Residents of UBC's Wesbrook neighbourhood south of 16th Avenue are at the sharp end of a conflict with the university over plans to circle their homes by as many as 15 high rises, some as high as 18 to 22 stories. The much vaunted "Village in the Woods" concept, with a small number of high rise developments among low rise, community-focused buildings has morphed into plans for a forest of high rises more akin to downtown. People who made their decisions to purchase or rent based on the original concept now feel betrayed by what some have described as "bait and switch" tactics. Meanwhile, residents of other UBC neighbourhoods wait anxiously for the other shoe to drop as UBC's Campus and Community Planning department seeks further sites for densification.
Changes to the Wesbrook area plans have brought into focus the huge challenges of meeting UBC's stated goal of housing 25,000 residents on campus. After its widely supported decision to save the UBC farm, UBC's Board of Governors tasked its planners with transferring the "lost" housing to other areas. It is now apparent that this can only be accomplished with significant densification-radically changing the character of the neighbourhoods and causing what many residents feel is a very real erosion of the quality of their community. To the surprise of no one, at its meeting on Dec. 1, the Board of Governors decided to approve the revised plans.
Adding to residents' anxiety is growing anger about the "democratic deficit"-the result of an arcane governance system in which UBC acts as landlord, planner, developer and regulator, without any independent review or accountability to residents and taxpayers. Pressure from residents has resulted in some improvements to public consultation and involvement, but the prevailing sentiment is that UBC does whatever it wants, and if there is a conflict between its goals and the needs of residents, the residents lose.
This dispute also begs the bigger question that UBC will not want to face-is the 25,000 goal reasonable and supportable in the first place?
Despite UBC's stated commitment to sustainability principles and green initiatives, there has never been a comprehensive, independent impact assessment of its development plans. The unique and irreplaceable Pacific Spirit Park and the surrounding foreshore areas are already stressed and the impact of UBC development on ecosystems and wildlife has never been submitted to proper scrutiny. Public transit to and from UBC is already woefully inadequate and the provision of parks and public spaces, community infrastructure and services has consistently lagged behind residential construction. What impact will 25,000 residents have on the surrounding areas of Dunbar, Point Grey, Kerrisdale, the UEL and the Musqueam community? Residents of these areas most certainly deserve a say in UBC's plans, as do UBC's students.
The issues raised by UBC's actions and plans are deserving of debate among a wider group of stakeholders, not just UBC planners and governors. Does it make sense to cram residents into more high rises on this unique and valuable land at the western end of Point Grey? Or perhaps the university should slow down, scale back its plans, push harder for major transit improvements and learn to be a better listener.
If residents of UBC and the surrounding areas don't wake up soon, start pressing for reform of UBC's feudal ways and asking questions of their elected politicians it will be too late to act.
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John Dickinson is a retired business executive mostly enjoying condo life at UBC after living for 30 years in Dunbar.
