THE TALK OF THE TOWN

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What Do We Have For You This Month?

Welcome to “The Talk of The Town” for July, 2023. Scroll through the following features to find:

Our Lead Story

DECISION PENDING ON COMOX “SCHOOL STREET”
TIRED VOLUNTEERS AND CONCERNED RESIDENTS

by Nate Lewis
(click images to enlarge)

The City of Vancouver and the Vancouver School Board are “looking at creating” a year-round school street on Comox between Bidwell and Cardero. The City’s proposal would limit vehicle access (except for emergency vehicles) and parking, which would no longer be allowed on the block if the plan moves ahead.

According to the City, “a School Street is a car-free block beside a school open to walking, biking, and rolling during pick-up and drop-off.” The year-round initiative is a proposal to “implement the School Street measures at all times of the day, all year long.” 

Residents, concerned about the initiative, have voiced numerous issues with the proposal to permanently close the street to cars.  

“What is the problem that the City is trying to solve?,” asked Craig Befus, a West Ender who lives on one corner of the proposed year-round school street. “We’ve got a traffic-calm street already, we’ve got speed bumps, we've got the temporary closures that happen twice a day under a pilot project, and that's been working,” Befus said. 

Craig Befus on Comox street outside Lord Roberts Elementary. The City is proposing to close the street year round. (Photo courtesy of Craig Befus)

Comox street is considered to be an “All-Ages-and-Abilities (AAA)” street — providing a connected series of mostly protected bike lanes and local streets with lower traffic volumes. 

There has been an average of two car crashes per year on Comox between Bidwell and Cardero from 2018 to 2022, according to ICBC data. In the same period of time, the data shows there was one reported crash involving a cyclist and one crash involving a pedestrian. It’s unclear if the school street pilot has had any impact on these figures. 

“If we’re trying to keep kids safe” Befus said, “we need to think about crossings at Nelson, Denman, Davie, and Pendrell, not just the ones directly outside the school.” Befus’ claim that crossing main arterials is more dangerous for pedestrians than crossing Comox at Bidwell or Cardero is backed up by ICBC data. According to ICBC, pedestrians were hit in four crashes each at Nelson and at Comox crossing Denman, while there were six pedestrian involved crashes at Broughton and Davie and three at Cardero and Davie over a five year period. 

Lord Roberts Elementary has the longest running school street program in Vancouver. The elementary school first got a temporary school street for four weeks in 2021 as part of a three-school pilot. The following school year (2021-22) Lord Roberts became the first school to have the program operate year round. In 2023, six schools (five elementary, one high school) participated in the four week program from May to June, while, for the second year in a row, Lord Roberts’ school street ran from the start of September to the end of June. 

The underlying problem in the current situation, according to the Lord Roberts Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and the City, is the reliance on volunteers to staff the school street during pick-up and drop-off. 

“The time and coordination required by volunteers to implement the daily school street make this model difficult to sustain over the longer term,” the City’s website reads, which they say is the reason why the 1600 block of Comox was proposed to be Vancouver’s first year-round school street. 

“We’ve provided 1,300 volunteer hours providing a safe route, which is the job of [the City], not busy parents,” said PAC chair Lucy Maloney. Maloney has been a dedicated volunteer and advocate for the year-round school street. She was often the “volunteer of last resort” for the school street program over the past two years, staffing the school street when others couldn’t. 

“My main interest is really hating how dangerous it was and how difficult it was to get my kids to and from school on their bikes when it should be safe and easy,” Maloney said.

Going forward, Maloney said the PAC will no longer be providing volunteers for the school street program for the 2023-2024 school year. “We’ve proven the concept and we’re done,” Maloney said, adding that prior to the program, road safety around the school was the number one complaint the PAC heard from parents. 

A possible alternative to a full-time closure of the street is for the school to participate in BCAA’s School Safety Patrol program. The program helps groups of students in grades 5-7 to gain the skills and training they need to work as crossing guards at their school. BCAA offers a free training package and an administrator or teacher is then responsible for conducting training and implementing the program. 

