Urban Design Walking Tour - vancouver.ca · ar mmuy a Urban Design Walking Tour Summary On a very wet Saturday morning (October 13, 2012), 35 participants braved heavy rains to take

Marpole Community PlanUrban Design Walking Tour

SummaryOn a very wet Saturday morning (October 13, 2012), 35 participants braved heavy rains to take part in the Marpole Community Plan Urban Design Walking Tours. The tours started at Marpole Place Neighbourhood House with a brief outline of the day’s events, including an overview of the role of urban design in planning, and the key objectives for the day. Soon after, participants headed out on a 1.5-hr walk with their urban designer, staff representatives, and fellow Marpolians! The walking tours were divided amongst four different and distinct areas of Marpole – Oak Street, Granville Street, Cambie Corridor and Lower Hudson. Participants selected their preferred area for exploration, and set out with their groups to observe and reflect on key planning themes such as housing, transportation, parks and public space, community amenities, and land use. The walking tours were followed by a 2-hr group design session, which resulted in a collection of ‘big ideas’ for the future of Marpole. Click on each area to view the results:Granville StreetOak StreetLower HudsonCambie Corridor Click here to see photos from the walking tours.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marpoleplan/sets/72157631800013925/

Marpole Community PlanUrban Design Walking Tour GRANVILLE STREET

ALONG THE WAY: Considerations around edges, character, role of the street, nodes, lanes, public realm, etc.

Marpole Place/Family Place – offset intersection

70th & Granville intersection – high traffic volume, new Safeway development

Cornish St – housing character

Marpole Library

Pedestrian experience on Granville Street – scale of retail, car crossings

Bus loop and end of commercial strip (should commercial be extended north?)

Housing character just off of Granville/“Thin Streets” opportunity at Adera & 63rd?

Connection to Riverview Park

Haig Street – double fronting lots, street trees

David Lloyd George Elementary School – child and youth friendly planning

67th – east/west ‘desire line’ for pedestrians & cyclists, new housing opportunity? Street-to-park?

Hudson St– bike route opportunity

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Marpole Walking Tour - Saturday October 13, 2012Granville Street TourUrban Designer: Lori BrownRecorder: Lil Ronalds

Group Comments and ObservationsStops and Themes:

Walking• We observed very few pedestrians/shoppers, even on a Saturday• Rain protection (awnings) are critical for our rainy climate• need to make sure our sidewalks are barrier-free for seniors, visually impaired and those

with mobility challenges

Cycling• W. 67th could be a good cycling route

Traffic, Driving & Parking• 70th is typically congested during the week• Granville @ 70th is a difficult intersection (observed honking and poor visibility in the rain

for pedestrians crossing)• Granville feels like a highway• Median at Granville and 70th should be treed to slow traffic• Could reroute non-airport bound traffic off Granville Street (i.e., onto Oak Street)• Need to make sure there is adequate parking for shopping

Public Realm & Beautification• Planters and street furniture are great, but placement in the middle of the sidewalk can be

an issue for the visually impaired who may not expect these• Like the pavers along the sidewalk and demarcating the pedestrian crossing areas • Awnings are very important for rain protection • Need an entryway or “gateway” into Marpole somewhere on Granville Street (like in

Kitsilano and/or Kerrisdale)• Like the lights in the trees at night• No evidence of public art – need more• Wrought iron boxes around newspaper boxes

Built Form• The newer 4-storey mixed-use developments along Granville are well-suited for the area,

and the use of materials makes them attractive (use of stone, shingles and wood) • The higher 4-storey form along the arterial also acts as a noise barrier for the residences

behind them• Car-oriented, strip mall developments not pedestrian friendly, and often full of double

GRANVILLE STREET


parked cars, making access for pedestrians and cars a challenge

Parks/Open Space/Trees/• We need more community gardens• More street trees• The median along Granville Street @ 70th should be fully treed• More street benches and place-making for socializing • Riverview Park not well used• Shannon Park – well used and good soccer field

The HEART• There are multiple ‘hearts’, but the main heart is the area surrounding the library, former

