CITY OF VANCOUVER
M E M O R A N D U M
From: CITY CLERK'S OFFICE Date: May 19, 1995
Refer File: 5340-2/3201-6
To: Vancouver City Council
Subject: CityPlan: Directions for Vancouver &
City of Vancouver Response to GVRD Livable
Region Strategic Plan
Dr. Ann McAfee, Associate Director of Planning - City Plans,
will provide a report reference.
The attached Policy Report dated May 16, 1995, is submitted
to Council for information for the report reference on May 30th.
Council has scheduled a special meeting on June 1st to hear
delegations on CityPlan. Assuming all delegations are heard that
date, it is anticipated Council will consider the recommendations
of the Policy Report at its meeting on June 6th.
Council has deferred a City response to the GVRD Livable
Region Strategy until the report on CityPlan is addressed. As
this issue will be considered as part of the report reference on
May 30th, the Policy Report dated May 16, 1995 is also circulated
(RR1[i] refers) for information at this time, with action also
being taken on June 6th.
CITY CLERK
MCross:dmy
Att. POLICY REPORT
URBAN STRUCTURE
Date: May 16, 1995
Dept. File No. RH
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: CityPlan Department Heads Steering Committee including
Associate Director of Planning - City Plans, General
Managers of Engineering Services, Corporate Services,
Community Services, and Parks and Recreation, and
Manager of Housing Centre
SUBJECT: CityPlan: Directions for Vancouver
RECOMMENDATIONS
PLAN ADOPTION
A. THAT Council adopt the draft CityPlan: Directions for
Vancouver, (February 1995), with the additions and
amendments noted in Appendix B, as a broad vision for
the city.
B. THAT the Associate Director of Planning - City Plans,
prepare and distribute the adopted CityPlan document.
PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
C. THAT Council and Departments use CityPlan to guide
policy decisions, corporate work priorities, budgets,
and capital plans.
D. THAT future Council reports make reference, where
appropriate, to the CityPlan vision, directions, and
next steps, noting how proposals relate to CityPlan.
E. THAT CityPlan provide a context for developing
partnership agreements between the City of Vancouver
and the Greater Vancouver Regional District with
respect to the Livable Region Strategic Plan.
F. THAT the City continue work on new initiatives
contained in CityPlan and already under way, as
described in Section 4.2.
G. THAT, to apply CityPlan directions in neighbourhoods,
the Planning Department, in cooperation with
appropriate departments:
i. Report back by July 1995 on a program to consult
with the public on an approach to neighbourhood
planning that addresses CityPlan directions, as
described in Section 4.3 of this report; and
ii. Report back by the end of 1995 on a process to
deal with rezoning applications submitted while
neighbourhood planning is under way; and, until a
process is approved by Council, applications for
rezoning should not justify the rezoning on the
grounds that it "supports CityPlan neighbourhood
centres."
H. THAT CityPlan provide a context for developing and
selecting proposals for inclusion in the 1997-99
Capital Plan, as described in Section 4.4 of this
report.
I. THAT, to implement other next steps identified in
CityPlan, the Planning Department, in consultation with
appropriate departments, report to Council by the end
of 1995 on the following:
i. Review the "next steps" in each section of the
Plan and identify further initiatives to implement
CityPlan as part of 1996 work programs.
ii. Propose a process to provide annual status reports
on Plan implementation.
J. THAT funds remaining in the CityPlan Program budget
($70,000) be allocated to printing and distribution of
the final Plan and a newsletter, as noted in Appendix
C; with a report back as part of Recommendation G, on
using remaining funds for public consultation on an
approach to neighbourhood planning.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of A to J.
COUNCIL POLICY
On May 26, 1992, Council approved:
A. That a City Plan reflecting a shared vision of the future of
Vancouver be prepared;
B. That the CityPlan Program inform citizens about the issues
facing the City and present Council policies, and create,
from their advice, a shared sense of direction for the City
and its place in the Region; and
C. That the process for developing a plan actively seek the
involvement of a broad range of individuals and groups,
including those who do not normally participate in City
activities.
SUMMARY
Council requested that CityPlan propose directions for Vancouver
and its place in the region based on the advice of citizens.
After an extensive three-year public process, a draft CityPlan is
ready for approval and implementation of the Plan can begin.
