Skip to content
Public Hearing @ City Hall — Oct 20 Add your voice. We’re organizing 100+ speakers.
Join the Speaker List →
570 Columbia = 105 Keefer Act Now

570 Columbia is still 105 Keefer —
and we still don’t want it

You can change the name, but you can’t change our history.

Sign up to Speak (Oct 20) →

For over a decade, 105 Keefer has been at the center of the fight for Chinatown’s future. Developer Beedie Living wants luxury condos here. Our community keeps saying the same thing: we need affordable homes for people, not investments for profit.

This isn’t just about one building. It’s about a thriving Chinatown and DTES where low-income seniors can age in place and where unhoused residents, workers, and youth can find homes. Our neighbourhood is not for speculation.

Want to take action? Head down to the Act Now section.

What’s Happening Now

Beedie rebranded 105 Keefer as 570 Columbia to erase a decade of resistance. Same project—new label—and bolder asks:

  • No social housing despite higher density
  • Setback and height limits ignored
  • Overshadows and encroaches on Memorial Square
  • “Community space” hidden in a back alley—small and inaccessible

Our History of Resistance

  1. 2017

    Fuelled by greed, Beedie applied for rezoning to increase the size of their condo development–we fought against their applications every time. After four failed rezoning attempts, Beedie tried to bypass the City Council by going straight to the Development Permit Board (DPB). They stripped out social housing entirely. Over 200 people spoke against the project. For the first time in decades, the DPB said “no”. This was a historic win for Chinatown and for the housing justice movement as a whole in Vancouver.

  2. 2017–2022

    Beedie spent millions of dollars going through the legal process to overturn the decision. Their money took them all the way to the BC Supreme Court, who ordered the DPB to rehear the case.

  3. 2023

    The project came back. Over 500 seniors, tenants, and residents from Chinatown and the DTES filled a community town hall and voted “no” to condos and unanimously “yes” to 100% social housing. For a month, people rallied outside City Hall. Despite hearing numerous speeches in opposition, the DPB granted Beedie a permit “with conditions.” However, the fight reinvigorated residents and organizers to build a more sustained movement.

  4. 2025

    The developer returned with drawings that stretch the 2017 approval. The City scheduled an Oct 20 Development Permit Board hearing, even as residents flagged missed deadlines and a taller, bulkier tower looming over Chinatown Memorial Square.

    In response, neighbours relaunched the 105 Keefer campaign—reviving meetings with community members, translating materials for elders, and documenting every bylaw breach. The community is pressing for the permit to be refused so the site can deliver truly affordable housing for Chinatown and the DTES.

DPB Speaker Toolkit (Oct 20)

Thank you for signing up to speak and standing with Chinatown. Your voice helps neighbours, seniors, and longtime residents show that this fight is about people—not just paperwork.

The DPB still makes decisions by checking plans against bylaws and past approvals, so keep your remarks short, factual, and clearly linked to the rules highlighted below. That makes it easier for the Board to act on what you share.

Why your story still matters

Even in a technical hearing, grounding the presented facts in your lived experience will make a massive difference. Explain how luxury condos push out neighbours, how gentrification harms seniors, and why this site must deliver real social housing. Pair the technical issues of the application with the your own experience—your knowledge of the community is evidence too.

Legal & Technical Grounds for Refusal

Ground your remarks in these facts so the Board understands why the permit must be refused.

Prior-to conditions not met

Beedie had to clear every prior-to condition by Jan 15, 2024. They missed it, so the prior permit should be considered expired.

New application required

The 2025 submission is not the 2017 project. Floor space is up 7.8%, homes climb 20%, and height jumps 15 ft. That scale of change triggers a fresh application under the 2023 HA-1A zoning.

Height violations

The tower reaches 104 ft—that’s 6'11" above the HA-1A maximum of 29.6 m. The Board must enforce the absolute height limit in the district schedule.

Massive visual impact

An oversized glass dome and atrium pierce the height envelope and dominate Chinatown Memorial Square, a culturally significant gathering place.

Community space misrepresented

The so-called community space is buried in a service alley with no meaningful public access, turning a promised benefit into a token gesture.

Loading issues

Four of six retail units lack internal loading. Trucks would spill into Memorial Square, disrupting daily cultural and community use.

How to Get Ready for the DPB Hearing

Follow these steps so your remarks land and you feel confident.

Step 1 · Learn the basics

  • Read the DPB overview and the meeting procedures (PDF).
  • Get to know the Advisory Panel: nine volunteer members from design, urban planning, engineering, and community groups. They advise the Board but do not vote. See the roster and roles on the City site.
  • Download the staff report posted five days ahead (due Oct 15) so your talking points line up with the agenda.
  • Skim past 105 Keefer minutes (May 29, 2023, June 12, 2023, June 26, 2023) to see what resonated.

Step 2 · Register to speak

  • Sign up starting Tue, Oct 14 at the official DPB page. The list closes when the meeting begins.
  • You get up to 3 minutes; groups of five or more who stand together receive 5 minutes. Interpreters are available on site.
  • If you miss your name, you can still speak when the list is finished—wait nearby.
  • City staff confirmed priority seating for elders and seniors.

Step 3 · Deliver a clear message

  • Open with a direct line such as: “Please refuse the current 105 Keefer / 570 Columbia permit under B.1.1, B.1.2, and the height limit.”
  • Stick to one or two concrete facts—dates, drawing numbers, measurements—so the Board can jot them down.
  • Close by repeating the ask to reject this non-compliant application under the 2023 HA-1A schedule.
Sign up to Speak (Oct 20) → Jump to Act Now →

Double-check the official DPB page for any last-minute changes before the hearing.

Myths vs. Truths

Quick facts you can share with neighbors, media, or anyone curious about 105 Keefer / 570 Columbia.

Myth

“Condos will revitalize Chinatown.”

Truth Condos raise rents and property taxes, pushing out the very people who keep Chinatown vibrant. Real revitalization = affordable homes and services that serve the community.

Myth

“Any new housing is good.”

Truth If homes aren’t affordable, they deepen the crisis. Luxury condos often sit empty as investments. We need community-serving, affordable housing—homes for people, not profit.

Myth

“Chinatown has no ‘residential base.’”

Truth That erases thousands of low-income seniors, workers, families, and neighbors who already live here and rely on Chinatown every day.

Act Now

We stopped Beedie in 2017. We stood together again in 2023. In 2025, the fight continues!

Join the fight! → Join WhatsApp Group → Linktree →
Get in touch with us
Speak at City Hall (Oct 20) →