The City of Vancouver has revealed more details about its plans to remove Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts and build a new 11-acre park in northeast False Creek.
“The early draft plan for northeast False Creek is based on some of the most extensive public consultation that the City has ever done,” said Gil Kelley, General Manager of Planning for the City of Vancouver, in a release. “We are excited by the opportunities for a really active waterfront area, design ideas for a dynamic urban village that we have worked on with landowners in the area, how the new park is shaping up, and the replacement plan for the viaducts.”
The viaducts
The city says the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts will be replaced with a new street network — something the city has been contemplating for a while.
In 2015, the Vancouver City Council voted in favour of tearing down Dunsmuir and Georgia Viaducts.
The city says there will be up to 12,000 new residents and up to 8,000 people coming to work in the area over the next 20 years, which is how long the implementation of the plan is expected to take.
The city says it is committed to ensuring that the new street network accommodates traffic demands and manages traffic in the area in a way that minimizes local area impacts.
The planning for the new hospital in False Creek Flats has also been a key consideration, and the team is working on creating a seismically resilient street network that will be a lifeline between downtown and the new hospital in case of a major event.
After this round of consultation, the city says it will come out to the public again in the fall to present the refined draft plan.
The final area plan will be presented to the Vancouver City Council at the end of this year.
The new park
The city says the new Northeast False Creek Park is envisaged as a waterfront destination filled with people, activity and nature that will connect surrounding neighbourhoods.
The design will connect northeast False Creek and Chinatown/Gastown via a proposed new Carrall Street promenade. A pedestrian bridge over the new Pacific Boulevard will unify the north and south sections of the park.
Cyclists and pedestrians will be able to connect from downtown and East Vancouver via a proposed newly elevated Dunsmuir Park.
The city says the design team is led by renowned landscape architect, James Corner, whose firm designed the Highline in New York City.
READ MORE: Vancouver’s new Creekside Park to be designed by New York firm
It says the park will feature a series of platforms that capitalize on vistas across the water, and spaces oriented to take full advantage of the views to the open water, the mountains, surrounding landmarks and skyline.
The full draft plan and the concept design for the new park will be shared at a block party open house on Carrall Street, between Keefer Street and Expo Boulevard, on Saturday, June 10. Residents will be able to review the plan’s content in detail, and talk to city and Park Board staff about the plan.
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