Lord Roberts PAC Chair Lucy Maloney. (Nate Lewis photo)

Katherine Glowacz, a manager in the City’s community transportation branch, told The West End Journal (TWEJ) there will be another round of consultation with the public and school community about the proposed school street in fall 2023. City staff “anticipate making a decision about next steps” for the initiative after the second round of consultation.

“Through this process, we hope to learn and better understand community perspectives about the proposed options… Community feedback will continue to play an important role in informing our recommendations,” Glowacz said. 

Steps are a feature of many apartment front entrances in the 1600 block of Comox. (Nate Lewis photo)

What this means for the area in the meantime is unclear. The 1600 block of Comox will remain open to vehicle traffic over the summer and PAC volunteers will not be working the school street this coming fall. Conversations are ongoing at the City over how to move forward in the interim before a final decision is made. 

Befus and others have expressed their displeasure with the tone of public consultation thus far. “What was strange about those public consultations is it wasn’t about ‘Are you for or against [the proposal]’. The way it was presented to us [at the pop-up was], this is happening, we want your ideas on how we’re going to design it,” Befus said. 

A copy of the survey sent by the City to nearby residents was reviewed by TWEJ. In part, the survey says that “building off the success of the pilot and feedback collected over the last two years, we are looking at creating a thriving public space for the school and wider community to enjoy.” The survey invites the public to share their feedback to “help guide the design of an accessible, welcoming and inclusive space,” and asks what uses and amenities the space should provide. One question asks respondents if they “have any concerns about the implementation” of the year-round school street, but does not ask residents if they support or are against the proposal itself. 

The list of other concerns from a group calling themselves the ‘Save Our Street (S.O.S.) Comox Committee’ includes the loss of parking spaces, cost to taxpayers, increased greenhouse gas emissions, less convenient access for drop-offs, pick-ups, and deliveries, more difficult building access from parking in the alleyway, an increase in late-night gatherings and drug and alcohol use in the area, and a related decrease in perceived safety in the street and the alleyway. A petition started by the group in early April has had nearly 600 signatures. 

Befus, who is a member of the group, has concerns about the noise, broken glass, and public defecation he already notices in the Cardero mini-park expanding to the street as well. However, Befus believes some of the issues alleged by S.O.S. Comox are being “a little, you know, maybe sensationalized. I think we just need to be level headed about this,” he said. 

Ample parking space behind an apartment on the corner of Comox and Bidwell. (Nate Lewis photo)

Maloney added that most of the apartment buildings on this block of Comox have a parkade, as well as permit parking along the far side of the alley. Additionally, a majority of the apartment buildings are already not easily accessible for people with disabilities, she said, which seems accurate based on the prevalence of steps at the front of many of the buildings. 

Alleyway street parking behind the Comox apartments. (Nate Lewis photo)

In April, Befus reached out to the Mayor’s Office to share these concerns and specifically asked if the decision could be brought to City Council for a public hearing. Befus was told by the mayor’s research manager Conor Doherty that the Office of the Mayor doesn’t have jurisdiction over the public hearing process, which “is only held for specific items related to rezoning and heritage designations.” 

However, City Council may still be asked to vote on the initiative if “staff determine a council decision is necessary,” City communications staff told TWEJ. 

At the time, Doherty said City staff would give an update to Council about next steps for the project once the results from the three-week consultation with local residents and parents this past spring had been reviewed. Now, that’s been delayed until after further community consultation in the fall. 

June 29 was the final day of the volunteer-led school street and the PAC organized a celebratory get-together to acknowledge the hard work of volunteers over the past two years and say goodbye to this iteration of the school street program. 

No other Vancouver schools are currently being considered for a year-round school street. 

RELATED LINKS

The Word On The Street

May Jeanson is the manager and your hostess at Whatafood on Denman.

