Gastown Public Spaces Plan Amendment (Residents Consultation)

Please go ahead whenever you're ready.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Rachel Magnuson. I'm the Associate Director of Street Activities, and I'm here with my colleagues in engineering, as well as Joe Fry from HAPA Collaborative, to present today the Gastown Public Spaces Plan.

We're bringing three recommendations today to council, and I'll talk more about them a bit later in the presentation, but very quickly, one of them is to approve the plan, the second is to advance the first priority project of Maple Tree Square, and the third are a few actions that we're recommending advancing in the neighborhood. Today, I'm going to go over a bit of background and overview of the plan, as well as our process and learnings. Then I'm going to pass to Joe Fry, and he's going to walk through the plan directions. And then finally, we'll get into recommendations and next steps.

So a bit of an overview. This plan was initiated by council back in 2023 as a part of broader investment and focus on the Gastown neighborhood. And you asked us to work with a design and placemaking consultancy. You asked us to explore a bold vision to pedestrianize Water Street and to do this through testing through pilots. This last direction was really, really important and really formed the basis of how this plan came together. So beginning in summer 2024, we did our first pilot. And then based on that and the learnings from that, we received further direction from you to focus on how can we think about Water Street as continuing to have vehicle traffic but still improve public space, the pedestrian experience. Can we look at two-way Cordova and think instead about the pedestrian zones as a more recurring event? So the timeline for this work has been, we kicked it off right in 2023 with a round of public engagement. We then did these two really key pilots. And these were both opportunities for us to collect data, monitor and learn, but also learn from the public and businesses about the very real things that they were experiencing in the neighborhood. We then took those learnings in the fall, worked closely with the Gastown Business Association and others to bring the plan that we're presenting for you today.

In addition, we've been investing in the neighborhood throughout this time. So key things are sidewalk repairs, and there's some more coming this fall. We also did the interim repairs to the roadway and Maple Tree Square, and that was in advance of that summer 2024 pilot. And right now we're in the process of finishing up construction in Trounce Alley, and that is a renewal project connecting to Blood Alley Square. We've also made investments in the neighborhood through our summer pilots, so various placemaking improvements, cycling improvements on Water Street and such. So what's the scope of this plan? Really, it is a public spaces plan. So that's looking at all the streets, laneways, squares, plazas within the neighborhood, all the way from the rail tracks to the north to the lane north of Hastings and Richard to Main Street. And then our kind of core design focus has been Water Street and Maple Tree Square. And so really what this plan is, is a neighborhood level framework that is intended to guide future investment in the neighborhood. And it lays out a vision for how all the different areas and streets and spaces work together. It outlines six big moves for the neighborhood. And then it looks at kind of conceptual visions and drawings for particularly Water Street and Maple Tree Square, as well as some guidance around approach to things like materiality, furniture in the neighborhood.

So in terms of how we did this work and our process, really foundational was our relationship with the three nations. We knew this work both had immediate opportunity for the nations, but also really a long-term potential. So we tried to do things a bit differently and... build a longer-term partnership with nation staff for work in this area. And so that looked like both involving them in the project scoping and process development. We had site walks. We had various kinds of knowledge-sharing opportunities. And we've learned a ton both sort of substantively through this process as well as about how to do this work. Some key things from those discussions and relationship building. For each nation, this area is very important as a part of their territory, but also because it is a national historic site and an important place for tourism. It forwards a really important opportunity for visibility for each of the nations, for cultural learning, but also as a place to welcome back their members and make them feel welcome in the future.

In terms of public engagement, that kicked off right in 2023. We've been doing previous work in the neighborhood, so we're able to bring out project objectives, test those with the community, and we heard strong support for those and a few extra things.

In particular... to really think about safety and cleanliness in the neighborhood in the context of a public spaces plan. Another kind of key theme that was really important is just how much the public and businesses value the kind of unique feel of the place today and to make sure that we were retaining that in the future. In summer 2024, we did the city's first pedestrian pilot, pedestrian zone. And that involved two car-free blocks for the summer, as well as car light blocks. And we learned a lot from this experience. So broadly, there was a lot of public enthusiasm for the pedestrian zone. And also with businesses, the feedback was much more mixed. And there were significant concerns around neighborhood access, but also topics like safety in the neighborhood. Based on, as I said, our direction from you after the summer 2024 pilot, we changed our approach for the 2025 pilot. And that was to let's keep vehicle traffic on Water Street. Let's see how we can expand that public realm. we can make cycling safer on Water Street and test that out. We also tested a two-way Cordova and from Richards to Gore, as well as a recurring Sunday pedestrian zone. And again, really strong support from the public, particularly around the pedestrian zone, and notably businesses. Their support for the pedestrian zone went up from 59% to 81%. There was also support for the changes we made on Cordova. So all of this learning and engagement then formed the foundation of the plan that we pulled together in the fall. We worked very closely with the Gastown Business Improvement Society. And in kind of refining and confirming those directions, we also connected with our partners at the nations, civic advisory committees, and some key Gastown stakeholders. Importantly to note, this is a high-level vision and plan for the neighborhood, and future projects will need more public engagement and business engagement as they get into the details.

So I'm going to turn it over now to Joe to walk you through the plan directions.

Thank you, Rachel, and thanks to Mayor and Council for your time this morning. My name is Joe Fry. I'm a landscape architect with HAPA Collaborative. We're the prime consultant for the Gastown Public Space Plan. We're also representing a host of other consultants in support of us, including Lance Berelowitz at Urban Forum and Gale Studio in support of our work, engineers, and a whole myriad of other team members.

I'M JUST GOING TO WALK THROUGH OUR PLAN DIRECTIONS, AS RACHEL MENTIONED, SIX BIG IDEAS THAT WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING AS PART OF THIS FRAMEWORK, AND WE WILL BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT OVER THE NEXT PHASE OF WORK. I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH THESE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, BUT I THINK AS RACHEL MENTIONED, THE FIRST I principle or plan direction I think is really prominent and important as part of our initial work. It's really establishing the cultural visibility of the nations, of all three nations, Musqueam, Squamish, and TTsleil-Waututh in Gastown, and really deepen our understanding of our history in a site of importance, of prominence. So really foregrounding their presence. And we've identified Maple Tree Square, but also the Western Gateway, where Water Street and Cordova come together, and Eastern Gateway at Columbia and Powell, which is an entrance into Gastown from the east. These are three prominent locations where we want to see a little bit more presence and cultural visibility of the nations, as we've been testing through the pilots. What does this look like? It looks like interpretive opportunities like we've seen during the pilots. It looks like material choices and patterning and furnishings, planting, public art, all of these things embedded in the work that we'll continue to do. And also providing place and room for programming after the work is done throughout the life of the neighborhood. And that's obviously a relationship that will be developed over time and continue through our process, through the design work. Principle number two is to really enhance the public space network of Gastown with real focus on the key spaces of the gateways, the east and west gateways and Maple Tree Square that is really built around public life. And when we say public life, pedestrians prominently, but also looking at the range of mobilities. So this image here showing the Western Gateway existing, some laning that we think is redundant in terms of vehicular traffic, crossings that might be a little bit ambiguous in terms of how pedestrians move, street trees that have actually, some of which have already died in the last year or so and are failing and should not be failing after 50 years. They should be lasting much longer. So we're really interested in reviving this new proposed vision for the Western Gateway. to enhance the pedestrian experience, narrow crossings over Cordova, widen the pedestrian experience around the landing building as you're arriving from the CPR station, and really look at enhancing that entire experience with pedestrians in mind. What that also means is giving us opportunities to enhance, and this is the eastern gateway from the other side looking down Powell Street into Maple Tree Square. Again, some very interesting conditions of the street in that location with the CPR crossing and a diagonal gives us a lot of opportunities to identify this as a moment of introduction as you head from the east into Maple Tree Square.

