Public Hearing — January 22, 2026

January 22, 2026 · 03:00 pm–04:10 pm

Chaired by Ken Sim

Summary

Reconvened public hearing of Vancouver City Council on January 22, 2026, chaired by Mayor Ken Sim, continuing from the January 20 session.

Item 2 — CD-1 Rezoning, 426–428 West 14th Avenue and 3015–3027 Yukon Street: Council heard updated staff presentations, debated, and approved the rezoning with amendments. Both motions (tree protections amendment and overall approval) carried.
Item 3 — CD-1 Rezoning, 2260–2266 West 2nd Avenue: Could not proceed due to multiple conflict-of-interest recusals (Mayor Ken Sim, Councillor Mike Klassen, Councillor Lisa Dominato) leaving insufficient quorum. Meeting recessed to Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 3 p.m.
Councillors Pete Fry, Peter Meiszner, Sean Orr, and Rebecca Bligh were absent for Item 2. Councillor Brian Montague declared a conflict and stepped out for Item 2.

Present: Ken Sim, Lisa Dominato, Brian Montague, Mike Klassen, Lenny Zhou, Lucy Maloney, Sarah Kirby-Yung

Absent: Pete Fry, Peter Meiszner, Sean Orr, Rebecca Bligh

Partial attendance:

Carried

Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung moved an amendment to add stronger protections for the mature street trees along West 14th Avenue, seconded by Councillor Lisa Dominato.
Park Board Urban Forestry staff (Tina Fernandez) outlined the additional measures: early root exploratory work before the development permit stage; restricting construction staging and site access away from 14th Avenue (directing it to the back lane or Yukon Street); increased arborist monitoring during construction; and a financial deposit equal to the assessed ISA (arboricultural) value of the trees as a safeguard.
Councillor Kirby-Yung noted that the trees take decades to grow and are nearly irreplaceable, and that the amendment provides an extra layer of due diligence beyond the standard tree protection bylaw.
Councillor Lucy Maloney expressed support, welcoming the early information it would give the applicant about potential costs and required mitigation.
The amendment carried; Councillors Bly, Fry, Meiszner, and Orr were absent, and Councillor Montague had declared a conflict.

Carried

Council voted to approve the CD-1 rezoning of 426–428 West 14th Avenue and 3015–3027 Yukon Street (as amended), allowing a new secured rental building of at least eight storeys with 20% below-market units.
Staff confirmed the site sits within the provincial Transit-Oriented Area (Tier 3), legally requiring a minimum of eight storeys and 3.0 FSR — Council has no authority to approve a lower-density form here.
Supporters noted the project aligns with the Broadway Plan and provincial housing requirements, includes secured rental and below-market housing (secured for the life of the building), has limited tenant displacement, and includes family-sized units and townhomes at grade to reflect neighbourhood character.
Concerns raised by speakers and some councillors included the scale and fit of the building within the existing neighbourhood, geotechnical and aquifer considerations (confirmed for further study by Engineering), tree canopy impacts (addressed by Motion 1), school capacity pressures, and questions about whether the below-market units and tenant relocation protections would be reliably delivered.
Councillor Lisa Dominato noted she was conflicted but ultimately acknowledged the project meets policy, includes needed housing types, and that residents presented some of the most well-prepared submissions Council had received.
The motion carried; Councillors Bly, Fry, Meiszner, and Orr were absent, and Councillor Montague had declared a conflict.