Planet Money The skyscrapers that NIMBYs and zoning couldn't stop
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Mar 28, 2026 A reclaimed slice of Vancouver becomes the stage for a high-stakes real estate saga. There’s a violent eviction, a legal fight, and a bold choice to trade a modest plan for 11 towers and thousands of apartments. Wealthy neighbors push back. Big questions about housing, permits, and who gets to shape a city drive the drama.
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How The Squamish Won Back Prime Vancouver Land
- British Columbia officials expelled the Squamish from Sen̓áḵw in 1913, burned the village, and erased a bountiful settlement beside what became Vancouver.
- After suing in 1977, the Squamish regained 10.5 acres in 2003, creating a huge development opportunity on ancestral land.
Chief Gibby Wanted An ATM On Squamish Land
- Gilbert Jacob first imagined Sen̓áḵw as a steady revenue engine built from rental housing, not a symbolic project.
- He proposed roughly 1,500 units in modest mid-rises and called the plan an ATM that would pay Squamish bills every month.
Seven Generation Thinking Pushed Sen̓áḵw Higher
- Wilson Williams rejected the first plan because seven-generation thinking made the modest towers look too generic and too small to transform Squamish finances.
- Squamish sovereignty removed Vancouver zoning limits, so settling for ordinary mid-rises felt like wasting a rare chance to build much bigger.