white paper

Broadway and Commercial: Exploring Options for a

Transit-Oriented Community

Backgrounder

July 2013

Broadway and Commercial. An important area. A unique opportunity.

A regionally significant transit hub.

The Broadway and Commercial area hosts a regionally- important transit interchange located at the intersection o f t w o SkyTrain lines. I t is bisected b y two major arterial streets and is home t o a diverse range o f shops, services and residences. This busy hub sits at the crossroads of t w o unique neighbourhoods and is also the gateway t o Commercial Drive - a popular shopping and entertainment destination for both the neighbourhood and the region. As such, it is a key "sub-area" o f the Grandview-Woodland community.

As part o f the larger Grandview-Woodland Community Plan process, the City of Vancouver is now developing policy directions t o guide long-term growth and change in the Broadway and Commercial area.

This process builds on input from the community planning process, started in April 2012, the Kensington-Cedar Cottage Community Vision, completed in 1998, and the Broadway/Commercial Transit Village Plan, Transiink and CoV, 2006. I t will also be shaped by approved city-wide policies - such as Transportation 2040, the City's long-term transportation policy, and the Greenest City Action Plan, which aims t o make Vancouver the greenest city in the world b y 2040.

Policy directions for this sub-area will also be shaped by substantial and meaningful

community input.

The Grandview-Woodland Community Plan is a long- term plan, for the next 30 years. Future growth and development in the Broadway and Commercial area will need t o support the goals of a transit-oriented community in a growing city. But, as many community members point out, there are different ways t o 'do' higher-density. Concerns have been expressed about the high-rise forms shown in the first draft o f the Emerging Directions. This is important feedback for the planning process, so let's take another look at this area and start by acknowledging a few key points:

We have heard clearly from the community that there is serious concern about the extent and height o f tower building forms at Commercial & Broadway proposed in the Emerging Directions published in June. As a result, we will not b e proceedina with that proposal

While we've heard support through the planning process for additional density in the Broadway & Commercial area, it's clear that there is a desire t o explore different options that don't involve a large concentration of tall towers

This workshop, and other Broadway/Commercial planning activities which follow, will provide an opportunity t o begin t o explore those options. These will also enable additional consultation, feedback and involvement from the wider community.

As part o f our collective work, we need t o plan for the future, this means change, but it also means working t o ensure that the best aspects o f the area are strengthened over time.

So let's figure this out together. Help us to get it right.

Reading this Backgrounder

This document is designed t o provide you with some background material related t o planning for the Broadway/Commercial area. It includes:

Broadway and Commercial - Broader Planning Context Community Input - What We've Heard t o date Key Questions - things t o think about Next Steps

2 Grandview-Woodland Community Plan- Workshop- JULY 2013

BACKGROUND Broadway and Commercial - Broader Planning Context

Findings from the current Community Plan Process

When we look at the Broadway and Commercial sub- area, we must understand how it fits within the rest o f the community we are planning for and with. Over the past year, and through a planning process that has involved significant community input, we have clarified a number o f big-picture neighbourhood considerations:

the need t o provide a range of affordable housing options t o meet the diverse needs o f the community

the importance o f improving sustainable transportation options (walking, cycling, public transit) . the role of the local economy - on high streets like Commercial Drive and Hastings Street, and elsewhere in the neighbourhood

the significant value that residents place in neighbourhood heritage, social and cultural amenities

As part o f this, our many discussions with the community over the past 15 months have also affirmed the role played by different parts o f the neighbourhood -whether in the 'Edwardian village' that characterizes much o f the area east o f the Drive, the aforementioned high streets, the apartment areas and sites o f industry. The Broadway and Commercial area has always been seen as a key area of focus for the community plan. and a reasonable place for future growth and development. This is an area with regionally significant transit infrastructure located within its bounds, an area where there is both the opportunity and community desire t o improve retail, office and residential offerings, and a place where future growth and planning could work t o 'tame' intensity o f the main arterial roads (Broadway and Commercial) that are found at the heart of the area.

This i s a critical time for Broadway and Commercial

Over the next few years, the Broadway and Commercial area will see some significant changes, including:

an expanded station area for Broadway/ Commercial SkyTrain in 2016

improved capacity (train length, frequency) for the Expo Line

increased traffic when the Evergreen Line is completed in 2016

potential extension of the Millennium Line westward, and

redevelopment in the vicinity and potential redevelopment of key sites, e.g. Safeway.

By planning proactively, we can attend t o a number of the key opportunities that were identified in both the Grandview-Woodland planning process and the Kensington-Cedar Cottage Vision, including:

providing a range o f affordable housing choices

creating new job space and supporting the local economy

improving the public realm (particularly in the vicinity of the station) - improving linkages along Commercial Drive (north and south o f Broadway),

supporting a variety o f sustainable transportation options, and ensuring the optimization o f public investment in transit.

