Vancouver scraps idea it hoped would help preserve character homes

The City of Vancouver has backpedalled on an ideait said would help preserve character homes by providing anincentive for preservation and discouragingdemolition.

On Tuesday, city plannerGil Kelley told council that staff would not be "carrying forward" the proposed concept of "downzoning," which stemmed fromVancouver'sCharacter Home Zoning Review.

The idea would have given homeowners incentive to preserve character homes definedasahouse built before 1940with recognized historical features by "punishing" those who opt for the wrecking ball.

Any new replacement home would have hadto be smaller thanwhat was previously allowed, among other things.

At this week's city council meeting, Kelley saidmany residents strongly disapproved of downzoningover fears it would unnecessarily restrict housing supply and affect land values for single family homes.

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On theflip side, the planner said many residents supported the city's idea to "reward"homeownerswho save character houses.

The city has considered, for instance, allowing those who preserve older homes to put additions on the main building and build secondary units on their property.

'Conversation needs to shift'

Javier Campos, the president of Heritage Vancouver, wasin favour of dropping what he called the"preservationist" zoning concept.

"I think the initiative to look at character is an important conversation ... I just think the downzoningidea wasn't the correct option for the City of Vancouver," he said.

Instead, he said officials should look to preservethe character and atmosphere of neighbourhoods as a whole, rather than focusing on single buildings.

"I think the conversation needs to shift to liveable neighbourhoods, walkable neighbourhoods thatsupport the population," Campos said.

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Caroline Adderson, creator of the Vancouver Vanishes website, said the allowance of teardowns is "about redevelopment catering to the luxury market."

Of the 1,000 homes that are demolished in the city every year, around two thirdswere built before 1940.

The city's review, sparked in partby resident concerns over theloss of older buildings, began last November.