Wow, we thought the plan was bad, but it's worse than we imagined. Here's what we learned on Wednesday after listening to City staffers and speakers during the first day of the hearing:

• 6 Story buildings are allowed on all residential streets within the plan. There are no design guidelines.They are "coming soon".
• If you own a home on one of the newly designated high streets in one of the 17 "villages" your property rights have been taken away. The only legal use for your home is now a 6 storey building with retail on the bottom. You cannot add on to your home, build a lane house or multiplex. It's 6 floors and a store ONLY. You're stuck in real estate limbo and you only hope may be to sell to a developer. 
• Zero affordable housing will be delivered on the East Side and on the West Side developers can opt out of delivering affordable housing by paying a fee. In return, Vancouverites get more unaffordable housing and developers cash in. Villages Plan = Developers Dream
• There are zero tree protections. Vancouver's cherished tree canopy will be destroyed, lot by lot. Taxpayers are on the hook to replace trees cut down by developers. It costs us $20,000 to plant a single tree downtown, and $2,500 to plant a single tree in a residential neighbourhood. Yet developers can cut down trees at will.
• This plan does not add a single school, day care, park, community centre, library or any other community amenity. 
• They didn't consult with the community. The City talked to a grand total of 383 people during the final consultation phase. Or less than 0.05% of Vancouverites, that's 100 fewer people than sit in a single lower bowl section at Rogers area to watch the Canucks.
• They heard from 52 business or about 2 business per village. That's not consultation.
• The plan calls for 5 miles of new retail, that's the distance from City Hall to YVR. While current high streets are struggling.

If you think this is a bad idea, you still have time to speak out. The hearing resumes on Monday and you can send in your comments opposing the Villages plan here:

https://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-council-public-hearing.aspx

And sign up to speak in person, or by phone here:

https://vancouver.ca/your-government/request-to-speak-at-a-public-hearing-form-1.aspx

Thank you from Smart Density Vancouver

Please visit our website at www.smartdensityvancouver.ca and sign to our mailing list.