Enhancing parks & open spaces

What makes a community great? Some would say that it is a unique “sense of place” that makes a community feel authentic. A sense of place draws people to an area and compels them to stay. But just how do you create an authentic sense of place within a community? While there are many factors, one of the most important is the integration of ample public spaces for people to gather and interact with each other. 

With Concert’s plans for a truly mixed-use Harbourside comes a comprehensive plan for the enhancement of parks and open spaces. In total, Concert will dedicate 15,000 m² of park and public open space to the City (click here to view diagrams). This space will not only benefit the residents and businesses at Harbourside, it will help transform the area into a destination for those across the North Shore and beyond. 

Highlights include:

• Enhancement of the only pedestrian-accessible waterfront in the City of North Vancouver. Between the proposed boardwalk which will include a food and beverage kiosk as well as public washrooms, tiered stone terracing at the water’s edge, construction of a public dock and an elevated sandy beach adjacent to the shoreline; there will be more opportunities to connect to the water.
• Expansion of the current dog park on the western portion of Harbourside. 
• Dedication of park space on the eastern edge of Harbourside will serve as a green buffer between residential buildings and the Burrard Yacht Club.
• Creation of a mews with additional public street parking as well as landscaped pedestrian laneways between buildings.  
• Continuation and enhancement of the Sprit Trail. Harbourside would serve as a gathering place and destination for trail users. 

Following the rezoning of Harbourside, there will be a public park process that will help determine the final composition of these proposed new park areas. We look forward to collaborating in this process and ultimately creating a special place for all residents of North Vancouver to enjoy for years to come.  

This week at Harbourside: week ending January 25

A weekly summary of what’s happening in the Harbourside planning process.

Harbourside Developer Information Session
Following last week’s “open house”, Concert held a “developer information session” for Harbourside at the Pinnacle Hotel this Thursday night. After a presentation by consultants and the project team, which included Brian McCauley (Concert’s President & COO), there was an open forum for questions. City staff were also on hand to help answer questions. The event was well-attended by North Vancouver residents as well as Harbourside’s current commercial tenants, many of whom have embraced Concert’s vision. The team looks forward to meeting again with the public at the Town Hall Meeting scheduled for March 5, 2013 (location TBA). 

Addressing Sea Level Rise

There has been much talk in recent years about global warming and sea level rise, but just what does it mean for British Columbia? Studies conducted on behalf of the BC Ministry of Environment have indicated that there is a potential sea level increase of one metre by the year 2100 (click here to read the complete study). 

Being located on the waterfront, planning for sea level rise is a critical consideration at Harbourside. With the help of our consultants, Concert is proud to be one of the first developers in the province to have studied sea level rise by conducting an in-depth, site specific study. In collaboration with the City of North Vancouver, Concert has agreed upon a “flood construction level” of 5.25 metres to protect against possible sea level rise and ensure the long-term preservation of value. 

While the simplest and least expensive option would be to build a dike right along the waterfront to create an immediate barrier, this would decrease accessibility to the waterfront. In light of that, the team formulated the following multi-faceted strategy for Harbourside to not only preserve but enhance waterfront access:

• Terracing along the shoreline in conjunction with elevated buildings and roads will provide a first line of defence. Click here to see a cross section diagram which illustrates how terracing will be utilized. 

• A continuous concrete band will be integrated within the park space to serve as a dike to mitigate damage to buildings and roads should the water level exceed the terracing. Click here to see a diagram of the concrete band in context. 

While sea level rise at a level that would penetrate these barriers is highly unlikely, Concert is proud to be among the first to be addressing these concerns with an eye toward long-term sustainability. 

This week at Harbourside: week ending January 18

A weekly summary of what’s happening in the Harbourside planning process.

Meetings with advisory bodies
This week the Concert team continued to meet individually with City advisory bodies which specialize in specific areas of community planning and make recommendations to the City. On Wednesday night the team met separately with two advisory bodies:

• The Integrated Transportation Committee (ITC) gave their unanimous support and commended Concert’s work with Translink to provide the necessary level of transit service to Harbourside. 
• Concert also met with the Advisory Design Panel (ADP). They were in support of Concert’s development plans in principle, but requested additional information. A follow-up meeting was scheduled for February.

Concert has now met individually with four of the five relevant advisory bodies. A meeting with the remaining body, Advisory Committee on Disability Issues (ACDI), is set for next week. 

Harbourside Open House
On Thursday night, Concert held an “open house”, welcoming the community to drop by and learn more about what is being envisioned for Harbourside. The event was well-attended, and the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive. Many area residents were enthusiastic about the transformation of this waterfront site into a true community. While transportation and traffic continue to be areas of concern, a comprehensive review of mitigation strategies will be covered in the upcoming “developer information session” on January 24 (6pm – 8:30pm at the Pinnacle Hotel, presentation by the project team at 7:00pm). 

Traffic concerns at Harbourside

With the addition of density to any community come concerns over traffic flow. Harbourside is no exception. 

As with parking, traffic flow is not an issue that the Concert development team has taken lightly. In conjunction with our consultants, we were able to formulate a comprehensive transportation demand management plan within the rezoning application we recently submitted to the City of North Vancouver. 

