BACKGROUND

June 6, 2014 - East Vancouver, BC Our Community, Our Plan! Residents Group
How We Got Here:
Residents Group Responds to City of Vancouvers Land Use Map
June 6, 2014 - East Vancouver, BC Our Community, Our Plan! Residents Group
Last year, the Citys dreams of East Van as a land of towering, upscale condos mobilized area residents
into action. Some of us formed a group to oppose such a vision of our neighbourhood that would lead
to higher rents, displacement and gentrification. We are called Our Community, Our Plan!
The Land Use Map issued by the City of Vancouver last year as part of the Grandview-Woodland
Community Plan process, has resulted in a complete lack of trust between residents and the Planning
Department, especially with respect to displacing low income residents and paving over the
communitys cultural and heritage values. Our Community, Our Plan! is therefore seeking
opportunities to meet with the City Planning Department to discuss the criteria and rationale used to
develop the Land Use Plan as well as the Citizens Assembly, which the City proposed in response to
local opposition.
The Citys engagement with Grandview-Woodland has been going on for some time. The extended gap
between the last and next phase of the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan prompted a group of
Grandview-Woodland residents to form Our Community, Our Plan!. The group wants to ensure that its
Community Plan is one based on democracy, inclusivity and diversity.
The City needs to provide a rationale for its failed Land Use Map including the criteria used for
determining the scale and location of densification. Population growth data for the entire City and for
each neighbourhood should be made public so that we can understand how the City is expected to grow
for the duration of the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan. Wed also like to understand the Citys
view on how that growth is to be spread across all Vancouver neighbourhoods and how much of that
increased growth is to come to Grandview-Woodland.
This information is critical to ensure trust, transparency and clear criteria for drafting a revised Land Use
Map that better meets the expectations and needs of this neighbourhood and the City.
Grandview-Woodland has long welcomed people from all over the world.
We arent afraid of change but we dont want change imposed from above.
CONTACT
Garth Mullins garthrmullins@gmail.com 604.831.6967
Zool Suleman zoolk@sulemanco.com Cell 604-788-3372 (text or call, no messages) Office 604-685-8472
Web: gw-ac.org (transitioning to OurCommunityOurPlan.Org)
Hashtag: #OurCommunityOurPlan