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Vancouver’s draft plans for the Downtown Eastside include a proposal to dedicate part of the neighbourhood to rental housing.

The City of Vancouver’s proposed local area plan, released at open houses on July 18 and 20, calls for a focus on social-housing development, along with some market-rental units, in the Downtown Eastside’s Oppenheimer District.

Vancouver’s top planner, Brian Jackson, describes setting an area aside for rental housing as “very unusual” for a city. As part of the draft local area plan, staff are proposing that 60 percent of bonus density in the district be considered for social housing, with the balance targeted for “secured market rental housing”.

“We are saying that you can build market rental in there, but in order to do market rental, you have to deliver 60 percent social housing,” Jackson told the Georgia Straight in an interview.

According to Jackson, the key question will be what is considered social housing. And the definition that the city has in mind includes a range of rents.

“We know that the rents are going to be below the market rents in the area,” he said. “It’s a matter of making sure that the funding model is such that it’s going to reach the very lowest income people but also be funded in a way—and the rents will be constructed in a way—that it will allow for the ongoing maintenance of the building. We can’t create a model which isn’t sustainable.”

Jackson said a social-housing definition will be included in the final version of the community plan.

“Before we commit pen to paper for exactly what’s in the plan for social housing, we want to hear from people as to what their definition of social housing is,” he said.

Downtown Eastside resident Herb Varley believes social housing in the area should be set aside for residents on income support.

“Down here…many people are on income assistance or disability or pension, so we feel—at least for the purposes of down here—that’s what social housing should be,” he told the Straight. “And there’s been talk about maybe doing some rent subsidies…which has potential to be very helpful, but there’s also the danger that those subsidies just go into landlords’ pockets.”

The plan sets 10-year goals to create 800 new social-housing units, improve conditions in 1,500 SROs, and offer 1,650 rent subsidies for low-income residents. It also proposes a target of 1,650 new units of “affordable market rental housing” in the next 10 years.

Downtown Eastside resident Fraser Stuart said he was disappointed to see that the city’s draft plans don’t define what is considered low-cost.

“There’s no guarantee of housing for welfare, pension, or disability,” he said in an interview. “It’s might, could, possible, but there’s no will.”

Jackson noted that throughout much of the Downtown Eastside, developments have previously been required to include 20 percent social housing. “We have heard the people in terms of saying that the city hasn’t done enough, but we’ve also heard the private sector to say, ‘We can only do so much,’ ” he said.

The city’s draft housing plans for other areas of the Downtown Eastside include consideration of mixed-use development east of Raymur Avenue, consisting of 20 percent social housing targeted to families and 80 percent market rental or ownership units. Proposed policy changes along East Hastings Street between Heatley Avenue and Clark Drive call for the consideration of development featuring 25 to 30 percent social housing.

Potential development heights outlined in the city’s draft plans include 150 feet at two specific sites, between 100 and 120 feet in the Main and Hastings area, and 40 to 150 feet between Heatley and Clark.

A questionnaire on the proposed local area plan, including measures aimed at the health of residents, the local economy, and transportation, will be available on the city’s website until August 16.