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Transit-Oriented Community Planning

Ensuring appropriate land-use planning for Broadway and Commercial will also help t o achieve a number o f important city-wide planning goals:

A denser, more diverse mix of services, amenities, jobs, and housing types in one o f the region's most significant transit locations

The location o f major trip generators near rapid transit stations o r along transit corridors, thereby further encouraging sustainable transportation.

A successful transit-oriented community at Commercial and Broadway could mean:

focusing growth and density around high-volume public transit infrastructure, in both Grandview- Woodland and Kensington-Cedar Cottage neighbourhoods

ensuring that growth and development is undertaken at a reasonable pace of change

a mix o f building forms and heights

protecting key heritage, cultural and social amenities

the provision o f new and expanded public amenities t o support population growth

stronger, more lively public spaces with better pedestrian linkages, gathering places and street level features, and

an increased diversity and supply of housing and job-space options t o meet the needs o f present and future residents.

What Is transit-oriented planning? And why focus on creating a transit-oriented community?

In general, transit-oriented planning focuses growth and development around a transit station or transit corridor, typically within a five t o 10 minute walk o f transit. It is an approach that the City advocates because it maximises the use o f sustainable transportation, when done well. It also responds t o several key challenges, including:

increased energy costs, 'peak oil* concerns and climate change

road congestion

the need for quality residential and office space that is conveniently located, and

the need t o ensure that future growth and development is accommodated in well-designed, attractive, compact, walkable communities.

Transit-oriented communities are at their most efficient when they have a mix o f land-uses, supporting a diverse population and their respective residential, job-space and amenity needs. The key elements of a transit-oriented community are transit-supportive density - which means higher density, a high quality public realm, good walkability and sense o f connection.

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4 Grandview-Woodland Community Plan - Workshop - JULY 201 3

The City-Wide Picture

Vancouver has a reputation for its high-quality o f life. The City is working t o ensure that the future growth and development continue t o support this standard o f liveability while responding t o a number of major challenges:

over-consumption o f scare resources and the emission o f greenhouse gases and other pollutants at unsustainably high levels

land use patterns and street design that continue t o encourage high levels of motor vehicle use and are not supportive o f transit oriented development

unaffordabie housing and an insufficient and aging rental stock, limited housing choices and a significant number o f homeless -along with related concerns about displacement and gentrification

high instances o f public heaith problems - and the need t o respond t o these with health and social service infrastructure, and

demographic changes, including increasing diversity and an aging population

Several city-wide policy initiatives form part of the story about Broadway and Commercial. These include:

Transportation 2040 - a plan that guides transportation decisions for how people and goods will move in and around Vancouver over the next 30 years. it's our road map for a future where walking, cycling, and transit are attractive options for getting around. The plan also provides direction on land-use - and encourages measures t o focus more density and jobs in close proximity t o transit, while respecting neighbourhood context,

The Greenest City 2020 Action Plan (201 1) - which provides a path towards a greener future for our community and our planet. i t does this by address three overarching areas o f focus: reducing carbon, reducing waste, and supporting healthy ecosystems. More specifically, the Greenest City Plan supports transportation and land use policies that increases the use o f sustainable transportation options and reduces the average distance driven per resident.

Housing and Homelessness Strategy (201 1) - which describes the City's overall direction for housing, at all points along the housing continuum, from the provision of emergency shelters t o home ownership. I t identifies the different kinds of housing necessary t o meet the needs of our citizens, as well as ways t o improve and better preserve the housing we currently have.

Healthy City Strategy (on-going) - Along with its key partner Vancouver Coastal Health, the City o f Vancouver is developing a long-term strategy for healthier people, healthier places and a healthier planet

Many possible futures - let's find the responsible

route forward.

Grandvlew-Woodland Community Plan -Workshop -JULY 2013 5

COMMUNITY INPUT Broadway and Commercial - Broader Planning Context

Back-story:The Grandview-Woodland Community Plan process

In April 2012, the City of Vancouver launched a Community Plan process for Grandview-Woodland that has four phases. When completed, the plan will set out a series o f long-range directions (policies and priorities) for the neighbourhood. The new community plan will update and replace an older plan from 1979-82.

The community planning process is designed t o develop policy directions for the whole neighbourhood in 'neighbourhood wide policies", and for key geographic areas of focus in specific "sub-area policies". The Broadway and Commercial area is one o f these areas o f focus in Grandview-Woodland.