Character’s Coffee and Books store, new Safeway development

Retail • Need more variety of shops (and funky shops)• Need more vibrancy – more funky coffee shops and pubs (with some concern about late

night hours of pubs)• Should be more like Kerrisdale or 4th Avenue (variety of stores, and same sense of

pedestrian activity)

Community Facilities & Services• The library is a very well-used, well-liked facility, but is too old and doesn’t have enough

computers• The community centre is too far away and should be on Granville Street, or near good

transit. • Many people that go to Granville Street for daily needs don’t have a car, and accessing

the current community centre is difficult.

Housing• Housing on either side of Granville, off the arterial, feels different (east side housing stock

feels different from west side housing stock). This could be from the different street grid.

Stops: 1. Marpole Place/Family Place – offset intersection

• Great facility for seniors • One of Marpole’s hearts

2. 70th & Granville intersection • high traffic volume• should put trees in the median to slow traffic• there is a spot on the corner with a few benches that is well used, sometimes by local

homeless residents• seasonal water fountain a nice addition

GRANVILLE STREET


• electrical box could be covered with art decals or some other more visually appealing decal

• newspaper boxes (3) here could have a container around them – like the wrought iron boxes in Kerrisdale

• 7-11 very handy to have, but strip mall not great design, especially for pedestrians and is often a parking scramble. This area/corner could use more trees and better public realm treatment.

3. Cornish St – housing character• Many people had never heard of/been to Cornish Street• Heritage house on corner of Cornish & 68th could host a community garden on large

empty lawn

4. Marpole Library • Very well used, but too small and needs more computers

5. Pedestrian experience on Granville Street • Not many shoppers on a Saturday • Wider sidewalks much nicer than where they narrow. Car crossings problematic for

pedestrians, and obstruct nice pedestrian experience. • Newer 4-storey buildings have nice street frontage. Small storefronts and use of stone at

grade level attractive. • Many empty/vacant storefronts

6. Bus loop and end of commercial strip• The commercial strip ends here, which seems to make sense. • Bus loop boring and not attractive – should have better public realm treatment (seating,

trees, etc.)• Granville @63rd could be a good Marpole “Gateway” signage location

7. Character just off of Granville (west along w. 63rd)• This area feels very different than the housing on the east side of Granville, but not sure

why• 63rd feels different as well – the street seems wider and less like the other neighbourhood

streets.

8. Connection to Riverview Park/Shannon Park• Not a clear sense of the proximity of the parks nearby (Riverview and Shannon Park), and

we could better connect them to Granville Street

9. Haig Street – double fronting lots • The garages would not be pleasant to look at for the houses on the other side of the

street• The garage side of the street should be turned into housing – coach housing, laneway

housing or some other form of housing fronting the street


10. 67th Avenue• east-west ‘desire line’ for pedestrians & cyclists – could use more ‘greening’ to make it a

more enjoyable walking experience.

Key Ideas:1. Reinforce the Heart of Marpole (between 70th and 67th)2. The library and the community centre could be together, and could both be on Granville

Street3. Traffic management is a priority4. Built form – mixed use (housing above shops) is a good form along this strip

GRANVILLE STREET







67th – east/west ‘desire line’ for pedestrians & cyclists, new housing opportunity? Streets-to-park?

Commercial node at 67th & Oak - traffic, new housing opportunity?

Pedestrian experience on Oak Street

Oak Park area – new housing around park? Park Drive bike route?

Fremlin tree canopy

“Thin Streets” at 67th & Fremlin? Street-to-park opportunity?

Eburne Park – sad

a. park improvements

b. reconfigure traffic loop, new housing?

