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 continues to "pave" the way for South Dtown waterfront lands redevelopment @NanaimoBulletin

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

Revitalization efforts continue on waterfront site - Nanaimo News Bulletin

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—@VIUniversity launches Master of Community Planning Degree Program

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Hashtag #nanelxn14 #Nanaimo election 2014

#nanelxn14 Tweets

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"Empire Days" an international embarrassment for #Nanaimo @CBC_Aboriginal

Seattle City Council replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day http://t.co/QexChigsVy pic.twitter.com/da6ixcdsrQ

— CBC_Aboriginal (@CBC_Aboriginal) October 7, 2014

Overdue by decades! @JJWmortgages "Empire Days" an international embarrassment for #Nanaimo @CBC_Aboriginal @dougswhite

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) October 7, 2014

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New fast acting "Lout" spray — Politician remover

Post by Gord Fuller.

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Seaspan Marine railway barge connecting Nanaimo to all of NA Class 1 Railways @ICF_IslandRail

Post by Island Corridor Foundation.

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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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New Masters of Community Planning Program at @VIUniversity approved by the province!

New Masters of Community Planning Program at @VIUniversity approved by the province! The first cohort is planned for September 2015. Pls RT

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) September 26, 2014

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PARK(ing) Day in #Nanaimo. Parking spots temporary "park lets." @DowntownNanaimo

Post by Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association.

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

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Rushing hearings the Shock + Awe of RE Dev. No time for citizens to understand,organize. @wisemonkeysblog

@1sidewalkballet Rushing through hearings is the Shock and Awe of RE Dev. Will not allow time for citizens to understand and organize.
— Wise Monkeys (@wisemonkeysblog) August 26, 2014

@wisemonkeysblog @1sidewalkballet also there's an election Nov 15th in #Nanaimo as well. Will public forget if rezoning is rushed through?
— CityHallWatch (@CityHallWchVAN) August 26, 2014

@wisemonkeysblog @1sidewalkballet Similarly #Burnaby is holding a Public Hearing Tuesday Aug 26th on 53-storey tower http://t.co/60o7j5aNPh

— CityHallWatch (@CityHallWchVAN) August 26, 2014

Afraid so @CityHallWchVAN Associated park giveaway + sweetheart land deal might get their attention @wisemonkeysblog http://t.co/grkYHwOg0A
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) August 26, 2014

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email to Larry Beasley, Former YVR Chief Planner re: Development Threat To Nanaimo Waterfront Park

Larry Beasley

From: Frank Murphy 
Subject: Nanaimo's downtown waterfront park
Date: August 16, 2014 at 7:52:47 PM PDT
To: larrybeasleycm@gmail.com
Cc: David Witty, Wally Wells, Pam Shaw

Hi Larry, contacting you from Nanaimo assuming I have your correct email address. I attended and very much enjoyed your presentation here earlier this year as part the exciting South Downtown Waterfront Initiative the leadership of which, as you know, Dave Witty has skillfully assumed. I’ve been posting developments of the Initiative and examples of waterfront revitalizations that have happened or are happening elsewhere at

http://nanaimocommons.blogspot.ca

I remember how taken you were with our wonderful downtown waterfront public areas of promenades, park areas and the array of uses including the boat basin and residential units that integrate with the public sphere. I, and most Nanaimoites love and value highly this brilliant community asset.

There has been a development which threatens this parkland that I thought you would like to hear about. There’s been for the last number of years a derelict construction site — at the top of the hill near the lagoon, if you recall that area. The developer has now come forward with a proposal to build a 35 storey 300 room hotel on the site. The massing is considerable: FAR of 12. The proponent says they have a bit of a problem: their project is too big for their site. Rather than scaling back the size of the project, they have applied for a lease of the adjoining parkland allowing them to build loading docks and restaurant patios and a “grand staircase” down to the waterfront. They also proposed, and have received Council approval, to purchase a thin strip adjoining their site which was designated “lane-way". They propose to contribute to the cost of upgrading another large portion of the park to serve as an extension of the hotel’s grounds.

This has come in front of Council here in the sleepy days of August and Staff are recommending Council use the Alternative Approval Process to meet the requirements to seek voter assent to privatize parkland.

These links will take you to the Staff report presented to Council and an editorial in one of the local papers that addresses some concerns.

http://nanaimocommons.blogspot.ca/2014/08/proposed-hilton-hotel-to-council-monday.html

http://nanaimocommons.blogspot.ca/2014/08/nanaimo-hilton-still-exists-only-in.html

I fear that before people realize what’s at stake, we could loose a large portion of our beloved waterfront park.

Your thoughts and counsel would be very much appreciated.

— Frank Murphy

Please click on the heading of the post to see comments...

"Nanaimo Hilton still exists only in artist rendering... the artist needs to learn to colour within the lines, and keep its hotel on hotel property." — @NanaimoBulletin editorial

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Proposed Hilton Hotel To Council Monday — Includes "Lease" of Adjacent Waterfront Park

Details of rezoning application, City "lane" closure, acquisition and consolidation, from the City Council meeting agenda for Monday August 11, 2014 here.  35 storeys from the waterfront promenade, 303 room hotel with 59 parking spaces on site.

Read the post and the comments at: Gord Fuller Municipally (A)MUSING

South Downtown Waterfront Initiative On Council Agenda Today

Dr Witty has now briefed the Port Authority, the Snuneymuxw First Nation and the Regional District on the committee's final report and presents it again to Council this evening and will speak on the next steps. Also on the agenda a motion to terminate the lease on the northwest corner of the site now held by Island Pallet and begin remediation work. Agenda here.

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Post by Nanaimo Commons.

#NanaimoCouncil Tweets

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Island Corridor Foundation / VIA Rail agreement "for all intents and purposes concluded"

Post by Island Corridor Foundation.

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#Nanaimo Old City Quarter Multicultural Festival Saturday June 14th

Post by Old City Quarter.

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From The Sidewalk Ballet — Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan Goes to Council Monday

How to critique a Transportation Master Plan that says all the right things? All the current urbanist jargon and concepts are here. The first part of the plan could have been written by algorithm mining from on-line content trendy notions of "complete streets", "walkability" and "a good transportation plan is a good land use plan." So, no fault can be found in the introduction and one is encouraged that based on these urbanist concepts, visionary and transformative actions are surely to follow.

But, I'm reminded of the band leader who, when asked to play a dreary old chestnut that both he and his band loathed, said no they didn't play that tune but you'll like our next selection instead — it contains many of the same notes. Read more: The Sidewalk Ballet: Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan Goes to Council Monday

@neil21 @spirit_of_urban There is a salvageable, city in #Nanaimo’s core. 1st rate walk/ bike infra, modest transit are doable today...
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) November 6, 2013