Tagged: Planning & Development

West End Neighbourhood Character Walking Tours

West End Neighbourhood Character Walking Tours

Wednesday, July 25, 6 pm – 8:30 pm

Saturday, July 28, 11 am – 1:30 pm

Meet in front of the West End Community Centre (870 Denman St)

Join Senior Central Area Planner Michael Gordon and staff from the West End Planning Team and Transportation on a walking tour through the West End to explore the community’s unique character.

The walk will cover the various West End neighbourhoods, including west of Denman, English Bay-Beach Avenue, Nelson Plateau and Nelson Slopes, and north of Robson. Elements that will be discussed include:

  • Building forms and architecture of different eras
  • Streetscape and public realm
  • Laneways
  • Heritage
  • Parks, mini-parks and open space

Staff will record participants’ observations and discussions during the tour to help identify key ideas, opportunities and values related to neighbourhood character. In turn, these will help shape the West End community planning process over the next 15 to 18 months.

Walking tours are open to up to 20 participants each.

For the Wednesday, July 25 walking tour, please sign up here:

http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/3914967774

For the Saturday, July 28 walking tour, please sign up here:

http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/3915033972

West End Community Plan terms of reference approved

The Terms of Reference documents for the three new Community Plans (in Marpole, the West End, and Grandview-Woodland) were approved at City Council’s Planning, Transportation & Environment Meeting on March 28.

The staff presentation can be found at http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20120328/documents/ptec2Presentation-NextCommunityPlans-TermsofReference.pdf.

The combined staff report (19 pages) and three Terms of Reference documents (27 pages each) can be found at http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20120328/documents/ptec2.pdf. The staff report also includes an amended Rezoning Policy for all three Local Areas.

Council Liaisons

In addition to approving the Terms of Reference, Council also appointed two Councillors to act as Council liaisons for each of the community plans. The council liaisons for the West End are Tim Stevenson and Adriane Carr.

For more information, see the City’s official West End Community Plan webpage at: http://vancouver.ca/westendplan.

WEMAC recommendations go to council March 28

Mayor Gregor Robertson’s Advisory Committee (WEMAC) recommendations that were dated March 17, 2012, will be considered by Vancouver City Council’s Standing Committee on Planning, Transportation and Environment at its meeting on:

DATE: Wednesday, March 28, 2012
TIME: 9:30 am
PLACE: Council Chamber
Third Floor, City Hall

The agenda for the meeting and the relevant report can be viewed at: Meeting Agenda no later than the Friday preceding the meeting. Hard copies will also be available upon request at that time.

If you wish further information on this matter, please contact Kevin McNaney at 604.871.6851. If you wish to address the Standing Committee, please call me at 604.873.7191, by 1:00 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Please note speakers are requested to limit their comments to no longer than five minutes.

You may also communicate your thoughts on the issue to the Mayor and Councillors by emailing mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca and we will ensure Council receives all correspondence before the matter is considered.

Is Change Inevitable? Have your say at the Philosophers’ Cafe

Simon Fraser University’s popular Philosophers’ Cafe program has returned to the West End this fall with a series of discussions devoted to West End/downtown issues.

Cosponsored by the West End Community Centre, the discussions take place at Barclay Manor on the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. The second talk takes place October 20, and the subject is “Is Change Inevitable?” Here’s the blurb from the Philosophers’ Cafe website:

Two West End landmarks—St. John’s United Church and Maxine’s Hideaway—have been demolished this year to make way for new developments. Is neighbourhood change is inevitable, and if so, how do we balance the rights of residents, property owners and newcomers?

Other talks in the series are:

November 17: Food
More than 80,000 people live in the downtown peninsula. Can we ensure downtown residents have access to sufficient healthy food in a time of climate change, earthquakes and increasing energy prices?

December 15: Noise and the city
Souped-up motorcycles, late-night revelers, car alarms and sirens: Is noise the price of urban living, or do downtown residents have the same rights to peace and quiet as suburbanites?

For more information, see the Cafe website at www.sfu.ca/cstudies/arts/philosopherscafe/barclay.htm

WERA Supports Robson Street Public Square

WERA President Christine Ackermann sent the following letter to Mayor and Council on December 1, 2010, supporting the proposal for a public square on Robson Street:

December 1, 2010
Mayor  & Council
City of Vancouver, BC
Sent via email: mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca
cc:  urbandesign@vancouverpublicspace.ca

RE:  Robson Square Pedestrian Mall

Dear Mayor Robertson & Council,

I write on behalf of the West End Residents Association (WERA) in support of the motion before council for staff to consult with interested parties regarding the permanent closure of Robson Street (between Hornby and Howe) for a public square.

Many West End residents walk as their primary mode of transportation. Although the proposed public square is outside the West End, a pedestrians-only area in that location would definitely impact West End residents, especially bus riders on route #5.

WERA encourages the council to support this motion. It is important that as we improve our cycling corridors, we also give due attention to pedestrians and their safety. That particular location has already been closed for almost a year so consultation with the community would yield important results. We already know that creating a permanent public space at Robson Square enhances pedestrian accessibility. It lends the area a vitality that is needed in public spaces in Vancouver. We support Mayor Robertson’s pledge for this public space as an Olympic legacy.

Earlier this year, each councilor was provided with a copy of WERA’s January 2010 visioning forum report, “Your Story: Our Future”. At that forum, walkability was ranked third in community values:

“Living in a walkable community was considered highly valuable and emphasized through discussions. This was complemented by alternative transport options including cycling, public transit, and driving.”

This week WERA began a campaign to engage our West End residents in dialogue about pedestrian safety and accessibility. (http://wera.bc.ca/?page_id=1536) We have had good initial response and will be collecting the comments and forwarding them to you in the near future for your consideration.

While we encourage you to pass the motion, WERA draws your attention to the importance of consultation with bus riders of Route #5. WERA’s initial consultations within the community show a divided support for the permanent re-routing of the Robson bus. Therefore, we recommend further dialogue with the residents of the West End on this important aspect of the transit closure.

Yours sincerely,

Christine Ackermann
President, WERA

Advisory Committee Membership Announced

The Mayor’s Office has announced the members of the Mayor’s West End Advisory Committee. The following is the email received by WERA announcing the members:

From: Robertson, Gregor
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 11:14 AM
Subject: Mayor’s West End Advisory Committee

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in being a part of the Mayor’s West End Advisory Committee. After several weeks of reviewing almost 80 applications, we have selected the members of the Committee. It was not an easy task to narrow it down to 12 people with so many qualified, enthusiastic candidates. The level of interest was much more than we had anticipated and I want to thank you for taking the time to consider being a part of it.

Given the experience and energy that was present in the applications, we could have had several West End Advisory Committees! After careful consideration, we feel we have a good mix of people who are ready to get down to work and represent the unique diversity of the West End.

The members of the committee are:

Ms. Christine Ackermann

Mr. Tony Clark

Ms. Marlann Cooper

Mr. Jim Deva

Ms. Michelle Fortin

Mr. Rob Hines

Ms. Lena Hozaima

Mr. Peter Jackman

Mr. Tiko Kerr

Mr. Dean Malone

Ms. Cherie Payne

Ms. Carol Reardon

For those of you who were not chosen, I want to encourage you to stay active and involved in your community. The Committee is tasked with going out and engaging the West End, and there will be a number of opportunities to plug in to the work taking place over the next several months.

Thanks again for your interest,

Mayor Gregor Robertson