THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS
vancourier.com
JessieAward winners
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MIDWEEK EDITION
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 Vol. 104 No. 51 • Established 1908
OPINION: Election self-reflection 10 SPORTS: Our Prospects 27
BEAT GOES ON: Chief Bill Williams (centre) and the Eagle Song Dancers from Squamish Nation performed last Friday on National Aboriginal Day at Klahowya Village,
photo Dan Toulgoet
Stanley Park. See story on page 6. To view photo gallery, scan page with your smartphone or tablet using the Layar app.
Cityhallkills‘thinstreet’proposalforMarpole NAOIBH O’CONNOR
Staff writer
T
he city has abandoned a proposal to pilot a “thin street” in Marpole in the face of neighbourhood opposition. Residents learned about the prospect of a “thin street” being introduced on a stretch of Ash Street between 59th and 64th about two weeks ago after the city sent a letter to 20 affected homeowners. The Ash Street proposal was included in the recently released draft Marpole Community Plan.
Creating a thin street involves dividing a street in half and creating new building lots on one side and a narrower “thin street” on the other. The building lots could be used for affordable housing or park use, according to the city. The thin streets concept was one of the ideas submitted to the re-THINK HOUSING ideas competition in 2012, which was held as part of the mayor’s task force on affordable housing. Vision Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said in October 2012 that thin streets wouldn’t go in without “community buyin.” Staff was directed, however, to explore
the possibility of thin streets in neighbourhoods whose community plans were being updated, such as Marpole, and to find out if there was interest and acceptance. Community opposition in Marpole was swift — residents organized a meeting last Friday that attracted about 300 people, according to Nizar Assanie, one of the Ash Street residents who received a letter from the city about the thin street proposal. “All the neighbours were taken aback,” he told the Courier Monday afternoon, adding the vast majority of residents he’d
spoken with weren’t even aware the Marpole Community Plan was being updated. Three hundred and twenty four residents signed a petition opposing thin streets in Marpole. Matt Shillito, assistant director of community planning, told the Courier the thin street idea had been raised in general during previous Marpole housing workshops, but a specific location hadn’t been identified until recently. Staff had to complete technical work before determining where it was feasible. See RESIDENTS on page 4