This report is divided into five discussion sections, each of
which is summarized here.
Section 1.0, CityPlan, describes CityPlan as a broad vision to
guide the city over the next 30 years. CityPlan started with
people's ideas and led to a selection of alternative futures,
culminating in the draft Plan released in February 1995.
The directions in the Plan reflect difficult choices people made
during the process about issues such as population growth,
transportation priorities, and the role of government.
Key initiatives in CityPlan include:
˜ neighbourhood centres to provide each neighbourhood
with more choice of shops, services, and amenities;
˜ increased housing variety as part of neighbourhood
centres, to give people the opportunity to stay in
their neighbourhood as their needs change;
˜ resident input about how neighbourhoods look;
˜ community policing and integrated services teams to
bring City services closer to people who use them;
˜ greenways and new and diverse public places;
˜ industrial areas maintained for city-serving jobs and
new jobs located in neighbourhood centres;
˜ public processes to involve citizens in city-wide and
neighbourhood planning to implement CityPlan;
˜ user charges for activities that affect the
environment, like garbage removal, water, and auto use;
and
˜ more transit, walking, and biking, as ways to make
moving people, not cars, the priority.
Section 2.0, Public Review of the Draft CityPlan, describes the
review of the draft Plan released in February 1995.
There were many ways to find out about the draft Plan, including
through a newspaper insert delivered to all households, at Fire
Hall Drop-Ins, staff presentations, and on the Internet. The Plan
summary was available in six languages. The Youthview program
also continued.
Comments could be sent by mail, voice mail, e-mail, or delivered
in person. The number of comments (54) in this final phase of
CityPlan was small compared to earlier phases. The responses
were consistent in their general support for the Plan. Those who
do not support the Plan (8) are either concerned about growth or
about the lack of details on improving housing affordability.
Some groups who generally supported the Plan asked for specific
changes, a number of which staff support.
Appendix A contains all the comments received and, as a context,
outlines the public process throughout CityPlan (limited
distribution - on file in the City Clerk's Office).
Section 3.0, Proposed Changes to the Draft CityPlan, describes
revisions staff are proposing, based on the public review. These
changes do not alter the basic vision and directions. Changes are
detailed in Appendix B. This section concludes by recommending
that City Council adopt the revised CityPlan.
Section 4.0, Plan Implementation, explains how the Plan will
begin to be implemented. The recommendations include:
˜ using CityPlan as an ongoing framework for decisions and
budgets;
˜ continuing recent initiatives which have already started to
implement CityPlan directions, such as greenways, community
policing, and integrated services teams;
˜ consulting with the public to agree on a program for
implementing the full range of CityPlan directions in
neighbourhoods;
˜ using CityPlan to influence the next Capital Plan; and
˜ reporting back on how to incorporate other next steps
described in the Plan into the City's work, and on a process
for Plan status reports.
Section 5.0, CityPlan Budget, identifies $70,000 remaining in the
CityPlan budget. This report proposes that approximately $20,000
be used to print and distribute the final Plan and a newsletter
inviting public participation in implementing the Plan. The
remaining funds will be available to be applied to public
consultation on an approach to implementing CityPlan in
neighbourhoods. Appendix C contains budget figures.
PURPOSE
This report seeks adoption of CityPlan and identifies actions to
begin implementing the Plan.
BACKGROUND
During the past three years the City has undertaken an extensive
public consultation process to develop a city plan. In February
1995, Council received a draft CityPlan and a Council report
outlining the process through which the Plan was developed.
In summary, 20,000 people participated in the CityPlan process by
joining City Circles, suggesting ideas for the Plan, visiting the
Ideas Fair, making choices in the Choices Workbook, and visiting
and commenting on the Futures Displays. In a sample survey of all
city residents, 20 percent of the respondents felt they had
participated in the CityPlan process. Further information about
the process is attached as Appendix A.
DISCUSSION
1.0 CITYPLAN
1.1 CityPlan describes a future for Vancouver for the next 30
years
Council requested that CityPlan propose directions for Vancouver
and its place in the region based on the advice of citizens.
CityPlan provides broad directions for the city over the next 30
years.
The directions reflect difficult choices people made during the
process about issues such as population growth, transportation
priorities, and the role of government.