So we're quite excited about those opportunities. Maple Tree Square is obviously the center of attention for a lot of our work. You can see we've developed these principles on the right-hand side, and those qualities and characteristics are already present in Maple Tree Square. Really great edges, lots of activity at the ground plane. SCALE THAT WORKS FOR TWO PEOPLE SITTING HAVING LUNCH OR 5,000 PEOPLE GATHERING FOR AN EVENT. ALL OF THESE QUALITIES ARE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO AMPLIFY THROUGH THE WORK THAT WE DO IN THE NEXT PHASE AND REALLY TRY TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC SEATING. WE TESTED DURING THE PILOT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SEATING AROUND the mound at the center on the west side of the square. We've looked at opportunities to kind of enhance the cycling network as well. And really, with the work with the GBIS, help to plan for events like Meet Me in Gastown and the Gastown Grand Prix, making sure we're testing all of the viability of those events long term. So we're really talking about centering the design around public life and making this a more delightful place to be. The third principle is a people-first, safe, multimodal corridor along Water Street. We want Water Street to really function... in a way that emphasizes pedestrian and cycling mobility. And in doing so, we really want to define what a flexible street is. And so we spent a lot of time thinking about that. The idea here is to really accommodate a range of uses that might change over time. And when we say time, it might be from... WEEKDAY TO WEEKEND. IT MIGHT BE MORNING TO EVENING. IT MIGHT BE OVER THE COURSE OF 10 YEARS OR 20 YEARS WHERE OUR PRIORITIES MIGHT CHANGE, WHERE WE MIGHT WANT TO SEE A BIT MORE PEDESTRIANIZATION ALONG WATER STREET. SO OUR DESIGN NEEDS TO ACCOMMODATE THE WHOLE RANGE OF FLEXIBLE CONDITIONS. LOOKING AT REDUCTIONS TO VEHICULAR VOLUMES SO THAT You were really narrowing the street edge using site furnishing to create what I like to call friction along the street edges that encourages drivers to slow and to provide more room and protection for pedestrians and cyclists. And a flush condition along the surface, so no curbs. If you've walked along Gastown, you may have... your ankle on one of the curbs that are there now. We would like to eliminate all of those and create a more of a flush surface condition that's fully accessible and resilient. So part of that is looking at our cycling network as well. You can see in this diagram that Water Street is a key linchpin connection between the Portside Greenway to the east, the future Seaside Greenway to Coal Harbor and around uh around stanley park and the richard street and carroll street greenways to the south so we're really interested in working with staff with gbis with cycling advocates to make sure that this connection along water street fulfills that connection and there's we've had a lot of good interesting discussions already we will continue to do that in our in our next phase of work

SO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF WATER STREETS, SO THIS IS THE AFTER IMAGE SHOWING WHAT WE THINK COULD HAPPEN. A NARROWER ROADWAY FOR VEHICLES, A LITTLE BIT MORE ROOM FOR CYCLISTS AS WE'VE TESTED OUT DURING THE SUMMER PILOT, AND MORE ROOM ON THE SIDEWALKS TO ALLOW FOR BUSINESSES TO OCCUPY THE SPACE FOR PATIOS AND TEMPORARY ACTIVATIONS, RETAIL WEARS SPILLING OUT ONTO THE STREET. bringing as much life and vibrancy from the building edges onto the sidewalk and to the public realm. Obviously thinking about curbside management and loading, unloading, parking provisions potentially as well. And the last thing is improving the street, the urban forestry approach so we can actually, with the repair and replacement of the paving, go in, add structural soils and soil cells to allow these trees to thrive for a century, not half a century. And that flexibility built in by removing curbs allows for Meet Me and Gas Down events like we're illustrating here to really function in a much more fluid and integrated way and just using devices like bollards or street furniture to help control movement and traffic. So this is sort of the core of our work, I would say, and I think we're excited to explore that as we move into the next phase. Principle number four. MAKING CORDOVA A TWO-WAY, IT HAS ACTUALLY BEEN A TWO-WAY STREET AS MANY OF YOU PROBABLY OBSERVED SINCE THE PILOT IN 2025. WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF GOOD FEEDBACK FROM SHOPKEEPERS PARTICULARLY ON CORDOVA WHO ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS DIRECTION. IT HAS SOME CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF TURN RESTRICTIONS, BUS ROOTING AND OTHER ELEMENTS, BUT WE SEE THE BENEFITS OF THE ACTIVATIONS AND THE SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT AS OUTWEIGHING THOSE CHALLENGES. It also may have some implications for two-waying of Cordova to the east, which staff has indicated an interest in extending a study towards the east. And it may have some implications for Powell as well as a one-way corridor and looking at lane reductions or perhaps reconfigurations. We'll say that... Chris can probably confirm this, is that because of this two-waying, we've seen a 45% reduction in cars entering Water Street over the course of that pilot during the summer months when we were testing. So we're seeing that shift in emphasis of mode on Water Street towards pedestrian and cycling already. So this is Cordova looking west in the previous condition, one way heading out of downtown. Now looking at ways to enhance the pedestrian edges, this is La Maga's N-Alley towards the Western Gateway. We really can grab a lot more area of the street right-of-way for pedestrians, introduce street tree planting, which hasn't been there for a while, and bring some of the material design quality over onto the south side of Cordova as well.

The fifth principle is to strengthen Gastown's unique streetscape character. Now, as Rachel mentioned, the public realm of Gastown is acknowledged as a national historic site. It's based on the materials of paving, street furnitures, et cetera. All of these were built in the 1970s, so I think that we've had a long debate about the validity of that style of public realm enhancement, you know, a Victorian era of... design built in the 1970s so but I think there's no debate that this work that was done in the 70s is really valuable in terms of establishing a character for the neighborhood and to actually fly in the face of some of the planning decisions that were being made in the 1960s and 70s which included highways and freeways through through Maple Tree Square, actually. So the value of this is really acknowledging the importance of those improvements, despite their character, and then adding and weaving into that stories that are a little bit more, let's say in a contemporary context, a little bit more representative of our broader history. So we actually spent a bit of time to explore material choices. We reached back to think about what are the materials of Vancouver? And looking at forest, mountain, sky, and ocean as our inspirations, what would that look like in the street? We would use wood for site furnishings, for seating. We might use stone for paving. We would really explore lighting in a particular way in the uniqueness of our skies and our light of our sky. And thinking about water and representing water, which actually lapped up against the edge of Water Street 500 years ago. All of these things will be serving as an inspiration for us as we get into the next layer of detailed design. We're really excited to be able to share that with all of you and also work with the nations, which we think there's some alignment in terms of our thinking with materials. We've also narrowed our selection of paving materials to equal to or better than what is there today. And so we're looking at granite pavers, which you're seeing now installed at Trails Alley. We're looking at concrete unit pavers, which have an engineering standard, perhaps in roadways, or maybe repurposing some of the clay brick that we see out there today and a lot of people in the neighborhood still love, right? So I think we need to think about all those things, and we'll try to explore that in our... in our next round of work. Also thinking of the visual consistency and cohesiveness with site furnishings, bollards, seating, lighting, all of the things that enhance and are part of the experience of the public realm. We'll also be looking at how we can integrate best management practices for accessibility, looking at directional wayfinding

