SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 3
CS&B COMMITTEE AGENDA
JUNE 13, 1996
POLICY REPORT
URBAN STRUCTURE
Date: May 28, 1996
Dept. File No. IS
TO: Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM: General Managers of Community Services,
Parks & Recreation, and Engineering Services
SUBJECT: Proposed Water Opportunities Advisory Group -
Status and Funding Requirements
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council authorize an additional $15,000 to be provided in
the 1996 Contingency Reserve Fund to be used by the proposed
Water Opportunities Advisory Group for the purposes of public
consultation, as outlined in the proposed budget included in
Appendix A.
GENERAL MANAGERS' COMMENTS
The General Managers of Community Services, Parks & Recreation,
and Engineering Services RECOMMEND approval of the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
Many land-related policies.
PURPOSE
This report provides information to Council on the proposed Water
Opportunities Advisory Group, including activities and anticipated
product, and seeks Council's approval of funding for an appropriate
level of public consultation. The Advisory Group's composition and
proposed budget are included as Appendix A, with a vacant Chair
position to be filled either by Council appointment or group
nomination and Council approval.
BACKGROUND
Just over a year ago, Councillor Sullivan identified his concern over
the loss of diversity on Vancouver's waterfronts and the need to
develop a new vision to preserve and expand water-related activities.
Shortly thereafter, the Water Opportunities Group was formed. It has
been an 'ad-hoc' group with diverse representation from both the
public and private sectors, all on a voluntary basis. The initial
task was to understand the existing situation by compiling a
comprehensive inventory of waterfront and water related policies.
Over the last year, the group has worked its way around the City's
perimeter, reviewing policy and assessing the context and locational
characteristics of waterfront sectors such as adjacent land use,
quality of water, tides, currents, and winds. The group is now
seeking funding and status as an advisory group to complete this
review and with public input, develop water-use policy guidelines.
DISCUSSION
Vancouver is a waterfront city with approximately 30 miles of
shoreline. Over four miles is under the jurisdiction of the Port,
where approximately 60 million tonnes of shipping (not counting
containers) each year rank Vancouver as the number one port in Canada
and the third largest port in North America.
In addition to the Port and other industrial uses, the waterfront is
home to all types of recreation facilities, from parks, beaches, and
walkways to marinas and rowing courses. Commercial use includes
restaurants, gas barges, and charter operations. Residential is
limited to a few liveaboard or float home developments. In all, the
water within the city limits totals over 2,020 ha (5,000 acres),
compared to about 1,270 ha (3,000 acres) of park space in the City.
Over the last 30 years public access to the water has greatly
increased with the redevelopment of industrial land in Coal Harbour,
False Creek, and along the Fraser River. From a land based
perspective, new parks, walkways, and bicycle routes have changed the
character of the waterfront and added missing links in the continuous
public waterfront system. However these improvements have resulted in
a loss of diversity from the water user's perspective. Concerns over
water quality and the desire for a tidier, more urban shoreline have
reduced the size of marinas or eliminated them. Small scale marine
industrial and commercial activity has also been lost. At the same
time, increased competition for water areas that have been vacated
over time by heavy industry, will require choices to be made without a
full consideration of all potential uses within the overall Vancouver
water context. For example, potential users
such as the East Bay Boat House Society, Cardio Cruise Company, and
the Dragon Boat Society have all been recently seeking use of areas in
False Creek. In fact, meetings have been held lately between
Vancouver Port Corporation staff and groups who wish to set up a
"False Creek User Group" to provide guidance for the use of False
Creek (see Appendix B). These potential uses and users need to be
considered in an overall policy framework context.
All of these factors make it now necessary to pay attention to the
water and its use. The work already done by the volunteer Water
Opportunities Group in compiling policy and assessing waterfront use
provides the basis for further work.
It is proposed that the Water Opportunities Advisory Group prepare
draft policy guidelines that, together with existing policy, could
eventually become a comprehensive document guiding water use decisions
throughout the City. The public comments received through
consultation would be incorporated into the final guidelines document
for Council's consideration.
To provide for public consultation, the proposed advisory group needs
$15,000 for the preparation of suitable graphic material, printing,
mail-outs, newspapers ads, public meeting costs, translation, etc. A
copy of the projected budget is included in Appendix A. There will be
no costs beyond the $15,000 and these funds will be spent by the end
of 1996. Any funds not needed will be returned.
Following the public consultation, it is proposed that a draft
guidelines document be prepared and presented at a public meeting of
Council, expected in late 1996/early 1997. These water-use guidelines
could form the basis of City policy at that time or in future planning
programs. Notification for this meeting would include all interested
user groups and the general public.
CONCLUSION
To further the work of the Water Opportunities Group leading to the
development of policy guidelines for Vancouver's water-front, it is
recommended that Council provide funding for public consultation, and
establish the Water Opportunities Advisory Group for an 8 to 10-month
period in order to accomplish this work.
* * * * *
APPENDIX A
WATER OPPORTUNITIES ADVISORY GROUP
Council Representative
Councillor Sam Sullivan
Chair
to be , filled
Appointed Members
Wayne Hartrick, Vancouver City Planning Commission
Marian Adair, Fraser River Estuary Management Plan/
Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Program
Jim Crandles, Vancouver Port Corporation
Gary MacDonald, Maritime Journalist
Max Whitcomb, Ambassador, Shrine Yacht Clubs,
Boaters' Day Founder
Staff Members
Jim Lowden, Park Board
Alan Duncan, Planning (Greenways)
Don Brynildsen, Engineering
Ian Smith, Planning (Major Projects)
Richard Johnson, Planning (Major Projects)
Coralys Cuthbert, Social Planning
* * * * *
PROJECTED BUDGET
Printing 1,000
Presentation Materials 1,300
Meeting space 1,500
Graphics 2,000
Advertising & PR 5,000
Mailings/Newsletters 1,000
Video 700
Postage 500
Translation 500
Contingency 15% 1,500
15,000
* * * * *