PWL Partnership, landscape architects — Coal Harbour, South East False Creek

—@pwlpartnership is the landscape architecture firm working with both Insight Holdings and the #Nanaimo Parks Recreation...
Posted by Nanaimo Commons on Monday, May 11, 2015

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PWL Partnership Landscape Architects retained by both proponent and ‪Nanaimo‬ Parks to work on Georgia Park redesign

Vancouver @pwlpartnership Landscape Architects retained by both proponent and #Nanaimo Parks to work on Georgia Park redesign. http://www.pwlpartnership.com/our-portfolio/parks-plazas

Posted by Nanaimo Commons on Tuesday, May 5, 2015

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From @Park_People — Making Connections: Planning parks & open space networks in urban neighbourhoods

Our report | Making Connections: Planning parks & open space networks in urban neighbourhoods http://t.co/Qzg42ay1Tn pic.twitter.com/wkKOTkwkHC

— Park People (@Park_People) April 22, 2015

8 Guiding Principles for parks and public realm planning from @Park_People, an excellent, timely input into #TOcore pic.twitter.com/1jFEKJ2DMk

— jennifer keesmaat (@jen_keesmaat) May 1, 2015

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Gastown tower rejected by Vancouver's urban design panel @cbcnewsbc

Post by The Sidewalk Ballet.

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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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#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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Privately owned public space. What could possibly go wrong?

Publicly-owned private space in London: "Garden bridge" to close at night, not allow protests: http://t.co/OmvKD63uOb pic.twitter.com/kQpkOl5ZHV

— Stephen Miller (@miller_stephen) November 21, 2014

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Don't say you weren't warned #Nanaimo #nanelxn14

#Nanaimo will your park be next? Bill McKay wants to turn my waterfront park over to a commercial interest http://t.co/db8Ea71jYV #nanelxn14

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) November 13, 2014

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—@mckayformayor A Holiday Inn for Pipers Lagoon? A Ramada for Colliery Dam Park? #nanelxn14

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) November 13, 2014

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We've shifted city building away from #publicspace @jen_keesmaat

With mass suburbanization, we shifted our city building away from shared public spaces to an emphasis on private space. #PublicRealm

— jennifer keesmaat (@jen_keesmaat) November 4, 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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Georgia Park should stay a park and not be part of a hotel. @BuccaneerInn

This should stay a park and not be part of a hotel. #badidea #Nanaimo @cityofnanaimo pic.twitter.com/xnduCIU0Jl

— Buccaneer Inn (@BuccaneerInn) October 4, 2014

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"But there may be changes to the [#Nanaimo Georgia Park] lease area" — City Mgr @TedSwabey

"But there may be changes to the [#Nanaimo Georgia Park] lease area" City Mgr @TedSwabey @RobertJBarron @NanaimoDaily http://t.co/aPSMmFhahJ

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) October 2, 2014

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Leasing parkland would be lasting mistake — @NanaimoBulletin

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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‪#‎Nanaimo‬ "Georgia Park lease deserves referendum” @NanaimoBulletin editorial @tamaracunning

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.

Here’s the detail of the upzoning variances Insight is asking for. ‪#‎Nanaimo‬

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Ian Gartshore submission to #Nanaimo Georgia Park privatization hearing @ShoreEnergySolu

Post by Ian Gartshore.

Ian Gartshore submission to #Nanaimo Georgia Park privatization hearing @ShoreEnergySolu... http://t.co/gmDPL1KN06
— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) September 3, 2014

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