we call a tactile warning at the edges of intersections that give and we've had some good site tours with people who from the CNIB and who use mobility aids who've given us some great guidance on how to integrate those particularly in a curbless environment that we're proposing so this is all stuff that we'll be continuing to work on and we think could be really well integrated into materials we're choosing We've gone through a lot of precedents in our work. The one in the middle here from Seattle is the one that resonated, I think, the most with our team. It's really a granite paving surface through both vehicular and pedestrian areas that extend right through the curbs. It was built in the 1980s. Lori Olin was the landscape architect. And it's based on a Coast Salish basket weave pattern as well. So it has three different colors. We think that this is an appropriate precedent that we'd like to explore and enhance, obviously with the input and advice of the nations as we move forward. And our last principle is looking at the neighborhood experience. After the design work is done, after construction is complete, the work is not yet done. We'll be working with GBIS to look at the neighborhood experience, looking at waste management strategies, which have been a longstanding issue in Gastown, looking at cleaning and sanitation requirements, working with all of the local neighborhood associations who have a stake in the work here. and prioritizing how we manage and maintain the work over time. And that includes other amenities like Portland Loo washrooms that we're studying right now, filling stations, climate reprieve or heat reprieve is something that we're thinking about as well. So all of these things will contribute to the management and maintenance of the work we do so that As designers, we're not leaving the room when the drawings are complete. We're maintaining a relationship long-term. So I'd be happy to answer any questions, but I'll pass it back to Rachel.

So... Finally, recommendations for council. So as I said, our first recommendation is to adopt this holistic vision and framework for the neighborhood. A couple of key things to note. This is a long-term plan and will require a prioritization around which projects to advance and... investment over multiple capital plans. We are also extremely conscious of the construction impacts in the neighborhood, especially in a business neighborhood like Gastown, and just how that has to be at the forefront of our thinking and we'll be making sure that it is in our next steps. The other piece here is around continued engagement.

So this is a vision that captures the direction for the neighborhood As a project advances, we'll need to work with local businesses, residents, and others around the details of that design.

Next recommendation is to advance Maple Tree Square as that first project. As Joe highlighted, this really is the preeminent public space in Gastown. There's a huge opportunity here to really highlight and make this an even better space than it is today with key features in the neighborhood as well. It can act as a draw. A lot of people today kind of get stuck at the steam clock. What's going to make them move through the neighborhood? And, of course, there's a significant opportunity to work with the nations.

In terms of the next steps, there are quite a few design challenges still to work through, particularly thinking about how we balance the need for movement through the space on a day-to-day, so vehicles traveling through the space, cycling, with the public life needs of the square, and thinking about how we adapt the square easily to become a car-free public space for events, pedestrian zones, etc. And as I noted, the construction impacts of a project like this are something that we really need to think through from the beginning. At this time, we think a project like this will cost on the range from $20 to $25 million. However, we can, within our current budgets, move forward the design.

Finally, our last recommendation is for other actions in the neighborhood. Particularly if we are focusing the first project on Maple Tree Square, we have interim improvements on Water Street. That includes things like concrete barriers. We know that that's not going to last in the neighborhood, and we need to make it look nicer and more fitting with the neighborhood context. So we're suggesting that this is an important action that we take on in parallel with the work in Maple Tree Square. In addition, there's other more targeted investments we could make to enable pedestrian zones. So things like retractable or removable bollards, these could also bring down the costs, the operational costs of pedestrian zones significantly. The second action that we're recommending here is to regularize the Sunday pedestrian zone program. It's been a really big success in the neighborhood, and we'd like to move it from kind of a pilot to our regular business. And finally, as Joe mentioned, we're recommending, based on the success of two-way Cordova so far to Gore, what might be the opportunity to extend that to the Powell Street overpass and work with those communities as well as Gastown on some of the benefits that could bring.

And that is it for the presentation.

Before we go to the question queue, Councillor, please go ahead. Yeah, just have a potential conflict of interest here, so just out of an abundance of caution, I'm going to recuse myself for the remaining speakers and the vote. My parents own property in Gastown. Thanks. Thank you.

Yeah, thanks, Chair, and thanks to staff for a terrific presentation. I have a number of questions. I'm going to try to fire through them. The first one is really around the design changes, and you referenced use of bollards. I remember bringing this up before when it gave a lot of the previous direction you mentioned, 2023, on Gastown, and I was in Portugal last month. and saw how effectively they use, very flexible in terms of being able to come down to allow for deliveries at key delivery times and to go up for events and reduce sort of, they provide safety, but they reduce the things like some security and other costs for the BIAs in the area. How likely are we to see those, and would Gastown potentially be a first pilot where these could be extended to other areas in the city? Yeah, that's absolutely what we want to explore here in Gastown. We're really excited. There's a number of options, and we're looking at them that could apply also citywide. Okay, it was really great to see them in action. I've got lots of great photos, and I'll share those with staff. My next question is around the two-way Cordova, and just based on observation, I'm curious in terms of staff observations and or any data that we are collecting. It does seem to have provided a bit of a calming effect in terms of the speed of cars going through there. It used to be the one way that it was a great way to sort of hightail it out of the city, so to speak. Is that, are we tracking that and is that an empirical result? Because that's my kind of observational. Yeah, great. Thank you for the question. My name is Chris Darwin, the Associate Director of our Transportation Design Group. And so what we are tracking through the area there is travel time, which is directly related to speed. And yet as travel time has gone up through the area there, that would mean the speed would be going down. Okay, so all in all, we would see that as a good result? As a positive, yes. It's provided some calming. And in terms of, I really want to talk a little bit around timing, because I know that we were going out of the gate a bit more quick. We had some concurrent construction and other things that were happening. We wanted to take some time to test the pilots. That was direction that was given. What I'm looking for now in terms of, I appreciate the acknowledgement around construction going forward, and I heard some references in the presentation to over time we'll do this. is also a desire to sort of get some of this done. So I hear both from the local businesses. So what can we expect in terms of phasing? What changes are coming first that we can see material benefits from the capital investment that council is putting aside? Yes, so two pieces. So as I said, the near-term actions, so we can see some improvements on Water Street from the materials that are out there within the next year. We'd also be advancing the design for Maple Tree Square, assuming that passes today, and getting into the detailed design and construction conversations. And so then we would have engagement likely early 2027 on those. Okay, so reflecting back then, we could see, public would see material changes on Water Street the next year, and we can see completion potentially Maple Tree Square the next capital plan? Yes, that's correct. Okay.

My next question is really around...

With respects to the pedestrian pilot being very popular and in terms of balancing the needs with businesses, do we see the ability to continue extending that? I know that we tried full weekends. We reverted away from Sundays. But what does that look like in terms of a trajectory over time? Yeah, great question. There's a lot of potential. So as Joe was mentioning, a core cornerstone of the design thinking is that flexibility so that it can adapt over time. And so we'd be working closely with businesses in the area and other community groups. And there has been some interest in, for example, this summer extending the hours a little bit. We could see over time maybe it's weekends. And we'll be really working closely with the neighborhood to figure out what's the right fit. Okay, but when we have some infrastructure potentially, we could see, let's say it's Ballard or something else, we could see, for example, summer evenings or other options. Absolutely. Reflexed based on engagement with the businesses. Exactly, yeah. Okay, thank you. I'll leave it there. I appreciate all the work.