70th & Oak intersection – traffic, pedestrian experience, street trees

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OAK STREET


Marpole Walking Tour - Saturday October 13, 2012Oak Street TourUrban Designer: Derek LeeRecorder: Rachel Harrison

Group Comments and ObservationsStops and Themes:

Traffic• Use small parks (street-to-park) as a way to calm traffic (e.g. On 67th Ave.)• For street-to-park conversions think about necessary local traffic use (e.g. vehicle access

on 67th Ave. to pick-up/drop-off children at David Lloyd school).• When making decisions or evaluating options consider city’s transportation priorities:

walking, cycling, then cars.• Build tunnel from 59th Ave. to 71st Ave. Oak Street would become a narrow, high street

with shops, with ample pedestrian crossings and enjoyable public realm. Project would be paid by increasing density along Oak Street and by making extra real estate (from narrowing Oak Street) available.

• If the Oak Street tunnel were built, Oak could do more of the heavy lifting, in terms of traffic volumes. Is there a way to divert traffic off Granville Street to Oak Street, so there’s less of a traffic impact on shopping?

• Intersection at Park and Oak is problematic for cyclists and pedestrians.

Walking• More pedestrian crossings on SW Marine between Oak and Heather to access bus loop.• Currently it’s dangerous to cross the street or walk along SW Marine Drive.• The #100 bus stop is on the south side of SW Marine Drive, so something should be done

to allow people to get there safely. Make this an action while planning initiative.• Include a pedestrian sidewalk on Oak Street bridge between 72ndAve. and south side of

SW Marine Drive (spiraling staircase from Oak St bridge deck to south side of SW Marine Drive).

• Create small neighbourhoods within Marpole (e.g. South Cambie Neighbourhood). Make these small neighbourhoods, and the amenities and services for them, within a walkable distance. Marpole is too big to try to create only one central hub.

• Increase the frequency of the bus on Oak Street and improve pedestrian access/sidewalks to get to the bus stops.

• More pedestrian crossings on Oak Street (e.g. at 71st Ave and 72nd Ave).• Improve walking environment on Oak Street (wider sidewalks, better buffer between

pedestrians and cars).

Retail• Need grocery stores and shops along Oak Street and within the neighbourhood (e.g.

variety and daily-use retail).

OAK STREET


• Combine new retail with affordable housing (e.g. at 67thAve and Oak).• Need other uses like small commercial (café, food stalls, pier) along the Fraser River.

Key Ideas:1. Improved pedestrian crossings at the “hearts” along Oak Street - 64th, 67th, 70th Avenues

and Marine Drive2. East/West greenway and waterfront activity in connection with Fraser River trail system3. Affordable & low income housing on Oak Street, near 67th Avenue4. East/West bus connection along Park Drive5. Use streets south of SW Marine Drive to alleviate truck traffic along SW Marine Drive between

Granville and Oak.

OAK STREET


Marpole Community PlanUrban Design Walking Tour OAK STREET




Hudson St–new housing? Bike route opportunity

Ebisu Park – street-to-park opportunity? row housing

MC – 1 – mixed use character, new townhouses

Commercial hub

Waterfront access

Marpole Park – street-to-park opportunity?

‘Gateway’ into Marpole

Lower Granville

71st – pedestrian connection

Heritage building – commercial opportunity

Pedestrian experience on 70th

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LOWER HUDSON


Marpole Walking Tour - Saturday October 13, 2012Lower Hudson TourUrban Designer: Ann McLeanRecorder: Beverly ChewGroup Comments and ObservationsStops and Themes:

1. Marpole Place Neighbourhood House/ Family Place• Better and more visible signage for Marpole Place• Hudson Street – too busy for round-a-bouts

2. St. Augustine’s Anglican Church• Community space available – social gathering spot, central location• Members are concerned about longevity of church because of funding cuts• Food Bank location, free meals once a month, Thrift Store (Thurs & Sat), Book sales,

church hall for community functions• St. Augustine’s has a long range plan. Is it in line with the City’s Community Plan?• Opportunities for outreach through their congregation

Housing• Like the 3-4 story walk up like the ones across the street from the church• Hedges around the property provide greenery and privacy• Retain and build apartments with 3 bedrooms – large enough to raise a family• Keep rents affordable in this area

