LATE DISTRIBUTION
FOR COUNCIL - JULY 20, 1999

RR-2

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: July 16, 1999
Author/Local: W. Pledger/7346
RTS No. 913

CC File No. 5559

Council: July 20, 1999

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Manager, Rapid Transit in consultation with the General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	SkyTrain alignment in the Grandview "Cut"

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Council endorse the modified SkyTrain alignment within the Grandview Cut as generally outlined in this report and shown in Appendix A.

COMMENTS

The General Manager of Engineering Services recommends approval of Recommendation A.

POLICY

Staff will work with the Province on planning for the Phase 1 SkyTrain route, alignment, station locations and station area planning.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to:

· recommend Council endorse a SkyTrain alignment within the Grandview Cut to be carried forward for detailed design by the Provincial Rapid Transit Project Office (RTPO).

· provide information on the next steps associated with the development of the Broadway and Commercial stations.

BACKGROUND

On February 23, 1999 Council approved a number of recommendations associated with the implementation of Phase 1 SkyTrain between Boundary Road and Commercial Drive. The following recommendations are relevant to the purpose of this report:

A. THAT any endorsement by the City of Vancouver of the proposed alignment or station locations be conditional upon the Province:

a) completing a review of ridership and patron movements, particularly at the Broadway/Commercial drive intersection, and designing and implementing traffic management and transit interface plans to accommodate those movements effectively;

b) completing a comprehensive review of safety and security issues, and addressing those issues in station and precinct designs;

c) addressing the concerns of the community and City staff in the design of the station and station precincts as generally outlined in this report;

and

d) designing and constructing a Greenway/Bikeway in the Grandview Cut Right-of-Way.

B. THAT subject to Recommendation A, the City of Vancouver acknowledge the Province's proposed Phase 1 SkyTrain alignment along the route selected by the Province from Boundary Road to Commercial Drive as more particularly shown in Appendix A of the Policy Report dated February 19, 1999.

C. THAT subject to Recommendation A, the City of Vancouver acknowledges the Province's proposed station locations at Rupert, Renfrew and Commercial, with provision for a future station at Nanaimo, at Grandview as shown in Appendix A of the Policy Report dated February 19, 1999.

RECOMMENDED ALIGNMENT IN THE GRANDVIEW CUT

Council reviewed the Province's proposed alignment in the Grandview Cut but was not prepared to endorse the alignment until the conditions outlined in Recommendation A (in the Background above) were addressed. With respect to this recommendation, the Rapid Transit Project Office has progressed to a point that staff is prepared to recommend that Council endorse an alignment within the Grandview Cut. Specifically:

· A report on ridership and patron movements is complete and continues to be refined; Staff understand that the RTPO architects and TransLink are analyzing the report and tailoring the design of the stations and other transit connections to effectively accomodate the patron movements.

· Traffic management and transit integration plans are being prepared by the City and TransLink in consultation with the RTPO.

· Work is well underway in integrating safety and security issues and addressing community and staff concerns into the station and station precinct designs.

· The Province has committed to designing and constructing a Greenway/Bikeway along the north side of the Grandview Cut.

February "Conceptual"Alignment

The alignment of the SkyTrain guideway in the Grandview Cut as reviewed by Council in February was on the north bank. Council was informed that the line would be elevated or at-grade (excavated within the bank) depending on the slope. The line would, at all times, be below the top of the bank. The preference was for a "high" alignment which would have more elevated than "at-grade"sections.

It was recognized, however, that very little accurate survey information of the slopes of the Grandview Cut was available and that the ultimate alignment and relative amounts of elevated and at-grade sections was subject to considerable change.

Later Alignment Modifications

After February, the Province completed a detailed land survey of the Grandview Cut and understood in detail the angle of the slopes within the Grandview Cut. As a result, the original "high" conceptual alignment proposed in February required much more "at-grade" construction than was originally anticipated resulting in greater loss of vegetation and more retaining walls. For reference in this report this "at grade" alignment is called the "April Alignment". As a result, a second alignment was developed (the June Alignment) lower down the side of the Grandview Cut and closer to the Burlington Northern rail line where the slope is somewhat flatter. This would require more at-grade sections of guideway but would minimize the amount of excavation into the bank and hence reduce the overall damage to the slope of the Grandview Cut.

The June Alignment, close to the bottom of the Grandview Cut, is now the preferred alignment and is shown in Appendix A.

