Senior management posts not filled, Council fractious, Committee suspended — City of Nanaimo staff proceed with South Downtown Waterfront Lands master planning process regardless

The @CityofNanaimo, shortly after the South Downtown Waterfront Committee Chair, VIU VP Dave Witty, in frustration,...
Posted by Nanaimo Commons on Thursday, December 3, 2015

Dave Witty's PP presentation to Council: here.

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We approach the 1st anniversary of #Nanaimo City Council, a Council more broadly representative of our community…

Submitted to @NanaimoBulletin as a guest column — (declined).

We approach the first anniversary of our new City Council, a Council more broadly representative of our community than previous ones. Our aboriginal community, the non-profit sector, a small business entrepreneur, a neighbourhood and anti-poverty activist. There’s been tensions, there’s been missteps. Interesting times, and you know what they say about interesting times.

It’s reminding me of the inner city high school where nothing much ever happened. It had been a stable, even boring place. Students attended, played on sports teams, graduated much as their parents had before them. It took pride in its uniformity and conformity. But then the neighbourhood changed. The high school found itself attended by students from different backgrounds, with different attitudes and styles. It was dynamic, anything but boring. To the school’s Principal and administrators it was also dangerous. It was unruly and rebellion was in the air.

The Principal, who previously had only to somewhat regally walk the well-behaved halls, appear at ceremonies and to cheer on the football team, found it suddenly hard to cope. In a panic a crisis meeting was called in a kind of war room. It was decided that order must be restored. Dress and behaviour codes were quickly put in place with warnings of harsh punishments for non-compliance. All student creativity and any excess of youthful energy were to defer without question to the authority of the classroom teachers..

And as you can imagine things quickly got much worse. The poor Principal and most of the administrative staff went into a kind of bunker mentality, many left for work in less challenging environments.

The story ends happily though. Wise replacements at the highest levels understood that the new dynamic presented great opportunity. Rules that benefited all were established with general buy-in by the students. Old rules that mostly existed to bolster the institution itself were loosened or jettisoned. The school became a place students looked forward to going to and staff were proud to work at.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Nanaimo’s current upheaval had a similar outcome.

Frank Murphy

#Nanaimo: a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. https://t.co/nCw0VREsm0

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) October 28, 2015

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Nanaimo South Downtown Waterfront master plan terms of reference report has been sent to Council

BACKGROUND: On 2013-MAR-27, the City purchased 10.8 ha (26.7 acres) of land and water from Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway along the southern Nanaimo waterfront (1 Port Drive). Since that time, a number of initiatives have been undertaken to prepare the property for redevelopment, including environmental studies and select demolition work. The 2015-2019 Financial Plan identifies completing the plan as a priority for 2015; the planning process is scheduled to begin in September 2015 with a target completion date of February 2016. 

The next step is to issue a Request for Proposals for consulting services based on the attached Terms of Reference. The purpose of the Master Plan is to provide specific guidelines for future land use, transportation, servicing, open space, trails and environmental protection, as well as phasing of development for this portion of the south downtown waterfront. The long-term vision for the area includes enhancement of the downtown waterfront, improving connectivity of the south downtown with the surrounding neighbourhoods, and creating opportunity for a new regional transportation hub.

The report was presented to Council on July 20. Pdf here

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Nanaimo Downtown Urban Plan and Design Guidelines: Parks and open spaces

#Nanaimo Downtown Urban Plan and Design Guidelines: Parks and open spaces. https://t.co/aMJTzNmzgw @andrewtrevjones @katemac22 @Rearrang3d

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) May 31, 2015

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City of Nanaimo MOU with Seaspan, Island Corridor Foundation

RT @cityofnanaimo City, Seaspan and Southern Rail enter into MOU http://cnan.ca/1Qr8Xf8
Posted by Nanaimo Commons on Thursday, May 7, 2015

Memorandum of Understanding pdf here.

