Its been a while since I did one of these:
They may get an “A+” for landscaping, but I give them an “F” for blocking both a bike land and a sidewalk. I hate to call out a business like this, but the sandwich sign kind of puts them out there, doesn’t it?
I have been loosely using the “Community” category of posts to make a brief mention of the things I have been doing around the community outside of Council Meetings. However, I am doing so many things these days that I never find the time to post a photo and write a short blurb, so I am going to try to create a fixed schedule. Every Monday or so I will try to post a brief summary of the previous week.
Last weekend was so busy with a celebration of Andree St. Martin’s retirement, the Qayqayt Howl, the EcoFest, and of course Quest New West that I had to dial life back a bit for the beginning of the week.
Wednesday I pinched-hit for Councillor McEvoy and chaired the Neighborhood Traffic Advisory Committee, and Thursday was Access Ability Advisory Committee. Minutes for these meetings will eventually hit the City Web Page.
Friday I swang by the Connaught Heights annual carnival after work. Not having any children, and therefore not having kids in the New West school system, it is cool to see the carnivals the PACs throw together (the Howl Last weekend, and not less than three this weekend!).
Saturday was the Season Closer and summer kick-off for New West Baseball (see pic above). It was a great spring season for NWB: the first ever (according to Coach and NWB Big Cheese Ron Sufferon) to not have a single game rained out! Yes, it has been that kind of spring. But no-one could prepare for Oh Canada sung by three City Councillors. That’s twice in two weeks I have been forced to sing into a microphone. I hope it will stop soon.
Sunday was Sapperton Day. This has always been one of my favourite one-day Street Fairs in New West. The weather was (as usual) perfect, and everything from the Pancake Breakfast to the stage performances were great. I really have to thank the Sapperton Merchants, Guy Ciprian, and all the volunteers for putting on a great show.
The highlight was, of course, the Red Tape Race, where 4-time (or is it 5-time?) champion Jonathan Cote was racing with the added weight of a new job title, and two new competitors (Councillor Mary Trentadue and Yours Truly) were not going to let him own the track. In the end, it was all elbows and suspicious line shifting that allowed the rookie Trentadue to take her first ever Red Tape Race, with the former champ in second and myself a distant third.
jenarbo asks—
Carnarvon between 8th and 10th is a mess for pedestrians and stressful for drivers. What solutions have been considered, and has anything been decided? Any timeline?
Ugh. It is a mess. I see several problems:
The exit from the Shops at New West Station is wide and friendly, then hits a relatively narrow sidewalk, with a strangely-conceived planter as one tries to get to the crossing at 8th. The other direction takes you past one parking entrance, then the gaping maw of the “breezeway” where drivers, busses and pedestrians all routinely ignore their respective and confusing red lights, until the least-functional three-way stop I have ever seen (one that is completely overwhelmed by the number of pedestrians the crosswalk accommodates) leads to a roundabout the functioning of which seems to confound the common sense of BC drivers which provides bad sightlines to another crosswalk on 10th. The sidewalk is congested with waiting bus passengers and street furniture, made less appealing by the looming (almost overhanging) 60 foot sheer grey sun-blocking wall that rises straight up over the entire 500 feet, while crossing to the sunny side of the street is perilous what with traffic back-ups, confused turns at those aforementioned driveways or three-way stops attempting to get through any opening that may occur in the line of cars and busses only to get to a sidewalk that is more driveway that crosswalk for most of its extent…
From an urban planning perspective, the Plaza 88 complex was a bold and brilliant idea, but from an urban design perspective, the result is close to a disaster. And I really don’t know how to fix it.
I have heard a few radical suggestions: make the road one-way eastbound (although it is generally thought that one-way streets make situations worse if pedestrian safety is your goal, which is why many urban centres are now removing them). Closing the street to traffic between McInnes and the Parkade exit has been suggested (which would only help with a few of the many issues, some locals would complain loudly, and I don’t think our traffic engineers would take it seriously). Removing street parking would impact a few local businesses, although there is always parking available in the public lots in Plaza88, and would allow a better traffic-calmed street profile with wider sidewalks and better sightlines (but the back-ups would continue).
But no, I have not heard any serious plans, or timelines to implement them.