So that was one of the key things we were testing last summer with the Sunday pedestrian zones is kind of a range of programming. And it's true that some activation of the street is really important. We are providing some funding to the GPS for that. And I know it's a challenge for them to provide that potentially the scale of programming that they'd like to see.

That answers your question.

Yeah, that's something we can definitely work with the DBS if they're interested in kind of a wayfinding piece around the neighbourhood. Yep.

Yeah, great. Thank you for that question. So in the interim design, we're looking more at improving the sort of a lot more in the aesthetic side of things and how to make it easier to remove things and put them back for events like the Gaston Grand Prix. and things like that, as well as the bollards that we had mentioned before that we could potentially put in there. For the larger improvements on cycling, we'd be looking to do that in the larger rollout of the vision.

So definitely on the automatic bollards, one of the factors is going to be what's underneath there, but also just sort of the maintenance. There could be other options that we look at that are maybe less automated. But doing a survey of what bollards are out there as well, as these become more popular, there's also shallower type bollards that can use as well that don't go as deep. And so those utility concerns can be mitigated.

Yep, absolutely. We're on the lookout for that.

Thanks, Chair, and thanks, staff. I know that this is arguably one of the most comprehensive plans we've had brought to us, and you can clearly see the intense amount of work that's gone on the last two and a half years, so a lot of appreciation to our team for that. And also, you know, we're still going to hear from speakers, but our recent meeting with the GBIS, you know, signaled to me that we made a lot of progress in terms of how the city has been working very proactively and positively with the neighborhood. And there's probably not many neighborhoods that we ask so much of than we do have grasped down in our entire city. So I'm going to fire through a few questions. I want to maybe just get a quick sense of the learnings from our two-waying of Cordova. I realize at the very beginning there was some frustration. But I think it's been actually very positive, just I'm observing it myself. And from the sounds of the traffic planning, it's going very well. So maybe you can give me a few points on that. Thanks. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, the data sort of supports your experience out there as well. As soon as we closed it in June there, we were seeing delays of like 70% in the eastbound direction. And those have significantly reduced. And the volume that previously was traveling eastbound on Cordova has redistributed throughout the network. So eastbound volumes are down on Cordova as well. And construction, I think it was Salvation Armory's building over on just near Main Street was causing a lot of choke points there. That was one of the bigger challenges at the beginning. I'm just going to talk to you about pavers. I kind of half-joked. I said that when we started doing the big work that we did at Maple Tree Square, replacing the pavers from the asphalt, that we would be ordering them in from some far-flung place, and we were going to get them customized. But clearly, we were very cost-conscious. I see some of the pavers that we replace them with are different mismatched colors and things like that. Sounds like we have a plan to have some more kind of consistent look of that in the future.

Okay, all right. Then by looking at the renderings, I'm actually impressed at how much space we are not currently using versus what we might use in the future. the maple tree square renderings and the potential for a stage and having music there. I know that there's been a lot of really great activity there in the past, but the idea that it could be like a little mini venue for music performances and things like that is very exciting. How do we plan to make sure that that is something that could be, just in terms of any infrastructure, like connections and hookups for power and that sort of thing, if we need to do that on a more regular basis? Yeah, so that's a fundamental part of the renewal of the square there, is thinking about that infrastructure to support events, but also enable placemaking, enable, make sure there's good water access. All of that would be a part of the design. The sidewalks, when I look, there's a rendering that shows the corner of Cordova and water at the western edge. And it's striking to me how much more pedestrian space is envisioned for that than it currently is right now. Is that just because we're going to occupy some of that place where the barriers are now and expand the sidewalks in that area? I mean, it looked to me like it was actually quite a bit wider. In fact, there's a tree that was planted kind of where the street currently is now with some of the barricades around it. On Cordova you're talking? That's right. Right next to Steamworks there. Yeah. Oh, okay, yes. Yes, there's opportunity there to expand the sidewalk and expand that space, yeah. I'm just curious. I'd heard about some of the loss that's happening with the mature trees in the area, and I'm wondering if there might be some explanation for that. Obviously, we treasure our trees, but why we're starting to see some of that canopy struggling. I'm not sure if... I did hear that from Joe, I think, yeah. Thank you for the question, Councillor Meiszner. I think urban forestry standards of the time in the 1970s were probably, in fact I can attest to that, that we likely had very little soil volume that was placed in support of those trees at that time. If we were to follow current urban forestry standards in the city of Vancouver, and with this opportunity to do improvements, we would look at 29 to 35 cubic meters of soil per our city bylaws, and that would be through silvicels or structural soil underground. So the idea is that these trees will last 80 to 100 years, not 40 to 50. Okay. Great. That's my time. Thanks very much, Chair.

That's a good question. So we're putting in the first Portland Loo at Main and Powell, and that should be in the next month. And we should learn a lot from that. And then if that pilot works well and we're seeing that infrastructure kind of hold up in that context, we'll be advancing further projects.

Yeah, so right now our sanitation service levels do increase in the summer, and we work closely with our colleagues to think about when we're seeing a higher volume of activity. So, for example, during FIFA, there'll be enhanced service, and that kind of responsiveness is going to continue.

I'm the director of streets and engineering services. Over the course of many years, it's been very difficult to source the specific clay tile brick that is found in Gastown. We are also disappointed with the mismatch that we sometimes run into. We're often not given a lot of... lead time when a third-party utility, for example, needs to cut the road. And rather than, you know, doing an asphalt repair, we've felt that more often than not, it's better to go in and try to match as closely as possible. Moving forward, because we recognize that, you know, the changes that are contemplated in the plan will take time, we're sourcing directly now. We're working on a plan to source the exact correct brick for Gastown. So moving forward, even with the historic materials, we'll have supply of the correct clay tile.

It's something that we could look at.

So with two-way Cordova, we see the traffic volume being about the same on Cordova. It's just in two different directions now, so roughly about the same. In terms of the pedestrian crossings, I can see that maybe it feels some difference with cars coming from both directions. But what I can say is we look to sort of explore getting two-way Cordova going out to the east. Part of that work, we can also include taking a look at what are some of the existing conditions that we can maybe tweak up a little bit on the section we've to wait already.

So with this new plan here, tour buses, and this is something we'll work out along the, I guess, the Water Street full design. It's where those could fit on the street, on Water Street itself. In the interim here, we also have introduced tour bus zones on Cordova itself in the westbound direction. And so that can function on days when Water Street is completely closed. But we found last year is the majority of tour buses actually use the stop up on Richards Street. so just south of Cordova there on Richards.

With Port of Vancouver, and we've communicated this with our tour bus stakeholder group.

