The City of Vancouver’s final plan for Northeast False Creek, which envisions the delivery of 1,800 affordable homes, 32 acres of new and renewed parks, and a network of new streets, including replacing the viaducts, goes before council Jan. 31.
The plan sets the long-term vision for the last piece of large undeveloped land downtown along the False Creek waterfront.
“This transformative city-shaping project provides a bold new vision for the last remaining downtown waterfront,” Kevin McNaney, project director for Northeast False Creek, was quoted as saying in a press release. “The plan provides a guide to the evolution of Northeast False Creek into a culturally vibrant waterfront destination to live, work and play.”
Northeast East False Creek covers 10 per cent of the downtown core. McNaney describes it as “an opportunity to reimagine an area of former heavy industry and freeway into a renewed place of modern urbanism for people to enjoy.”
More than 17,500 people provided feedback about the plan during the consultation phase, which included 90 events.
The final plan can be found here.
The Vancouver Park Board, meanwhile, is in talks with local First Nations, Chinatown residents and others on the design of Creekside Park and Andy Livingstone Park. It expects to reveal the refined concept plan with the public in the spring of 2018.
The overall Northeast False Creek plan aims to see that public amenities and services continue to meet the community’s needs as the area grows and evolves, according to the city.
The costs of the project, including amenities such as childcare, social housing, artist space, plazas and a new fire hall and cultural centre, will be covered by developer-related revenues, utilities, sale or lease of city lands and strategic partnership agreements with not-for-profit organizations.
Details within the plan address housing, parks and transportation. Its vision to deliver about 1,800 affordable homes amounts to “one of the largest deliveries of affordable housing in British Columbia’s history,” according to the city.
Proposals to enhance parks and open spaces in the area, meanwhile, involve connecting the waterfront and surrounding neighbourhoods. Plans for new and renewed parks include the new 11-acre Creekside Park, described as a “destination” park that will be the largest built in decades.
Andy Livingstone Park and the existing Creekside Park north of Science World will be renewed as part of the plan.
In terms of transportation, the city says the new network of streets and the replacement of the viaducts “will connect people with Northeast False Creek, and offer a safe and accessible network for people, emergency vehicles, and goods movement.”
Jerry Dobrovolny, the city’s general manager of engineering services, said the next step is to bring council an implementation plan and coordinated construction schedule outlining the build-out of new utilities such as water and sewer mains, as well as the removal of the viaducts and construction of a new complete street network.
Since Northeast False Creek is adjacent to the Downtown Eastside, which has a significant urban Indigenous community, is part of the Chinatown community, and was historically the heart of Vancouver’s black community (formerly known as Hogan’s Alley), the plan “identifies opportunities to recognize these communities by providing cultural gathering spaces, conserving and commemorating living heritage in Chinatown, and reconnecting Chinatown and Hogan’s Alley with the rest of the downtown core.”
Individuals can register to speak to city council about the report at the Jan. 31 meeting. Online registration starts Jan. 25 at noon and ends Jan. 31 at 9:30 a.m.
If the Northeast False Creek Plan is approved, the city will work on an implementation report for funding approval to deliver on the items in the plan, including the transportation and utility work, as well as ongoing rezoning.
