Refer Waterfront Precinct Planning
Motion 19 · Standing Committee of Council on City Finance and Services, July 15, 2026
Summary
- Proposed directing staff to report on the scope, timing, and resources needed for a comprehensive planning framework for the central downtown waterfront precinct, covering land use, skyline, heritage, public realm, and transportation.
- Mover noted the precinct has no up-to-date integrated plan and that major development proposals (including 601 West Cordova) are advancing without one, creating cumulative impacts on skyline form and heritage context.
- A councillor noted that planning work is already underway under previous council direction, with an MOU in place and stakeholders convened; she moved a referral asking for a Q1 2027 update on that existing work rather than new direction.
- Mover accepted the referral as broadly consistent with the intent of the motion.
- Referred to staff for a Q1 2027 update.
Vote
Public comments
Read all 1 statements
Transcript
19 segments
Thanks. This motion aims to close some gaps that exist in the planning of one of Vancouver's most important pieces of land in the city, and rapid development has made it only more urgent. At the region's primary multimodal transportation gateway, regional rail, skytrain buses, ferries, cyclists, pedestrians, tourists, and cruise passengers all move through the same precinct. It further carries nationally significant heritage resources and defines views and skyline relationships that are... core to how the city sees itself. Where the issue arises is that we do not currently have an up-to-date comprehensive public waterfront plan or integrated planning framework for this precinct. That means major development decisions in this area are effectively happening without the coordinated civic framework, a site of this significance deserves. This is an hypothetical future concern. Major proposals are already emerging, including 601 West Cordova, with real cumulative impacts for skyline form. public realm, heritage context, transportation integration, and climate resilience. Every proposal that moves forward without an integrated framework is a decision made in isolation when it should be evaluated against a current long-term vision for the entire precinct. This doesn't ask for immediate action via a plan, but instead asks staff to report back on the scope, timing, and resource requirements to actually have one. This plan would include covering land use, skyline and view impacts, heritage conservation, public realm and waterfront access, transportation and future transport capacity. Further, I've asked staff to identify interim policy measures so that while this planning work is underway, we're not left evaluating major proposals in a vacuum. This is about making sure one of Vancouver's most significant places gets the coordinated long-term planning it has never actually had. So I look forward to my colleagues' support. Thank you.
Thank you. Do we have a seconder? Seconded by Councillor Maloney. We will now hear from the right speaker for this motion. I'll let the speaker say whether they are in support or in opposition of the recommendations. I may only speak once. I will also ask speakers if they are residents of Vancouver, if it is not noted on the speakers list. Our first and only speaker is Khalid Baudrill.
Can we turn on?
Yes, please. Go ahead.
Thank you, Councillor Orr, and thank you, Council, for hearing my remarks on this matter. I really want to focus not necessarily on the planning part of this, but I want to tell a story about a whale. Until about 2024, the gray whale was one of the most successful conservation stories in the world. It's a mammal with the longest migration in the world, going from the Gulf of California all the way to the Arctic off Alaska. But starting in 2025, there is a mass die-off event. And in between 2025 and the first half of 2026, a conservative estimate of 2,500 gray whales have starved to death. In those same years, gray whales have returned to English Bay for the first time in decades. Now, this isn't necessarily a good news story because we believe that a lot of those whales are coming in emaciated, feeding on the seafloor around English Bay as a last resort to make their way up to the Arctic. And that's why it's key that we have a unified governance structure and a unified plan for Falls Creek. Because whatever comes out of Falls Creek during the tide falls into the sediment at English Bay. And at this point, every whale matters. We saw the outcry when that one of the whales was hit by a jet ski this spring. But the longer-term issue with whales in our harbor has to deal with water quality. And unless we get serious about dealing with water quality, not just in Burrard Inlet, not just in the Salish Sea, but specifically in False Creek, we'll continue to see dead whales washing up on the beach. in BC, Washington, Oregon, and California.
Now, this isn't all bad news. We've seen, because of decades of work by committed community members, that herring have returned to Falls Creek, that orcas are starting to return to Falls Creek. But this healing can only happen, can only continue, if we continue to take the steps, not just at an individual level, but at a governance level, to make sure that our city is happy, healthy, and welcoming of all, both human and non-human. We're lucky to live on an amazing migratory corridor. We're blessed with all kinds of life in our city. And it's our duty as people who live here to be good stewards of those lands and waters. And that's why I urge you all today to vote in support of this motion. Okay, thanks.
All right. Sorry, there's a pause. We can't be talking in the council chamber. So let's respect the decorum in this council chamber. Okay, so committee members, is there any discussion? I saw Councillor Domenato.
Yes, Chair. Excuse me for a second. Yeah, I'm happy to speak to the motion and just to note I'm about to circulate a referral. In the context, maybe I'll circulate the referral first and then I'll speak to it. So I've just circulated that to council, and it really stems from the fact that I think that Councillor Orr and I and others around the table are aligned. Planning work.