Yeah, and there's been some interest, particularly along Carroll Street, to think about that connection between the two neighborhoods. And so, yeah, if the BIAs are interested in having that conversation, including Hastings Crossing, we're happy to support.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you for the presentation. A lot of thorough work here. I just have a couple of questions. You mentioned the short-term, interim treatment of Gastown. And I think I heard the response would be likely within a year. And I ask in the context of we've done a lot of great work, but it still looks a little bit sort of temporary, if you will. And so... realistically we're probably a year out from seeing more permanent sort of treatment to that area? Would that be a fair? Yes. Yeah. Okay. And then I also heard in your presentation that really this renewal really will have to span multiple capital plans. But I'm curious, I'm always a bit driving about how can we do things faster? And What are the opportunities to deliver more than just the first phases and in the next capital plan or in over two capital plans as opposed to, I heard kind of multiple, which in my mind it starts to signify three or four, and then we're talking, we're 20 years out. So what are your thoughts on that and how we could collaborate maybe with other partners to drive that change more quickly? I think there are two core challenges. One is just the scale of budget. So if we're looking at water and Maple Tree Square together, that could be on the range of $50 to $80 million. And then the other piece is just there is a bunch of design work that we need to work through, and that's going to take some time. Okay, fair enough. And then I have two more granular questions. And one, you referenced the greenway and the connections for the cycling. Right now, I think it's been a little bit confusing that there's a two-way portion of cycling along Water Street. And I'm just curious, will that be addressed as part of sort of working through sort of how we manage pedestrians, vehicles, and cycling infrastructure? Because I think right now there's a little bit of confusion. There's a portion where you're going two-way. And in many instances, you're only going one way in other parts of the city on some of our greenways. So could you just speak to that? Yeah, so as a part of the longer-term vision for Water Street, we'd absolutely be looking at how to improve conditions along water for cycling. Okay. And then my last question is, there's an incredible amount of history in this area, both indigenous history as well as colonial history, if you will, in terms of... And I'm curious if we will... be doing more to showcase those pieces. I walk a lot. I was in North Burby recently, and they've got a lot of placards up where you stop at a certain point. It's like, here's a history of, you know, there used to be a train railway here. And I think it is part of bringing neighborhoods alive is... To create those spaces, whether it be signage or in this day and age, you know, you could be doing QR codes, but to really showcase the multifaceted history of a neighborhood, I personally find it intriguing.

I think a lot of other people do. So will that be encompassed in our sort of work that's just not, it's not just about the physical infrastructure in Gastown? Absolutely. And a lot of our conversations, as I noted, have started with the nations about that. So they're very interested in being able to kind of tell the story of their history to the area, but also their future. And so that they each, so we've been working with Squamish on a project and both Musqueam and... A slave of tooth will also have something like that. And then I think to your point, there's more opportunity for those things. And especially because it's a national historic site, we can work with our colleagues at Parks Canada, and there may be additional information that we could have in the neighborhood. Yeah, I think that'd be fantastic. I'll leave my questions there. I know we have quite a few speakers. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you for that question. Unfortunately, the data we receive is from ICBC, so there'll be a lag in that. But definitely that's something that we want to have a keen eye on and know if there are 311 requests as well, if those reports come in, so we can investigate if there's something happening out there.

So the area in, I guess, we're probably looking at the most is east of Gastown here. So when we're looking at the extension of two-way Cordova east of Gore, we would also take a look at Powell Street there as well to see how that would function through that space.

No, absolutely. And we've heard that concern as well with some of the existing pavers that are out there. You know, I think the technology out there with getting those smooth pavers has increased quite a bit. And so if you looked at even what we're putting in a trounce alley, that provides a much smoother experience. And so we'll be looking to do, you know, similar treatments and similar smooth paths in the Water Street area as well.

Maybe just to clarify, if your previous question was about are there things we can do with the existing papers in advance of the sort of replacement that the Gastown Public Spaces Plan might envision, I think the short answer is no. We can restore the surface so we can remove trip hazards and other things, but the existing surface, I think, kind of is what it is. I don't think that there's much we can do with the gaps or the grout in any sort of meaningful way, unfortunately.

Absolutely. So any new surface, whether it's the granite or the concrete or whatever new paving technology we might use, will be fully accessible. And an example of that would be the work that we've done in Trounce Alley.

Okay, so Councillor Bligh, we need you to be on the camera.

Chair, if my camera's on, just, sorry, Chair, on a point of privilege.

I'm just, I'm dealing with recovering from a surgery. My camera's on, I'm sitting right here. And I just like the understanding of the, of the council and the chamber in this instance, given we did not have quorum for today, technically on a medical leave, but I joined the call. So I just like some flexibility. Thank you.

Um, hi, good morning. Um, Thank you, everyone. My name is Eva Tichelska. I'm a resident of Gastown and I am today representing the Gastown Residents Association, a united voice of our growing residential community. We support thoughtful revitalization of Gastown, but residents, again, were not included in this process. While the business association was consulted, as it is always the case, us people who live here were not brought into the dialogue. I would like to remind everyone that Gastown is not just a commercial district. It's home to many families like myself. We are asking to include the Gastown Resident Association in ongoing planning and decision making. Not after the fact, but as part of the process. As residents, our priorities are clear. Safe, clean, and well-maintained streets and sidewalks. Healthy street trees, and especially responsible and effective management of the excessive nighttime noise that we have to deal with on a daily basis. A balanced approach that supports both the economy and livable conditions for those who call gas down home. Thank you. That's all from me today.

Good morning. Yes, my name is Gail Liebert, and I've been living in Gastown for the past 26 years. I would like to be supportive of the public spaces plan, but I cannot support any plan for Gastown that so blatantly ignores the residents of Gastown and their best interests. We are an active and vibrant community of homeowners and renters, and we care deeply about the health and welfare of our community. We are major stakeholders, not an afterthought. It's beyond me the ignorance and or entitlement shared by planners and politicians alike that would have them walk over such crucial stakeholders, in an area they're hoping to successfully redesign. Thank you.

Speaker number three is Alice Yukoski.

Hi there. Yes, my name is Elise Yarkowski, Executive Director of the Gaston Business Improvement Society, representing over 600 businesses and property owners. On behalf of the GBIS, we support advancing the Gaston Public Spaces Plan. We see this as an opportunity to shape Gaston into a more vibrant, livable, and economically resilient neighborhood. The Gaston Public Spaces Plan has been a lot of years in the making, and I want to acknowledge the collaboration that got us here between city staff, the consultant team, and the GBIS. as well as First Nations and other key stakeholders. Over the past several years, we've tested ideas in real time. We've seen what works and what doesn't. We've had difficult conversations, made adjustments, and kept moving forward. While it hasn't always been perfect, it has been meaningful progress, heading to the most coordinated approach Gastown has seen in years. From expanded seating in Maple Tree Square, to patio expansions, to programming that brought over 100,000 people into the neighborhood last summer, we are seeing the potential. But today is not the finish line, it's the starting point. There are four key considerations we want to reinforce as we discuss moving into implementation. First, phased implementation. Construction and change cannot come at the expense of the businesses. A dedicated construction advisory lens will be critical. Second, interim infrastructure investment. We need to move beyond temporary pilots and begin reflecting the long-term vision on the ground. Third, consultant continuity. Ongoing investment in the consultant team is critical to maintain continuity and design integrity. Fourth, event-based closures and programming. What we learned is closures alone don't drive success, programming does. Sufficient investment is essential to sustain momentum and economic activity. There are also key elements of the plan that we strongly support. A flexible, multimodal water street that prioritizes people while still supporting vehicle access, cycling, and movement. A holistic design approach that treats Gastown as a connected neighborhood, including side streets and a two-way Cordova, not a series of isolated interventions. A commitment to heritage and material integrity, including the current red, black, and granite pavers, while integrating First Nations design and cultural recognition. and a focus on operations and service levels. Gastown is one of Vancouver's most cultural and economic assets. It is often the first place visitors experience, an entry point into the city, recognized globally. The pilots have shown what's possible. The collaboration has built trust.

