Burnaby's new housing authority moves forward

This week at council, there were discussions about several projects going on in Burnaby that may affect residents.

Highlights

Barnet Marine Park parking update

Discussions about the parking situation at Barnet Marine Park were driven at council after an update came from the Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission. The update included concerns about the parking lots filling up by 11am and visitors often backing up onto Barnet Road, causing emergency vehicle accessibility concerns.

Mayor Mike Hurley pulled the parking update report out of concern for how parking restrictions might affect the public who want to visit the park.

His concerns were largely focused on how the implementation of a paid parking system may deter people from visiting the park, as it is not well-serviced by transit or is not very walkable. “I think it's important that our families can always enjoy parks without being concerned about being able to afford to do so,” he said.

Coun. Sav Dhaliwal also participated in the discussion, clarifying that the parking update is looking only at possibilities, which could include a free reservation system, which has been implemented in some BC provincial parks to help with traffic.

The parking update was unanimously received by council.

Burnaby Housing Authority moving forward

The plans for a Burnaby Housing Authority (BHA) came back to council this week, this time seeking approval to start community engagement about the elements of the BHA.

The BHA will help to facilitate the creation of new non-market housing, streamlining a process that currently goes through several different channels. The BHA has been a topic in the public discourse for a while now.

Couns. Dhaliwal, Alison Gu, Richard Lee, and Mayor Hurley all voiced support for the project, marking it as a huge milestone for the community.

Although he voiced support, Coun. Lee also brought up a concern about the BHA governance structure, which has a majority going to council/city representatives. “I support the current structure but hope in the future more experts will be a part of it,” he stated.

The motion was passed unanimously.

Proposed interim TOD parking policy

The proposed interim Transit Oriented Development (TOD) parking policy came to council this week, which relates to the 9850 Austin Rd. and 9858/9598 Gatineau Pl. towers.

At the last council meeting, there were concerns raised about the allotted 2,700 parking spaces given to the buildings, which would create 14 levels of underground parking.

Now, the TOD has come back to council, with a decreased amount of parking. The TOD allots 0.6 parking spaces per unit, compared to the previous 1.1 allotted. This change was made on the basis that the units are within 800m of a Skytrain station.

Coun. Dhaliwal voiced concerns about the proposal, and brought forward a motion to refer the proposal to the next Planning and Development Committee meeting, which will be happening on July 12.

The motion to defer was unanimously passed.

Laneway homes program receives final approval

The Housing Choices Program has received final approval from council to proceed with phase 1a, and approval of their scope and schedule for phase 1b after public consultation.

Phase 1a will allow laneway homes and secondary suites in semi-detached homes on properties with lanes, and on corner lots and through lots, in Burnaby’s single and two-family neighbourhoods.

Phase 1b will allow laneway homes and secondary suites in semi-detached homes on properties without lanes, and additional housing types with three or four units on all properties in single and two-family neighbourhoods, however, staff indicated that they take their cues from the province about when this phase should move forward.

Coun. Dhaliwal voiced support of the program, as well as Coun. Pietro Calendino, who said, “This is a much gentler form of densifying,” in regards to the city meeting its housing targets.

The motion was passed unanimously, and staff will return to council shortly to amend the relevant bylaws.

Six-level purpose-built units discussion

A motion to proceed to a public hearing for a six-level purpose-built rental unit at 5650 Beresford St. as a part of the Royal Oak Community Plan came to council.

Coun. Gu voiced concerns about the building, stating “I'm just seeking some further clarification regarding this rezoning. So the previous report that was related to it, which was looking at the Pisano site, that report stated that there would be 36 units that start at the Beresford site as non-market and they would remain throughout the lifespan of that building as non-market as 20% below CMHC median, and then the remaining units would be utilized as swing units.”

However, Ed Kozak, general manager of planning and development, stated that the site has 50 non-market rental units, stating, “I do believe that they are all potential swing units because they're all inclusionary, so there's no replacement on this site itself.”

Coun. Gu responded that there have been some changes in wording throughout different reports from the project, and that inclusionary non-market rental units should be defined as inclusionary non-market units consistently throughout the reports.

Mayor Mike Hurley seconded Coun. Gu’s concerns, stating, “I do think it's an important point to inclusionary versus the 20% below because I do remember that meeting where we absolutely knocked it flat when someone else requested that.”

The application was passed unanimously.

Aquatic waitlist discussion

An update came to council about the efforts that have been taken to reduce the waitlist for aquatic programs and increase swimming opportunities for elementary school students in Burnaby.

Coun. Daniel Tetrault voiced support for the efforts that have been taken and particularly voiced support for the potential to build a Burnaby in-house aquatics training school.

Staff did note that new challenges have arisen in a post-pandemic world, particularly around staffing and hiring. Staff noted that more people are inclined to doing part-time work now, rather than full, which has meant that more staff has been needed to fill the staffing requirements.

The pilot program to bring more swimming opportunities to elementary school students has also begun, with a current timeline looking at the possibility of the program being launched next January of February.

Liquor and cannabis policy review

This policy came as a result of previous council discussions, where we saw the desire to introduce a Brewers Row in Burnaby. The review was seeking approval to move on to a public consultation phase.

Coun. Dhaliwal voiced concerns about the review, particularly that he was concerned about loosening restrictions regarding cannabis stores, which are currently limited to government-run stores only.

Kozak responded to these concerns. “I don't think the intent is to liberalize the regulations around particularly licensing retail stores. Most of the focus will be on the regulations that apply to food primary license, liquor licensing and liquor-licensed facilities specifically,” he stated.

He referenced some Burnaby brewing companies, such as Dageraad Brewing and Steamworks Brewery, which have to apply to the city for small things, such as changes to hours or adding a dining area seat.

The motion was unanimously passed.