3. Selkirk/ 72nd AveHousing• Love the townhouse form, keep housing affordable• Keep courtyards when building new housing• Parks• Street to Park – expand Ebisu Park! There are lots of children in the area, the park is well

used• Need more parks in the area

Retail• Provide more incentives for small businesses to remain in the community• Airport Square – great view• encourage more commercial activity• ensure there’s a balance between business and people (residential housing)

Traffic• locals use 72nd Ave to turn left onto Marine Drive – it’s an easy street to drive and good

access to Oak Street because the street does not cut off

4. Selkirk/ 73rd Ave• the bridges have affected the decline of businesses in the area

LOWER HUDSON


5. Hudson/ 73rd Ave – THE EBURNE HEARTHousing• Reference 12th and Arbutus development as an example (Arbutus Walk) commercial,

shops at street level, condo on top• This area could be developed as a neighbourhood centre: retail/ restaurant/ café/ grocery

shopping for local residents to walk to – like it used to be: old town centre feeling• Currently the area is un-welcoming, needs more people, needs an anchor store like the

old Fish and Chip restaurant to draw people• Area can tolerate up to 8-10 floors as long as it’s graduated height increase 4, 6, 8 floors –

reference Airport Square building (16 floors)Traffic• Narrow road to slow traffic whizzing by• 80% of the children who live in this area attend David Lloyd George Elementary walk to

school

6. Hudson/ SW Marine DriveTraffic• Pedestrian cross walk is long from one corner to the other. The timing of the walking sign

needs to be extended• Recognize the connection to Granville Street is very important, but pedestrian experience

needs to be enhancedPublic Realm• Activate the parking lot in front of the Motel Night Club: farmers market, plant trees,

green space, gathering space• plant vines on pillars, colourful steel vines or landscape murals surrounding bridge

columns, i.e. Canada Line Skytrain Station at Landsdown Centre in Richmond• Install a sign on the corner of the parking lot to direct people to the Fraser River foot path

Public Realm, Greening• Allow community gardens along railway lines – connect to the Arbutus Rail Corridor

community gardens

7. Fraser River Walk/ Bus Barn• Ecological concerns about run-off to the river• The property on which the bus barn sits on is referred as the “Pearl” in the area• Would like to see the very short Fraser River Walk extended east to SE Fraser and west to

UBC• Although the Marine Drive Golf Club will not allow a footpath through their site, consider

building a boardwalk around the propertyParks• Build a park under the Arthur Laing Bridge, could be well used because of the natural

extension of the footpath• Dog park

Middens• The group stopped at the 1300 block SW Marine Drive and met Lynn Point, who shared

LOWER HUDSON


her stories of this site:• there are over 700 bodies buried in the area• the Bus Barn operates 24 hours and is very loud even at 3:00am, which is not the most

ideal situation for condominiums• She expressed an interest in transforming the whole block (Musqueam owned land,

businesses lease the property) to green space for everyone to enjoy in honour of their ancestors and history.

8. SW Marine Drive/ at Chevron Gas Station• Well maintained co-op housing, park and Museum in the area• Note the interesting “bend” of the road

9. Granville St/ 71st – 73rd AvesRetail• Shopping area dies off, very few people shop south of 70th because of traffic noise and

volumeParks• Street to Park – parklet at the cul-de-sac, plant tall trees• Agree to more green space

10. French/ 72nd Ave• Love the large trees in this area

Marpole Park• Well used park by the children who attend the private elementary school• Install a fence around the park or future street-to-park because of the high traffic that cuts

through this area, especially on 73rd Ave• Parents drive their children to the private elementary school on 73rd Ave

11. Cartier/ 70th Ave• Historical building, but not on the heritage registrar – retain this jewel in Marpole as well

as other valuable heritage buildings• Potential future uses – artist studio, live/ work space, livable housing for artists and/ or

writers

Key ideas:1. Area from Selkirk-Hudson, 72nd-73rd (#3,4,5 on walking route map)

• Better connection between Ebisu Park, Mix use along 73rd Ave, Airport square, shops• More density through new housing forms – town homes• Open up plaza, more inviting from the street level• Provide opportunities for more shops, different types of business (drama school, bakery,

grocery), restaurants• Opportunities for retail and residential growth in the area• Restore the Eburne heart• Retain light industrial – more inviting public realm