The plan gives us direction. Now is the time to build on that momentum, not lose it. We encourage council to support advancing this plan while ensuring it is backed by the investment, coordination, and care required to deliver it successfully. Thank you, councillors, for your time today and for all of your support. We would not be here today without it.

Hello. Good morning, Mayor and Council. My name is Paroj Fakhre. I'm a principal at PH5 Architecture. Our office is located in Gastown, and we've been actively engaged in advocating for thoughtful improvements to the neighborhood's public realm. I'm speaking in support of the Gastown Public Spaces Plan today. Similar to the previous speaker, this is a strong and comprehensive framework, one that reflects the lessons learned from previous pilot projects and responds in a balanced and practical way to the many competing needs in Gastown access by foot, bike, and vehicle, better everyday experiences in our public realm, cultural representation, and support for local businesses so they can continue to contribute to a vibrant neighborhood and healthy local economy. Importantly, the plan recognizes that Water Street should function as a flexible and multimodal street. This flexibility allows it to serve day-to-day needs while also creating those opportunities for pedestrian-only days, special events, and seasonal programming. As demonstrated through the pilot project, pedestrian zones can be highly successful, but they do not succeed through the street closure alone. They do require programming, animation, and ongoing support to bring people in and create the reasons why they stay. A multimodal approach gives the city the ability and the neighborhood, the ability to scale these initiatives based on available resources, changing neighborhood conditions, and future opportunities. This is why the plan is so valuable. It's realistic, achievable, and adaptable. It provides a solid foundation to guide future investments while ensuring infrastructure improvements made in Gastown remain resilient over time. For many years, funding was discussed for needed upgrades to Gastown's aging streets and public spaces, and it's encouraging to see this work move forward. And I'd like to acknowledge the Council, staff, and the consultant team for bringing the project to this stage. At the same time, it's really important that this momentum is not lost. And while today's report does not request additional financial resources, I encourage Council to ensure sufficient funding is available for several key next steps, the interim design, continued plan development with the staff and consultants, continued engagement, and funding pedestrian zone programming and ensuring maintenance and repair. Gastown is one of Vancouver's most iconic neighborhoods, and this plan helps strengthen it as a destination for locals and tourists alike. This plan moves us forward in a thoughtful way, and I encourage Council to support it. Thank you.

Nathan?

Thank you, Chair and members. My name is Nathan Davidovich. This important report is rushed through without proper discussion. The Gaston BIA already produced a report, a planning report in 2023, which there's no reference in your report or no copies of that important report. And now you hired a consultant, you know, which is shown in small letters at the bottom of the page or whatever, 200-page document. Each page probably cost $1,000, including extra staff time and so forth. You know, it's just unbelievable.

Bus number 50, Falls Creek South, used to serve Gastown and Water Street prior to July 2025. The initial cost of this important bus route that was started in the 1970s was paid by the city and the residents of Falls Creek. And therefore, it needs a special engagement, not just to brush it off or walk to Cordova Street and get the bus there. No, no. We need accessibility. There's a BC Accessibility Act, and you contravene the act. Well, not you, but many cities actually contravene the act because there's no penalties in the act. I mean, the way the transportation system is done in Vancouver is different than other cities. And the city manager can tell you how the city of Delta does it. If you ask him the questions, and you'll find out that it's way different than the city of Vancouver. And every other city in BC has done it differently. They don't give unlimited power to the city staff to do whatever they want. But that's what we have here. And some of my suggestions are a 12-passenger golf cart to serve Water Street, which has been discussed on commercial drive. Instead of a regular bus service, we could have the golf cart service. There'll be a whole bunch of problems once the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts are closed. Well, where is the traffic going to go? Well, there'd be way more traffic on Hastings Street, Cordova Street, and so forth. So there's a whole bunch of problems. And unless we have a proper transportation plan, you know, and eliminate the one-way streets, like I sent you an email about that, you know, it just creates more pedestrian fatalities.

And so thank you very much for listening to me.

Speaker number six is Pamela Saunders.

Good morning, Chair and Councillors. My name is Pamela Saunders, and I lead Microsoft's engineering presence here in Vancouver. Before I detail why we support the Gastown Public Spaces Plan, I wanted to share my own reason for being here today. 12 years ago, before I joined Microsoft, I worked for the Gastown Business Improvement Society. I walked our blocks every day. I got to know the merchants. I came to understand what makes this neighborhood unlike anywhere else in the city. So when I speak to you today, I speak as a Vancouverite who appreciates the work that I've done. Sorry, I think it's okay. I have a point of privilege. I was having trouble hearing the speaker with the noise in the gallery. I just wonder if we could give some grace to the speaker to start over.

Thank you.

I speak to you as a Vancouverite who truly understands Gastown, as a member of the Gastown Board of Directors, and a business leader who advocated for the office space that we established there in 2021. Gastown is not just one of our addresses. It's a community that we're part of. Microsoft occupies space above street level, which shapes how we see this plan. Our focus is on two things, access and vibrancy. Access because our employees, partners, visitors, and customers, move through Gastown every week, arriving by transit, by bike, on foot, and by car. And vibrancy, because the streetscape below our workplace is a key reason talent wants to be there. We need restaurants and patios and owner-operated retail spaces and services, things that are directly impacted when the street is closed or when there's disruption. And that's why I'm adding my voice in support of advancing this plan. We agree that the vision for a multimodal Water Street balances pedestrian movement with transit, cycling, car, and service access. and is the ideal outcome for how the neighborhood flexes from daily operation to special event setup. I also support the plan's design approach that treats Gastown's full public realm as a connected whole, and its commitment to heritage and material integrity that gives the district its character. As you move towards implementation, we ask council to keep a few things in mind. A phased approach that minimizes disruption to businesses and residents. Funding for interim infrastructure that gets us beyond the pilot phase and builds on positive perception. Continuity in the consultant team that built design integrity into this plan. Continued investment in event-based closures and programming because closures without programming impact both the momentum we've earned and the vibrancy we're aiming for. And cross-department alignment inside the city so that engineering, planning, arts, and culture move together. Microsoft is proud to be part of Gastown's future. We thank city staff, the consultant team, and council for the genuinely collaborative process that brought us to this point, and we look forward to the partnership ahead. Thank you.

My name is Chris Kanuka, and I am the chief operating officer of Old Spaghetti Factory Canada Limited.

I am. I'm speaking on behalf of myself, Mr. Peter Buckley, Mr. Hunter Wiley, and Mr. Chris Sui.

Can they identify themselves individually?

They're all on the call.

Yeah, just say their name so we can give you five minutes to speak.

Sure, they just need to say their names. They're all listening.

Peter Buckley is present. Thanks. Chris Suey is also on the call. Hello, this is Hunter Wiley. I defer to Chris Kanuka.