CityPlan describes a distinct direction, resulting in a different
city than exists today or than would exist if we did nothing.
However, the Plan does not provide detailed maps showing the
location of neighbourhood centres or new transit lines. The Plan
goes as far as the public process took it. Details will be
filled in by working with the public to implement the Plan and in
response to changing conditions over time.
CityPlan Directions are described in four sections:
City of Neighbourhoods:
CityPlan participants said they want to strengthen and
stabilize their neighbourhoods, and they also want more jobs
close to home and housing and services to meet changing
needs. Key initiatives in CityPlan include:
˜ Neighbourhood centres to create a village heart in each
neighbourhood with more choice of shops, services, and
amenities.
˜ Increased housing variety--such as townhouses,
rowhouses, apartments--as part of neighbourhood
centres, to give people the opportunity to stay in
their neighbourhood as their needs change.
˜ Resident input about how neighbourhoods look.
Sense of Community:
CityPlan participants said they want to make services and
amenities more accessible, diverse, and tailored to
neighbourhoods. Key initiatives in CityPlan include:
˜ Community policing and integrated services teams to
bring City services closer to people who use them.
˜ Greenways and new and more diverse public places.
Healthy Economy - Healthy Environment:
CityPlan participants said they want job diversity,
alternatives to the car, and clean air and water.
Key initiatives in CityPlan include:
˜ Industrial areas maintained for city-serving jobs and
new jobs in neighbourhood centres.
˜ More transit, walking, and biking, as ways to make
moving people, not cars, the priority.
Making CityPlan Happen:
CityPlan participants want to be involved in decisions about
how their neighbourhoods develop and how services are
delivered. They want City financial management to be used
to help achieve CityPlan directions. Key CityPlan
initiatives include:
˜ Public processes to involve citizens in city-wide and
neighbourhood planning to implement CityPlan.
˜ More user charges for activities that affect the
environment, like garbage removal, water, and auto use.
As a result of support through CityPlan and other task forces and
studies, some of these initiatives, such as greenways and
community policing, have recently received Council approval to
begin. Others will start with approval of CityPlan.
1.2 CityPlan supports the Livable Region Strategic Plan
In January 1995, the GVRD distributed the Livable Region
Strategic Plan for municipal approval. The Livable Region
Strategic Plan has four components: to create a green zone and
set limits on urban development; to create more complete
communities; to reduce single-occupant car travel; and to create
a compact metropolitan region to minimize sprawl up the Fraser
Valley.
While CityPlan reflects the needs and values of Vancouver, it is
also consistent with the Livable Region Strategic Plan. CityPlan
seeks to accommodate a share of the region's growth and
emphasizes alternatives to the car.
Throughout the CityPlan process, regional population targets were
used to illustrate choices and futures. These targets showed
160,000 more people in Vancouver -- 60,000 more than the current
zoning would allow. When people voted on the choices and
futures, those that included the region's targets were
overwhelmingly selected each time. In the final phase of
CityPlan, the future which showed the lower growth option
received only eight percent of the vote. More housing in
neighbourhoods was accepted by over 80 percent of respondents.
Participants in CityPlan were interested in providing more
housing to meet people's needs in their own neighbourhoods, as
well as to help slow sprawl in the region.
The final CityPlan document now provides a basis for the City to
respond to the Livable Region Strategic Plan. A separate Council
Report provides more details.
2.0 PUBLIC REVIEW OF THE DRAFT CITYPLAN
2.1 The draft CityPlan evolved from an extensive public process
20,000 people participated at various times in a variety of
events and surveys during the CityPlan process. At each phase of
the program, several options were provided from which people
could select. Throughout there was a consistency of responses,
culminating in the draft CityPlan which was released for public
review in February 1995.
Appendix A provides more details about the public process leading
to the draft Plan.
2.2 There were many opportunities to find out about and provide
comments on the draft CityPlan
Once the draft Plan was released in February 1995, we provided a
number of ways to find out about it:
˜ The draft Plan was sent to people on the CityPlan mailing
list (5300) and a summary newspaper insert was delivered to
every Vancouver household, with copies available in six
languages.
˜ CityPlan staff were available to make presentations on the
Plan. Presentations were made to 29 groups involving just
under 1000 people, including 13 multicultural groups.