One thing I don’t want to do right now is make it worse. During recent discussions at Council about the “4th tower” at Plaza 88, this topic was raised numerous times. With another parking entrance on Carnarvon between the roundabout and the three-way stop, with another 6-story podium rising straight up from the sidewalk, with worsened sightlines and more pressure on the street – this is going to be a much harder building to approve until we recognize that Carnarvon is not working well now, and the addition of a stop light at McInnes is not going to solve the problems.
I am open to suggestion.
J.H. asked—
Are there any plans with Sapperton park?
Not that I know of. The playing fields are well used, the spray park and playgrounds appear to operate, if a little long-in-tooth. There was talk in the 2008 Parks Comprehensive Plan of replacing the field with artificial turf and replacing the lights, but that appears to have not taken place (while an artificial-turf field was added to Queens Park).
With the Brewery District development, the expansion of RCH, and (likely) subsequent increased business and residential density along East Columbia, one of the City’s most historic parks will definitely be seeing more use and more demands on it. I presume you are a neighbor, so I guess I’ll throw this question back at you: What would you like to see at Sapperton Park?
This was my third year racing in Quest New West, and once again I was on a team of bridesmaids. Anna, Tig, Andrew and I finished 2nd in our category in the inaugural event; Andrew, Tig ,Reena and I finished in the same spot last year; for this year, I joined a Committee for Questing: Mayor Cote, Councillor Trentadue and Trustee Slade-Kerr. We finished safely second in our category, which isn’t too bad for a bunch of paper-pushing policy wonks!
This is an incredibly fun event. Tej Kainth from Tourism New Westminster and her platoon of volunteers put on a great show. Two dozen businesses around town opened their doors to something like 120 sweaty Questers, and major sponsors like Douglas College, Wild Rice, Wesgroup, Tien Sher Group, and the Record helped make it all happen. From a participant point of view, it was a flawless organization.
We sweated, we cycled, we ran, and we laughed. Mostly we laughed. Crossing the finish line, we were too tired to stand for the group shot. Thanks New West!
Wes asks—
Hi Pat, I’ve been concerned about the airborne contaminants coming off the property that Harvest power urban wood waste recycling occupies in the Brunette industrial area. I remember hearing at a MSRA meeting that the city had told them quite some time ago that they had to move the operation indoors, but have not heard anything in quite some time. My real concern is that they are handling asbestos contaminated demolished products, and have been cited by worksafe in the past for not adequately protecting their employees. Are we as residents in lower Sapperton at risk for the same issue ?
To start off, I probably shouldn’t comment too much on the 2013 fine issued by WorkSafe, because all I know about it is what I read in the newspaper, and I assume that a serious fine like this comes with significant follow-up from WorkSafe BC to assure whatever was going wrong won’t go wrong again. I have (in my work life) dealt with illegal asbestos storage and transportation, and the Province (through the Hazardous Waste Regulation) and Metro Vancouver (through their job managing solid waste and recycling in the region) take asbestos pretty seriously. Businesses like Urban Woodwaste deal with demolition waste all the time, and have pretty strict protocols about how any asbestos they receive is managed.
That aside, air quality protection in the Lower Mainland is regulated by Metro Vancouver. They deal with odours, smoke, dust or any air quality concern. Generally, they require an air quality permit if a business has any point-source emissions. That includes traditional pollutants like sulphur dioxide from an oil refinery to odours from coffee roasting companies or dust from aggregate companies or sawmills. You can see a list of all of the companies that have permits and the conditions attached to those permits at this website. As you can see, Harvest/Urban Wood Waste in New Westminster does not have a permit, which tells me that Metro Vancouver does not consider their operation likely to cause air pollution or nuisance. They have a permit from Metro to operate a wood waste recycling facility (you can see a list of all of those permits here), which means they are on Metro Vancouver’s radar and are subject to regular inspection. I know enough of the Regulation & Enforcement folks at Metro to suggest they wouldn’t ignore the need for an air quality permit if they saw a problem.
If you have questions about Air Quality (and it sounds like you do), you shouldn’t ask random know-it-all bloggers like me, you should contact Metro Vancouver directly. They even have a 24-hour reporting line and on-line complaint form in case you observe (or smell, or suspect) an air quality concern.
Matt asks—
What’s the deal with bridges?