No problem. As I said, the Old Spaghetti Factory has been in business for 56 years. And our Gastown location employs 100 to 150 people, depending on the season. So when I speak about Gastown, I do so as someone with decades of lived experience in this neighborhood. Today I am speaking in support of the Gastown Public Spaces Plan. I support the overall direction because it recognizes something important. Gastown's future depends on vibrant public spaces, but also on access, safety, and a design that works for the businesses, employees, residents, and visitors who keep this neighborhood alive every day. The report itself moves in that direction by recommending Maple Tree Square as a priority, continued improvements to Water Street, regularized Sunday pedestrian zones with programming, and further work on two-way Cordova to support access. But I want to be clear. Support for this plan should not be mistaken as support for a return to the full 2024 street closure model. We lived that pilot, and we experienced it firsthand. as our business was impacted devastatingly. In 2024, our traffic was down 24%. We hired 30 fewer employees than we normally would have, and then lost a further 20. From my own conversations with major merchants in Gastown, the large majority were impacted as significantly as we were, or worse. Sales went negative, access became harder, customers were frustrated by the lack of parking, and the confusion around how to enter the area. We saw more visible drug activity, more disorder, and a decline in the overall sense of safety for our staff and our guests. Drug overdoses and tents on the street became a regular overnight reality, and the local market turned away from Gastown. To your credit, the plan appears to have learned from those mistakes. It explicitly says Water Street should be a people-first, safe, multimodal retail corridor, and that curbside planning must include parking, loading, and tour buses while balancing public life needs. And further to that point, vehicle access matters. Street parking allows people to access our restaurant directly, which is especially important for elderly guests and people with disabilities. A large portion of Gastown's visitors come from across Metro Vancouver year round, not just during tourist season, and many rely on vehicle access. In particular, I strongly support Maple Tree Square being treated as the focal point and gateway of Gastown. If we want a stronger Gastown, we need an inviting centerpiece that draws people beyond the steam clock and supports more businesses throughout. I also support the plan's emphasis on continued street repairs and better streetscape design. Gastown's charm is one of its greatest assets, but the area also needs durable materials, safer surfaces, better lighting, greenery, seating, and overall curb appeal. And finally, I support summertime Sunday street closures, but only with the right conditions. Sunday-only closures were very different from full closure.

The plan zone findings show stronger support for Sunday-only closures than for the 2024 model, especially where there was programming. We supported that spirit ourselves in 2025 by running a 360-degree photo booth to help add activity and energy to the street. Our own Sunday results in 2025 showed that when Sunday street closures ran without programming, they were negatively received by the end of the summer. If Sundays cannot be fully and successfully programmed, then there is no basis for considering anything beyond that. So if Council proceeds, I urge you to make the model explicit with these four support points. First, support Maple Tree Square as the focal point and gateway. Second, support Water Street as a true multimodal retail corridor that remains accessible to vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, deliveries, tour buses, and customer parking. Third, support continued repairs, improved safety and beautification. And four, support Sunday summer closures only where there is real programming, active management, and free parkade parking to make the area workable for merchants and welcoming for the public. Gastown needs a balanced plan, one that improves the public realm without sacrificing the businesses that keep it alive. That is why I support this plan with clear conditions. Thank you for your time.

Hi there. This is Suraj. Are you able to hear me? Yes, we can. Please go ahead. Yes. Again, my name is Suraj Gupta. I own the properties located at 339-341 Water Street, as well as the property that's located at 123 Tambi, which is the corner building where this theme park is located. And then our family also runs two retail shops. One is called Hudson House Trading, which is at 321 Water Street. And the other is at 339 Water Street. And we've been part of the Gaston fabric for over 50 years. The pedestrian plan of 2024, where the The area was all pedestrian was was very, very difficult time for us. And it we incurred a lot of.

We put a lot of loss in revenue because of that plan. Last plan of 2025 was a lot better in which the Sunday closures. allowed for the pedestrianization during that day, but it also allowed for the proper business activity to continue during the course of the week, including deliveries, tour buses, being able to come into the area so that the tourists can actually see the stores and then come back if they decide to come back. I am in support of the current plan. I like the idea. of sunday uh only closure uh i think it's a it's a nice balance between going all going all out and not going at all uh i think the city needs to spend a little bit of time sort of discussing the programming and what to do so that that time that the city that the street is closed it's actually beneficial to to the merchants, to the people living here, to the people that are visiting here. And they're able to enjoy that whole experience. So I am in support of the Sunday-only closure. I do think, like one of the speakers did mention, there needs to be a more concrete long-term plan. This is my third time speaking with regards to this issue. And I think it's taking up a lot of city time, a lot of money. And I think it's important that we come to some sort of conclusion as to the direction and which way we want to go for the coming years. Thank you.

Oh, thank you. My name is Al Jessa. I'm the owner of the local public eatery in Gastown. And I'm not a resident of Vancouver. First, you know, thank you for the opportunity. And I'm going to take at least one minute just to acknowledge the council members. I met with... you know, I think six or seven council members a couple weeks ago, and I've never been more impressed with the dedication. You know, politicians never occurred to me like people who work, and they just completely altered my view. They care for the city, and they care about, you know, what happens in the vision in Vancouver. So I was just deeply appreciative to the council members. The other thing that I want to really emphasize is that the city staff have put a home run plan together. I mean, we've learned a lot and as Chris said, but This plan is a real home run. And as you go through it, the plan for Gastown that I see forward that the staff have put really will put Gastown at the forefront, at the hub of one of the major attractions in Vancouver. So I really take my hat off to them. The thing that I want to reiterate is what Chris said, which is that the 2024 plan was devastating for us. We had just like them negative sales trends, increased drug and unhoused people on the streets. Our staff faced safety concerns. In fact, several of them stopped working for us. There was frustrated customers with no access to parking, right? So going back to a complete closure, This whole thing about multimodal is just what we've discovered is the ideal solution. And I hope that you follow staff's direction towards that because that's really what's hit it. And then my last comment is I really do believe like others that Maple Tree and the staff does too, that Maple Tree Square is a real focal point for this area because the public kind of gets stuck at the top of the street. And if we can get this street moving all the way down again, it's going to just be super vibrant. So those are my big comments. And again, just deep appreciation for the work council and staff have done for our businesses in our neighborhood. Thank you.

Yeah, hi there. My name is Eddie Emmerman, and I own the building at 214 Carroll Street, which is a mix of commercial and residential. I've lived in that building for 20 years and also run the Barney Stone Pub for many, many years. And I've seen many iterations of plans for Gas Town over the years, and I really do think that this is one of the strongest proposals. um i'm not going to go into what i think of the strength proposal but i just want to go into some of the things to to add on to the proposal that some others have mentioned and that i think would be great additions and and things for the execution of this proposal one um as other people have mentioned is is maple tree square and um the addition of some type of art insulation um since the removal of gassy jack which i i think was a was a good idea but we've also been talking for a number of years about the nations coming together and putting something that reflects the culture their cultural significance to the area and um you know as a business owner and resident of the area i would also like to see another uh sort of photographic opportunity aside from the steam clock which was a central part of maple tree square and i think again it's a great um a great opportunity to promote the nations and their tie to the area. And we'd like to see that added to this proposal. The next thing I want to talk about is the cycling. And we've heard about... you know the focus on cycling and having a cycling corridor through gaston and i think it's a great idea um you know the pedestrian focus um and the economic development focus of this proposal is i is i think important and the idea was to make maple trees maple true sorry um water street a traffic controlled area and i think that also should include cyclists so um cyclists zipping through their commuter cyclists zipping through there i think should be discouraged maybe even we have a cycling slowed corridor or a dismount corridor just to keep the safety of the pedestrians which is supposed to be at the forefront of this proposal um In terms of the two-way of Cordova and two-way streets in general, I think that the two-way of Cordova has been amazingly successful. As was mentioned earlier, the number of cars utilizing the street is about the same, but the speed of those vehicles has slowed down. which has contributed greatly to the safety um councillor maloney talked about this incident at columbia and hastings street which again although not part of gas town also reiterates the importance of the two-way streets and this one-way street anomaly on columbia between hastings and pender which the city has been talking about changing but hasn't been changed and i think that needs to be a great focus which will also help traffic in and out of gas town and the safety of that intersection um so i'd like that to be considered maybe not in this proposal but separately um the last thing i want to talk about that's your time you're already you're already over 20 seconds over

Thank you. Okay. Just one final thing, please. It's just the execution with the dumpsters when the dumpsters were moved from Trounce Alley into Carroll Street for the construction of Trounce Alley engineering and bylaw enforcement.

