After a four-hour debate, Vancouver city council voted to allow staff to get going on community plans in the West End, Grandview-Woodlands, and Marpole areas.

Council approved the following motion on Thursday (July 28):

A. THAT Council endorse the approach outlined in the Administrative Report dated July 15, 2011, entitled “Vancouver’s Next Community Plans”, to guide planning in the next Community Plan neighbourhoods.

B. THAT Council direct staff to begin Community Plan programs in Grandview-Woodland, Marpole and the West End;

FURTHER THAT Council approve the additional funding necessary to undertake all three plans concurrently, as outlined in the Financial Implications section of the Administrative Report dated July 15, 2011, entitled “Vancouver’s Next Community Plans”, and detailed in Appendix C of that report, subject to the 2012 budget process.

C. THAT Council approve the rezoning policy attached in Appendix B of the Administrative Report dated July 15, 2011, entitled “Vancouver’s Next Community Plans”, to establish the conditions under which new rezonings and heritage revitalisation agreements will be considered while the Grandview Woodland, Marpole and West End Community Plan programs are underway.

D. THAT Council direct staff, as part of the city-wide plan scoping process, to report to Council on a plan to building neighbourhood capacity such that all neighbourhoods can effectively participate in the planning process; and that interim to this report, staff undertake actions to increase capacity as opportunities allow.

E. THAT interim to the city-wide planning process concluding the following enhancements to the rezoning process be implemented as interim measures:

(i) A liaison Councillor and alternate be appointed to each Vision Implementation Committee;

(ii) Staff identify and publish a list of all areas, building types and issues within the existing Visions which were identified as needing further planning and that staff encourage development proposals that relate to these, to be brought to the early attention of the Vision Implementation Committees in order that they can be more meaningfully involved in early planning in such circumstances; and?

(iii) The notification area for proposed rezonings be expanded on a case by case basis to include an area that would be reasonably impacted by a proposed rezoning (e.g. - Impacts from shadowing, views, traffic, etc).