VANCOUVER—City staff are looking for an outside opinion on whether it’s appropriate for developers to create so-called “poor doors” — separate entrances for residents of a building’s social-housing units.

The doors typically lead to a separate part of the building with fewer or lower-quality amenities and cheaper finishings. The City of Vancouver says the practice can help non-profit housing operators save money; it can be cheaper for operators to create their own bare-bones amenities for their tenants rather than chip in to maintain a common swimming pool, concierge or games room.

But the executive director of Atira Women’s Resource Society, a non-profit housing provider, argues developers should never have separate entrances or amenities for residents who make less money.

“Are we really that awful as human beings?” Janice Abbott asked.

The City of Vancouver is now searching for a consultant who would “review shared common areas in mixed tenure social-housing projects.” The decision follows backlash to a downtown development that featured a “poor playground” in its proposed design.

As the Star reported in 2017, a developer designated one playground for children who lived in the building’s subsidized housing units and another playground for children who lived in the building’s market-rate units. The city has since asked the developer to combine the two playgrounds for the building, slated for Thurlow and Burnaby streets.

Abbott herself lives in a Gastown apartment that was originally built in 1999 with two doors — one for homeowners, and another for residents who live in the building’s co-op units. The “poor door” was a constant source of tension among neighbours, she told the Star.

“The folks who lived in the co-op, particularly, were very clear to us they felt like second-class citizens.”

In 2006, the building’s strata voted to give everyone access to both doors. No one has complained since, she said.

Abbott has applied that experience to her professional life, as well. Atira’s two mixed-income buildings each have a gym, community garden and a shared events room. People of all income levels are welcome to use the amenities.

Abbott said she has received very little feedback from residents about the shared amenities — a sign that people are content to share all the benefits the building offers.

The city is accepting bids for the consulting work on “poor doors” until April 23.

“I can only hope and assume that once the consultant is hired, that they will consult with us,” said Abbott.

With files from Jen St. Denis

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