105 Keefer Updates (570 Columbia St)
Apparently there's "unanimous approval" from the "community"
Billionaire Beedie’s luxury condo development, 105 Keefer, that the Chinatown community has resisted for a decade is back in the spotlight with new updates. (Background on 105 Keefer here and here.)
Three major updates:
Beedie swapped the old architect Merrick out to be a new Chinese architect, James Cheng, who designed most of Concord Pacific’s glass condos. Ironically, Cheng once rejected a version of 105 Keefer when he was on the City of Vancouver’s Urban Design Panel. In an update article, he calls Chinatown a “kind of a curio for a lot of people”. (Fun fact: James Cheng once told me in writing that Chinatown needs more “normal family seniors” and “not dependents”. I kid you not.)
Architect James Cheng 
James Cheng on Chinatown There were super secret community consultations earlier this year hosted by the architect, developer, and the City of Vancouver, that excluded everyone on this mailing list.
Apparently the secret so-called “community” consultations resulted in “unanimous support” for the new design that adds alleyways and courtyards to it to reflect the “curio” of Chinatown.
James Cheng remark on 105 Keefer
Uh….what…?!? Who is the “unanimous support” from?
The low-income seniors in Chinatown and residents of DTES who will be disproportionately affected by this gentrifier condo?
The hundreds of people who showed up or spoke out against 105 Keefer at the development permit hearing last year?
You, dear reader and the thousands of people on this mailing list, who have helped push back this project for the last decade?
No. Absolutely not.
It’s obvious that the City of Vancouver doesn’t work for regular folks like you and me, but there to facilitate billionaire Beedie’s business interests to build this gentrifier condo that will continue to erase Chinatown’s culture and economically displace the most vulnerable folks in the neighbourhood.
And now, they have a happy Chinese architect, James Cheng, to give them the stamp of approval. Shame!
The City of Vancouver has a new Director of Planning, Josh White, from Calgary.
We need to hold him and his team accountable for his team for holding secret “community” meetings for Beedie and James Cheng to shove 105 Keefer forward to gentrify Chinatown.
(If the button doesn’t work, you can use the email template at the bottom of this email)
And you want to have a word with James Cheng and how he’s shamefully lending his Chinese ethnicity to a project that will gentrify the historic Chinese Canadian neighbourhood, you can email him at jcheng@jamescheng.com.
We’re not going to give up. We’re going to continue to loudly resist 105 Keefer with our bodies and voices this Sunday, Jun 8 with kung fu and lion dance. A year after the City approved 105 Keefer and we started hosting public cultural events to occupy 105 Keefer and push back against gentrification in Chinatown, we’re bringing back the popular free kung fu and lion dance workshop with Chau Luen Athletics. Together, we’re going to kick out gentrification with kung fu by occupying space loudly at the Chinatown Memorial Plaza, right next to 105 Keefer.
Let’s continue to take up space and make our presence felt in Chinatown, as billionaire developer Beedie, the City of Vancouver, and even Chinese architect James Cheng attempt to displace us and erase Chinatown’s culture.
Let’s kick out 105 Keefer and gentrification with kung fu this Saturday:
Email Template
TO: Josh.White@vancouver.ca
CC: paul.mochrie@vancouver.ca, jaimelynn.borsa@vancouver.ca, ken.sim@vancouver.ca, rebecca.bligh@vancouver.ca, christine.boyle@vancouver.ca, adriane.carr@vancouver.ca, lisa.dominato@vancouver.ca, pete.fry@vancouver.ca, sarah.kirby-yung@vancouver.ca, mike.klassen@vancouver.ca, brian.montague@vancouver.ca, lenny.zhou@vancouver.ca, peter.meiszner@vancouver.ca
BCC: savechinatownheritage@gmail.com
SUBJECT LINE: [ADD YOUR OWN SUBJECT LINE]
Body:
To Josh White,
I am deeply disappointed in you and your team holding secret so-called "community" meetings with Beedie and James Cheng to shove 105 Keefer through Chinatown despite a decade of resistance from the Chinatown community, including hundreds of low-income residents and seniors who will be disproportionately impacted by this gentrifier condo. It will erase Chinatown's culture, and economically displace long-time residents and businesses.
As public servants, you and your team should be ashamed for serving private interests before the public.
[ADD YOUR OWN STATEMENT]
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]