Vancouver’s historic Gastown neighbourhood will soon get a pedestrian-friendly facelift, including road repairs and a “car-free” or “car-light” Water Street.
Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC majority councillors plan to introduce a motion at the May 9 council meeting directing staff to develop new design and public realm plans for the aging downtown quarter, they said in a Tuesday press conference.
“As we’ve seen with so many cities around the world, we have the potential to make Gastown truly a destination neighbourhood by moving this forward with this more cohesive, bold vision,” Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung told reporters.
“Under the motion, we’ll also be looking to pilot a car-free shutdown of Water Street either for a month or on weekends in this summer or in 2024, working in partnership with stakeholders and with the Gastown Business Improvement Society.”
The motion will also direct city staff to examine possibilities for changing Cordova Street from a one-way to a two-way street to “better support the potential for a fully-pedestrianized Gastown,” Kirby-Yung added. The motion, built off of years of feedback from Gastown businesses and stakeholders, will include direction to avoid mass asphalt treatments as well.
“We’re very excited about this kind of change in course,” said Walley Wargolet, executive director of the Gastown Business Improvement Association.
“We have spent many times in many meetings talking about piecemeal projects in this neighbourhood and finally, we’re going to get to a comprehensive, innovative, public ground plan for this neighbourhood.”
According to the Gastown BIA, the neighbourhood encompasses 18.2 hectares of land and houses 137 retail shops, 73 restaurants and bars, seven galleries, and 10 schools and colleges.
About seven per cent of buildings in the area are vacant — a “healthy” rate, Wargolet said.
The city has set aside $10 million in the 2023 to 2026 capital plan for Gastown, but may amend the funding mid-plan to accommodate the vision developed from the motion, Kirby-Yung said.
Sim said his team is making the neighbourhood “safer and cleaner” and Tuesday’s announcement is part of that.
“We’ve started hiring 100 new police officers and 100 mental health workers,” Sim said. “We’ve been working for eight months to clear unsafe structures on Hastings that were dangerous, so that once again, has a spillover effect.”
The City of Vancouver, in collaboration with the Vancouver Police Department, removed a tent city on nearby East Hastings Street last month.
Many residents who sheltered there were displaced, but Vancouver’s fire chief has said the move was necessary to prevent risk to human health and safety from fires.