Thank you for your time.

Yeah, Chair, before we get into sort of substantive discussion in the report, I'd like to move what I think is a simple amendment. Do you want to move us to an amendment queue?

There we go. All good? Great. Thank you. And this is a simple amendment, so I'm hoping it's straightforward for council. And I know that staff has done engagement with some of the residents. It's been very fulsome with the business community as well. I think we hit the sweet spot when we have everybody kind of coming together and feeling that their input is included in the plan. And so it's a fairly simple amendment to build on the work that's been done, but just to embed this as an ongoing principle. In the work and it reads that council direct staff to include residents including organizations such as the gas town residents association by way of example and Ongoing consultation initiatives related to gas town investments and improvements Thank you.

We'd be planning with any future project to engage the GRA, other stakeholders, Gaston Business Associations, residents, businesses.

Council, please register your vote on the voting panel.

Okay, so the amendment passed with Councillor Maloney in opposition.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. I'll take this opportunity to comment on the report overall. And first of all, I want to thank staff for the work. I know this has been ongoing for some time. And it was referenced. I mean, we're coming to the end of this term now, 2026. I think direction was given over a couple of council terms. I remember making the motion to advance $10 million in the capital plan last term. And then in 2023, as was mentioned earlier, This council gave very clear direction around looking at opportunities to invest in, upgrade, give some love to Gastown, give it some TLC, recognize the historic nature and importance of the neighborhood. And I think we're starting to see that come together now. It's been a process in terms of an iterative process in terms of Going forward with the more robust pedestrian closure, then sort of taking some learnings from that, hearing from the business community, looking at opportunities and recognizing that we couldn't just look in Gaston in isolation. We needed to look at the circulation in and around the area, and that resulted in staff piloting the two-way Cordova project. All in all, I think we've gotten to a really good place right now in terms of a vision for the plan, and I really appreciate a lot of that work. There's a lot of wins in here for me in terms of regularizing the pedestrian Sundays. That's exciting. Looking at ballers, I think, makes sense, not just in our current safety environment, but in terms of flexibility for use of the street. It's great to see some of the initial near-term investments that were done on the sidewalk repairs and trounce alley. I think now it is time to really move it forward and dial it up a notch so that people can actually see the investment coming. So it's heartening to hear that we'll start to see those tangible improvements on the street in the next year. And I think people would really appreciate seeing things like Maple Tree Square moving forward tangibly and finished, the things that people can see and touch. I know there's been a lot of good work done, but I am really, I think what's really important here is recognizing how important our neighborhoods are to residents who enjoy them, to visitors who come in, to the local businesses who want thriving, great businesses, and reasons for people to come out and still shop in bricks and mortars and support and enjoy our neighborhood and sit on a patio. It was great hearing from some of the local businesses. I think it was described by a couple of different individuals. I think Al and Jessa have described as a home run plan. Another speaker said it's one of the strongest proposals. And I think when you have people wanting to augment an ad, such as suggesting additional public art, which I think is a fantastic opportunity, hopefully our public art team will take that away. I know they're also always looking at opportunities. I think that's when you have a win because people are enthusiastic and excited about it and they're looking to sort of add to it and dialing up. But I do think it's really important now that we start seeing some of the implementation completed. I think staff have done a lot of great review of different jurisdictions and that we've had engagement from a public space consultant. It was interesting to look at the example from Pine Street in downtown Seattle of how that sort of mixed in a difference in paving colors and that so that we could sort of keep the character of Gastown but provide some durability of surfaces and something that will hold up over time.

But again, I'm just really wanting to see some of this work continue to advance. People really want to get outside and gather and the opportunities for people-focused public spaces in the city. have been improving. We've got, for example, expansions to Robson along there. We've got the additional plaza, the art gallery. We've got this space going in. But we need to continue moving that work forward and get it delivered. I'm very happy to see the progress. I think, you know, again, looking at it holistically makes a lot of sense. And I do want to thank the Gastown BIS and all of the different businesses that have been engaged in that process for their collaborative engagement, for the Gastown residents, for their passion for the neighborhood. And I think the reason people are so passionate is that Gastown matters. They care about it. We all care about it. It is a great place to be and to shop. It's usually then the odd time that I find I have a free hour, which is not very often, where you can find me hitting a couple of stores and enjoying some of the local restaurants. And I think it's a jewel that we have, and we want to take care of it and support it. So I'm looking forward to seeing some of this work come to fruition, and I'm grateful to everybody who has weighed in on the plan. And I know staff are going to move this forward. They've been very responsive to feedback as well, and I'm grateful and recognize that too. Thank you.

Yeah, so as is planned here with two-way Cordova, we had moved the number 50 bus onto Cordova and we've been monitoring sort of any complaints we've gotten from the process as part of that and it seems to be working fairly well.

So we typically have riders want to slow down through the space there. In terms of what long-term looks like in Gastown or the design looks like in Gastown, that's something we'll be working through lots of the details with, the detailed design, because there's a lot of, like, subtle cues and how to get that slow cycling without sort of, you know, going too extreme the other direction.

Well, we typically do a slow your roll as more an advisory, and we often indicate the shared path to yield to pedestrians.

Thanks very much, Chair. I want to thank the speakers who came today, representatives from the Business Association and also... local residents. It was really great to hear from them and because I know that they're all very passionate about this neighborhood as I think a lot of Vancouverites are and there's been an incredible amount of work that has been done over the last two and a half years since this process begun. And while there's still a lot more work to go, I think we can safely say that things are going in a very good direction with Gastown and really looking forward to seeing the improvements that will be added to the streetscape there over time. that will improve activation and vibrancy. We see through the renderings the improvement of the pedestrian experience that is forthcoming and the cycling infrastructure that will help to keep an important connection east-west. through the portside cycling route. I've also been pleasantly surprised. I was a big advocate in the early going of the two-waying of Cordova Street, and while I realized that there were some initial bumps at the beginning, it seems to be moving forward, so I'm looking forward to seeing that going from... a pilot phase to a more permanent phase. So, uh, just again, uh, the, the plan that we have here recognizes that there's still a lot more work to do on safety and operations and ensuring that businesses and residents, uh, benefit from these changes. Uh, but overall, I think this is a very strong framework, uh, to move forward with and, uh, has a lot of ambition and I'm very much planning to support this. Thanks.

Can I please have a vote assistant favor? Yes. Noted. Thanks mayor.

Okay, Counselor Frye and Counselor Wu.

Okay, so Counselor Frye, we notice you are on the line. So if you want to vote, please turn on your video.

That's okay, yeah.

And the Counselor Wu is a couple of interest.

All right, thanks.