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REPORT TO COUNCIL

STREET NAMING COMMITTEE

APRIL 16, 1998

INFORMATION

1. Request to Change Name of a Portion of Valley Drive to Patriarch Way File: 5527

At its meeting on April 16, 1998, the Street Naming Committee considered the requested name change.

BACKGROUND

Members of the congregation of St. George's Greek Orthodox Church have requested the City to rename a portion of Valley Drive, a public street, to Patriarch Way or Patriarch's Way. The change of name would be in recognition of the forthcoming visit of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide. This visit will mark the first time that an Ecumenical Patriarch has set foot on Canadian soil.

By preference, the congregation would change the name of only that portion of Valley Drive which extends between Arbutus Street and West 33rd Avenue. As a second choice, they would extend the name change beyond Arbutus to Yew Street.

Currently located on Valley Drive between Arbutus Street and West 33rd Avenue are four buildings that contain 176 apartments. Each building is owned either by the City of Vancouver or by Polygon Group Inc. The 161-bed Normandy Hospital is located on the portion of Valley Drive extending between Arbutus and Yew Streets.

REVIEW BY STREET NAMING COMMITTEE

The request for change of name was referred to the Street Naming Committee, a staff team with representatives of the Planning, Legal Services, Permits & Licenses, Fire & Rescue Services Departments and the City Surveyor. Council has given responsibility to the Committee for the management of a consistent, integrated and duplication-free street name system.

The request for a name change was considered at the meeting of the Committee on April 16, 1998. Prior to the meeting, summaries of all correspondence relating to the matter were provided to Committee members. Additionally, two members of the Committee met with representatives of the congregation of St. George's Church.

During the course of the April 16th meeting, all members of the Committee agreed as to the importance of the Ecumenical Patriarch and to the significance of his visit to Vancouver's Orthodox community, to the City, itself, and indeed to Canada. However, it was the unanimous decision of the Committee not to recommend that Council make the requested change to the street name.

The decision not to recommend the change was based on the following considerations:

… Names for Vancouver's streets are selected from those of specific arboreal, botanical, geographical, historical, industrial, or other significance to the City.

… With the exception of Canada Place, no streets are named for currently existing nations, national groups, religious affiliations, or political parties.

… Stability in the City's street names benefits resident and tourist convenience, commercial efficiency and public safety.

… The requested change will, to a greater or lesser extent, inconvenience every resident of the 176 apartments lying between Arbutus Street and West 33rd Avenue, as well as the people, businesses, agencies, suppliers and services that have dealings with them. If the change is extended to Yew street, the same may be said for the Normandy Hospital, its staff, its patients and their suppliers and service providers.

… Such a renaming will establish a precedent under which staff and Council time may be diverted into lengthy considerations of other name change requests.

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Ulli Watkiss, Chair

CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The City Manager supports the decision of the Street Naming Committee not to recommend the requested change of name.

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