ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: April 7, 2000
Author/Local: R. Birch (7292)
RTS No. 01287

CC File No. 5762-1

CS&B: June 15, 2000

TO:	Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services in consultation with the Director of Current Planning
SUBJECT:	Strategy for Provision of Street Furniture and other Public Amenities

RECOMMENDATIONS

A. THAT Council receive the reports “Street Furniture and Amenity Study - Policy Document” and “Street Furniture and Amenity Study - Technical Document” for INFORMATION.

B. THAT Council instruct the General Manager of Engineering Services and the Director of Current Planning to undertake a public process as outlined in this report to gather feedback from neighbourhoods, community and interest groups on issues outlined in the Street Furniture and Amenity Study - Policy Document. Further, that staff report back with policy recommendations.

C. THAT Council instruct the General Manager of Engineering Services and the Director of Current Planning to develop a compilation of existing Streetscape Design Standards.

D. THAT Council approve the creation of two new temporary full-time positions (Civil Engineer II and Planner II ) for eighteen months within Engineering Services and Current Planning respectively to conduct the work program outlined in this report, with source of funds as per Recommendation E.

E. THAT Council approve funding for staff and consultant resources in the current year, as outlined in this report, at a cost of $201,800. Funding is to be provided as a loan from the Service Improvement Reserve and repaid from future street furniture advertising revenues beginning in mid-2002.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The quality, quantity and organization of street furniture are important issues. Also important is community involvement and their acceptance of the furniture, and City revenues when advertising is permitted on streets. The challenge is to develop an acceptable balance between maximizing revenues, which may lead to "sameness" of furniture, and unique designs recognizing community wishes, but which are expensive to build and maintain.

The schedule gives Council the opportunity to establish clear policy after the initial public process.

Therefore, the City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of recommendations A, B, C, D and E.

COUNCIL POLICY

City Council has approved several policies through CityPlan and the Transportation Plan to prioritize transit, walking and biking over cars.

Other CityPlan goals are to maintain and encourage distinctive neighbourhood character; to improve safety in public places by applying “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” principles; and to develop strategies to provide funding for amenities and local services.

In an effort to coordinate public realm improvements with adjoining developments, downtown precinct plans incorporating special public realm treatments have been enacted. Such treatments are being implemented, development by development, for the following precincts; Georgia Street, Triangle West, Downtown South and Library Square. Neighbourhood-specific public realm treatments have also been implemented for Gastown, Chinatown and street beautification projects throughout the City. The downtown major projects in Coal Harbour and False Creek North have comprehensively designed and integrated public realms.

SUMMARY AND PURPOSE

In January, 1999 Council instructed the General Manager of Engineering Services to explore opportunities for improved service and enhanced aesthetics of various streetscape items such as benches, transit shelters and litter containers. This work has been completed and the results have been compiled into two reports: “Street Furniture and Amenities - Technical Document” and “Street Furniture and Amenities - Policy Document”.

The recommendations contained in the Policy Document are expected to generate considerable interest and feedback from various community groups, business associations and other stakeholders. Therefore, it is proposed that these recommendations be submitted to a public process, and that final policy decisions be made after consideration of the feedback which this process generates.

The purpose of this report is therefore:

… to recommend that Council receive the two staff studies for information;
… to obtain Council’s approval of staff and consultant resources to conduct a thorough public consultation process and develop final policy recommendations for Council’s consideration.

A Request for Proposal for the supply, installation, service and maintenance of street furniture could be finalized after completion of the public process and approval of a general policy framework.

BACKGROUND

A report titled “Street Furniture Management and Transit Shelter Agreement” was submitted to Council in January, 1999. Council instructed staff to undertake a Street Furniture Study, to explore opportunities for revenue generation, improved service and enhanced aesthetics of streetscape items, such as benches, transit shelters, litter containers, kiosks, public toilets, news stands and other forms of street furniture, to be followed by a proposal call. At the same time, Council authorized a contract extension with Goodwill Advertising for the supply and maintenance of transit benches until August 2002, to coincide with the expiry of the Pattison Outdoor bus shelter contract.

Engineering staff have now completed the study. The final report is contained in two documents:

… “Street Furniture and Amenity Study - Technical Document” - reviews the City’s existing street furniture and amenity programs. It describes the numerous existing processes and policies which influence the appearance of Vancouver’s streetscapes today.

… “Street Furniture and Amenity Study - Policy Document” - deals with the provision of street furniture and other amenities from a strategic perspective. Issues related to management options, advertising, proposed street furniture design, recommendations and an implementation strategy are outlined, in the document.

Copies of the these reports are available from the Streets Administration Branch, Engineering Services Department and on file in the City Clerk’s Office.

DISCUSSION

Many opportunities have been identified for improving virtually all types of street furniture and amenities in Vancouver. The design and standards of maintenance of most City street furniture itemsgenerally reflect an emphasis on functionality rather than aesthetics. In many cases, there is a lack of coordination in style, materials and finish between various street furniture elements.

