Vancouver city hall is doing some early spring cleaning, but maybe not in the way some in the real estate industry had been anticipating.
Andrea Law, the city’s general manager of development, buildings and licensing is set to retire May 17, making way for colleague Corrie Okell, according to a March 11 announcement.
“The city is doing transformational work in steering policies and services that shape and support how people build, work and live in Vancouver, and I’m excited to lead and continue to build on this,” Okell, currently the city’s director of development and building permitting services, said in a statement.
While Okell is set to take on a new role, the city has yet to appoint a chief planner amid a monthslong vacancy.
“The city is recruiting for the position of general manager planning, urban design and sustainability. Once we have finalized the appointment, we will share that information,” said the City of Vancouver in a statement to BIV.
Candidates for the role of chief planner had an application deadline of Jan. 14 to apply for the position, which has a salary range of $233,060-302,678, according to a job posting since removed from the city’s website.
Vancouver has gone without a permanent head of planning since the September 2023 departure of Theresa O’Donnell.
Vancouver is among the first 10 communities in B.C. that have been assigned housing targets under the province’s new Housing Supply Act. The city has been mandated to build 28,900 housing units over the next five years, as well as implement other new housing legislation.
This is in addition to new local housing policies that allow up to six strata units, or up to eight secured rental units on larger lots, on lots that were previously reserved for single-family homes or duplexes.
Local builder Brynn Davidson said in January that Vancouver is in the midst of one of the most “pivotal” moments in the city’s planning history, while also lacking a leader or “captain of the ship.”
“I find that council has been kind of quiet on this, which seems weird. This is a mayor who prides himself in thinking that he's bold,” said Davidson, co-owner and design lead at building firm Lanefab Design/Build.
“It seems like Vancouver is just quietly working in the background, which leaves us, other practitioners, owners and everybody else wondering what the heck's going on?”
Editor's note: This story has been updated to acknowledge that Andrea Law has worked for the City of Vancouver for 34 years.