Discussion of the Comparison of the April and June Alignments

The images of the Grandview Cut originally shown to Council in February do not reflect the significant damage to the north slope of the Grandview Cut that will result with the construction of the Guideway. This damage is unavoidable but can be minimized by where the Guideway is actually located and the construction techniques used to build it.

As mentioned above, subsequent to the original February 1999 conceptual alignment, two alignments, April and June were developed and have now been compared. They are similar except that the June alignment is lower in the Grandview Cut, has somewhat more at-grade sections and is closer to the BN tracks. This is shown most clearly in the sections and plans shown in the Appendices.

The following conclusions support the June Alignment:

· The June Alignment clusters the rail activities together and minimizes the amount of slope to be restored (ie, maximizes the amount of slope retained in its original state).

· The June Alignment, now largely at the bottom of the Grandview Cut, will have less noise impact and visual intrusion.

· The June Alignment encroaches into the "vegetation free zone" required by Burlington Northern rail (one metre outside of the BNSF right-of-way) and occupies much of the existing signal pole lines that parallel the train track. The preliminary comparison of the amount of vegetation and trees lost within the guideway right-of-way between the two alignments indicates the June Alignment impacts fewer existing mature trees.

· The slope at the bottom of the Grandview Cut is somewhat flatter and therefore, the June Alignment requires less excavation of the slope. This results in lower retaining walls both above and below the track level of the guideway.

It is important to note that this analysis only compares the relative impact of the two alignments on the Grandview Cut. The total impact (ie the amount of vegetation and habitat loss) will only be known once an arborist's report and the detailed design work on the June Alignment have been completed.

Full restoration of the habitat, particularly lost trees, will only be realized through a comprehensive vegetation and tree restoration plan implemented after construction is finished. The RTPO is committed to developing a plan in consultation with, and to the satisfaction of the City. The RTPO is further committed to restoring the Grandview Cut per that plan.

Impact of the June Alignment on Future Nanaimo Station

The June Alignment will significantly impact the possibility of a future station at Nanaimo. It will require the relocation of the future station further west towards Lakewood. Construction of the future station will also require excavation into the slope and may require relocation of a portion of the Burlington Northern tracks and may affect the operation of the system during construction of the station.

Subsequent detailed design of the June Alignment may mean further adjustment to the alignment, but City staff do not expect such adjustments to be substantive. As well, subsequent construction of the guideway may reveal soil and or slope instabilities that will have to be addressed. This may impact more of the slope and vegetation than is presently anticipated.

This alignment was presented at a public workshop on July 14, 1999 to members of the public who have expressed an interest in the impact SkyTrain will have on the Grandview Cut. No particular concerns were expressed by the public.

BROADWAY/COMMERCIAL STATIONS

The development of a new station within the Grandview Cut at Commercial Drive is proceeding. This is the most important and complicated station on the new line. City staff and the community have emphasized to the RTPO and TransLink the importance of the design of the stations and station precincts in addressing the impacts of this major transportation node on the surrounding neighbourhood.

Ridership on the new line is highest at this station. Transfers to between the new and existing SkyTrain lines and, in the short term, to the #99 B-line on Broadway, will require stations of exceptionally high quality that are well integrated, with each other, with bus transit and with the neighbourhood.

There is a high expectation on the part of City staff and the community that the development of this station and the necessary redevelopment of portions of the existing station (to assure good integration of the two stations) will result in an improvement both to the immediate station precinct and to the surrounding neighbourhood.

The new station is located on the north side of the Grandview Cut and, similar to the existing elevated station over Broadway, has a centre platform. The station itself is conventional and the challenge is connecting this station via a pedestrian bridge and vertical stairways and escalators across the Grandview Cut to the triangular parcel of land at the northeast corner of Broadway and Commercial (owned by the Province) and to the existing station.

The station architect has proposed a number of station concepts that have been reviewed by the public. In addition, the City sponsored a station precinct design charette on July 24-26. Three charette "teams" explored various station "connectivity" options and land use redevelopment options within the station precinct (generally the triangle site and the existing CIBC and McDonalds sites along the east side of Commercial Drive between Broadway and 10th Ave.). The results will provide RTPO and staff with guidance on the development of the station precinct.

No decisions have been made yet on the design of the new station, or the renovation of the existing station. These are expected to be finalized in late summer. The RTPO with its architects will participate in an Urban Design Panel workshop in August; will present to the Urban Design Panel in September, and will appear before the Development Permit Board in the Fall for advice and comment.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver