She said that since taking over as executive director of the Sun Yat-Sen garden in 2018, Chinatown had been "going downhill." Lowe was unmoved by the tone of the hearing, describing those opposed as "people not willing to meet in the middle" to get things done. Developer behind quashed Chinatown condo tower takes city to court over permit."A community only thrives when it has people to live in the neighbourhood," said Eng, who was roundly booed when he finished his remarks. His association was spending about $240,000, more than half its annual budget, on security, he said. Jordan Eng, president of the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association, was one of the few to speak at the meeting in support of the proposal.Įng said in an interview that his organization had supported the project from the beginning, making him an "easy target" for critics who labelled him one of the "greedy business people."īut Eng said Chinatown has had a tough few years with people moving out amid rising crime. He said in an interview in Mandarin that there were many ways to revitalize Chinatown, but the condo project was selfish, would benefit few, and "create a mess" next to a site meant to honour ancestors. The monument's sculptor, 82-year-old Shu Ren Cheng, wrote a letter opposing the tower that was read out to the planning board. The project would be close to the Sun Yat-Sen garden, and would face the Chinatown Memorial Monument, a statue depicting a 19th-century railway worker and a Second World War soldier honouring the contributions of Chinese Canadians to Vancouver and Canada. Opponents to the 105 Keefer development outside city hall in Vancouver on May 29. Others see the project as out of tune with the neighbourhood that is a national historic site. "105 Keefer will bring additional much needed mixed-use housing to the area, which aligns with the City of Vancouver's efforts to make the historic community prosperous again," said Rob Fiorvento, managing partner at the company. "The wealthy have already owned tons of resources, and they can move everywhere if they like, but the poor always end up having nowhere else to go."īeedie Living didn't respond to questions about the lack of social housing for the project, but said in a written statement that it would provide other benefits to revitalize the neighbourhood. We want social housing instead," she said in an interview conducted in Mandarin outside city hall. With its lack of social housing, the condo proposal is wrong for the neighbourhood, she said. It will reconvene Monday, June 12, to hear more submissions before a decision is made.Ĭhinatown resident, Zhiping Zhang, 70, who lives on a monthly pension of about $1,300, said seniors and low-income people like her are being priced out of their homes. The meeting lasted until 10 p.m., but not everyone had a chance to speak.
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