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‪ Wellcox Lands enviro assessment: meets provincial standards, can be industrially or commercially developed

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Vancouver deems 26-storey Waterfront Tower “too tall” Nanaimo oks 35-storey tower on harbour sea walk

Can we do better? MT @VancityBuzz: New 'Origami' office tower proposed next to Waterfront Stn http://t.co/HxADEJQosZ pic.twitter.com/d3hXRG1FAT
— Mike Klassen (@MikeKlassen) January 12, 2015

What kind of fresh Liebeskind hell is this? @MikeKlassen @VancityBuzz
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) January 12, 2015

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From Nanaimo Bulletin — Video chat with Nanaimo Councillor Bill Yoachim

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#Nanaimo Bastion named one of the top 100 buildings in BC @NanaimoMuseum

The Bastion was named one of the top 100 buildings in BC - top three on Vancouver Island! A #Nanaimo landmark! http://t.co/rItbZMpesc

— Nanaimo Museum (@NanaimoMuseum) November 28, 2014

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#Nanaimo #GeorgiaPark lease: where's City Parks Dept? Parks Commission?

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Is a hotel loading zone appropriate use of city park land? http://t.co/g4X88R6zxE #GeorgiaPark @cityofnanaimo Parks & Rec?

— Scott Kimler (@randsco) November 21, 2014

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#Nanaimo municipal election #VoteNanaimo

#VoteNanaimo Tweets

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#nanelxn14 Tweets

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What are the #nanelxn14 issues for residents in #Nanaimo? @ShawTV_CVI

RT @ShawTV_CVI: What are the issues for residents in #Nanaimo? #bcpoli #nanelxn14 #shawtv http://t.co/Ub6hNssuKQ

— Hilary Eastmure (@HilaryEastmure) November 3, 2014

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Why are candidates afraid to discuss this during the current #Nanaimo campaign?

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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South Downtown Waterfront, Georgia Park On Monday Council Agenda

South Downtown Waterfront Committee — Revised Mandate and Objectives To obtain Council support for the continuation of the South Downtown Waterfront Committee.

Minutes of the Georgia Park / Insight Developments Public Hearing. Adopt the amended minutes.

100+ in attendance, a large majority of the delegations were opposed. Councillor Brennan's motion to defer the Staff Report back for further work, clarification, defeated. Councillor Brennan, Kipp, Pattje in favour. Motion to approve the height and square footage increases approved, Councillors Brennan, Kipp, Pattje opposed. Council now to decide on method of "elector  assent".

There is every indication that Senior Staff and most Councillors want to ensure that the lease of the waterfront park is not an issue for public discussion during the current election campaign. We can each draw our own conclusion as to why they fear its proper public airing.

Written submissions to the hearing (minutes state there were 36 written submissions and 20 delegations) here.

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Hashtag #nanelxn14 #Nanaimo election 2014

#nanelxn14 Tweets

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Leasing parkland would be lasting mistake — @NanaimoBulletin

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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#Nanaimo waterfront park needs an independent open design competition.

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

From March 16 City of Vancouver — Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts Study

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#Vancouver Seawall "Canada's best public place" - it's also a neighbourhood & multi-modal corridor. @BrentToderian

#Vancouver's Seawall has been named Canada's best public place - but it's also a neighborhood & multi-modal corridor. pic.twitter.com/zATF7zAeSg
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) September 8, 2014

Nanaimo’s seawall parks and neighbourhoods are first rate and our best asset. Our City Hall has just passed an upzoning for a pie-in-the-sky “Hilton” hotel development on the waterfront and our City Hall is considering privatizing large portions of our waterfront Georgia Park.

This stealth privatization is being done on 3 fronts: 

• an outright “lease” turning parkland over to the developer for a loading zone area (semi’s and delivery vans servicing a 330+ room hotel, patio areas for hotel cafes and lounges and a “grand staircase” creating a flow from the hotel lobby directly down to the waterfront promenade).

• portraying the aggressive extension of its lobby into and onto our parkland by a “grand staircase” connecting to the harbour side promenade as a community benefit. “Connectivity” between Front Street through the hotel to the staircase. This staircase is to be included in lands under their control by a 60 year lease agreement.

