Multiple public hearings and four revised concepts later, Beedie Development Group is no closer to building their residential project at 105 Keefer Street. Despite an ongoing back-and-forth with the City that attempted to resolve issues with the contentious Chinatown proposal, Vancouver City Council resoundingly rejected Beedie's latest 12-storey version in an eight-to-three vote.

The latest, and now rejected, design for the site, image via Beedie Development Group

Mayor Gregor Robertson was among the majority of councillors who voted down the proposal, which would have placed a Merrick Architecture-designed condominium next to Chinatown Memorial Plaza, where surface parking and a fenced off lot now stand. The application called for commercial uses on the ground floor, 25 units of social housing, and 110 market condominiums. The height and number of units had been slightly reduced to assuage concerns from the public, but that didn't go far enough in the eyes of many passionate members of the community, who continued to decry the size of the building, its purportedly low social housing makeup, and its potential to forever alter the face of Chinatown.

The proposed plan for 105 Keefer, image via Beedie Development Group

City staff had recommended approval of the project based on the content of the Chinatown Neighbourhood Plan, which envisions a revitalization of the neighbourhood partially accomplished through new development. In response to the wider conversation that has erupted around the future of the district, planners are now weighing amendments to the development policies currently in place for the area. Though it's unclear whether Beedie will come forward with a completely reworked proposal, under existing policies, the developer could pursue a nine-storey building without having to apply for rezoning.

The design submitted in 2015 was noticeably bulkier, image via City of Vancouver

The much-publicized debate has drawn increased attention to the management of growth in stable and mature neighbourhoods. While the current iteration of the project is dead, the broader conversation is just beginning. In the wake of one of the most contentious building proposals in recent history, the City will need to rethink how it balances development with the preservation of character assets that make neighbourhoods like these a magnet for social life. In a statement following the decision, Mayor Robertson declared: "The debate over what kind of development will take place at 105 Keefer has gone far beyond that specific site, at times becoming a debate over the future of Chinatown, how we build and strengthen neighbourhoods, and how we embrace and integrate our heritage and history with modern development."

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