A Century of Planning in Vancouver: From Bartholomew to City Plan Over 90 years ago Vancouver hired Harland Bartholomew & Associates to create Vancouver’s first city-wide plan, providing a template for the ambitious young city that was poised to amalgamate with two neighbouring municipalities to become the modern City of Vancouver. Automobile-oriented transportation and industrial growth were priority considerations.
Author, and Grandview-Woodland resident, Michael Kluckner will explore what was implemented, what worked and what did not, and track more recent changes in legislation and development, such as the vision for False Creek, condominium living and the push for compact communities in both the city and the region.
GWAC Annual General Meeting 2:30pm, Saturday, March 7th, Canucks Family Room
GWAC will report on the year’s activities & hold elections to to form a new Council.
Agenda Call to order & establish quorum Council Introduction Approval of minutes of 2018 AGM Directors’ Report Treasurer’s Report Transportation Committee Report Election to Council Adjournment
We encourage all residents to consider standing for election to the Council. If you care about:
our neighbourhood & our neighbours,
proposed changes & their possible impacts,
ensuring concerns are addressed;
and wish to consider new ideas and initiatives for Grandview-Woodland, this is your opportunity to do so!
Together in 2020/21 GW can achieve a meaningful and equitable neighbourhood to meet the demands of a growing City, but only if its residents are involved. You do not need special qualifications to stand for election only that you care about the future of Grandview Woodland. We encourage all community members to consider becoming a part of the Council, to represent its interests to the City and beyond.
** In order to stand for election, or to vote on the election of Directors it is necessary to be a resident of GW and a registered member of GWAC. if you are not already registered as a member you may register at the meeting as a member by signing in with your name, street address and email address; A sign-up table will be available at the front door to enroll new members and supply your ballot. Please consider coming a bit early to avoid a line-up.
The meeting on February 3rd was very well attended, and Councillor Hardwick went through a brief history of planning in Vancouver, followed by an open discussion. As a graphical record of the meeting, we are grateful for the kind assistance of Drawing It Out with Anika Barlow and Yolanda Liman. Donations were accepted for Kinbrace Refugee Housing & Support, a Registered Canadian Charity (thank you all for your generosity). To find out more about Drawing it Out, please go to www.drawingitout.com (Twitter & Instagram): @yodrawingitout, Facebook: www.facebook.com/drawingitout ).
We are pleased to announce that City of Vancouver Councillor Hardwick will be joining us at the GWAC meeting scheduled for Monday February 3rd. The meeting will begin at 7pm and it will held at the Britannia Community Centre in the Activity Room in the Ice Rink (1661 Parker Street). Please note that this is not at our usual room at the LRC. Councillor Hardwick is visiting all Vancouver neighbourhoods in 2020, further details are in this video: youtu.be/sdo3uj-NZmc and in this article: https://www.vancourier.com/real-estate/why-is-this-city-councillor-visiting-every-vancouver-neighbourhood-this-year-1.24051717
Come to hear City Councillor Colleen Hardwick’s ambitious plan to understand Vancouver & its citizens, & to see Vancouver become more responsive & accountable! In 2019 the City approved an updated city-wide planning process. It is understood that Vancouver needs to accommodate greater density within its boundaries, however the challenge and issue has been exactly where to locate this growing population in a way that is respectful of and sensitive to the neighbourhoods.
In 2020, Colleen plans to visit every neighbourhood within the boundaries of the City. In each case, she will meet with organizations within neighbourhood boundaries including but not limited to residents’ associations, BIAs, community centres, heritage, and faith-based groups to take a detailed look at where to best accommodate growth of approximately 1,000 new dwelling units per neighbourhood over the next decade.
On Monday she will be in Grandview-Woodland to speak to and hear from you.
She wants to hear what you have to say about where that density should be located and also related considerations including community amenities, mobility, green space, and economic activity. Everything Colleen learns will be delivered to the City of Vancouver Planning Department and be made available to the public.
So come to hear & speak with Councillor Hardwick; let her know your concerns, your priorities and your hopes for both Grandview-Woodland and the City at large.
February 3, 2019 Update: Photo from meeting (Councillor Hardwick presenting, with graphical facilitation by Drawing It Out (www.drawingitout.com)
GWAC wrote City Council to ask for a delay of amendments to the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan. The changes are in the package that also includes the rezoning of two blocks in the Plan area.