• perhaps most objectionably of all, the agreement with Staff to apply the very modest Community Amenity Contribution created by the huge uplift in value created by City concessions to be spent only on areas immediately surrounding their property and in concert with their landscape architects.

Staff report to Council here. 

Up-zoning to 114.3 m height and FAR of 12 approved Sept 3 at a well attended public hearing, a large majority of delegates speaking against the height and massing application and the park give-away . Sale of land currently designated lane-way that runs the property perimeter on the north and east sides (which alternatively could have been added to this park area which has been overdue for a redesign for at least 15 years). If there was a strong evidence based argument on which the City made these decisions, I didn’t hear it expressed by Council, it wasn’t made by the proponent at the public hearing and I see no sign of it in the Staff report.

The park lease provision, if the idea itself isn’t pulled off the table now just weeks before the municipal election, will require a referendum. Opposition to the loss of control over parkland, especially a much-loved and popular waterfront park, is strong, broad and spreading.

More background and further thoughts here. 

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emails to Councillors Bestwick, Kipp re #Nanaimo waterfront hotel public hearing

Subject: Fwd: Georgia Park
Date: September 4, 2014 at 1:45:33 PM PDT

To: Jim Kipp  jim.kipp@nanaimo.ca

Hi Jim, forwarding to you this this note to Bill Bestwick. I can tell you that from my chats with people at the park each morning over the last couple of weeks there is very broad opposition to the loss of control of this precious parkland, essentially its privatization. This is hitting a nerve very much like the one that inflamed the Harewood neighbourhood over the Colliery Dam Park crisis.

There may be a win / win scenario achievable here, but clearly, this isn’t it. I hope you’ll vote to send this back to the drawing board.

Frank Murphy

Subject: Georgia Park
Date: September 4, 2014 at 1:31:09 PM PDT

To: Bill Bestwick  bill.bestwick@nanaimo.ca

Hi Bill, I was sorry to hear you won’t be running for Mayor but glad to hear you will run again for a Council seat.

I was particularly impressed with how you were able to offer level-headed leadership throughout the Colliery Dam Park crisis. Two things you said, after Council had no other choice but to reverse course, stood out for me: “Nanaimo, I’m glad to see you still have it in you.” and I paraphrase — you said that if you had to choose between this park and its lakes and a beloved hockey rink, you would not hesitate to choose saving the park.

And speaking of hockey, consider the “suicide pass”. A teammate gets out of trouble passing the puck to another teammate who is not in a position to do anything productive with it, but will loose possession and get knocked flying in the process. Strikes me that is what Staff has passed to Council by recommending that sections of Georgia Park on our waterfront be leased out to a hotel development.

My morning walk takes me along our fine harbour-front promenades and I’ve had the chance to talk to strollers and people enjoying the park each day. The thought of loosing control of this precious parkland is truly abhorrent to people. The recommendation should be withdrawn and the huge height and building massing increases in front of Council this evening should be rejected until the other elements presented to Council on August 11 as interconnected: the leasing out of parkland, the sale of the City owned lane-way property are resolved. 

Georgia Park needs, as it has for a number of years now, a redesign, a revitalization. I believe talented landscape architects and park designers can redesign the park in a way that first and foremost enhances this area for the greater community in a way that co-operatively and collaboratively meets as many of the hotel’s needs as possible. Without hearing from these experts, this should not proceed. An open design competition should be the first step. From there Council and Nanaimo-ites can decide if there is a win/win fit with what the developer has in mind.

Time for leadership @Bill_McKay11 Dont turn parks over to commercial xclusv control

Time for leadership @Bill_McKay11 Dont turn parks over to commercial xclusv control @ProtectionIsle @theDoorsgirl @midislandnews @FredPattje

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) September 1, 2014

#Nanaimo giving away public assets MT @NanaimoCommons @ProtectionIsle @midislandnews @FredPattje @Bill_McKay11 http://t.co/VFfBHml2wS

— Fredriko.Quanzo (@FredrikoQuanzo) September 2, 2014

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