WEEK 3 CONSULTATION – PLAN ALTERNATIVES | Sept 2016
week 3 overview
week 3 community feedback
Plan Alternatives – Feedback:
Between September 8 and 17, a series of stakeholder workshops, community open houses, a public presentation with a BBQ and a speaker event were held to present and solicit feedback on three plan alternatives for Cypress Village, entitled “The Village Main”, “The High Street” and “The Pedestrian Stroll”. Supporting the three plan concepts were associated illustrations showing “Places in the Plan” as well as recreational and environmental frameworks common to each plan. An optional concept for an Upper Campus with a mountain institute and other uses including enhanced mountain bike and hiking trails was also presented for feedback. Concepts were displayed on presentation boards for the entire week and in presentation form at the September 15 public forum.
September 8 – Speaker Series
Approximately 315 people gathered at the Kay Meek Centre to hear internationally renowned urbanist Richard Florida speak. Some preliminary boards with images were displayed in the Kay Meek Lobby.
September 13 – Stakeholder Focus Group Workshops
Approximately 25 people attended the stakeholder workshops at Gleneagles Golf Course Clubhouse, grouped into four categories, with the following feedback:
Environment
Friends of Cypress Provincial Park, the Old Growth Conservancy Society, the West Vancouver Streamkeeper Society and the Parks Master Plan Working Group were represented at this workshop. Feedback included the following points:
- General concern about how a Village will affect ski traffic on Cypress Bowl Road.
- Positive feedback on upgrading the current Westmount interchange as a full movement interchange that would provide a parallel access to the Village and relieve some of the traffic load on Cypress Bowl Road.
- Positive feedback on creating connections to the emerging Rodgers Creek neighbourhoods via the Upper Mountain Path and Lower Mountain Path.
- The group responded favorably to the approach that the environmental framework proposes to increase the quantity and quality of wetlands on the site to enhance habitat and treat storm water runoff in a sustainable network of constructed wetlands. The spine for this system is proposed along Eagle Lake Road.
- The group requested further study on areas of rock outcropping with documented moss and plant regimes that are unique aspects of the mountain ecology in areas that may be affected by development patterns. The planning team produced alternative layouts for specific neighbourhoods in the south of the planning area, adjacent to the outcroppings, to avoid impact as much as possible.
- The group emphasized the need for comprehensive management of sensitive environmental assets on all public and private lands in this area given the existing and expanding recreational uses as well as the Village development.
Recreation
Community groups represented include Trails BC, Parks Master Plan Working Group, MTB Cypress, the Hollyburn Ridge Association and the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club.
Each of the three plan alternatives propose a recreation field for organized sports such as soccer and rugby, as well as a network of multi-use paths and hiking trails and a network of mountain biking trails north of Eagle Lake Road. The Recreation group comments included:
- The Village would be incomplete without a school and a sports field.
- Playing field should be constructed of artificial turf in order to use for organized sports throughout the year.
- Show lighting for the field.
- Road biking is growing exponentially in this region. Cypress Bowl Road will continue to be a destination for bike enthusiasts and will need areas of refuge from vehicular traffic along the way. The current road design is not conducive to sharing between bikes and cars.
- If Cypress Bowl Road is designed to become a local road through the Village, it makes more sense to devolve the highway east of the new Chippendale intersection. This will reinforce the reduction in speed and provide a better design for pedestrian and bike users.
- Some questions about the need for pedestrian overpasses to reduce conflict with traffic.
- Comments on the proposed trail network emphasized the need to separate mountain bike use from hiking to avoid potential conflicts.
- Whistler trail system cited as a good model for mixing expert level trails with general public accessible trails.
- Some felt that creating a professionally managed mountain bike park was the appropriate model for ensuring sustainable construction and management to minimize collateral impacts on the forest environment as well as pedestrians and cars accessing the Village.
- The group encouraged BPP and the District to involve Metro Vancouver in developing an approach to managing recreational assets on the mountain across public and private lands.
- The Group supports development of a shuttle bus system between the Village and the Cypress Mountain Ski area.
- Upper Campus concepts should explore potential gondola connections to Cypress ski areas.
Economic Interests, Housing and Neighbours
The West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, the Community Dialogue on Neighbourhood Character and Housing Working Group, the Upper Lands Working Group and members of the West Vancouver general community were represented in this focus group. Comments included:
- This area will become a destination for people from all over the region.
- Hotel use is missing from West Vancouver currently. Good use for the Village.
- Not sure about uses in the Upper Campus. Institute seems like an appropriate asset for West Vancouver.
- Lots of activity on the mountain could create conflict with Village traffic.
- Access to trails from adjacent neighbourhoods would be welcome. Need all levels to serve the West Vancouver population.