LOWER HUDSON


• Live work spaces – artist hub, near Scottish Cultural and Taiwanese Centres• OK to go higher, 8-10 stories in certain areas (closer to the bridge, SW Marine Drive, next

to Airport Square)

2. W. 70th Avenue• Enhance the street, add big trees, more greenery to remind drivers that they are driving

through a neighbourhood, not on a highway• 6 stories ok along 70th Ave

3. Hudson/ SW Marine Drive• Collaborate with the Musqueam First Nation to design a “Gateway” into Marpole with

First Nations Interpretive Signs

Other ideas:Transportation• Poorly placed bus stop at Osler/ SW Marine Drive

Traffic• Accident zone at Granville and 71st Ave• Tame traffic along Granville from 70th – 72nd, to retain commercial viability and for safety

Housing• Retain rental• Keep housing affordable• Keep garden set backs• Commercial – live/ work studios at the edges of industrial area south of Marine Drive• More fee simple row housing developments

Parks• Build a park/ green space under the bridge by the Fraser River foot path/ bus barn

Retail• Establish a year round Farmer’s Market at David Lloyd George Elementary School• Granville, 70th – 72nd Ave: small local retail is important, independent store fronts, street

trees, parking, slow traffic down• Car Free Day on Granville Street!

Urban Walking Route• Establish an urban walking trail that connects all the parks in Marpole• Railway corridor by the bus barn – connect to Kerrisdale• Better connection to Fraser River Park• Green marker at Hudson and 70th Ave, trail continues on Hudson to 72nd to Ebisu Park

LOWER HUDSON

Marpole Community PlanUrban Design Walking Tour LOWER HUDSON




Transition form behind Marine Gardens

Transition form east of 6-storey on Cambie

Opportunity for more street trees on Yukon, just south of Winona Park

Transition form east of 6 –storey on Cambie, and beside Marpole’s largest park (Winona Park)

Views! And new housing form between Winona Park and Langara Golf Course

Amherst Hospital – Residential Care (hospital precinct in this area – Pearson, Amherst, St. Vincent’s)

Townhouse development

St. Vincent’s Hospital

Triangle

Long lots fronting busy SW Marine Drive – pedestrian experience

Southwynd Place – 89 seniors social housing units

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CAMBIE CORRIDOR


Marpole Walking TourSaturday October 13, 2012Cambie Corridor Phase 3 TourUrban Designer: Paul ChengRecorder: Cathy BuckhamGroup Comments/ObservationsThemes:

Walking• Need a pedestrian crossing at Ash & SW Marine Drive• The pedestrian signals at Yukon & SW Marine Drive and Cambie and SW Marine Drive are

too slow – favours traffic flow not pedestrians• More pedestrian signals at 59th & 64th Avenues along Cambie, and at 69th & Marine

Drive• Install a pedestrian scramble at Cambie & SW Marine Drive• Install an elevated walkway to get pedestrians off the intersection – improve current

hostile pedestrian crosswalks along Marine Drive

Cycling• Need bike and pedestrian access from west of Cambie to Ash Park and on to the Canada

Line Station

Place Making• Convert the space beneath the Oak Street Bridge at Oak & SW Marine Drive (currently

DPS Parking) to a funky commercial space with coffee, artisans, etc. (like the Urban Space Project beneath the High Line in Manhattan)

Parks/Open Space/Trees/Thin Streets• There should be a major park at the south end of Cambie on the Fraser River • We need more trees at Yukon & 63rd (also need a sidewalk/swale at this location)• Yukon & 63rd would be a good candidate for a Thin Street – although not redeveloped to

housing – redeveloped to park space (aka greenway or Street to Park)

Finance & Growth• Money from DCLs should come back to the community• City receiving significant cash amenity contributions from new development – want to see

this money invested back into the community (eg. through new services and amenities, such as parks) to offset the impacts of growth and development on Marpole

