners had lawn signs opposing these rental homes up until this building was almost completed, years after it was approved. And I am 100% certain all the people who call this building home today, and those who will for decades to come, enrich and strengthen the neighbourhood.
Abundant Housing Vancouver@ahvancouver.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe Villages Plan is not that controversial & Council should approve all 17 villages. There was not that much opposition considering most complaints were poorly founded & the result of NIMBY fear-mongering. For comparison, consider 1805 Larch, ONE 5-storey apartment building.
The Villages Plan is not that controversial & Council should approve all 17 villages. There was not that much opposition considering most complaints were poorly founded & the result of NIMBY fear-mongering. For comparison, consider 1805 Larch, ONE 5-storey apartment building.
The Villages Plan is not that controversial & Council should approve all 17 villages. There was not that much opposition considering most complaints were poorly founded & the result of NIMBY fear-mongering. For comparison, consider 1805 Larch, ONE 5-storey apartment building.
"No such thing as a high-permitting, high-cost city"
Image of the day: "No such thing as a high-permitting, high-cost city"
William Davis (YIMBYLAND) on Twitter:
morehousing.substack.com
Did you register to speak for the Villages Plan? Council passed speaker #241, and have decided to continue into the evening. If you missed your spot, there is an opportunity to speak at the end.
2 Cities, 2 Chip Plants, only 1 Affordability Crisis Why do new jobs cause a housing crisis in Syracuse but not Austin? www.npr.org/2026/07/...
"The homeowners aren't stopping progress, they're not blocking affordable housing...Who is blocking this?" says the guy here to oppose this project after a day full of home owners opposing this
The American (and Australian!) mind can’t comprehend Swiss apartment plans. No corridors. Two apartments per core. Means all homes all dual aspect with great access to light and ventilation. In Basel. Architects are Miller & Maranta
Villages Plan public hearing, round one: "We banned apartments in the 70s" "When housing is scarce, prices rise to keep people out" "the public hearing process tends to amplify the voices of people who are most fearful and opposed to new housing"
Villages Plan public hearing, round one
Tuesday July 14
morehousing.substack.com
"Now, this is not totalitarian. Democracy is happening. The democratically elected mayor of Vancouver announced this idea three years ago." Here's my story on Day 1 of the public hearing for Vancouver's villages rezoning proposal, and why it looks like an uphill battle. www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-p...
“Cancelling plans like this or even just slow-walking them risks worsening the housing crisis and making it so that our kids cannot afford to live in the city that we live in,” one speaker said. www.ctvnews.ca/vanco... 1/2
Vancouver Villages Plan draws massive turnout at city hall as debate over housing densification continues
More than 230 people registered to speak Tuesday night as Vancouver City Council began hearing public feedback on the city’s controversial Villages Plan — a proposal that would change zoning to allow more low-rise housing in 17 neighbourhoods across Vancouver.
ctvnews.ca
DYK-Wednesday: Property Taxes No one @CityofVancouver is aware, but if a homeowner's property assessment goes up because of redevelopment potential from a rezoning, they can apply to have their assessment frozen based on existing use! Rebecca Bligh
Section 19(8) of Assessment Act - special assessments for certain long-term residents
Section 19(8) of the Assessment Act allows certain residential land to be assessed at less than market value where the owner qualifies and provided the property has potential for development for a more valuable use than its current use.
info.bcassessment.ca
"We've clamped down & now the retail is struggling, some of the schools are struggling... almost anything is more affordable than the status quo." www.cbc.ca/listen/li...
Some councilors asking about “why not a pilot?” No. “Pilots” are just a desire to shift the project to someone else’s Neighbourhood. It’s a delay tactic. Better to do it broadly and then adapt locally as needed.
My speech in support of the Villages plan at council just now
Twenty homeowners on Monroe Crescent have signed a petition for the Villages Plan. Not to oppose it, but asking to be included! council.vancouver.ca... 1/2
CBC On the Coast: "Vancouver's 'Villages' Plan" Danny Oleksiuk describes the two biggest advantages of the plan: 1. Allow apartments on quiet streets. 2. Spreads growth around instead of concentrating it, including some slow growth areas. www.cbc.ca/listen/li...
A great letter in support of the proposed West-side Villages. "it’s no wonder that ... data show Dunbar & Arbutus Ridge, where the westside villages will be located, as the MOST expensive area in all of metro Vancouver for multi-bedroom rentals." www.abundanthousingv...