Oh, I think because they moved you to the amendment queue, can you add yourself there?
Thank you.
I'll put myself back on.
So just backing us all up is that we have two motions, resolutions that have been moved on this piece of work to direct staff to undertake an extensive planning exercise for the central downtown waterfront. And that work is underway. There's been convening of the different property owners and different stakeholders in this area, which is quite extensive because most of the land is not owned by the city, including the station. It's a major transportation hub. As well, there are a number of stakeholders, including, for example, the port and TransLink that are all at the table. And there have been a number of agencies that have taken it upon themselves to sort of undertake some vision pieces of what we could do. to create greater access to the waterfront, because that is one of the biggest gaps right now, is that we do not have, in terms of pedestrians, cyclists, residents of the city, visitors to the city, a great access to the waterfront. And again, because we've got a transportation hub there, and I forgot to mention rail as well. So that planning work is underway. There's an MOU that's been put in place. There continues to be convening. Again, don't feel compelled to call this out of order. But I do understand some of the underpinnings of why this is coming forward is because there is... an enormous frustration over the development permit board and the decision they made around the site adjacent to the station around the Cadillac Fairviews application. And it's a pre-application, pre-development. And I share the frustration because I think there needs to be a holistic view and look at this area in terms of planning. But I don't think we need further direction. I think we simply need a focus on this coming into the next term. I think that, frankly, our staff have had to focus on other priorities that were driven by the provincial government with the implementation of a number of bills around transit-oriented areas and development and multiplex facilities. and there were some significant deadlines to meet, and so the staff have had to really focus on that. But I anticipate in the next term that there'll be a shift and a focus on this area, so I don't think it needs another motion. So I think the work can continue, and so I'm simply referring this motion to that and asking for an update in Q1 of 2027. Thank you, Chair.
Thanks. We need a seconder for the amendment? Seconded by Councillor Kerbiel. All right. Seeing no one else on the queue, I'm going to call the vote for the Councillor Domino's referral amendment. Councillor, please register your vote. Oh, Councillor, you just added yourself there. Okay, please go ahead.
Sorry, yeah, I appreciate the amendment. It's a fairly friendly amendment. I do think it was rather urgent because of that DBL process. And, you know, we talked about this offline and with community stakeholders and things like that. And there was definitely that sense of that frustration that this, you know, this had been going on, you know, as you mentioned, in 2022. 2024, now 2027, like this is, we're dragging our heels here. And that was the inspiration for my motion was just to get it going. If this has that same effect, you know, hopefully, you know, just pushes for the work, you know, to be sort of prioritized, then I'll support it. Thank you.
Thanks. All right, so let's go to the vote. Council? Oh, Councillor Maloney.
Sorry, I just wanted to very briefly say I'm at least glad Councillor Orr brought this motion because of that absolutely beautiful speech about grey whales. Thank you.
Alright, so let's go to the vote. Members, please register your vote. We're voting on...
Thanks, Mayor.
Okay, so the referral amendment passed unanimously with Councillor Fry absent. Thanks. That completes motion six. Motion seven is keep the artist in creating a cultural land trust for Vancouver. It is moved and introduced by Council of War. Before we begin this agenda item, if anyone believes they
Statement Watch
Thank you, Councillor Orr, and thank you, Council, for hearing my remarks on this matter. I really want to focus not necessarily on the planning part of this, but I want to tell a story about a whale. Until about 2024, the gray whale was one of the most successful conservation stories in the world. It's a mammal with the longest migration in the world, going from the Gulf of California all the way to the Arctic off Alaska. But starting in 2025, there is a mass die-off event. And in between 2025 and the first half of 2026, a conservative estimate of 2,500 gray whales have starved to death. In those same years, gray whales have returned to English Bay for the first time in decades. Now, this isn't necessarily a good news story because we believe that a lot of those whales are coming in emaciated, feeding on the seafloor around English Bay as a last resort to make their way up to the Arctic. And that's why it's key that we have a unified governance structure and a unified plan for Falls Creek. Because whatever comes out of Falls Creek during the tide falls into the sediment at English Bay. And at this point, every whale matters. We saw the outcry when that one of the whales was hit by a jet ski this spring. But the longer-term issue with whales in our harbor has to deal with water quality. And unless we get serious about dealing with water quality, not just in Burrard Inlet, not just in the Salish Sea, but specifically in False Creek, we'll continue to see dead whales washing up on the beach. in BC, Washington, Oregon, and California. Now, this isn't all bad news. We've seen, because of decades of work by committed community members, that herring have returned to Falls Creek, that orcas are starting to return to Falls Creek. But this healing can only happen, can only continue, if we continue to take the steps, not just at an individual level, but at a governance level, to make sure that our city is happy, healthy, and welcoming of all, both human and non-human. We're lucky to live on an amazing migratory corridor. We're blessed with all kinds of life in our city. And it's our duty as people who live here to be good stewards of those lands and waters. And that's why I urge you all today to vote in support of this motion. Okay, thanks.