Good-bye to Dolphin Theatre?

If council has its way, the legendary Dolphin Theatre in Burnaby may be closing to make way for a multi-unit rental housing facility for disabled residents.

At Monday night’s meeting, Burnaby council approved a grant to the non-profit Vancouver Resource Society for $95,000 to support the development of 11 units of accessible rental housing on one floor of the proposed complex to be built on the current Dolphin Cinema site.

Coun. Colleen Jordan, who put forward the motion for the grant, said the units in the private development will be rented to people with disabilities and seniors. There will also be a small office to accommodate the around-the-clock nursing needs some of the residents will require.

“There is an obvious need for this type of housing for differently abled citizens,” said Jordan.

She said that Bosa will not receive any profit from the rental housing portion of the development. The project will also include market residential units and retail space.

Mayor Derek Corrigan said that council had “bent the rules” in order to get this project in motion. Jordan said that usually such a project would require certain criteria, such as parking stalls for each unit, but because the units are for disabled people who are unable to drive, the city did not require the plan to include such things.

“This project is rather unique,” said Jordan.

City documents show this project is also the first such project in Burnaby not to be receiving any financial help from the federal or provincial government.

This lack of support for city housing issues was the target of Councillor Nick Volkow’s comments.

“It is important public understand the city is not responsible for housing issues—that is for senior levels of government,” said Volkow. He said the city of Burnaby does everything it can by being “creative” to deal with the lack of housing availability.

Burnaby council, and in particular Corrigan, have been under fire in local media lately for comments Corrigan made regarding the homeless and his refusal to open shelters in the city.

“One of the biggest challenges is when people play politics with people's misery," said Corrigan. He said he believes the media pick up on certain comments and ignore the reality that this council has always worked to provide housing, especially for the disabled and working poor.

He called on senior levels of government to work with the city to provide housing for more of the city’s vulnerable.

“Partnerships with the province and feds are seriously lacking,” said Corrigan.

He believes this project is an example of the council working within its jurisdictional limits to help its citizens.

While housing may be welcomed by needy residents, the closing of another locally owned independent theatre, on the heels of the recent Cineplex Entertainment purchase of Vancouver’s Fifth Avenue Cinemas and the Park Theatre, is sure to cause controversy admitted Jordan.

“Of course we know the closing of the Dolphin will be an issue for some people,” she said, “and it is too bad to lose another independent theatre.” But she said the redevelopment of the space for housing was a positive and necessary step for the area.

“It will be great for the residents, with the park right there, and they can access the stores and shops along the Heights in their wheelchairs,” she said.

Jordan said it will be at least six months before the public consultation and rezoning of the Dolphin site is complete and another year after that before people can move in to the development.

What do you think about this project?

Update: Council passed the project through first reading May 6- public consultation was May 28th. At the open house, many emails were read out against the rezoning of the Dolphin. One email was from the owner of the theatre who said he can not sustain a viable business with the theatre even though he has been given a break on his rent. Mayor Corrigan says he wishes council could force people to go to theatres, thus save Dolphin, but there just isn't the support. Civil Rights Now's P Canue spoke for the rezoning because the new building it will give opportunities for housing for those with disabilities.