Waterfront Handrail Design - Quayside Neighbourhood

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: September 1, 1998
Author/Local: R.Louie/7156

RTS No. 00074

CC File No. 8204

TO: Vancouver City Council

FROM: General Manager of Engineering Services, in consultation with the Director of Central Area Planning and the Manager of Parks and Recreation

SUBJECT: Waterfront Handrail Design - Quayside Neighbourhood

CONSIDERATION

THAT Council approve the revised design of the seawall walkway to exclude handrails from the locations shown in Appendix A.

COUNCIL POLICY

On July 29, 1997, Council approved the report Waterfront Pedestrian/Bicycle Route Design and Marinaside Crescent Beautification - Quayside Neighbourhood, which approved handrailing along the entire length of the Quayside Waterfront Walkway.

On October 24, 1991, Council approved the report, Conceptual Shoreline Designs - Coal Harbour and False Creek North, and requested that, with respect to the detailed design, Council only review issues which represent changes to the approved proposals and principles.

PURPOSE

This report provides a revised shoreline design for Council consideration which would exclude the requirement for handrails for the portion of the Quayside Waterfront Walkway as shown in Appendix A.

DISCUSSION

The current approved design for the Quayside waterfront walkway calls for handrails to extend along the entire length of the seawall. The handrails, which are similar to the Expo 86 railings, are designed to be difficult to climb over or through and minimizes view blockage. In reviewing the extent of handrails to be provided along the seawall, there is a need to balance aesthetic objectives against safety concerns and potential liability for the City. The process endorsed by Council in 1991 for reviewing handrail requirements involved the assessment of each area based on its particular circumstances, while addressing the following factors:

· building by-law requirements;
· precedents for handrails in the City;
· use of area (assembly, view lookout, offshore activity);
· height of vertical drop;
· proximity to schools, playgrounds, shopping areas;
· capital, maintenance and potential legal cost implications.

The developer and Park Board staff have requested that Engineering review the need for handrails on a portion of the Quayside seawall from the gazebo to the Cambie Bridge, (Appendix A).

The Building By-law, as it applies to private property, requires that all drops over 600mm (2 feet) are to have handrails. Although the Building By-law does not apply to public property, Engineering must recommend, from a safety perspective, that all seawall sections with a vertical drop greater than 600mm to have handrails. Council, in exercising its discretion, has previously approved the exclusion of handrails in seawall locations where the vertical drop is greater than 600mm. In the Coal Harbour development, Council approved a shoreline design without handrails in locations where the vertical drop is 2.00 metres, and in the Roundhouse Neighbourhood, Council approved a shoreline design without handrails in locations where the vertical drop is 2.35 metres.

This section of the seawall is adjacent Coopers Park, and contains four rock step features which allow for interaction between the park and the water. Handrails in this section would require gaps to allow access to these steps. There are also three substantial planter areas between these rock steps on the water's edge, which provide fairly level planted areas adjacent the walkway. The slope of the cobble beach is more gentle in this section of the shoreline with a 5 to 1 slope, instead of the typical 3 to 1 slope. With the existence of these elements, this portion of the seawall has a minimum vertical drop of 1.0 metres (3 feet).

In lieu of providing this portion of the handrails at this time, the developer, Concord Pacific Group Inc., has agreed to provide the City with a one time payment of $25,000.00 to the liability reserve.

Although Engineering, from a professional perspective, must recommend handrails at all locations where the vertical drop is greater than 600mm, as specified for private property in the Building By-law, Council may wish to consider the other factors listed in the process endorsed in 1991, which support the exclusion of handrails. Factors such as the interactive nature of this section of the park and seawall, previous shoreline precedents, the aesthetic benefits to the walkway, and the mitigative effect of the rock steps, planter areas, and gentle rock slope to the public safety risk, may warrant Council consideration of a revised seawall design which removes the handrail requirement from this portion of the seawall, as shown in Appendix A.

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