Nanaimo SDWI Chair Witty asks Council
to suspend his Committee until the key partners can give "clarity in direction"
I have both huge respect for the fresh approach VIU VP Witty brought to this initiative and huge concern that Nanaimo's institutional dysfunction extends to the key partners mentioned here. This inability to work to a shared vision of mutual self-interest continues to freeze Nanaimo in a state of paralysis.
On Nanaimo City Council Committee of the Whole agenda this afternoon, a report from South Downtown Waterfront Initiative Committee Chair Dave Witty. He suggests that the Committee has accomplished all it can and should be suspended until —
"the key partners (City of Nanaimo, Snuneymuxw First Nation, and Nanaimo Port Authority) agree to the mutual benefit of preparing an integrated approach to the planning, development, and implementation of the South Downtown Waterfront Area."
And that "the two objectives of recommending a Charter document and a Development Corporation for the South Downtown Waterfront Area, should be further reviewed at [that] later date."
A link to Witty's report to Council appears at the foot of this post. Related, I yesterday sent this to Mayor and Council —
T
o: #Nanaimo Mayor&Council@nanaimo.ca
Subject: South Downtown Waterfront Initiative
Mayor McKay and Nanaimo City Councillors, on your agenda tomorrow is a report from the South Downtown Waterfront Initiative. You may want to also consider, as a way to build on the critically important work done by Dave Witty and his committee, in the interim period referred to in the report, an open design competition. Links here will take you to one example of an open design competition, this one done by the City of Vancouver to gather innovative ideas for the lands under the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts.
http://www.thesidewalkballet.com/…/reconnect-registration-v…
One of the globally most experienced and respected experts in central city railyards redevelopment is Canadian architect and urban planner Ken Greenberg. Our former head of planning Andrew Tucker spoke highly of his work. In his book Walking Home
http://www.thesidewalkballet.com/2011/07/walking-home-life-and-lessons-of-city.html
he details over his career several such industrial sites and their redevelopment.
As I’ve said before, I think former City of Vancouver Co-Chief Planner got it right when he participated in Witty’s initiative at a public event: the careful redevelopment of this site is potentially “transformative” for Nanaimo.
Frank Murphy
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