Ambitious plans for the Heights District in central Vancouver have undergone much scrutiny and discussion. City officials are wise to take the next step in a proposal that remains years away from fruition.
In 2017, the city of Vancouver purchased the former Tower Mall site bordered primarily by Mill Plain Boulevard, MacArthur Boulevard and Devine Road. The site long has been a relic, a reminder of when small shopping malls were viewed as the pinnacle of a modern city, drawing customers and their cars to a central location with a large parking lot.
But times have changed. Now, city officials throughout the country are striving to create self-contained neighborhoods where residents can live, work, run errands and recreate without having to walk more than 20 minutes. That is the simplistic explanation for complicated plans in the Heights District.
“This is an area of the city that had been passed over by the market forces that had transformed downtown to the west, as well as many of the corridors and the neighborhoods in many of the eastern portions of the city,” City Manager Eric Holmes said Monday during a remote city council meeting, where the plan was approved by a 5-2 vote. Councilors Bart Hansen and Sarah Fox opposed the ordinance.
So did many local residents who asked councilors to delay the vote and consider the issue at the same time they consider zoning changes for the area. “I think city government has a chance here to look really good. You get to support your citizens, and it doesn’t cost you a thing,” said Kate Fernald, co-chair of the Heights District Neighborhood Coalition. “That sends a message. The message is, council supports its constituents. Council will use its power to support reasonable exceptions when needed.”
It is a powerful message, and one that councilors must keep in mind despite passage of the ordinance. As the project moves forward, city leaders must work with local residents, hear their concerns, and strive for compromise. The Heights District Plan represents a transformation of 205 acres extending to Andresen Road and will impact the quality of life through a large swath of the city. For example, residential units within the district will increase from 232 to 1,800 over the next two decades.
Thus far, councilors have demonstrated a willingness to listen. City officials have engaged in outreach, and previous iterations of the proposal have undergone changes based on feedback.
“We have listened, and we have made several changes,” Councilor Linda Glover said. “I have complete confidence in our staff that they’ve set a good process in place. This is a process that is very typical in a plan, that the adoption happens before the zoning phase.”
That zoning phase will consider items such as the height of buildings — proposed to allow 80-foot-tall structures rather than the current limits of 35 feet for neighborhood structures and 50 feet for commercial buildings. That will transform the nature of the area, but it likely is necessary to attract developers to the project. According to The Columbian, Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle said it was crucial to give stakeholders confidence that the long-range, multimillion-dollar redevelopment plan was moving forward.
That was the crux of Monday’s vote to approve the proposal, but it was far from the final word. “We need to set the policy and drive this, and this is the end of Stage I,” McEnerny-Ogle said.
Many stages remain. To ensure they are successful, officials must engage with local residents to help create a better Vancouver.