Phase One o f the process, completed in August 2012, involved outreach and engagement, as well as the general identification of assets, issues and opportunities in the neighbourhood (that is, what people love about the community, and areas they'd like t o see changed).

The recently completed Phase Two provided an opportunity t o explore six general policy themes with the community:

Housing

Transportation

Parks and Public Space

Social issues, Urban Health and Safety

Arts and Culture

Heritage and Character

The current Phase Three focuses on the development and refinement o f an integrated set of Emerging Directions. These are best understood as goal statements, each setting a clear direction and set o f related objectives and policies. The first draft was released at the beginning of June 2013.

The final phase of the community plan process,

anticipated t o begin in fall 2013, will focus on finalizing the Community Plan, and testing a complete draft document with the community.

To date, the neighbourhood planning process has involved input from several thousand people through a variety of means:

Focus groups and meetings with neighbourhood organizations

Youth, seniors, Aboriginal and Chinese-language workshops

Assets, issues Opportunities mapping

Questionnaires (on-line and paper)

Participation in community events - including Car Free Day, National Aboriginal Day, Italian Days

Walking tours - Open Houses (on-street, in parks and neighbourhood venues)

Planning through Dialogue workshops

In more detail - Phase I and II o f t h e Planning Process

The Broadway/Commercial sub-area has been discussed throughout the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan - in the Asset, Issues and Opportunities mapping work in May-July 2012, In the Core Planning Principles work in September 2012, during our Walking Tours workshop (September 20121, and in the Planning through Dialogue sessions, December 2012-Mar 2013.

Throughout these various events, participants expressed a high degree o f interest in enhancements t o the Broadway and Commercial Station area and surrounding area. The sub-area has been recognized as a significant opportunity for improvement and as a candidate t o become a transit- oriented community - featuring housing, retail and other job space, the addition o f enhanced public realm features,

oDen soace and aatherina areas - - and safety improvements, better station design. SkyTrain capacity and bus queuing.

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6 Grandview-Woodland Community Plan- Workshop-JULY 2013

In more detail -Phase Ill -Emerging Directions

The draft Emerging Directions for the Grandview- Woodland Community Plan showcased one approach t o creating a high-density transit-oriented community. This option was described through 19 draft policy directions covering aspects o f Transit and Transportation, Built Form and Public Realm. In summary, the policies:

proposed high-density development through a combination o f high-rise and mid-rise forms

created a hierarchy o f Transit-Oriented Development opportunities with the tallest buildings (up t o 36 storeys) on the Safeway Site, and other high buildings (up t o and including 22-26 storeys)

calibrated building heights t o newer tower-form developments i n other parts o f the city . sought t o protect existing affordabie rental stock through a pace-of-change mechanism that would that would limit the amount o f development that could take place on an annual basis . identified opportunities for expansion o f retail and office space

portrayed only the land-use changes in the sub-area - without notina iikelv develowment ~~ ~ ~ scenarios or other constraints, e.g. existing strata or recent developments that would constrain the extent/timing of new development . did not identify, in a detailed way, public benefits and community amenities, e.g. creation o f affordable housing, childcare, park space, etc. that could be derived as part of future development, and

introduced new plaza space and public realm treatments, expanded park and garden space, and public safety improvements.

Of the 19 draft policies, one policy, #BC-10, has met with strong and significant disapproval from the community. This is the policy related t o building heights and building form. Feedback on the draft Emerging Directions suggests that specific aspects o f the directions pertaining t o built-form and building heights needed t o be revisited.

Community feedback t o date indicates:

strong concern about the upper height limits o f buildings proposed and t o the use o f high-rise tower forms

no general agreement on 'how high is t o o high' o r overall density alternatives

general, though inconsistent, support for the notion o f Broadway and Commercial as a higher- density, transit oriented community

strong desire to see more options and information available for different kinds o f built form that high density could take, and

specifically with regard t o building heights, some stating that 'mid-rise' is acceptable, other respondents insisting on low-rise (four or fewer).

in addition, a number of specific concerns are mentioned around built form considerations, as currently proposed:

towers are out of character with neighbourhood

the transit hub is already too crowded

higher buildings will increase traffic levels and parking issues

there is no new park space in the immediate area for the increased population

the lack of amenities for the increased population, ,e. community centres, library, school, etc.

concern that towers 'don't build community' and will make Grandview-Woodland 'soul-less'

concern that towers will raise land values, leading t o higher rents in a low-income neighbourhood. This, in turn, means that towers do not promote affordabie housing options, and

concern that the potential pace of change in this area would be too quick.

In sum, while we've heard support through the planning process for additional density in the Broadway & Commercial area, we have also heard that there is serious concern about the proposed extent and height of tower building forms, a ~ t . i o ~ e d in the introduction, we-WN be exploring&ernative~p~oposals for this area.

