New Vancouver Council Plotting to Rescind Recently Approved Zoning Changes

Mike Howell reports that the newly elected City Council are moving to undo a controversial decision in September that approved zoning to allow for duplexes in 99 percent of the city.

That vote had the approval of Mayor Gregor Robertson, five Vision colleagues, and Councilmember Hector Bremner. Now the mayor and those six councilmembers are out of office, and two of the councilmembers who voted against the zoning change are still in office. "That would be Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr and NPA Coun. Melissa De Genova," according to Howell.

Councilmembers Carr and De Genova have more recently blocked the process of the bylaw that would put the new duplex zoning amendment in motion before eventually acquiescing. "But," as Howell puts it, "this isn’t over, folks."

"Carr told me Monday that she plans to introduce a motion 'as soon as possible' to rescind the vote on duplexes," reports Howell.

And, just as Elizabeth Murphy called for in an op-ed from October, the city's October 20 election had consequences for the development of the city.