WHATAFOOD!
Brazilian Street Food on Denman

Early last month the owners of the six-year-old New Westminster Brazilian street food outlet WhataFood opened their second location at 835 Denman, taking over the previous site of ChiMec Chicken.

WhataFood Vancouver offers such grab-and-go items as a traditional signature pastels classico — fried pastries typically filled with various savoury or sweet fillings — in thirteen different flavours, with the option of customizing your order.

Also on the menu are “WhataBites” in assorted varieties like chicken, cheese, calabrese and cheese, and cod popper. You’ll also find acai bowls, smoothies, cheese waffles, and traditional sweet Brazilian churros.

There is seating for 16 if you’d prefer to eat in. Buen provecho!

Garden Health on Davie closes after 40 years. (Mark Ainley Photo)

GARDEN HEALTH CLOSES
40 YEARS SERVING THE WEST END

After more than 40 years as a Davie Street institution, under the most recent management since 1983, the Garden Health Store has closed permanently. Owner Deanna Henry has shared a message to her former clientele, which we quote from as follows:

“It is with a heavy heart that we write to inform you of the permanent closure of our Communities Garden Health your local trusted health and wellness store since 1983. As of June 8, 2023 we made the difficult decision to cease our operations. We are truly grateful for the support and loyalty you have shown us throughout the years. 

“We embarked on this journey with a shared commitment to health and wellness, and it has been an honor to serve you in our community. We have striven to provide you with high-quality products, a welcoming environment, and knowledgeable staff who shared your passion for well-being. 

“However, due to various factors and circumstances, we find ourselves unable to sustain our operations any longer. This decision was not taken lightly, and we explored all possible avenues before reaching this conclusion. We appreciate your understanding and support during this challenging time. 

“We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your loyalty and trust in us. Your support has been invaluable, and we are grateful for the relationships we have built over the years. It has been our privilege to be a part of your health and wellness journey. All we ever wanted was for our community to be living their best lives. 

“While our physical store is now closed, we encourage you to continue to prioritize your well-being.  There are many other reputable health and wellness establishments in our community that can provide you with the products and services you need. Please continue to seek out these resources to support your holistic health. 

“Once again, we extend our sincerest thanks for your patronage and support. We will always cherish the memories and the positive impact we have made together. We wish you nothing but the very best in your ongoing pursuit of a healthy and fulfilling life

With heartfelt gratitude, 
Deanna

Developing Stories

1860 Barclay.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR 1860 BARCLAY?
Six Infill Boutique Townhouses

by Jake McGrail
(click images to enlarge)

The Mason Residence at 1860 Barclay was built in 1901 and is one of the oldest still-standing homes in the West End. Much of the building has remained the same since its construction, and in 2019 the City of Vancouver designated the Mason Residence as a protected heritage property.

The lot contains a single residential building that will receive the addition of an infill building behind the original residence. The project will include six townhouses and the restoration of the original building. The infill building will include a penthouse that covers the top two floors and a common area on the ground floor.

The Development Application sign.

The first application to add infill housing to the site was submitted in 2012, with Merrick Architecture attached to that proposed project, but it didn’t go anywhere. A new application was submitted in 2022, and it was approved by the city in March of 2023.  

As the house is a heritage property it must be preserved at the site. This means that while the current project is set to be made up of six townhouses, the restored Mason Residence will stand separately from the infill building that contains the majority of those residences.

An artist’s rendition of the developer’s plan.

The owner and Developer Mizan Developments have completed a number of townhome and duplex projects in Vancouver in the last few years, mostly in Grandview-Woodland and Mount Pleasant. The architect is Merrick Architecture, who design mostly public buildings like schools, libraries and arts centres.

The infill building will stand at 40 feet, with three surface parking spaces in the rear. The six strata units will all be boutique townhouses, with no rental units and no social housing.

The project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2024 (info as of June 2023). You can find the Development Permit Application from July 28, 2022 here.

West End Moments

Click on any image to enlarge.