Feb
13
By Stephen Harrison
Victoria Councillors Shellie Gudgeon and Ben Isitt hosted a well-attended forum in December to discuss the community's "vision for public land around Victoria Harbour." The conversation focused on the future of the parking lots at 950 and 1000 Wharf Street in the Inner Harbour, north of Ship's Point. The James Bay Neighbourhood Association (JBNA) sponsored the meeting, which looked at alternative uses for this land.
The Provincial Capital Commission (PCC) currently owns these lots, and Gudgeon says the development of this area is one of Council's top priorities for the remaining two years of its term. There has been plenty of talk about the harbour over the last 40 years, she says, "but not a lot of action."
JBNA president Marg Gardiner identified a variety of challenges facing harbour development, including the competing interests of the Province, the City, and the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.
Councillor Isitt says he would prefer "a real public use" for the land, but a "political battle is looming" over its future, which will likely include pressure from developers. His hope was that the meeting would "spur people's creative energies" to come up with an innovative plan for these lands, which he described as "a blank slate."
"We heard overwhelmingly that the community wants to see public land on the harbour remain public," says Isitt, whose presentation pointed to successful public space development in other jurisdictions. "We don't have to hand over the handful of waterfront we have." Isitt added that whatever development takes place should be compatible with the festivals and other activities that take place in the Inner Harbour.
Councillor Chris Coleman was also in attendance at the meeting, and he applauded his fellow councillors for soliciting public perspectives. He questions Isitt's use of examples of riverfront and downtown public space from around the world, however, suggesting Victoria needs to look to other multi-use working harbours for inspiration, such as Halifax, which incorporates recreational and park space.
The residents who spoke had a variety of ideas for revitalizing the parking lots and the harbour as a whole, but there was general agreement amongst the speakers that it should be a public area.
"It's got to remain in the public realm," said one individual, who asked that the councillors consider residents' needs before tourists. Councillor Gudgeon replied that "tourism will follow livability." Another speaker added that Victorians don't need more eating, shopping, buying, or drinking space, but a green space.
Councillor Coleman agrees that the lands need attention, but whatever replaces the parking lots "has to work locally," he says. He recognizes the public desire for family green space, but he's not sure how it will be reconciled with Victoria's working Inner Harbour. The coming years will be about bringing people together and working with the public to ensure that a piece of their vision is represented in the plan for the Harbour, says Coleman, who points out that the Johnson Street Bridge project will include public park space.
Former JBNA president Tim Van Alstine was emphatic that the city should neither sell nor lease the land. "You control the zoning," he said. He pointed out that the PCC lands were purchased with a greenbelt fund and should therefore be a public space, perhaps with some permanent market opportunities.
Isitt says a realistic timeline for developing the area is three to five years, given the "conflicting visions for the harbour" on council and the need for widespread community dialogue. Coleman says this timeline may be "wishful thinking," but Isitt hopes to obtain buy-in for public development from council this year, to be followed by a detailed, community-wide planning exercise in 2014, with major capital work commencing in 2015.