Industry Group Calls on City of Vancouver to Reduce Home Demolition Waste
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 10, 2024 /CNW/ - Home deconstruction and home relocation industry leaders are urging the City of Vancouver to pass a new bylaw to reduce the amount of demolition waste being created as a result of residential redevelopment. The group points to an estimated 1,170 single family homes within the Broadway Plan corridor that are eligible for demolition as the densification plan is implemented. The Broadway Plan Implementation Update is being reviewed by Vancouver City Council this week.
"On a per capita basis Metro Vancouver is one of the demolition capitals of North America," says Erick Serpas Ventura, CEO of VEMA Deconstruction. "This is wasteful and unsustainable."
When an average 1,500 sq ft wood framed home is demolished, 100 tons of wood, concrete, and other materials go to local landfills. One third of Metro Vancouver's landfills are full of construction and demolition waste.
"Demolition should be the last option, not the first," says Glyn Lewis, CEO of Renewal Development. "The incredible volume of residential demolition happening in Vancouver and across the region is wasteful from an economic perspective, an environmental perspective and an affordable housing perspective."
VEMA Deconstruction and Renewal Development are calling on the City of Vancouver to follow the example set by the City of Victoria. Victoria's by-law requires demolition permit applicants to submit a $19,500 deposit which is refundable after the permit holder proves it diverted at least 40 kilograms of wood per above-ground square metre.
"Stronger financial incentives encourage developers and homeowners to follow through with responsible removal strategies," says Lewis. "To further encourage home waste prevention, municipalities should require all homes slated for demolition to be assessed for relocation and deconstruction at the permit application stage."
- It is estimated that 70% of homes slated for demolition could be deconstructed.
- It is estimated that 20% of homes slated for demolition could be relocated and repurposed as affordable housing.
"Home deconstruction and home relocation companies are proving they are responsible cost-competitive alternatives to conventional demolition," says Ventura.
West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Burnaby, District of North Vancouver and Port Moody have all approved the Home Waste Prevention: Municipal Action Plan recommendations at Council.
About VEMA Deconstruction
VEMA Deconstruction provides a sustainable solution for removing buildings by using deconstruction as the principal salvaging technique to recover usable materials for reuse and upcycling. This reduces waste in landfills and provides a source of affordable repurposed materials. VEMA's services benefit the community by preserving resources, promoting environmental responsibility, supporting local economies, and supporting the circular economy.
About Renewal Development
Renewal Development was established in 2020 with a unique vision: to rescue, relocate, modernize, and repurpose good single-family homes from growing urban communities. Renewal Development repurposed a 110 year old schoolhouse from Kitsilano in partnership with the Squamish Nation August 2023. This year the company has relocated and repurposed 15 homes in partnership with local real estate developers and coastal First Nation communities.
Renewal Development's media kit is available here.
SOURCE Renewal Development
Media contact: Robin Gill, 778-968-0708, [email protected]
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