Why are some bridges run by MOT (Ministry of Transportation), others by Translink, and still others by municipalities? For example, why is Pattullo a Translink bridge and not an MOT bridge. You get the idea… Thanks!
This is an easy one.
Another Monday, another exciting edition of City Council.
This week we started with our annual Environmental Poster Contest, where Councillor McEvoy and I, as Co-chairs of the Environment Committee, got to present prizes to the three winners. The posters will be displayed at River Fest in September.
We then had three presentations: one from the Canadian Federation of Students, concerned about recent cuts to adult basic education funding by the provincial government; a Proclamation of Access Awareness Day coming up on June 6; and one from City Staff outlining the Priority Capital Program that the Mayor’s Transportation Taskforce has brought to Council.
This was followed by a couple of Open Delegations, then a trip down the ol’ Recommendations from Committee of the Whole lane:
Zoning Amendment Bylaw 7759 – 210 Durham
This is an application to divide a full-width lot on Durham Street in Glenbrook North into two narrower 33’ lots with a separate home on each. The designs initially proposed were not met well by the Residents Association or the Advisory Planning Commission, for several reasons. One complaint I heard (and agreed with) was that the proposed houses addressed the street with wide driveways and two-car garage doors, which was really “out of character” with the neighbourhood. There was also a concern about the removal of the significant boulevard tree in front of the house. Both of these issues have been addressed through revision of the design.
Council gave the required Bylaw first and second reading later in the meeting (see below) and the Bylaw will go to Public Hearing on July 13, 2015. C’mon out and tell us what you think!
Zoning Amendment Bylaw 7765 – Commercial Above Grade at Brewery District
This will change the zoning at the Brewery District to allow commercial development above grade in the future buildings, which will provide more flexibility as far as work/live space combinations go, which might be really helpful as the Health Care Cluster and residential parts of the Brewery District develop.
Council gave the required Bylaw first and second reading later in the meeting (see below) and the Bylaw will go to Public Hearing on June 22, 2015. C’mon out and tell us what you think!
1258 Ewen height variance
This is the first notice that a single-family home planned for Queesnborough wishes to exceed it’s maximum allowable height by 10 inches. Council received this report, and will allow the application to go through the proper process.
BC Seniors Games
New Westminster was approached earlier in the year by the BC Seniors Games organizers, as they are looking for host cities for upcoming years. After reading the staff analysis of the requirements, commitments and timelines, Council agreed we are not really in a place right now to host these. With a series of ongoing initiatives straining for prioritization, and being a few locale/facilities short of what we would need to host these games without a partner city, it is just not a good time for this.
We have, however, taken this as an opportunity to ask staff in Economic Development to work with the other departments and our community partners like Tourism New Westminster to assess how Sports Tourism in general fits into our overall economic development plans.
302 Fifth Street Development Variance
This resident is asking for a height variance for their garage, as they wish to build one that matches the unique roofline of their house. The intent is not to build a second story on their garage as a living space, and the internal truss design is specifically made to prevent making the upper part of the garage occupiable space.
This is a preliminary report, and council voted to receive. The application for the variance will go through the usual process.
Front Street Mews consultation
The City is starting to do design work on the roadway and sidewalks along Front Street where the western half of the Parkade is soon not to be. The preliminary drawings look promising, and two separate options were shown.
I actually prefer to have all of the parking away from the sidewalk, and with a nice pavement treatment, raised intersections, there are other ways to control traffic flow. I think this creates a much better buffer between the sidewalk and the Front Street through-traffic, and maximizes the amount of sidewalk space that can be activated in front of the businesses. I also think clearly defined parking on one side makes for a safer cycling environment.
Stakeholders downtown will be looking over the designs this week, and after possible tweaking, there will be a Public Open House on June 18th, 5:00-7:00pm at the Anvil Centre. C’mon out and tell staff what you think!
Parklets Pilot Program Launch
Parklets are great ideas, and they can really improve the pedestrian and retail space in a commercial district. The City is piloting our first Parklet this summer in Sapperton, with plans to introduce another annually (at least) for the next couple of years. Staff has been given a modest budget, but a lot of flexibility to find partnership opportunities, design ideas, or creative innovations to make the Parklets fit local needs in our different neighbourhoods.
I was really happy Council endorsed this program, and that staff is not only excited to implement it but have provided a really nice design for New West Parklet #1 (see top photo).
