Relocation raises new issues, says city planner
Jack Keating
Province
The Vancouver Whitecaps are proposing their new waterfront soccer stadium be built on a site that in-cludes the SeaBus Terminal.
“That raises a new issue,” said city planner Matt Shillito. “What does it do to the SeaBus terminal?
“It likely would have to be moved. So that’s a new issue that wasn’t a problem with the previous site.”
But Shillito said in a report that goes to council on Feb. 1 that the Whitecaps’ revised proposal “is very promising” for resolving the city’s concerns.
“This new site seems to have more potential than the last one did,” he said.
Planning staff recommended that council endorse the report. That would allow city staff to work with the Whitecaps and other landowners in the area to resolve concerns that would determine whether the 15,000-seat stadium would proceed to a separate rezoning process.
Bob Lenarduzzi of the Whitecaps believes the stadium is one step closer to reality for opening in time for the 2010 Olympics.
“We’re optimistic with the findings of the city staff’s report,” said Lenarduzzi.
Staff recommended approval of the project after the Whitecaps and the Vancouver Port Authority “established an agreement in principle which would enable the Whitecaps to pursue the use of an alternative site for the stadium located north of Waterfront Station to the west and north of the previous site.”
Council voted unanimously last July to endorse the stadium provided five issues were resolved.
Although the new site is only about 150 metres from its previous location, Shillito says it “could be very significant in terms of the five issues that council directed the Whitecaps to go away and try and resolve.”
THE ISSUES WERE:
– Providing an adequate street network.
– Resolving the risks associated with dangerous goods in adjacent rail yards.
– Reconfiguring the stadium to ensure a better fit with heritage Gastown.
– Resolving impacts on the livability of residential areas south of the rail lands.
– Resolving impacts on future port development.
“It has the potential to resolve those issues, I’m not saying it does resolve those issues,” said Shillito.
“Those are the same five concerns that we have,” said Scott Hawthorn of the Gastown Neighbourhood Coalition.
“We welcome any proposal they come back with that would address those five concerns.”
© The Vancouver Province 2007