Retail• ground floor shopping and services at 61st Ave and Cambie

CAMBIE CORRIDOR


Housing• More social housing and protect existing social housing stock in Marpole (i.e. housing

complex north of 70th, east of Cambie precious to community)• More rental apartments for seniors – aging in place• Ground oriented housing along 65th Avenue around Ash Park• Intensified housing opportunities around Skytrain Station

Built Form• Row housing mixed with taller housing developments around Winona Park (compared to

notion of apartments surrounding Central Park in New York City)• Mix use buildings – commercial space on ground level with housing above (i.e. along

Cambie Street and NE corner of Marine Drive at Cambie)• Explore opportunity to reduce the size of the Langara Golf Course to a 9 hole course, the

rest of the land for affordable housing• Four storey apartment buildings along east side of Winona Park are designed well,

friendly, not stucco.• Opportunity for higher forms of development closer to Cambie Street

Stops:1. Oak Street and 70th Avenue

• Add a bus shelter at the north west corner of Oak Street and 70th Avenue• Oak Street is a busy arterial and well used. Add more bus stops with shelters, i.e.

protection from rain.

2. Cambie & SW Marine Drive• Noisy• Entrance to Canada Line needs improvement/re-orientation facing north or extend the

station to the north side of SW Marine Drive• There should be a crosswalk on Cambie south of SW Marine Drive at the lane south of the

Buddhist Temple • The pedestrian light takes too long (favours auto movement) so people jaywalk across SW

Marine Drive

3. Cambie Street & 64th Avenue• This transition zone (behind Cambie) should be 4 storey stacked rowhouses with rental

units.• On the corner lot you could achieve 4 attached rowhouses with suites• More seniors housing in this area

4. Yukon Street & 63rd Avenue• More street trees• Greenway connecting Yukon Street to Marine Drive would have a positive impact for

pedestrians and cyclists

5. Winona Park• Is predominantly for active sports

CAMBIE CORRIDOR


• Needs more passive space – for families to picnic, lounge, etc. – at the north end of the park to maximize views to Mt.Baker

• Use the sloped areas in between the playing fields for passive space• Need space to launch a model rocket • Create more pathways to lead/invite people into the park • Add a jogging path around the park

6. Single-Family Facing Winona Park• Transition to Langara Golf Course• Re-zone to ground oriented housing (e.g. rowhouses)• Re-zone all around Winona Park • If we intensify around the park where will people go to shop?• Allow commercial at grade on Cambie Street (see map)

7. Amherst Care Facility• Like the greenery on the public and private property

8. Langara Springs• Like the 4 storey form (it looks more like 3.5 storeys)• The varied articulation makes it work• The quality design also makes it work• It’s quiet and there appears to be enough parking• Surveillance of the park is good (eyes on the street/park)• Consider allowing 4-storey forms in other locations around the park, not just rowhouses

9. The Triangle (63rd & 64th)• Leave it the way it is• Install a bench

10. Long Lots on SW Marine Drive (Columbia & SW Marine Drive)• See map • Re-zone lots east of and adjacent to the seniors facility (Southwynd Place?) to higher and

better use• Include 2-3 of the lots immediately north• Re-zone long lots to higher and better use – consider a courtyard design facing away from

SW Marine to minimize noise from traffic

11. Southwynd Place (Seniors Facility)• Keep – of course

Key Ideas:1. New ground –oriented housing around Shannon Park / golf course, 3.5 storeys2. New and improved pedestrian crossings along Cambie at 59th, 61st, 64th Avenues3. Pedestrian and Greenway connections from Shannon Park to SW Marine Drive along Yukon

Fraser River4. Shannon Park improvements: new picnic areas, playground upgrades5. New Riverfront Park


Marpole Community PlanUrban Design Walking Tour CAMBIE CORRIDOR

Documents

Urban Design Walking Tour - vancouver.ca · ar mmuy a Urban Design Walking Tour Summary On a very wet Saturday morning (October 13, 2012), 35 participants braved heavy rains to take