The Public Hearing for the proposed changes is now scheduled for Tuesday, January 28th. This will be a continuation of a previous meeting with debate on item #4 to start at 3pm. This item is #6 on the agenda and it will likely be up sometime after 4:30pm and the item will begin with a staff presentation before speakers are heard. council.vancouver.ca/20200121/phea20200121ag.htm
Re: Please delay and defer changes to the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan
The Grandview-Woodland Area Council would like to convey our deep concerns about the very long list of amendments to the Community Plan that have been included in item #6 of the agenda for the Public Hearing on January 21st. This item reads as follows (emphasis added):
6. REZONING: Rezoning of Certain Properties in the Nanaimo Sub-area of the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan, and Related Plan Amendments
The wider community of Grandview-Woodland never received any public notification of the Plan Amendments, nor were there any Open Houses to discuss changes to many sections of the Community Plan that have wide impacts across the neighbourhood. The full final text and final diagrams for the Plan Amendments have not been included in the report. Thus, we kindly request that Council sever the sections of this item on amending the Community Plan, and at this Public Hearing limit the discussions and final votes to only to the rezoning of parcels in the two identified blocks (Kitchener and Nanaimo and E12th and Nanaimo St). Please vote to delay and defer any changes to the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan (GWCP) until a later date. In this manner, due process can be followed with considering changes to the Community Plan, the full text of the proposed changes as well as completed illustrations can be reviewed, and this matter can be considered after public consultation and feedback. Thank you for your consideration,
(a link to the letter is available here on the City’s website)
Thank you to everyone who participated in this very well attended meeting.
— information about the past meeting announcement follows — GWAC meeting: 7:00 p.m., Monday, January 6th, 2020 Learning Resource Centre (LRC) Under the Britannia Library Guest speaker Michael Geller
It is the beginning of a new year, generally a time filled with optimism for the possibility of the year ahead and certainly that is what we would hope for all the citizens of Vancouver and the city itself. There are, however, many proposals on the “table” for Vancouver that can profoundly affect its liveability as well as its affordability and thus, diversity and sustainability.
Currently there are many major projects, such as the Pearson Dogwood lands, Oakridge expansion, the Bus Barn at 41st and Oak, the Heather lands, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Jericho & UBC developments as well as the Squamish development at the South end of the Burrard Street bridge and who can forget the Safeway site proposal at Broadway and Commercial?
We have asked Michael Geller, noted architect, planner, real estate consultant and property developer with four decades’ experience in the public, private and institutional sectors to share his insights and views on these matters with you and he has generously agreed.
Come to hear Michael speak and bring your questions.
Professor Patrick Condon will be a guest speaker at the November 5th monthly GWAC meeting.
Date: Monday, November 5th, 7pm – 9pm Location: Learning Resource Centre, (LRC), Under the Britannia Library, 1661 Napier Street
The topic is transportation options along the Broadway corridor, funding models for development along the corridor, and options for affordable housing within those models. There will be an opportunity for questions and general discussion after Patrick Condon’s presentation.
Professor Condon has researched and has written extensively about transit and affordable housing. A number of his articles are available on The Tyee. Please see the links below for additional details.
GWAC Public Meeting Monday, 7 May 2018 Learning Resource Centre (Britannia Library) Special Guest Speakers and Contributors: Area-Wide Rezoning Joseph Jones, Jeanette Jones, Jim Lehto, Elizabeth Murphy, and Steve Bohus (facilitator/media) The meeting began at 7:06 pm D. Cromie welcomed members of the public and special guests and reminded attendees to use the new name-tag identification system for our meetings. He also pointed out the Donations Jar sitting on the Membership Table and welcomed people to sign up to be GWAC members and to donate to support our non-profit organization. Business Arising: No new business to report. Correspondence Report: D. Cromie compiled exit poll results from the proposed Mixed-Use Detox Facility Open House at 1636 Clark Drive and 1st Avenue and sent them to the Mayor and Council. We printed 100 questionnaires and received 100 responses, most with comments. Beyond the basic 49 no’s and 40 yes’s, the size answers are much more telling: 36% found this proposal acceptable at the proposed size or larger; a further 7% would find this proposal acceptable at 75% of the proposed