- Creation of a commercial centre will greatly benefit residents above the Upper Levels Highway.
Community Organizations, Arts and Culture
Community groups represented include the Parks Master Plan Working Group, the West Vancouver Museum and Archives, the Kay Meek Theatre, West Vancouver Memorial Library, West Vancouver Foundation, West Vancouver Girl Guides, West Vancouver Boy Scouts and Hollyburn Properties. Feedback from this group included:
- Need to create a variety of public spaces to stage performance venues.
- Library and Community Centre should be embedded in the heart of the Village – not on the eastern edge by the Works Yard as illustrated on The Village Main Concept.
- Do not see where/how the boy scouts and girl guides might have a facility within the Village in these concepts.
- In order to function properly, the recreation areas and natural areas need to be managed and programmed by a dedicated entity.
- Difficult to see how to achieve affordable housing and inter-generational residents.
- Programming and activities in Cypress Village can complement Ambleside, Dundarave and Horseshoe Bay.
- Need to provide connectivity to the east and west neighbourhoods.
September 14 and 17 – Public Drop Ins
Approximately 20 individuals attended public drop in session the Gleneagles Golf Course Clubhouse on September 14 to observe the planning team at work and to provide feedback on the plan alternatives. Another 25 individuals dropped in to Amici Restaurant on the morning of September 17 to review boards and provide feedback. Comments included:
- Preference for more amenities in the Village centre to provide residents above the Upper Levels Highway access to services and amenities.
- Concerns about the Westmount intersection feasibility – currently this is a difficult access point. Uncertainty about how this might be modified to carry significant traffic.
- Support for concentrating density in the core and preserving land areas.
- Need to organize the recreational biking that now occurs all over the mountain and especially along Cypress Bowl Road.
- Strong preference for more walkable Village centre.
- Support for connecting to the existing community via the east-west multi-use paths that are proposed and under construction linking to the emerging Rodgers Creek neighbourhoods.
- Concern about traffic congestion during ski season with adding Village traffic, roundabouts and/or traffic lights.
- Some concerns over the scale and amount of development given the location and lack of connectivity.
- Comments questioning the affordability of any new development.
- Support for the network of hiking trails, preservation of bouldering sites and separation of mountain bike trails.
September 15 – Public Open House and Community BBQ
Over 70 participants attended a Public Open House and Community BBQ at Mulgrave School to provide feedback on plan alternatives for Cypress Village. Rob Robinson of Urban Design Associates provided a 30 minute presentation including feedback from the May and June consultation events followed by detailed descriptions of the three plan alternative and relevant recreation and environmental frameworks.
Attendees broke into facilitated discussion groups following the presentation and provided a variety of feedback on three general questions:
What did you like about the three concept plans?
- Trail connectivity to the surrounding parks and neighbourhoods and types of trails – multi-use, hiking and mountain biking.
- Potential to live, work and play in a walkable Village environment.
- Proximity and access to natural areas.
- Potential for much needed amenities and services.
- Inclusion of affordable housing.
- Transit potential to connect to the city and employment centre.
- Possibility of a University or Institute in the Upper Campus.
- Possibility of gondola connections.
- Additional Westmount connection.
- Including a school within the plan – essential for community.
- Good environmental approach to the site planning.
- Splitting traffic with a new Westmount connection is a positive element.
What concerns do you have about the concepts?
- Creating diversity and affordability is a major hurdle to developing a successful and sustainable place and must be addressed in order to move forward.
- Proposed school location may not be safe located on Cypress Bowl Road – school should be moved west of Godman Creek and away from Cypress Bowl Road.
- Traffic congestion on Cypress Bowl Road.
- Inability to create adequate demand for transit.
- Two of the concepts – High Street and Pedestrian Stroll – feel too urban/too dense, towers seem out of scale for community.
- Minimize single family housing shown on plans.
- Encroachment on nature – not sure setbacks from Godman Creek are adequate.
- Feasibility of recreation field and school.
- Seismic and landslide events.
- Solutions for emergency service access.
- Access between Village and Upper Campus may not be enough to make it work.
What was missing from the plans that you think should be considered?
- Hospital or medical clinic.
- Seniors Housing.
- Show more housing types stepping up the hills in addition to tower forms.
- Include as much rental housing as possible.
- More trees in the core.
- Gondola connection to Horseshoe Bay.
- Consider grade-separated interchange at Cypress Bowl Road.
- Additional Recreation amenities such as pool or tennis courts, fishing locations, etc.
- Create spaces for community gardens.
- Need funding for regional transit to serve this area properly.
- Traffic calming within the Village.
- Create a bike lane on Cypress Bowl Road.
Testing Ideas | June 2016
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