˜ The Plan summary was available in libraries and community
centres. The full Plan, as well as the summary, were on the
Internet.
˜ Five Fire Hall drop-ins, in different parts of the city, and
a week-long City Hall Open House, provided opportunities to
see displays, to obtain copies of the Plan, and to talk to
Councillors and staff. 400 people attended the Drop-Ins.
Over 1400 came to the Open House, many of whom were school
classes and multicultural groups.
˜ Information on the Plan was provided on cable TV and in the
community and ethnic media.
˜ The Youthview program continued, with discussion in schools,
as 1500 students participated in 53 classrooms.
There were also a variety of ways to provide comments on the
Plan:
˜ comment forms at drop-ins and at the Open House, and an
opportunity to talk to City Councillors and CityPlan staff
at these events; and
˜ comments by mail, by fax, by e-mail, by phone-in lines (six
languages), or by drop off at City Hall.
2.3 Comments received on the draft CityPlan continue to be
supportive
All the comments received on the February 1995 draft CityPlan and
a summary of comments are contained in Appendix A.
This final phase of CityPlan received the fewest submissions of
any phase of the CityPlan process. However, the comments continue
to be consistent with earlier input received throughout the
public process. Fifty-four comments were received. Of those that
stated support or non-support, 75 percent supported the Plan.
Most who wrote a letter expressed an overall opinion on the Plan.
However, many who filled out comment sheets at the Fire Hall
drop-ins listed specific ideas, without stating their opinion on
the Plan. Frequently, these ideas were consistent with the Plan.
Those (eight of 54) who did not support the Plan expressed the
following concerns: concern about growth; plan not specific
enough about addressing housing costs; and the plan and process
were not the type of plan or process desired. The first two of
these are direct comments on the content of the Plan and are
discussed below:
˜ Concern about growth: Three of those who said they did not
support the Plan indicated they do not want growth. During
the CityPlan process, in both the Choices Workbook and at
the Futures Display, people were given the opportunity to
vote for lower growth options. However, very few did. In the
final Futures Display, only eight percent voted for the
lower growth option.
˜ Plan not specific enough about how to address housing costs:
Two of the letters that did not support the Plan expressed
concern about the lack of specifics in the Plan to address
housing costs. Throughout the process the topic of housing
costs was of key interest to participants. The Plan's
section on "Addressing Housing Costs" affirms the importance
of using a variety of approaches to this issue and of
exploring new approaches. Staff are also proposing an
addition to this section, as noted below in parts 3.0 and
4.4 of this report.
Within the overall support for the Plan, six letters contained
specific suggestions for the Plan:
˜ The Downtown Vancouver Association requests a section on the
downtown be added to the Plan. This is proposed below in
Section 3.0.
˜ The Airport Authority requests that the Plan recognize the
importance of the airport as a way of being supportive of,
for example, transportation improvements between the port
and airport for cruise ship passengers. We are not proposing
a change in the Plan to include this because this topic was
not addressed in the CityPlan process. However, the
involvement of the Airport Authority in the transportation
planning process will provide an opportunity to address this
issue.
˜ B.C. Transit requests that the Plan be more specific about
the relationship of neighbourhood centres to proposed major
transit routes. The Plan states that the location and size
of centres will be determined in consultation with
neighbourhoods. The purpose of centres is to provide all
areas of the city with a centre to meet the needs of the
neighbourhood. This means that, while some centres may be on
rapid transit lines, others will not be, although all should
be well served and linked by transit. B.C. Transit's
participation in the City's transportation planning process
will ensure these issues are addressed.
˜ The Bicycling Association requests we use safer bicycle
photos. This is proposed below in Section 3.0.
˜ A submission expressed concern about noise in the city.
"Sound" was not an issue addressed during the CityPlan
process. It may emerge at the neighbourhood level during
Plan implementation.
˜ One submission asked that we ensure that public processes
are not controlled by a few people. The issue of how to
create a meaningful public process to implement CityPlan is
described in Section 4.3 below.
3.0 PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE DRAFT PLAN
Based on comments on the draft Plan, this report suggests several
changes to the Plan. Proposed changes are detailed in Appendix B
and summarized as follows:
˜ Add a section on the Central Area: In response to requests
from downtown groups, a new section would be added to the
Plan, in the same format as the other two-page sections. The
purpose of this section is to bring together, in one place,
material on the Central Area that is already in other
sections of the Plan.
