ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

FROM:

General Manager of Engineering Services in consultation with the Directors of Current Planning and City Plans

SUBJECT:

False Creek Flats - Transportation Study

 

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Council approve the terms of reference for a transportation study of the False Creek Flats, as described herein, and have staff proceed with a Request for Proposals for the proposed study following approval of funding, and report back on a recommended consultant.

B. THAT the City Manager work with the General Manager of Engineering Services to frame resource needs and finalize a time schedule to complete the False Creek Flats Transportation Study, in the context of the planning program for the Flats as well as other outstanding policy initiatives and related funding needs.

GENERAL MANAGER OF ENGINEERING SERVICES COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

In June 1996, Council adopted the False Creek Flats Preliminary Concept Plan which set policy directions for the Flats and identified suitable locations for high-technology and commercial uses while preserving some land use for city serving and transportation related industrial uses.

In March 2001 Council adopted a Structure Plan (ie, a pattern of streets, parks, pedestrian connection) that respects the city-serving and high tech zoning and will, over time, integrate the Flats with the rest of the City.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council approval of the terms of reference for a transportation study of the False Creek Flats. It is important to better understand the transportation demand and supply impacts of the Flats in view of the following factors:

Given the above, it is becoming more important to now begin a transportation study of the Flats. The main objective of the study will be to recommend an integrated transportation plan and network needed to serve the False Creek Flats both now and into the future.

BACKGROUND

When City Council approved the False Creek Flats Structure Plan in March 2001, it recognized that a broad transportation study would be required to understand the overall implications of the increased transportation demand associated with a growing workforce in the Flats. City Council also recognized the potential exists for the rail providers on the Flats, especially Canadian National (CN) and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railways, to review their rail operations in the context of growth and change within and around the Flats.

In response to the above, City Council approved undertaking the following transportation studies and instructed staff to report back on timing, cost, and terms of reference:
· a passenger and freight rail transportation study on the current and future rail needs including goods movement implications for the City and the Port
· a transportation planning study on the broad consequences and associated transportation impacts on the proposed structure plan of streets, transit routes, bikeways, and pedestrian connections

In July 2003, Council approved the City's participation in a regional passenger and freight Rail Transportation Study to identify a core rail network that will need to be preserved to meet the long term passenger, freight, and Port operations of the False Creek Flats as well as any potential rail operational or infrastructure improvements. The Rail Transportation study is expected to be completed in early 2004.

A Downtown Streetcar Layout Design, Transportation Modelling and Market Study was also approved by Council in July 2003. This study will examine a number of detailed scenarios for how the Streetcar will integrate on street, including an extension into the Flats. Two independent modelling and market research studies will also be conducted to best determine the Streetcar's potential commuter and recreational ridership.

DISCUSSION

The False Creek Flats has long been home to Port and city-serving activities, particularly rail and goods movement services. With the Downtown and Port continuing to grow, the demand on the existing transportation infrastructure is expected to grow accordingly. The introduction of new zoning to allow more flexibility for employment activities such as high technology office uses places even more pressure to develop and complete a street and transit network for the Flats that will adequately serve the existing and future land-uses. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities also need to be expanded within and connecting to the area.

Recent Land-Use and Transportation Developments of the False Creek Flats

Since the False Creek Flats Structure Plan was approved in 2001, there have been several new proposals for more intensive land-use of the western Flats. For example, Providence Health Care has expressed public interest in moving some services from existing hospital facilities (St. Pauls, St. Vincents, Holy Family, and Mt. St. Josephs) to the Station Street site. In addition, Finning has donated the remainder of its Flats lands along Great Northern Way to the educational consortium of UBC, SFU, BCIT, and Emily Carr. The Vancouver Whitecaps and others have had discussions about a possible new sports facility in the Flats with seating ranging from 10,000 up to as high as 30,000. These and other potential changes will be reviewed in the context of the overall proposed planning program for the Flats (see concurrent report "Planning the False Creek Flats").

Recent significant transportation developments since 2001 include the adoption of the Downtown Transportation Plan and the opening of the Millennium SkyTrain line to Broadway and Commercial. A new station at the east end of the Flats near the Vancouver Community College will be built by 2005. The timing for extending the Millennium Line to Central Broadway is not known as TransLink wishes to restudy the various rapid transit options along the Broadway Corridor between Commercial Drive and UBC. This future study will again look at where the Millennium SkyTrain line should end (VCC, Main, Cambie, Oak, Granville, Arbutus, or UBC) and what transit service should be provided between the end of the SkyTrain line and UBC.

