Proposed upgrade would complete the recreational seawall loop around downtown and Stanley Park
Gwen Preston
Sun
CITY OF VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER – Wider sidewalks, more trees, less parking and revamped parks are proposed for the Carrall Street heritage thoroughfare in the Downtown Eastside, according to a report released by the city’s planning department.
The plan will also include developing Maple Tree Square, at the north end of Carrall, into a spacious area using the same traditional red paving stones seen in Gastown.
“The main theme of the design is to strengthen Maple Tree Square as a ‘destination’ rather than a place to simpy travel through,” reads the report written by Brigid Kudzius and Jenny Chen-Adams.
The report also detailed the increased operating costs for the greenway. Annual maintenance are pegged at $76,500, plus $63,700 in pay and benefits for a full-time landscape designer. Construction costs are estimated as $5 million.
The revitalization of Carrall Street — which connects Chinatown, the Hastings Street corridor and Gastown — is intended to attract visitors and private investors, stimulate business opportunities and provide improved neighbourhood areas for Downtown Eastside residents.
Chen-Adams, a city planner working on the project, said the changes will be “a major city investment in the area.
“We are hoping the project will bring more positive activity back to the street. It goes beyond the brick and mortar component,” she said.
The street would be transformed into a greenway linking False Creek and Burrard Inlet, completing the recreational seawall loop around downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park.
Kudzius, assistant engineer for the project, details some of the proposals.
“In the design, the roadway is narrowed, parking is removed from one side of the street, sidewalks on both sides are expanded and recreational paths are provided on each side of the street for cyclists, skateboarders, and inline skaters,” said Kudzius.
Pigeon Park, at the corner of Hastings and Carrall, would get a facelift designed by the community members who use the areas. A granite channel to collect rainwater would run the length of the greenway, watering the trees and symbolizing the water-to-water connection the street represents.
The city has been working on the design since 2002.
Vancouver city council will vote on the plan July 13.
“It’s been quite complicated in terms of how to accommodate everything in a relatively narrow street,” Kudzius said.
The other major obstacle was attracting community support and involvement in the project, said Chen-Adams.
“That’s why the discussions for this greenway have taken so long,” she said. “Different people have different ideas of how this project should be designed. That’s the nature of this community — it’s very diverse.”
A group of local businesses and residents called the Stewardship Group participated significantly in designing the greenway.
“From the very beginning we’ve been looking at the challenge of integrating a very complex social structure,” said Roger Bayley, who chaired the community group. “We wanted to bring resources to the community and use them to create employment opportunities for Downtown Eastside residents. That’s been the driving force behind the whole thing.”
Bayley is especially encouraged by the greenway’s focus on the arts, such as a rotating streetside art demonstration.
“It’s about bringing dignity to the community,” said Bayley. “Build it and they will come.”
CARRALL STREET PROPOSAL
A look at some of the key recommendations in the city of Vancouver planning document for a proposed $5-million facelift for Carrall Street.
Road narrowed: “The [Carrall Street] roadway is narrowed and parking is removed from one side of the street. This allows the sidewalks to be expanded and dedicated recreational paths to be provided for cyclists, skateboards and inline-skaters on both sides of the street.”
Trees added: Three to four rows of trees, depending on location, will be planted to give the street a tree canopy and ensure the greenway concept extends the length of the corridor.
Pedestrian-friendly square: A redesign of Maple Tree Square — the intersection of Carrall and Water Street where the statue of Gassy jack stands — will narrow the roads and add significantly to the already wide sidewalks to make a space “to be owned and enjoyed by the community” as a “destination” square.
New life for drug-dealing central: Tiny Pigeon Park, now better known for drug dealers and discarded needles, would get a complete makeover.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006