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Marpole: Marine Drive residents fear the wrecking ball

The residents of a Marpole housing complex slated for demolition fear their fate is sealed. Concord Pacific, the owner of the property at 445 SW Marine Dr.
Marine Gardens
Jillian Skeet (left) and a group of Marine Gardens children aren’t happy about having their homes demolished to make way for two new highrise towers.photo Dan Toulgoet

The residents of a Marpole housing complex slated for demolition fear their fate is sealed.

Concord Pacific, the owner of the property at 445 SW Marine Dr., plans to knock down the 70 rental townhouses and replace them with two high-rise towers at 27 and 21-storeys in height with 514 units and a third mid-rise 6.5-storey tower with 70 affordable units to replace the units that were demolished. The property would need to be rezoned to allow for the development.

Marine Gardens residents have been told by the city’s planning general manager Brian Jackson that saving their homes from demolition “would not be considered an option.”

Resident Jillian Skeet brought the demolition to her neighbours’ attention and formed the Marine Gardens Residents Association. After sending a letter to the city and Concord Pacific in December 2013, Skeet said she was shocked by Jackson’s response and thought the demolition was a “done deal.”

Kimberley Bowen, who has been a resident at Marine Gardens for over six years and has two young daughters, said the group has tried to meet with Concord Pacific ever since they were given offers of compensation.

“Concord was putting together their plan and they wanted to know what they could offer us, what they could do to compensate us for losing our home,” Bowen said.
“We kind of said, we aren’t going there. We want to fight to keep our community what it is now.”

The complex was built as a project for the United Nations Habitat Forum held in Vancouver in 1976. It has an enclosed courtyard open to all the townhouses, making it an ideal place for children to play outside safely. Bowen said the safe environment is an essential component for child development.

“Obesity in children is getting worse and for us, we feel like we are doing something right because our kids have a chance to ride their bikes around and be active, while still being safe,” said Bowen.

“The saddest part for us is that a high-rise condo doesn’t replace a townhouse. What do you tell your children? Go play in the hallway or the elevator? It’s a shame to be able to take that type of community and tear it apart.”

Besides the fear of losing their tight-woven community, the increased cost of living was another concern.

Resident Charlene Gunn said that Marpole is the last place in Vancouver that could be considered affordable, which by definition is housing that does not exceed 30 per cent of a household’s income.

“Instead of allowing these large towers to be built and having to relocate current residents in affordable housing and have vacant sold condos … They should come up with a better plan or solution,” said Gunn.

The Marine Gardens Residents Association held a meeting last week and invited Concord Pacific to attend. The company sent Prompton Real Estate’s senior property manager Kim Love to answer their questions.

“She wasn’t able to give us the details, she didn’t really have any,” said Bowen. “She would go back and get some answers, but it’s not fair that Prompton has been put in the middle as a messenger. It would be a lot easier if Concord would just talk to us.”

Bowen said that Concord has offered four months’ rent and the option for residents who have lived there over five years to move back in after two years and be given a 15 per cent discount off the market value of the new condos, which Prompton said will be around $2,300 per month for a two bedroom, up from current cost of $1,100 monthly.

According to Nancy Eng, the communications coordinator for the City of Vancouver, the city has no anticipated timeline for the rezoning application.
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