size; a further 15% would find this proposal acceptable at 50% of the proposed size. Clearly, rather than saying no, the neighbours are saying this project is too big as proposed. Respondents acknowledged the need for more detox facilities in the city, but many asked that proposed project be scaled back. GWAC has long supported distribution of services rather than concentrating them in a single neighbourhood or area. He also mentioned that GWAC has received several inquiries and requests for information from residents who are worried about the summer closure of East 1st Avenue, from Nanaimo to Clark Drive, and the already-increasing traffic volumes on their neighbourhood streets. In an effort to inform people about traffic calming, S. Briggs has put together Traffic-Calming Tool Kit, which is basically a two-page primer for novice traffic calmers. The kit will be posted to the GWAC website: http://www.gwac.ca. Treasurer’s Report: No Report
Community Announcements: Great Grandview Neighbourhood Garage Sale: Coming to the streets across the GW catchment area on Saturday, June 16th, 10 to 2 pm. Everyone is invited to participate—just put your stuff in front of your homes and sell. Grandview Garden Club, Thursday, May 10th, 7 to 9 pm, Learning Resource Centre. Topic: Creative Containers. Presenter: Tammyanne Matthew, Landscape Architect. Stone Soup Festival, Saturday, May 12th, Noon to 5 pm. Britannia Site and Napier Greenway. Website: https://www.britanniacentre.org/community/events/events_calendar/events/65.php Mothers’ Day Traditional Pow Wow, Sunday, May 13th, 11 am to 9 pm. Britannia Gym A/B and Napier Greenway. Website: https://www.britanniacentre.org/community/events/events_calendar/events/65.php Grandview Heritage Group, Thursday, May 17th, 7 to 9 pm. Britannia Boardroom. The group has just celebrated its seventh anniversary—congratulations. For more information on the Heritage Group, please check the website: http://grandviewheritagegroup.org/. Grandview Garden Tour, Sunday, June 17th, 10 to 4 pm. Tickets $15 (at Figaro’s). This year, there are 12 Gardens on the tour. For more information check the website: http://eastsidegardentour.blogspot.ca/
After the announcements, S. Bohus took the floor to introduce the guests and the area-wide mass re-zoning. Last Fall (2017), RT5 zones were re-zoned. The Grandview Woodland Community Plan introduced 4-storey Secured Rentals, but that proposal has been taken off the table (for north of East Hastings on the east side of Nanaimo). What is left is 3.5 and 4 storey zoning across the catchment, basically an area-wide mass rezoning. The City may be in the final stages of this rezoning; there were Open Houses held in January and March of 2018. The panels shown to the public in March stated that a recommendations for the 4-storey zones would be brought to City Council in the spring, which would presumably go to Public Hearing. 12th Avenue (Clark to John Hendry Park): An area-wide rezoning is available for the south side of 12th Avenue, as well as the first block east of Clark on the north side. The City recommends 4-storey apartments, with a maximum of 1.7 FSR for lot assemblies of 4 units or more (compared to 1.0FSR for a single lot or 1.2 FSR for assemblies of two or three lots). Spot rezoning is available for the part of the north side of 12th Ave; it is not included in the mass area rezoning.
The area-wide 4-storey apartment zones are also recommended for East 1st Avenue (from just east of Commercial to Semlin Drive), as well as Garden Drive (7th to 8th and 10th to 11th). Note: Change in density with mass rezoning (lot assembly means density goes up). Grandview Community Plan, passing in 2016, limits/defines height to 40 feet or 3.5 storeys, with 1.3 FSR (page 91 of the Plan) from Semlin Drive to Garden Drive on 1st Ave. Townhouse/Row houses are approved for arterial streets. For example, at 1st and Templeton, townhouses or row houses can now be built on four or more assembled lots. Clearly, the City is incentivizing lot assembly. At Charles and Kitchener between Nanaimo and Kamloops, zoning is proposed for townhouses or row houses on the middle of the block. A number of blocks on Nanaimo from East Pender all the way down to East 12th Avenue (outside of the shopping nodes) are proposed to be in a 3.5-storey row house/townhouse zone, with a choice of use at grade that will allow choice for between residential and commercial. The 3.5-storey zone will allow 4-storey apartment forms with assemblies of 4 or more lots. Nanaimo at Venables is seeing a surge in lot assembly, as are a number of other sections of the arterials currently under planning.
Note: No requests are usually taken after the Council Committee meeting starts.
In your request provide:
Your full name
The date and type of meeting you want to speak at
The agenda item number and title you want to speak about
4. Speakers have up to five minutes to present their remarks.
5. Presenters can speak with or without notes. They can also bring a power point presentation if they wish. Bring it on a USB key. If you are not used to public speaking, notes are advisable.
Grandview-Woodland Area Council 