Some European cities, and recently Sydney, Australia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have been able to acquire much higher levels of amenity City-wide by entering into a “turnkey” contract for coordinated suites of street furniture. A turnkey contract requires that the contractor supply, install and maintain the street furniture items provided. The contractor is allowed to display advertising on some of the items of street furniture in order to generate the revenues necessary to provide the required amenities.

The more experienced contractors in today’s market have proven expertise in designing and manufacturing very high quality street furniture, using some of the most talented architects in the world. The product lines are usually consistent in materials and finish, so that individual elements such as bus shelters, benches, litter containers, directional signage, etc., are well coordinated in appearance. In many cases, separate amenities are integrated with each other, so as to reduce visual clutter (for example, pay telephones and automated public toilets can be provided in modular units of bus shelters). These contractors are also well established in the outdoor advertising market. This helps them to sell advertising and generate the revenues which are necessary to fund the cost of acquiring, producing and maintaining the various amenities.

There is a minimum amount of advertising that has to be displayed to make a street furniture program viable. However, too many advertising messages can detract from the quality of visual experience for pedestrians. Even though a balance has to be reached between the proliferation of advertisements and public benefits, it is possible to improve the maintenance, service standards, quality and aesthetics of street furniture and amenities in Vancouver while limiting the extent of the use of outdoor advertising.

The current market for outdoor advertising is strong and likely to remain so in the future. The proportion of revenues from the next street furniture contract which accrues to the City’s benefit will likely be much greater than what has been obtained in past contracts.

The following recommendations of the Street Furniture and Amenity - Policy Document are central to future policy decisions which will need to be made:

"1] A private sector turnkey contractor be commissioned to provide the following amenities and services:

… modular bus shelters
… benches
… litter receptacles (including recycling receptacles)
… multiple publication news racks
… modular pay telephone booths
… bike racks
… attended kiosks
… automated public toilets
… pedestrian-oriented map stands

2] Street furniture advertising be limited such that:

… advertising be permitted only on bus shelters
… bus shelter advertising be permitted throughout the City
… bench advertising no longer be permitted
… no other amenity to have advertising

3] A Streetscape Design Standard for the City be developed".

A description of the Streetscape Design Standard is contained in a later section of this report.

The Policy Document outlines a process, summarised in the schedule of this report, which dovetails with the expiry of the existing bus shelter and transit bench contracts in August 2002. The culmination of this strategy would result with the public potentially receiving:

… New and coordinated street furniture which would enhance the streetscapes of the City.
… More amenities of all types and equity of distribution throughout the City.
… New amenities such as multiple publication newsracks, attended kiosks, automated public toilets and pedestrian-orientated directional maps to aid both the public and tourists in way finding around Vancouver.
… Better amenity provision such as the integration of recycling receptacles with litter receptacles and pay telephone booths with bus shelters.
… Reduction in clutter by replacement of individual newsboxes with multiple publication newsracks.
… A higher level of service and maintenance.
… Increased revenue and operating budget savings to the City.

PROPOSED PUBLIC PROCESS

It is anticipated that the issues outlined in the Street Furniture and Amenities Study - Policy Document will generate considerable interest and feedback from neighbourhood groups, business associations, individual residents and other stakeholders throughout the City. It is proposed that a public process be undertaken to collect feedback on the proposed changes from these interest groups. Following public review, staff will recommend final policy directions to Council and proceed with a proposal call for a coordinated street furniture contract.

The public process would be designed to seek input through three parallel channels:

… Community forum groups - these meetings will be organized by staff with some assistance from a consultant who acts as facilitator. The general public will be invited

to these meetings through advertisements or inserts placed in newspapers. It is proposed that up to three of these meetings be held, depending on the level of community response and interest.

… Stakeholder groups - these meetings would target groups which staff have identified as having specific interest in the subject matter, such as business associations and neighbourhood groups. Staff would give a presentation and seek feedback on the issues raised in the Policy document.

… Focus groups - it is proposed that four to six of these meetings be held for an in-depth discussion of the issues contained in the Policy Document. These meetings will be organized and held in-house by a consultant.

A public process consultant would be retained to participate in the design of each of these processes. The consultant would also produce a report summarizing the outreach process and the feedback obtained.

DEVELOPMENT OF STREETSCAPE DESIGN STANDARD DOCUMENT

The Streetscape Design Standard would be a document which contains a compilation of existing urban design policies and technical guidelines for various neighbourhoods and street types such as arterials, pedestrian oriented shopping streets, neighbourhood retail streets and residential streets. It would identify existing public realm streetscape design elements including street trees, sidewalk paving treatment, lighting etc., guidelines for private development interface with the street (e.g. weather protection), as well as all pertinent criteria for the placement of street furniture and amenities.

This document will be vital in developing the City’s requirements for a Request for Proposal for a coordinated street furniture contract. The Streetscape Design Standard will be the basis for determining the location and quantity of each item that will be included in the Request For Proposal. The document will also provide greater clarity and certainty for private developers interests in understanding the City’s intentions for public realm treatments and the interface with private site developments.

