Register for 2018 Workshops

What’s up with False Creek South Planning?

*RePlan has been working with City staff to advance two major workstreams:

1. LEASE EXTENSIONS

Strata Leaseholder Subcommittee (SLS) delegates have been meeting with City staff in the Real Estate department to identify strata lease issues and develop options. Similarly, the Co-op Authorized Working Group (AWG) has been discussing co-op lease extensions with Community Services staff.

We are sending an update on SLS work with the City to all strata leaseholders this week, and will be inviting them to attend community meetings in the New Year to share information on the process, and hear their thoughts and opinions.

2. COMMUNITY PLANNING

a) Resident Protection and Retention Plan (RPRP) – In May 2017, Council directed City staff to engage community members in developing a False Creek South Resident Protection and Retention Plan, so all FCS residents can remain in the community.

City Planner Allison Dunnet presented the first draft RPRP to SLS and AWG members in November. Housing Planners also held open houses in the community for residents to review and provide feedback on the draft RPRP in late November and early December. You can read the City’s RPRP Discussion Guide and fill in the survey to provide your comments here. Please note the survey closes December

b) Community planning workshops – These workshops are crucial to developing community-wide planning principles that will define the parameters for development and change in False Creek South for years to come. The workshops will also play an important role in developing options for what the City is calling the “neighbourhood edge” along 6th Avenue, where the first phase of community planning will take place.

City staff members have already held two workshops for our neighbourhood – History & Context (held November 25) and Sustainability (held December 2). You can read the presentations and see what themes emerged here.

False Creek South residents and people from neighbouring communities like Fairview Slopes and the Olympic Village turned out to participate in these first two sessions, which were well organized and well attended. City staff put a lot of effort into sharing information on the topics up for discussion, which stimulated interesting conversations among participants. For example:

History & Context – City staff provide a wealth of information on the broad patterns of historic development in False Creek South—the historic and contemporary environments; First Nations people living in the area; industrial development in the late 1800s to 1960s; post-industrial planning which led, ultimately, to the community planning process for the neighbourhood we know today; and the character and design planned for the community. Read more here.

Sustainability – City staff shared ideas for sustainable, green concepts developed in other areas that might be adapted to Vancouver, such as the Soul of Nørrebro, a park designed to flood and ebb with the rainfall in Copenhagen, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Campus in Seattle, with an underground cistern to collect and reuse rainwater, among other features. Participants discussed our values and aspirations for social and environmental sustainability in False Creek South. Read more here.

“It’s good for the City and for us to participate at this level,” says Richard Vallee, member of RePlan’s Community Planning Working Group and Co-op Subcommittee. “Staff provided interesting information on the History & Context of False Creek South, and showed a film including comments from Ray Spaxman, the Director of Planning at the time.”

“I liked the way different tables were set up with city facilitators at each one. They asked good questions to get the conversation going, and we had lots of opportunity to provide feedback and exchange ideas with our neighbours about what we think is important for the community. My neighbours were pretty pumped about the workshop and are planning to go to more in the New Year.”

Don’t miss the 2018 FCS Workshop Series

Four more community planning workshops are scheduled in January and February 2018 on topics identified as important by people in the neighbourhood (click the titles to register!):