The City and community need to worktogether to achieve the goals of transit-oriented

community planning. Let's turn these concerns into opportunities.

Grandview-Woodland Community Plan - Workshop - JULY 2013 7

Things to Think About.. . The planning workshop and other engagement opportunities related t o Broadway and Commercial wiil aim t o explore a variety of considerations. In the context that growth and change are healthy attributes of a city, and as part o f your own deliberations around Broadway and Commercial, here are some things you may want t o think about (see bullets t o the right):

What sort o f boundaries should be attached t o the Broadway/Commercial transit-oriented community? The initial proposal for the sub-area used the Grandview Cut and E 12th as part o f the boundaries. Are there other, more appropriate boundaries? (e.g. transit-oriented planning often uses a 5 or 10 minute walking radius)

What is your ideal vision o f the future? How d o you imagine the Broadway/Commercial area in five years' time? In 10 years? In 3 0 years? What sorts of activities are taking place?

Where is the 'heart' o f the sub-area? Is there a place that does (or could) have this status?

How high should the buildings be? How high would you ideally like them t o be? How high would you be willing t o accept?

Should building height be consistent throughout the sub-area? Or should building heights be higher in some areas than others? . What are the key public benefits that we should be striving for as part o f the future development o f this area, e.g. expanded community centre supports, social housing, public art, park space, childcare, etc.? . Are there any social, cultural, and heritage assets that need t o be noted, e.g. already mentioned: Rio Theatre, East Van Cross, sense o f neighbourliness?

What Comes Next? Immediate Next Steps

The July workshop is one of a number o f avenues for working through the future of Broadway and Commercial. I t will be followed b y further consultation, including additional events at the end of July which wiil seek feedback and involvement from the wider community (including people that we could not accommodate in the July workshop).

There is more work t o be done on these and other aspects o f the Community Plan - a n d no decisions will be made in the short-term around the future of the Broadway and Commercial area. This is an important part of the neighbourhood - a n d of the city. We need t o make sure that we 'get it right'.

Material from the July 6 workshop will be integrated with commentary received through the broader public input process coming out o f the Emerging Directions. Technical information and analysis generated by the City's Planning and Engineering departments will also be integrated into the planning process.

The combined results will be:

summarized into a mini-report by City staff

reported back as part o f additional events that will take place in late July (dates TBD) which will invite further feedback and commentary, and

available on-line in a forum that enables further discussion and sharing of ideas.

Feedback gathered through all o f these engagement opportunities will be used t o further refine the overall Community Plan process prior t o the release o f the draft Plan in fail 2013.

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APPENDIX: Planning in Vancouver - Some Core Principles

As part of earlier work in the Community Planning process, a series o f Core Planning Principiesand Objectives were presented for discussion. Derived from approved city-wide policies, these Principles and Objectives provide high-level guidance for planning activities. A number o f these relate t o the current discussion around Broadway and Commercial.

Locate higher densities and a mix of uses close t o neighbourhood centres, existing shopping districts, transit services and areas where significant sustainability gains are possible (i.e. district energy sources). In doing so, ensure that new developments in higher density areas provide respectful transitions t o adjacent lower density neighbourhoods and reflect the character o f the existing neighbourhood.

Maximize opportunities t o reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the integration o f land use, transportation and energy.

increase the diversity o f the housing stock by providing a range o f housing forms, unit types and sizes t o meet the needs of a diverse population.

Recognize the value o f existing affordable and low-income housing that meets the needs o f low/ moderate income households, including the retention, enhancement and renewal o f secure purpose- built rental housing.

Ensure Job space is well integrated with the transportation network by providing greater proportions o f office and other higher ridership uses in proximity t o transit stations.

Encourage transit improvements t o increase capacity and ensure service that is fast, frequent, reliable, fully accessible, and comfortable.

Make walking safe, convenient and delightful, and ensure streets and sidewalks support a vibrant public life that encourages a walking culture, healthy lifestyles, and social connectedness.

Make cycling feel safe, convenient, and comfortable for people o f all ages and abilities. Prioritize connections to important destinations like schools, community centres, transit stations, and shopping areas.

Support shorter trips and sustainable transportation choices by creating compact, walkable, transit- oriented neighbourhoods.

Ensure that residents enjoy good access t o green spaces, including urban forests, parks, open spaces and space for food production.

Work in partnership with the community, senior governments and other agencies t o ensure appropriate social infrastructure and amenities are in place for residents.

Ensure that public safety is a priority - s o that people can live, work and play in the city where they feel safe at all times.

You can find these and other high-level planning principles in the materials from our September 12, 2012 Foundational Principles Open House materials.

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