˜ Clarify relationship of CityPlan and Livable Region
Strategic Plan: Sometimes people have misunderstood one of
the sentences in this section as saying that CityPlan is not
consistent with the regional strategy, when the opposite is
true.
˜ Add Capital Plan as another tool in the section on
Addressing Housing Costs. Throughout the process there has
been a lot of interest in addressing housing costs in the
city. Two letters opposing the Plan do so because of
concerns that the Plan is not specific enough about
delivering more affordable housing. The Housing Costs
section lists a number of next steps to be explored. One
step that was not listed, and will be added, is including an
opportunity for the public to approve more funds for housing
through the Capital Plan.
˜ Make some wording changes in the Safety section. Make it
clearer that preventive programs are part of the direction,
and reword some of the "what's new" section based on Police
Department suggestions.
˜ Replace bike photos in the Transit, Walking, and Biking
section: In response to information from bicycling groups,
these photos will be replaced to show riders wearing helmets
and using safer bike lanes.
˜ Add a next step to the Public Places section on developing a
public places strategy to provide a way of achieving the
other parts of this section.
This report asks Council to adopt the draft Plan with the changes
proposed above.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
A. THAT Council adopt the draft CityPlan: Directions for
Vancouver, (February 1995), with the additions and
amendments noted in Appendix B, as a broad vision for the
city.
B. THAT the Associate Director of Planning-City Plans, prepare
and distribute the approved CityPlan document.
4.0 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Adopting CityPlan means the city has a vision for the future. The
next step is to begin implementing the Plan. This section
explains each of the recommendations relating to Plan
implementation:
˜ use CityPlan as an ongoing framework for decisions and
budgets;
˜ continue recent initiatives which have already started to
implement CityPlan directions;
˜ work with the public to agree on a program for implementing
CityPlan in neighbourhoods;˜ use CityPlan to influence the
next Capital Plan; and
˜ report back on other next steps described in the Plan and on
a process for Plan status reports.
4.1 Use CityPlan as a framework for City decisions
CityPlan was written as a broad vision for the City over the next
30 years. It provides a framework for policy decisions, corporate
work priorities, budgets, and capital plans. Where appropriate,
individual Council reports should note how they relate to
CityPlan. In this way, the Plan can continue to provide guidance
and the City can gradually move toward the vision described in
CityPlan, without having to know or detail every decision in
advance.
CityPlan also provides a framework for the City's work with the
region. The Greater Vancouver Regional District has developed the
Livable Region Strategic Plan. The CityPlan vision and the
regional vision are generally consistent. The GVRD will rely
heavily on municipal cooperation to implement its plan. The
GVRD's approach is to develop "partnership agreements" with
individual municipalities which define shared goals and targets
that work toward achieving the regional plan. For Vancouver, it
would be appropriate that these agreements be based on CityPlan.
A separate Council Report outlines a City response to the Livable
Region Strategic Plan.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
C. THAT Council and Departments use CityPlan to guide policy
decisions, corporate work priorities, budgets, and capital
plans.
D. THAT future Council reports make reference, where
appropriate, to the CityPlan vision, directions, and next
steps, noting how proposals relate to CityPlan.
E. THAT CityPlan provide a context for developing partnership
agreements between the City of Vancouver and the Greater
Vancouver Regional District with respect to the Livable
Region Strategic Plan.
4.2 Some new initiatives are already under way
When CityPlan started, Council agreed that good ideas, which were
widely supported by CityPlan, need not await the conclusion of
CityPlan to be implemented. This particularly applied to ideas
first introduced through other public processes, such as the
Urban Landscape Task Force, Safer City Task Force, and Arts
Initiative. CityPlan provided an opportunity to give these ideas
broader review, and to integrate them with an overall vision for
the city.
The following initiatives, which received broad support through
CityPlan, have, during 1993-95, been approved by Council and are
under way:
˜ Integrated Service Delivery
˜ Community Policing
˜ Industrial Lands Strategy
˜ Vancouver Arts Initiative
˜ Greenways
Council has also approved that work begin to develop a
transportation plan.
RECOMMENDATION
F. THAT the City continue work on new initiatives contained in
CityPlan and already under way, as described in Section 4.2.