PILOT PROJECT

During 1999, staff explored opportunities for a pilot project which would demonstrate the benefits of a coordinated approach to street furniture management. An opportunity was identified involving Granville Street between Drake and Cordova. However, as discussions evolved, it became apparent there were significant obstacles:

… the language in the existing contract between the City and Pattison Outdoor for provision of bus shelters does not specifically authorize the City to direct the contractor to remove their shelters to permit replacement with another contractor’s shelters;
… the presence of advertising on bus shelters owned by anyone other than Pattison Outdoor, during the term of the existing contract between the City and Pattison Outdoor, would likely generate a contractual dispute; and
… there was a general lack of support for the concept from potential street furniture contractors other than Pattison Outdoor.

As a result, it became apparent that only Pattison Outdoor was likely to participate in a pilot project. Such a lack of competition in source of supply would impede the development of a true showcase of the potential benefits of the coordinated street furniture concept. Therefore, it is staff’s recommendation that the concept of a street furniture pilot project be abandoned at this time.

RESOURCES REQUIRED

Overall project management will be done by existing staff in the Streets Administration Branch, Engineering Services. Project team staffing will need to be flexible as the project moves from initial public consultation, through development of final policy recommendations to Council, development of the Streetscape Design Standard, preparation of tender documents, review and award of tender to final implementation. Work will be undertaken at the same time to change existing policies, procedures and organization to reflect the terms of the contract.

It is proposed that a core team consisting of two staff be created for an initial period of 18 months. This team would consist of a team leader and an urban design planner. The team leader will need to have expertise with project management and contract administration skills as well as a solid background in urban design issues, so as to be able to deal with the broad range of issues which arise. The urban design planner's prime responsibility, in reporting to the project team and the Director of Current Planning, would be to develop the Streetscape Design Document, including coordinating with the broader public realm context. At the end of this initial 18 month period, it is envisioned that the core team can be reduced to a single team leader. At various times, the project will need to be augmented with staff who have various skills such as contract document preparation and database management skills.

Between now and the end of this year, there will be a need to fund the cost of the team leader and an Urban Design Planner, together with consulting and related costs associated with carrying out the public process, a purchasing resource to begin preparing a Request for Proposal, and technical staff to assist the data collection and database organization. The cost for this work in the current year $201,800 is detailed in the following table. The estimated cost of the project team between now and the end of the project in 2003 is $580,000. This budget will be reviewed with Council annually, and the need for any further staffing will be reported as part of this review.

TABLE I
PROJECT BUDGET, CURRENT YEAR

Resource	Activities	Current year cost
Team Leader	Develop detailed schedule and budget. Determine detailed data collection needs and supervise data collection. Develop technical requirements for provision of street furniture and amenities. Participate in the public process. Develop Streetscape Design Standard.	$39,900
Urban Designer (Planner II)	Develop concepts for integrated public realm treatments incorporating the City’s current urban design policies for various street types. Provide input regarding relationship of project activities to current urban design policies. Participate in the public process. Develop Streetscape Design Standard.	$39,900
RFP Consultant	Start writing RFP document.	$20,000
Public Process -Consultant Fees		$30,000
Data Collection	Develop inventory of existing street furniture through field surveys; create data base; analysis of existing street furniture placement patterns.	$50,400
Other Costs
Office space		$ 3,600
Transportation		$ 8,000
Equipment (one-time cost - computers, phones, camera)		$ 10,000
Total		$ 201,800

SOURCES OF FUNDING

Funding for this work can be obtained through a loan from the Service Improvement Reserve. This loan can be repaid through increased future revenues derived from the new street furniture contract which will be awarded in 2002.

REVENUE GENERATION

The City can expect to receive increased revenues under a new street furniture contract beginning in 2002. If the existing transit shelter contract was simply renegotiated at the same revenue-sharing levels which have been recently been achieved by other local municipalities, increased revenues would be sufficient to pay back the cost of the loan from the Service Improvement Reserve within approximately two years after the tender award. However, revenues possible from a coordinated street furniture contract are much greater than even this amount. Because of the current strength of the outdoor advertising market and the potential value of a Vancouver street furniture contract to potential tenderers, it is expected that Vancouver would be offered a very significant share of future advertising revenues under a competitive tender.

SCHEDULE

2000, May - October - Public process and review of recommendations contained in the street furniture and amenities study - policy document.

- Draft Streetscape Design Standards

2000, November - Council approval of recommendations following the public process.

2001, February - Council approval of final draft of RFP. Tender process commences.

2001, July - Tender closes.

2001, September - Tenderers to exhibit prototypes. Public consultation and feedback on prototypes.

2001, December - Council approval of winning tender. Tender awarded.

2002, June 1 - Commence installation of street furniture except at bus shelter locations not owned by the City.

2002, August 31 - Current contracts for bus shelters and transit benches expire.

2003, June - Completion date for installation of street furniture and amenities as required under the contract. End of project team mandate.
CONCLUSION

The strategy outlined in the Street Furniture and Amenities - Policy Document provides a method of increasing quality, quantity and effectiveness of street furniture and amenity provision in Vancouver. The recommendations contained in this Council report will provide the means for realizing the potential benefits which the Policy Document has identified.

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Street Furniture and Amenity Study - Policy Document" and "Street Furniture and Amenity Study -Technical Document" are on file in the City Clerk's Office

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