Before we get into the specifics of Concert’s strategies, let’s summarize the current traffic flow conditions at Harbourside:

• Existing traffic flow is overwhelmingly commuter-focused with 70% of the total traffic flowing in during the morning (8 – 9:00 AM) and the reverse occurring in the evening (4:30 – 5:30 PM). 
• Traffic can become congested at peak times along Fell Avenue. 
• 80% of the traffic flow is on Fell, and only 20% goes via the secondary Bewicke Avenue route.
• Current bike and pedestrian pathways are underutilized due to poor connections to the Spirit Trail. 

As part of Concert’s rezoning application the following strategies have been recommended: 


Highlights of changes to existing street networks (click here to see diagram)

• Install new traffic lights at both Fell & Automall Drive and at Fell & Harbourside Drive. 
• Adjust lane configuration at Fell & Marine and Fell & 1st Street to improve north bound traffic flow.   
• Concert would fund further studies on the Keith Road & Marine Drive intersection.

Improve alternate route access 

• Provide opportunities to better utilize the Bewicke Avenue secondary route to reduce existing congestion on Fell Avenue.
• Repaving and beautification of a portion of Bewicke Avenue.
• Encourage alternative transportation methods with the addition of cyclist and pedestrian lanes on Bewicke bridge, and improve safe access overall along Bewicke Avenue. 
• Installation of safety arms on the at-grade rail crossing. 
• Erecting digital signage to notify traffic of an impending train to allow re-routing to avoid train-related delays.  

Additional measures to alter the balance of traffic into and out of Harbourside:

• Subsidize transit to increase service from Harbourside and the Lonsdale Quay transportation hub to increase ridership by providing an appealing alternative to driving. 
• Implement a community bike share program.
• Make car share vehicles available. 
• Increase and enhance greenway and bikeway connections via the Spirit Trail and new road networks to better connect Harbourside with the broader North Shore. 
• Foster a ride share program to encourage carpooling. 
• Provide a dedicated transit management coordinator to educate new and existing workers and residents regarding car sharing, cycling, transit and other alternative transportation methods. 

It should be noted that these strategies would coincide with the initial phases of development at Harbourside. As the development moves into later phases, traffic management strategies will be evaluated and adjusted to address emerging concerns.     

This week at Harbourside: week ending January 11

A weekly summary of what’s happening in the Harbourside planning process.

Meetings with tenants at 889 Harbourside

889 Harbourside is an office building constructed and owned by Concert on the Harbourside site. The Concert development team met with tenants on Wednesday to gather feedback.

• Tenants were generally impressed with our plans for Harbourside. 
• Areas of concern include parking, Spirit Trail connection, increased traffic and transit services to Harbourside. 
• Concert will continue to explore options for addressing these concerns. 

Meetings with advisory bodies

Concert made a group presentation to the City of North Vancouver’s five relevant advisory bodies in December 2012. This week the team met individually with two of those advisory bodies. Advisory bodies specialize in specific areas of community planning and make recommendations to the City.

• This Wednesday night Concert met with the Advisory Planning Committee (APC) and received their unanimous support. A follow-up meeting was scheduled for February. 
• Concert also met with the Parks and Environment Advisory Committee (PEAC) on Thursday night. They had a constructive discussion and are also planning to meet again in February.  

Over the coming weeks, the team will meet with the remaining three advisory bodies.

Addressing parking at Harbourside

When some people hear about Concert’s plans to build a complete mixed-use community that includes places to live, work, shop and play, their attention shifts to parking concerns. The thinking is that if parking is already a concern in the area, how could more development possibly make the situation any better?

Concert is actively working with the City of North Vancouver and local businesses to find creative solutions that will not only offset the impact of new development, but in fact result in less congestion than today. This means implementing solutions both within and beyond the Harbourside site. To date a variety of possible solutions have been formulated: 

Create additional street parking spaces

• The creation of a network of internal roads within the Harbourside site will create approximately 50-70 additional street parking stalls for public use.

Addition of underground parking

• Underground parking for residents, commercial tenants and visitors will be integrated into the new developments and will not burden existing street parking.
• Parking provided for new development will exceed the minimum parking requirement/bylaw standard.

Better utilize neighbouring parking lots

• We are working with existing parking facilities adjacent to the Harbourside site which could allow for additional monthly parking stalls for those working at Harbourside.

Increase bus frequency

• A third-party study concluded that half of those who drive to Harbourside for work live on the North Shore and typically drive less than 10 Km. Enhanced bus service could encourage some of these short-distance drivers to trade their cars for transit.
• We are working with Translink and a third-party provider to provide supplementary service to increase bus frequency.

Spirit Trail connection

• Concert will continue to work with the City to support the Spirit Trail connection to Lonsdale Quay. At present, a portion of this trail is under construction.
• Because Lonsdale Quay is North Vancouver’s major transportation hub, a connected trail could encourage commuters to take transit knowing they can then either walk or bike to Harbourside.

Car sharing

• Many existing Harbourside users require vehicles to allow for business travel throughout the work day. Some of these individuals may consider taking transit to work if a car sharing service existed.
• The intention would be to implement a few car share vehicles today and have the fleet grow as the community expands.

If you have any other innovative ideas we may not have thought of please contact Farouk Babul, Development Manager at Concert via email at FBabul@ConcertProperties.com.