Adjacent to the Flats, the redevelopment of the Southeast False Creek (SEFC) lands into a model sustainable community is proceeding. In July 2003, Vancouver and Whistler were awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics which will trigger the redevelopment of the western portion of the site as the Olympic Village.

Transportation Demand of the False Creek Flats

All of the above could result in increased transportation demand to and from the False Creek Flats sooner than expected, generated by land uses and served by different levels of transportation supply different to what was originally contemplated. Given that additional rail rationalization in the short term is not likely, the existing road structure plan of the Flats may well remain incomplete for the foreseeable future making access and circulation problematic.

It is therefore becoming more important for the City to now understand the broad transportation consequences and associated impacts the existing and potential land use and transportation changes will have on both the Flats and the surrounding area. In particular, strategies on how to substantially accommodate any future increased transportation demand (particularly through transit) need to be explored.

SCOPE OF TRANSPORTATION STUDY

It is proposed that a phased and integrated land use and transportation study of the Flats be undertaken. The first phase of the study would be to develop and calibrate a transportation model of the existing infrastructure and land use in the Flats and to generate a future model scenario of all the expected major land use and transportation facilities for 2021. The model would include changes in goods movement or rail operations that may emerge from the on-going rail study and determine the travel needs and patterns of the anticipated development based on the planned street and transit network. The results of this work would determine the impacts that increased transportation demand would have on the existing street system within, and on the perimeter of the Flats and may recommend desirable changes to the transportation system.

A second phase would focus on testing the broad transportation consequences and associated impacts of alternate land use scenarios and transportation network options. For example, what are the transportation impacts of a multi use sports facility? How do you best provide transit service in the Flats if the Millennium Line is not extended further west through the Finning Lands to Central Broadway?

The following general tasks of the transportation study will form the basis of the detailed terms of reference to be advertised as a "Request for Proposals" to the consultant community:

· Confirm the latest known and expected land uses within the existing False Creek Flats zoning, South East False Creek zoning and surrounding area
· Refine/calibrate the EMME/2 model so that it replicates the existing transportation situation and can be used to determine the travel patterns of the "best guess" land use and transportation network scenario
· Review the scale of the block, street and open space pattern to guide the development of a walkable, bicycle and transit friendly network within and to the Flats
· Undertake transportation analyses of the existing and future scenarios out to 2021 to understand the growth in trips by mode on the Flats and surrounding street network
· Outline any potential changes to the existing transportation facilities (mainly the street and transit network) to meet the needs of any increased transportation demand
· Recommend transportation demand management and sustainable transportation strategies including mitigation measures for reducing associated impacts on surrounding areas and residential neighbourhoods
· Recommend a phased plan of implementation including identifying cost estimates
· Review the recently proposed land use developments on the Flats and surrounding area that would affect transportation demand and identify any other potential changes
· Test the sensitivity of the transportation impacts with various individual and combinations of land use development and transportation supply alternatives
· Identify any implications for new zoning arising from transportation limitations
· Recommend an overall long term integrated transportation plan and network needed to serve redevelopment of the False Creek Flats

Staff recommend that Council approve the above tasks to form the basis for the detailed development of the Terms of Reference for a transportation study of the False Creek Flats. Staff further recommend that a Request for Proposals be issued and that staff report back to Council on a recommended consultant and budget (Recommendation A).

TIMING OF TRANSPORTATION STUDY

It is estimated that the proposed transportation study will take about one year to complete in parallel with the comprehensive land use review of the Flats (see concurrent report "Planning the False Creek Flats") as well as the Rail Transportation Study currently underway. Should the proposed planning program not proceed, staff still recommend completing atransportation study of the False Creek Flats as originally intended when the Structure Plan was adopted by Council in 2001. It is still very important for the City to better understand the transportation consequences and necessary improvements to the network of the currently approved zoning and street structure plan.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Given the variety of other outstanding funding needs for next year, it is suggested that Council endorse the proposed terms of reference and refer the question of funding the study in concert with other initiatives through the City Manager as part of the 2004 budgeting process (Recommendation B). A total cost of $150,000 is estimated to complete the proposed transportation study for the False Creek Flats.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This report describes a methodology for completing an integrated and phased transportation study of the False Creek Flats. The purpose is to better understand the transportation implications of the existing zoning in the context of the approved pattern of streets, parks, bikeways, and pedestrian connections. The study would also examine the associated transportation impacts of the more recent proposals for more intensive land use in the western Flats. General tasks are provided in the report and are recommended as the basis for the "Request for Proposals" to be advertised to the consulting community.

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© 2002 City of Vancouver