4.3 Start now to agree on a program for implementing CityPlan in
neighbourhoods
(a) Developing a work program for neighbourhood planning
CityPlan provides directions for the future of Vancouver which
together represent a broad policy framework. The next step is to
detail these directions at the local level where they can reflect
the priorities and needs of each neighbourhood.
The CityPlan directions affecting neighbourhoods are varied. They
include community services, decision making, arts and culture,
and safety. They also include directions that could have
significant physical implications for neighbourhoods.
Neighbourhoods may wish to identify locations for neighbourhood
centres and opportunities for increasing housing variety and
affordability, public places, jobs and services, traffic calming
and parking, local parks, and the character of the neighbourhood.
Some of these changes may happen relatively quickly. Others may
be much more gradual, spread over the next 25 to 30 years. It
would be an advantage to begin implementation with a clear vision
of what the neighbourhood will be like. This is especially true
for directions related to neighbourhood centres. Creating a
neighbourhood vision of this kind means preparing some kind of
plan. It could be a detailed plan for a neighbourhood centre, or
perhaps, a more general and long term overview of the whole
neighbourhood. In all cases there will be many concerns to
address and issues to resolve.
CityPlan provides for residents and businesses to be involved in
planning their neighbourhoods and neighbourhood centres in a way
that fits their local situation. Residents will also be involved
in defining the features people want in alternatives to single-
family housing in their neighbourhoods.
A program to prepare neighbourhood plans would be a significant
undertaking. A three-step process is proposed to start
neighbourhood planning:
Step 1: Staff report back, by July 1995, on a process to seek
public input on how to undertake neighbourhood planning (Step 2).
Step 2: The general objective of Step 2 is to bring people from
across the city together with Council and City staff, to
determine how to plan for neighbourhoods. Issues to be addressed
in designing the program might include:
* boundaries for neighbourhood planning;
* ways to involve many people in planning for their
neighbourhood;
* which neighbourhoods should receive priority;
* fair allocation of planning across the city;
* fair allocation of new jobs, services, amenities, and
housing growth;
* a city-wide perspective on neighbourhood planning, and the
relationship to other city-wide programs, such as the
transportation plan;
* the key directions to be explored;
* the form and content of any resulting neighbourhood plan;
* the relationship to land use zoning; and
* issues which might be addressed urgently.
Step 3: Based on the results of Step 2, staff will report on
options for undertaking planning programs to prepare
neighbourhood plans.
(b) Interim measures for dealing with rezoning applications.
The proposals contained in CityPlan to establish neighbourhood
centres with a greater variety of jobs and housing require that,
at some time in the future, rezoning of land in selected centres
will need to take place. CityPlan proposes that the planning of
neighbourhood centres should occur in close collaboration with
local residents.
To avoid prejudicing the outcome of any planning program, private
rezoning applications for neighbourhood centres should normally
await the completion of neighbourhood planning. In addition to
determining how each centre is to develop, such a plan permits
development cost charges to be established, and so provides an
important means of funding the public benefits needed to
complement each centre. However, creating neighbourhood plans
will take some time and there may be proposals that offer public
benefits that may be lost if delayed for long periods.
Staff recommend that the issue of rezonings be discussed more
fully with interested parties, such as resident groups and the
development industry. Options for dealing with rezoning
applications while neighbourhood planning is under way will be
examined, with a report to Council on a recommended approach by
the end of 1995.
Staff recommend that until such a rezoning process is approved by
Council, applications for rezoning should not justify the
rezoning on the basis of CityPlan proposals for neighbourhood
centres.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
G. THAT, to apply CityPlan directions in neighbourhoods, the
Planning Department, in cooperation with appropriate
departments:
i. Report back by July 1995 on a program to consult with
the public on an approach to neighbourhood planning
that addresses CityPlan directions, as described in
Section 4.3 of this report.
ii. Report back by the end of 1995 on a process to deal
with rezoning applications submitted while
neighbourhood planning is under way; until a process is
approved by Council, applications for rezoning should
not justify the rezoning on the grounds that it
"supports CityPlan neighbourhood centres."
