The community will hold a press conference outside Vancouver City Hall TOMORROW to reaffirm our opposition to building this gentrifier tower beside Chinatown Memorial Plaza
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TOMORROW (Nov 17): All Eyes on City Hall for Beedie Decision + Community Presser @ 2:20PM
Stand with Chinatown at City Hall!
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Tomorrow could be a pivotal day for Chinatown.
The City’s Development Permit Board may decide the fate of Beedie’s gentrifier condo tower at 570 Columbia (formerly 105 Keefer) after the remaining speakers are heard at tomorrow’s 3PM Development Permit Board hearing.
Before the hearing, the community will hold a press conference outside City Hall at 2:20PM to reaffirm our opposition to building this gentrifier tower beside Chinatown Memorial Plaza, the only open public square in Chinatown and located in one of the lowest-income neighbourhoods in Vancouver.
Speakers at the press conference will include:
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The Chinatown Memorial Monument sculptor
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A local Chinatown business representative
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A senior Chinatown resident
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A Nikkei ally from Powell Street
We’re calling on community members and supporters to join us, hold protest signs, and stand together.
After 10 years of fighting, we remain firm: we continue to reject 570 Columbia and want Beedie out of Chinatown once and for all.
Following the press conference, the Development Permit Board hearing will resume at 3PM inside City Hall.
The City has indicated there’s a strong possibility the Board will deliver a decision once speakers are finished.
Your presence matter at the hearing. We need to show the City and the public, through the media likely in attendance, that the community’s opposition remains unwavering to the very end.
And as always, there will be ample Chinatown food and refreshments for everyone who attends. We take care of each other. (If you are unable to make it, you can help by donating and writing a letter to city hall)
If you’re a speaker and need speaking tips, feel free to reply to this email if you need help. You’ll also find speaker tips at the bottom of this post and at 105keefer.ca.
Community Press Conference
Where: Vancouver City Hall, 12th Ave entrance
When: 2:20PM start (come earlier if you’d like to help hold a protest sign)
Development Permit Board Hearing
Where: Vancouver City Hall
When: 3PM
In the mean time, here are 2 quick things you can do:
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Write a letter or comment here by tomorrow Monday, November 17 at 12pm for inclusion into the staff memo to the board if there are enough received. Instructions here.
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Donate funds to help feed, transport, and sustain the seniors, youth, volunteers, and speakers for the hearings. Donate here.
We stopped Beedie in 2017. We stood together again in 2023. In 2025, the fight against gentrification continues!
奮鬥到底 — Fight until liberation!
Follow SaveChinatownYVR on Instagram
Get updates on Instagram by following us at @savechinatownyvr!
Speaking Tips
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You have 3 minutes to speak to the Development Permit Board.
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Start strong: state your name, credentials, and that you oppose Beedie’s project.
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Share your connection to Chinatown and why you care.
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Focus on 1–2 key points for your objection:
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Your expertise: If you have expertise in a certain area, lean into comments that reinforces your expertise.
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Broader impacts: gentrification, cultural erasure, displacement.
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Technical points: poor loading design, lack of community fit, excessive height, etc. See below.
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End clearly: ask the Development Permit Board to refuse the application.
More information and resources at 105keefer.ca.
Technical Points for Refusal
You can use any of these in your speech:
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The 2025 design has major changes from the 2017 version that the court mandated for review, so it should be rejected. The changes include:
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8% FSR increase — from 6.53 to 7.04 FSR
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20% increase in condo units — from 111 to 133 units
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83% reduction in rear setback — from required 23’ to 4’
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Height increase of 15.14 feet — from 88.86’ to 104’
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Exceeds height limit by 6’11”, violating the HA-1A District Schedule (Section 4.3.4, 2017)
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Adds nearly 13,300 sq. ft. of total building area for the developer with a majority of that as sellable area
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Bulk of building and corner glass cupola overshadows the culturally significant Chinatown Memorial Square, including at night.
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There is no transparent public record that Beedie met the City’s prior-to conditions by the City’s Jan 15, 2024 deadline for development permit approval. If the conditions were not met, this permit should have expired.
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At least 2 of 6 retail units will rely on Memorial Square for internal loading, which impacts daily use of the square and surrounding community.
To see the full staff report you can view here and here (“Meetings” —> 2025).
More information and resources at 105keefer.ca.
