The City of Vancouver has “paused” its plan to transform a section of a tree-filled Strathcona green space into a temporary fire hall annex after pushback from residents who use the property as a neighbourhood park.
The city said the decision came after gathering feedback from citizens on the rezoning application submitted in June, which was followed by a two-week question-and-answer period for citizens.
“The city considers engaging with the community in productive conversations as an important part of creating a vibrant, healthy Vancouver,” the city told Glacier Media by email.
“Given the feedback that the city has heard from residents and community groups, we will be pausing the rezoning process at this time to re-evaluate location options.”
The green space, which doesn’t have an official name, is in the 700-block of Gore Street, between East Georgia and Union streets. City staff refers to the green space not as a park, but a right-of-way.
The Union Street bike route runs alongside the property, and the Nora Hendrix temporary modular housing complex is located on the opposite corner. The new St. Paul’s Hospital is being built one block from the park.
The city’s plan to build a temporary fire hall annex was announced in July 2023 at a council meeting, but many residents didn’t learn of the proposal until rezoning signs went up on the property in June.
'Pretty bonkers'
The proposal caused Strathcona resident Dana Deschene to begin a change.org petition to have the city reconsider its plan and look for another site in the area.
Deschene has since joined a neighbourhood group with members of the Strathcona Residents’ Association and Hogan’s Alley Society, which have also questioned the city’s proposal.
She told Glacier Media in July that she was shocked when she saw the rezoning signs, adding that a temporary annex on the property “just seemed pretty bonkers to me for a lot of reasons.”
Those reasons included residents using the park regularly, whether it be to seek shade, walk their dog or meet other people in the neighbourhood. The space has also been a refuge for homeless people, with tents pitched there regularly.
Cyclists mixing with fire trucks was also a concern.
'People's Park'
Reached Friday, Deschene was cautiously optimistic about the city’s decision to halt the rezoning process, but noted the language the city used in the email to Glacier Media — “pausing” — doesn’t definitively say the annex won’t be built.
“We're thrilled that the city is listening, and we're hoping for the best outcome for our community, but this fight is not over,” she said.
“It's still totally plausible that they're going to do it, but they have to have a stronger case and go back and do the research they were supposed to do initially.”
Meanwhile, park board commissioner Tom Digby has introduced a motion to have the green space preserved and protected as a park, which he noted has been referred to by some as “People’s Park” and “Garbage Park.”
In fact, someone recently installed a professional-looking "People's Park" sign on the property.
Digby told commissioners at a Sept. 24 meeting that the space is controlled by the city’s engineering department and the park board manages the horticulture.
“In view of some recent discussions about that property, we think it would be more properly fit under the auspices of the elected park board for protecting green spaces,” he said at the meeting.
Digby’s motion will be fully heard at an Oct. 7 meeting, which Deschene said she and other residents will attend to show their support for keeping the space as a park.
“Even if [the city] decides to go through with the temporary rezoning and put in the fire hall annex for a period of seven to 10 years, we are still advocating that at the end of that time period, this space reverts to a green space and it's reclassified as a park,” she said.
“If we have to wait for it, we will. If we need to support our emergency services, we will. But in the end, this community needs more green space, not less.”
Overcrowded fire hall
At a council meeting in July 2023, Armin Amrolia, a deputy city manager, said the annex was necessary to address overcrowding at the No. 2 fire hall, where up to 14 firefighters per shift work inside the cramped building at Main and Powell streets.
No. 2 hall is also not big enough to accommodate one of its medic-rescue trucks, which is parked outside and has had its windows smashed and tires slashed. Firefighters’ personal vehicles have also been vandalized.
The city hired security guards in the fall of 2022 to patrol the hall.
The No. 2 hall is believed to be the busiest in B.C., if not Canada, as Glacier Media learned in November 2022 during a ride-along with 14 firefighters, who were dispatched to fires, overdoses, alarms and calls for medical assistance.
A city staff report said the hall is six times busier than the average hall in Vancouver.
Response times
In July, Glacier Media asked the city about what the rationale was for building a temporary hall in that green space, and whether any other locations were considered.
The city’s response, via email:
"The site at 722 Gore Avenue is the nearest available city-owned land to the current fire hall 2 that can accommodate the needs of the temporary fire hall 2 annex. The temporary fire hall 2 annex must be in proximity to the current fire hall 2 to ensure Vancouver Fire Rescue (VFRS) can effectively continue to provide critical emergency services in the area.
Working closely with VFRS, staff assessed response times and performance for VFRS services in the Downtown Eastside and Strathcona neighbourhoods from various potential locations for the temporary firehall 2 annex.
While sites farther from the current fire hall 2 showed poor response times and performance, 722 Gore Avenue offers improved response performance for these two neighbourhoods."
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