4.4 Use CityPlan to influence the next Capital Plan
CityPlan provides a framework to guide Council decisions on
issues including allocation of both operating and capital
budgets. CityPlan should be a principle consideration for
determining priorities and criteria for selecting proposals for
inclusion in capital plans. CityPlan should also be an impetus
for developing proposals to submit to the capital planning
process.
Several of the next steps in CityPlan will lead to Capital Plan
submissions over time. The Plan mentions two specific directions
which can be addressed through proposals in the 1997-99 Capital
Plan:
˜ New and More Diverse Public Places:
Include a proposal for funding for improved public places;
and
˜ Addressing Housing Costs:
Include a proposal for additional funding to provide
assisted housing.
Other proposals will not emerge until later in the implementation
of CityPlan. This is especially true for proposals that need
neighbourhood-level planning to develop. Unfortunately, this
could mean that none of these proposals would be ready for the
1997-99 Capital Plan and would have a long wait until the next
Capital Plan, 2000-2002. The last Capital Plan was able to
address this type of issue when it provided money for greenways
even before specific greenway proposals had been developed.
Implementing CityPlan where capital funds are needed will unfold
over 30 years. The 1997-99 Capital Plan will be the first Capital
Plan opportunity after CityPlan is approved. Therefore, staff
propose that projects that reflect CityPlan be included in this
Capital Plan, both detailed project proposals, as well as funding
for projects that may only be at a concept stage.
RECOMMENDATION
H. THAT CityPlan provide a context for developing and selecting
proposals for inclusion in the 1997-99 Capital Plan, as
described in Section 4.4 of this report.4.5 Undertake other
"Next Steps"
Throughout the CityPlan document, each section contains a list of
steps to take in achieving the CityPlan vision. Some of these are
new initiatives already under way as described in 4.2 above.
Others will be part of neighbourhood processes as described in
4.3.
Still others will need to be included in ongoing work programs of
various City departments and boards. Frequently, these are
extensions of activities the City already has started, like tree
and heritage protection or waste reduction and water
conservation. Not all the steps identified in CityPlan can be
done right away. Departments will report back on how this work
can begin to be reflected in their work programs.
As a key policy document of the City and with so comprehensive a
reach, CityPlan will need to be reviewed over time. We need to
identify a process to provide status reports on Plan
implementation. Such a process would likely involve public input.
As well, we need to provide for Plan up-dating. Staff will report
back on ways to do this.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I. THAT, to implement other next steps identified in CityPlan,
the Planning Department, in consultation with appropriate
departments, report to Council by the end of 1995 on the
following:
i. Review the "next steps" in each section of the Plan and
identify further growth initiatives to implement
CityPlan as part of the 1996 work programs.
ii. Propose a process to provide annual status reports on
Plan implementation.
5.0 CITYPLAN REMAINING BUDGET
The Council approved budget for the Plan Review Step of CityPlan
was $215,000. To date approximately $145,000 has been spent or
allocated, as shown in Appendix C, leaving a balance of $70,000.
Staff request approval to use approximately $20,000 of these
funds to print and distribute the final plan and to prepare and
send a newsletter to the CityPlan mailing list to update people
on plan approval and implementation.
The funds that will remain are proposed to be used for
consultation with the public to agree on an approach to
neighbourhood planning to implement CityPlan directions, as
described in Section 4.3 above.
RECOMMENDATION
J. THAT funds remaining in the CityPlan Program budget
($70,000) be allocated to printing and distribution of the
final Plan and a newsletter, as noted in Appendix C; with a
report back, as part of Recommendation G, on using remaining
funds for public consultation on an approach to
neighbourhood planning.
CONCLUSIONS
This report presents the draft CityPlan for Council adoption and
outlines several implementation actions.
CityPlan describes a broad vision for the next 30 years, based on
people's ideas and choices during an extensive public process.
During this final phase of public input on CityPlan, support for
the Plan directions continued, consistent with earlier phases.
Some changes are proposed to the draft Plan. However, these
changes do not alter the main vision and directions.
The task now switches from creating the Plan to implementing it.
This will continue to involve people in neighbourhood and city-
wide planning. Some initiatives are already under way, such as
greenways, community policing, and a transportation plan.
Other next tasks include incorporating CityPlan Directions into
the upcoming Capital Plan and consulting with the public to agree
on a program for preparing plans that apply CityPlan directions
in neighbourhoods.
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