Vancouver residents are voicing their concerns about the city rezoning a property that would allow for the development of a 27-storey hotel near Stanley Park.
The City of Vancouver held a public hearing Thursday about the application to rezone 2028-2038 Barclay Street.
CityNews caught up with some locals who turned up to City Hall to oppose the project.
“It’s quite the wrong place to have it,” said delegate Valerie Lemaitre.
Resident Chris Neep says the neighbourhood is not opposed to hotels generally.
“It’s a question of the hotel being in the right place in the city,” he explained.
Another resident, Linda Stender, said she and her neighbours have been signing petitions and writing emails, voicing their concerns.
“We’re horrified that it would even be considered.”
The proposal would replace an existing boutique hotel adjacent to Stanley Park with a tower made up of 248 units, a restaurant, and a rooftop bar. The application also notes that it would allow for long-term stays in the hotel.
At the hearing, delegate Alan Ferris questioned the assertion that the current hotel is anything like the proposal.
“Comparing a 27-room property with one almost 10 times the size, and saying that it would have minimal difference in deliveries, is simply absurd,” said Ferris.
Operators of ‘Pooh Corner,’ a daycare located one block away from the development, raised the issue of the level of traffic a big hotel could generate — especially in the same area where the city recently launched its Neighbourhood Slow Zone Program.
Pooh Corner board member Fabian says the competition for curb space would become unsustainable.
“Instead of a majority of local traffic, we will have commercial laundry trucks, garbage trucks, food and beverage delivery vehicles, taxis, Ubers searching for passengers, and tour shuttles, all circulating on Lagoon Drive and the neighbouring block.”
Due to time constraints, the city says it was forced to schedule the hearing to reconvene on March 12.