Vancouver School Board criticized over 99-year lease to developer

The Vancouver School Board (VSB) is facing heavy criticism after its trustees moved to issue a 99-year lease to a private developer, which is set to build a mixed-use commercial and rental building on school property.

A majority of the board voted on Wednesday to pass bylawstokickstartthe disposal process for1.6 hectares of "surplus" land, just south ofSir SandfordFleming Elementary School, whichwill be leased to Vittori Developments, which has more than 500 rental units in the Greater Vancouver area, according to its website.

The board says the process to dispose of the surplus land was started by the previous school board, after a public consultation process, and the resulting rental building will see preference given to VSB employees.

But opponents of the lease say the board's public consultation was rushed and limited in nature, and the market-rate rental buildingwill be unaffordable to many teachers and VSB employees.

In addition, critics saythe move to issue a 99-year lease, with an upfront lump sum payment from Vittori, is short-sighted and prevents the school board from being flexible with its land use as Vancouver grows.

The lease deal is expected to close in November, with the exact price not yet disclosed.

Meanwhile, Suzie Mah, a school board trustee from the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) slate, is concerned about the length of the lease.

"Ninety-nine years is two generations lost to the community, in terms of the youth educational use or public use of this property," Mah said.

"It's a one shot, one lump sum payment, with no chance of review for 99 years. And so, you know that property [price] is going to continue to go up in Vancouver," she added.

"And for us as school board trustees not to do that review every so often, I believe is a travesty. It's a travesty to the community and to the board."

Mah was one of the trustees who voted against the bylaws earlier this week, along with OneCity trustee Jennifer Reddy.

However, the bylaws passed after a majority of the trustees aligned with the ABC Vancouver slate voted in favour of them.

Mah said the price to be paid by Vittori for the lease was a "pittance."

A spokesperson for Vittori declined an interview request from CBC News, but said in a statement that a "portion of the housing" will be offered at below-market rental rates. The exact portion was not provided.

Due diligence conducted: board vice-chair

Joshua Zhang, VSBvice-chairand an A Better City (ABC) Vancouver trustee, said the move was made for the benefit of the VSB's workforce, and followed a period of community engagement on the subject.

"There is a real problem for prospective employees of the VSB, when they look at listings and then they look at the housing prices within the city," he said. "I think that's the real barrier for us as an employer in terms of hiring."

When asked about whether VSB employees could afford sky-high market rentalsonce the building was completed, Zhang said there were too many variables for him to definitively comment on the issue.

Melanie Cheng, chair of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council, said the previous school board had already moved to lease the land in 2019 much before the issue came up for public consultation.

"Fleming Elementary School community does not want this development on their site," she told CBC News. "They made that really clear, and the VSB board has decided to proceed with it.

LISTEN| Melanie Cheng, with the Parent Advisory Council,speaks about the lease:

The Early Edition9:58Vancouver DPAC Chair reacts to VSB decision on Fleming Elementary lease

The Vancouver School Board is expected to approve a lease to a developer. Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council Chair Melanie Cheng weighs in.

"Essentially by taking land from the Fleming Elementary School community, they are affecting the school's operating capacity," she added. "Because Fleming Elementary is at 107 per cent capacity."

Cheng said the 99-year lease has set a dangerous precedent, as the VSB is the second-largest land owner in Vancouver and could move to subdivide other schools' land for private development.