Clear Garbage Bag Pilot program
This is an interesting idea that will support the City’s and region’s long-term targets of waste diversion – boosting recycling and diversion of organics from landfills and the incinerator, so that 70% of our waste is re-used, not tossed away.
Metro Vancouver is currently concentrating on organics diversion, such that as of January 1, 2015, it has been illegal to put food scraps in your garbage. Typical for a big, regional, lifestyle-challenging initiative like this, enforcement will be slowly implemented, ramping up over a longer period of time with extensive education programs. Enforcing this ban is a challenge, but other jurisdictions have successfully done so, and there are existing models from which to learn.
Metro Vancouver has proposed a pilot to test the idea of making clear plastic bags (or no bags at all) mandatory for garbage bound for the landfill or incinerator. This allows inspectors at the waste transfer facilities to quickly and more accurately assess the presence of organics in the waste stream, so that Metro can target education and enforcement. It has worked in other cities, but will it work here?
Participating in this pilot costs the City very little as Metro provides all of the education materials, does the data collections and reporting. They even supply to the bags for the residents and businesses involved in the pilot.
I am happy to support collecting more data and testing out an innovative system like this, and really happy that New Westminster can help out with the bigger regional goals for waste diversion – we want to continue to be regional leaders in sustainability, and this is yet another opportunity for us to do so.
Correspondence
We received correspondence form the Royal City Humane Society requesting that Council release some of the grant funds that had already been allocated as part of our Partnership Grants, so it could be used to expand the veterinary care types we can offer to cats in the City. Council approved this shift in the language of the grant.
Bylaws For Adoption:
Bylaw 7756, 2015
This Bylaw saw third reading last meeting, and simply expands the definition of “Commercial Schools” in our Zoning Bylaw. It was adopted, and is now the Law of the Land.
Bylaw 7741, 2015
This Bylaw saw third reading last meeting, and upon adoption, it makes our Family Friendly Housing policy the Law of the Land.
Plus we moved the two readings for both 210 Durham and Brewery District bylaws mentioned above.
Issuance of Development Permit
As discussed last meeting, we moved to approve this Development Permit on Kamloops and 13th Street.
Announcement!
Finally, an announcement of a community event this weekend! The Qayqayt Community Howl is both a community-gathering fun event for families, and a fundraiser for the Qayqayt playground space. They are a new organization trying to build on their exciting new community, so drop by and give them some support while entertaining your family!
Someone asked—
Is it possible to ask city to put back baby change table in family washroom at pier park in downtown area? There is no change table in the park right now.
This is probably one of those questions that should go straight to the Parks Department, or even on SeeClickFix. But I asked a few questions, and here is the best I can tell (again, contact the Parks directly to get what is probably more accurate info!
The Men’s and Women’s Washrooms at Pier Park do not lock (except at night) but the Family room does, as that better reflects it’s one-at-a-time use. Apparently, this ability to lock the door empowers some undesirable activities, possibly (but not certainly) related. First, it seems that some people with limited other options have used the room to grab a few hours of secured sleep in the early morning or evening hours. There has also been quite a bit of vandalism in that room – much more than in the unlocked “gender-specific” bathrooms.
It was such a beautiful weekend in New Westminster. I had a couple of events downtown on Saturday, and enjoyed my time wandering around between them, and something occurred to me.
The Northwest Fan Fest was occurring at the Anvil Centre. There were something like 10,000 people drawn to downtown New West on the weekend, spilling out onto the street, filling the sidewalks and Hyack Square – geeking out and having fun.
And they spilled over to Pier Park, to mix with the usual families and locals using what is coming to be seen as one of the great public spaces in the lower mainland.
Yet this is the weekend when a full half of the Parkade was closed to start the repairs, which will eventually see the west side removed. Parking chaos? Hardly.
And I was reminded why I ran for Council. This City is on such a positive path. We are moving forward, setting plans and reaching for a better future. There are bumps along the way, some tough decisions to make, and some difficult setting of priorities.
But during the last election, not 6 months ago, there were people running who thought this was a waste of money that no-one would ever use:
Yet this was a valuable resource we cannot possibly afford to be without:
I am happy to say I spent 10 hours in Council meetings today with people who see a more positive vision for the City, and we are moving ahead.