March 21, 2012. On Saturday January 28, the City of Vancouver held a workshop for stakeholders with an interest in the community plan process for the West End. On February 28, another meeting was held, by invitation, for members of the newly-created “Neighbourhood Champions’ Network.”
WEN was represented at both events. On January 28, a total of twenty-one stakeholder groups confirmed attendance including representatives from organizations such as St. Paul’s Hospital, the West End Seniors’ Network, the Urban Development Institute and Gordon Neighbourhood House. About 40 people attended. City staff have posted the outcomes on the City website (http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/westendplan/) and are working internally to prepare a draft “terms of reference” for the planning process for the next 18 to 21 months, with plans to present it to City Council for approval on March 27 or 28. The public is likely to have about two business days to view the draft before it is approved at a daytime meeting of Council.
We believe that WEN has the potential to play an important role in the planning process for the West End by raising awareness of the issues, promoting meaningful engagement, and encouraging education on relevant topics, such as zoning, planning and the development approval process.
WEN’s petition on “no rezoning without a comprehensive plan” stated that:
“I request in the event of considering general or site-specific land use and/or West End zoning changes, that these include meaningful consultation with residents, protect existing neighbourhood liveability, and respect/maintain the character of the neighbourhood. We need a comprehensive plan, not site-by-site rezoning.”
WEN will be encouraging meaningful consultation with residents calling for protection of existing neighbourhood liveability and for the need to respect and maintain the character of the neighbourhood.
Background on the City’s planning program is located here.
The workshop on January 28th was intended to help City staff refine the process for the Community Plan for the West End, with a focus on fine-tuning the “city-wide” General Terms of Reference document into a terms of reference document that is specific to the West End Community Plan.
The stated objectives of the workshop were:
- Confirm planning priorities for the West End;
- Confirm engagement principles and objectives; and
- Begin developing a network of community champions.
City Staff hosted the workshop with the assistance of a facilitator. Staff asked community groups to provide input to the process that reflects stakeholder group’s observations of the issues and priorities in the West End. Following the workshop, the outcomes will be summarized and posted online. The results will be used in conjunction with the results of previous community surveys (see below) to refine the General Terms of Reference for the West End planning process. WEN will provide information on the website when it is available.
The results of two previous community surveys were reviewed briefly at the meeting - one conducted by City Staff in June of 2010 and one conducted by the West End Mayor’s Advisory Committee (WEMAC) in July of 2011. A summary of the survey findings is below:
West End Discussion on Community Needs and Affordable Housing: Community Discussion Summary Report (June 2010)
City of Vancouver staff held two community meetings in May 2010 to discuss community needs and affordable housing in the West End. A survey was distributed at the meetings and was also available on-line; 600 surveys were completed in total. Participants self-selected rather than being selected randomly. Focus of the survey:
- Level of importance of general issues/concerns
- Level of agreement with statements by general topic area
Top Five Issues/Concerns (percentage of respondents who selected “very important”):
- Neighbourhood character – 69.3%
- Parks and green space – 67.4%
- Housing – 59.7%
- Sustainability – 55.5%
- Crime and safety – 54.7%
West End Mayor’s Advisory Committee: Community Priorities for the West End – Interim Report (July 2011)
To identify community priorities for the West End, WEMAC conducted a survey of West End residents between May 13 and June 10, 2011. The survey was available at key locations throughout the West End and also on-line; 994 surveys were completed in total. Participants self-selected rather than being selected randomly. Focus of the survey:
- Level of importance of priorities by general topic area* (note that weighting was used to reflect the strength of responses)
- Level of agreement with community concerns
Top Five Community Concerns (percentage of respondents who agreed with the concern):
- West End becoming less affordable – 58%
- Lack of protection for renters – 48%
- Neighbourhood character changing too quickly – 43%
- Lack of parking is a problem – 42%
- West End needs to be safer for pedestrians – 40%
High priority and recurring emphasis was placed on: preserving and expanding green space, ensuring housing affordability, safety for pedestrians and the value of small and local business owners.
Community Surveys: Overall Priority Issues
- Character (residential and commercial)
- Heritage
- Housing
- Public realm (residential and commercial)
- Parks and open space
- Transportation and parking
- Public facilities
What do you think? Are there other issues that need to represented in the West End Planning process? Do the results of these surveys reflect your concerns for the West End? Do you think there should be a neighbourhood-wide survey conducted as a “fresh start” for the West End Planning process? If you would like to provide input on community priorities for the West End Planning Process, drop a note to info@westendneighbours.com
Other, more general questions to consider in the planning process involve how citizens should be engaged and the important steps in the process.
- How should the City be notifying residents? Is a notice in the newspaper sufficient? Or should West End residents receive mail notifications?
- How would you most like to participate? Through on-line consultation? Public meetings? Small group sessions? Or something else?
- Should the opinions of interest groups from outside the West End, such as developers and transportation groups, carry the same weight as those of people who live and work in the community?
- Is there a need for a “planning committee” in the West End composed of interested West Enders? Or are you comfortable with directing information to City staff for incorporation into planning policies?
If you would like to provide input on these or other more general planning issues, please drop a note to info@westendneighbours.com
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