Here’s what business owners in South Granville know.
The pace of change brought on by the Broadway Plan borders on dizzying, rents are often too high and increasing crime is becoming an everyday problem.
What they don’t know?
That a 100-plus person supportive housing project for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness will soon open in the area.
“If this shelter comes in, I’m not staying—I’m absolutely going to move,” says Anila Frroku, who co-owns the Italian fashion outlet Motrati. “Nobody seems to care if a small business will survive or how something like this will affect your business.”
Located at 1450 West 12th Ave., Chalmers Lodge was purchased by BC Housing in April 2023 and will provide supportive housing to more than 100 low-income seniors, Indigenous people, women and other equity-denied groups.
It was slated for opening in the spring but a change in contractor and unanticipated renovation work has moved that timeframe into “the coming weeks,” according to a statement issued by BC Housing.
A webpage outlining the project has been established by the Crown corporation, but no formal notification has gone out to nearby businesses or residents—and therein lies the rub.
“Of course we are frustrated—we pay huge rent and taxes every month and yet we know nothing,” said Eyes for You co-owner Brigitte Reymond-Peter. “Why are we finding out about this from a journalist?”
BIV spoke to roughly 40 businesses spanning 10th to 14th avenues along Granville Street and none had received any communication from the province or city. Two-thirds of the businesses knew nothing of Chalmers Lodge, while those who did found out from customers or through the media.
BC Housing told BIV that any community engagement is a municipal responsibility. The city, meanwhile, provided this statement: “BC Housing has obtained a combined development and building permit to complete exterior and interior renovations in the building,” the statement says. “They have advised the city that their planned operations will continue to align with the institutional use classification, meaning a separate development permit application and resident notification were not required.”
The South Granville Business Improvement Association declined comment.
“It’s perplexing that they would put an SRO (single-room occupancy) in a neighbourhood where there are no facilities to support any issues that may arise,” said Lynda Barr, operations manager at Diane’s Lingerie.
Monica Egea manages Diva Lingerie & Swimwear and has worked in South Granville for 21 years. Her staff is solely female and there’s typically only one employee running the business on any given day. They’ve seen an increase in theft and threats this year.
Like others who spoke to BIV, Egea says a move elsewhere in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»would be lateral at best.
“If we move to another place, it’s going to be the same. Downtown—who wants to go there?” Egea says. “I’ve learned my lesson. I just lock the doors because it’s the only way to manage these dangerous situations.”
A native of Mexico City, Egea said she believes governments and police are “too soft” in their approach to chronic, repeat offenders.
“I’m from a country that is dangerous and right now, there is no control in Mexico—but it started like this,” Egea says. “These problems will grow and grow fast.”
Most employees were hesitant to go on the record due to the sensitivity of the topic but offered common, recurring themes: Theft is up, excessive loitering is a problem and some employees feel unsafe at work. Perhaps the most unifying sentiment is that something drastically changed after COVID-19—that the binners who traditionally kept to themselves were replaced by a more aggressive group often in highly agitated states.
The manager of a high-end fashion brand said the project’s presence will impact whether the company will renew its lease or move; two of the store’s employees who live in the immediate neighbourhood feel unsafe walking to and from work at times.
A newly opened deli has experienced consistent theft.
Earlier this year a man in an aggressive state of impairment threatened Egea with sexual assault when she tried to prevent him from shoplifting. Frroku had a similar experience this year as well. Both women were alone in their shops at the time.
Only four store employees who spoke to BIV supported the building’s presence in the community, but all are uniformly disappointed in the lack of communication.
“Low-income seniors would be OK, but if drug addicts move into that building, that would be a disaster,” says Eyes for You co-owner Othmar Brunner.
The supportive housing project is coming into the area at a time when business groups across B.C. are ramping up pressure on all provincial parties to address street disorder, homelessness and chronic, repeat offenders.
A Research Co. poll released Sept. 24 suggested 67 per cent of retail respondents have noted an increase in shoplifting over the last three years. Reports of violence against employees are up 45 per cent, and consumer-facing employees leaving positions because they fear for their safety has risen by 44 per cent.
A Business Improvement Areas of BC poll issued Sept. 9 canvassed 500-plus small and medium-sized businesses across B.C. Close to 60 per cent of respondents reported increased violence and aggression since the decriminalization of certain illicit drugs in 2023.
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Police Department (VPD) crime statistics show that the Fairview neighbourhood, which South Granville is a part of, experienced 69 thefts under or over $5,000 in August. It’s the fifth-highest total of the 24 neighbourhoods in the city.
However, longer-term VPD stats spanning 2019 to 2023 show that pre-COVID-19 numbers far exceed the most recent annual totals: Thefts fell from 918 to 796, auto thefts decreased from 851 to 291 and incidences of breaking and entering dropped from 317 to 204.
The supporting housing project has been top of mind for some of the homeless people Walter Wells sees on a weekly basis. A Dunbar realtor, Wells helped establish the Three Links Foundation last year to provide a Sunday breakfast program out of the Oddfellows Hall near Granville and Broadway. It’s one of the few privately run outreach services for the homeless anywhere on the West Side.
The first breakfast happened in July 2023 and had two attendees. That number rose to more than 100 by early September.
“It’s all been very organic. We don’t have any expertise in this, we are just learning as we go,” Well said. “It’s a really warming, welcoming place for the homeless, which we find they value as much as the food because they are shunned all week.”
Broken homes, childhood trauma, drug abuse and a crippling lack of affordability are common themes in the stories Well hears. He’s received some pushback from neighbours but added that “99 per cent of the guests are very respectful and grateful.”
Wells isn’t particularly surprised when told that nearby businesses are resistant to the project and offers this to the broader community.
“I don’t think there’s going to be any more danger of people hanging around South Granville than is the case now,” Wells says. “They’re just trying to make it from one day to the next. If you treat them with basic respect and kindness, they really appreciate it. There is nothing to fear.”
