Your City Hall just approved a new short-term rental

Beautiful out here. Complicated in here. That's the coast. Let's talk about what's happening just down the street, because sometimes it feels like City Hall moves in its own orbit.

This week, Vancouver City Council held a Special Council meeting on April 21st. They were looking at a Business Licence Application, AL0188353, for a short-term rental at 1801-1788 Columbia Street. The decision was "Carried Unanimously." Councillors B. Montague, L. Zhou, and S. Orr all voted in favour. Councillor R. Bligh was absent for this vote, as they also were for the Public Hearing on April 14th regarding a text amendment for Canada Place.

This means a new short-term rental, likely a unit in a condo tower down by Olympic Village, got the green light. On the surface, it’s just one unit. But when you zoom out, especially with the housing crunch we're always talking about, it's these small approvals that stack up. Is every new short-term rental a lost opportunity for a long-term tenant? It’s a quiet question that Vancouverites keep asking, especially when you see the numbers for new housing.

Speaking of new housing, the city did issue a permit on July 24th for a new "multiplex" at 1125 E 14TH AVENUE, valued at $1,500,000. It’s a three-storey multiple dwelling. We also saw permits for two more multiplexes on Angus Drive. So, some movement there, which is good. We’ll be watching to see how quickly these units actually become available.

That’s your Record.

Kenji Nakashima (@westcoastweird_yvr)

The MiTL morning crew discusses the local impacts of these decisions every weekday — check it out at mornings.live.