[URBAN NOTE] "Vancouver seeks to protect character of historic Chinatown"

[rfmcdonald]

Frances Bula's article in The Globe and Mail is a bit ironic, owing to the prominent role of Chinese investment in Vancouver's real estate boom.

The city’s historic Chinatown may get even more protections and new rules, from a limit on the density and a non-negotiable requirement for seniors’ housing in new residential projects to a possible designation of the neighbourhood as a heritage-conservation area.

Those are some of the ideas being explored this week in community workshops, as city planners continue to try to look for the right formula to preserve the history and traditional businesses in the more than 100-year-old neighbourhood while allowing for new life.

“Over the last four years, we’ve heard from the public that they’re concerned about the loss of character in Chinatown,” said Karen Hoese, whose planning team ran a workshop on Saturday and will do another one Tuesday on the possible changes.

The city’s moves are being welcomed by a group that has been advocating vigorously for changes over the last few years.

“We hope the city has heard us and there are some strategies to put the brakes on a little bit,” said Doris Chow, a co-founder of the Youth Collaborative for Chinatown.