Livable City Strategy:
An Economic Development Plan for New Westminster
April 2008
LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ...... 1
2.0 What is an Economic Development Strategy? ...... 3
3.0 Why “Livable City Strategy”? ...... 4
4.0 Process ...... 6
5.0 Overview of the Strategy ...... 7
6.0 New Westminster in the Regional Context ...... 8
6.1 A Short Economic History of the Royal City ...... 8 6.2 Economic Prospects in Metropolitan Vancouver ...... 13 6.3 New Westminster’s Competitive Advantages and Disadvantages ...... 17 6.3.1 New Westminster’s Advantages ...... 17 6.3.2 New Westminster’s Challenges and Obstacles ...... 18 6.3.3 Two Sides of the Coin...... 19
7.0 Economic Development Prospects for New Westminster ...... 20
8.0 Groups Involved in Improving New Westminster’s Local Economy ...... 23
9.0 Goals of the Livable City Strategy ...... 26
10.0 The Strategic Plan ...... 27
10.1 Make New Westminster one of the most interesting, livable, fiscally strong, and environmentally sustainable communities in Greater Vancouver...... 28 10.1.1 Continue the development of a variety of high density, pedestrian- oriented urban commercial and residential centres...... 29 10.1.2 Improve the City’s access to and relationship with the Fraser River...... 30 10.1.3 Preserve and market New Westminster’s heritage...... 32 10.1.4 Make New Westminster one of the most sustainable communities in Greater Vancouver...... 33 10.2 Make New Westminster a preferred location within the region for the kinds of employers that New Westminster wants to attract...... 34 10.2.1 Make more intensive use of the City’s industrial land inventory...... 35
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10.2.2 Make sure the City’s property tax structure is fair and not an impediment to attracting and retaining firms...... 37 10.2.3 Communicate a business friendly attitude and ensure that approvals process for new industrial and office development are reasonable...... 38 10.3 Participate with other municipalities in cooperative regional economic development initiatives...... 39 10.3.1 Participate in the Task Force on Regional Economic Development and Provincial Initiatives...... 39 10.4 Take specific steps to improve New Westminster’s prospects in the sectors that are likely to contribute most to New Westminster’s economic base: existing heavy industry, technology and other high quality light industry, health, education, regional business centre, and tourism/arts/culture...... 40 10.4.1 Support the continued operation of existing heavy industrial firms as long as possible...... 41 10.4.2 Attract more high quality light industrial firms and more firms in the technology sector...... 44 10.4.3 Expand the existing concentration of public agencies, private firms, and jobs in the health sector...... 48 10.4.4 Strengthen the existing concentration in the education sector...... 50 10.4.5 Strengthen Downtown as a unique and successful regional business centre...... 52 10.4.6 Enhance the City’s role as an arts/culture centre and visitor draw...... 55 10.5 Create an economic development services function that is efficient, effective, and makes good use of the resources of local organizations...... 58 10.5.1 Consolidate most local economic development activity in the City’s new economic development office...... 59 10.5.2 Cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce in business networking and recruiting...... 60 10.5.3 Cooperate with Tourism New Westminster in tourism marketing...... 61 10.6 Make New Westminster a welcoming, safe, inclusive community...... 62
11.0 Monitoring and Updating ...... 63
Attachment A ...... 64
Attachment B ...... 66
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1.0 Introduction
This document sets out a plan to improve the in terms of total employment, numbers of economic base of the City of New firms, and shares of regional growth. So, Westminster. By making the local economy why bother with an economic development stronger, the City intends to improve the strategy for a small municipality like New whole community and make the quality of life Westminster? Why not just ride on the better for residents of New Westminster. coattails of the adjacent larger communities?
New Westminster is a small City within the While it is true that one municipality within a large Greater Vancouver metropolitan area. large region has limited ability to shape its Most of the land in the City is already economic future, and it is true that the small developed and the City is surrounded by communities in Greater Vancouver will much larger municipalities (particularly capture some economic growth just by being Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey) that part of an attractive, economically diverse dominate the regional economic landscape metropolitan area, there are some good
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER reasons why New Westminster must be in depth in this document but, simply put, more than a bystander in regional economic New Westminster should have an active development. These reasons are explored economic development strategy because:
The City needs to think about where its jobs, investment, and non-residential tax revenues will come from in the future.
•A very large part of the City’s existing economic base (and therefore tax base) is comprised of old, heavy, riverfront industries in the forest products sector. Heavy manufacturing in Greater Vancouver is declining and many long-standing industries are closing or relocating. New Westminster has recently seen two large mills close. This tax base must be replaced if New Westminster wants to avoid large increases in residential property taxes. New Westminster has some fantastic opportunities that have not been tapped.
•The Fraser riverfront, a strategic position on two rapid transit lines, a central regional location, a fascinating history and a large stock of heritage buildings, and an attractive urban character and scale are assets that could be used to better advantage in making a fiscally strong, more economically diverse, and more livable community. New economic development is needed to help share the cost of improving the community.
•As one of the region’s oldest communities, New Westminster has aging civic infrastructure. Utilities, roads, recreation facilities, public parking facilities, and parks all need upgrading and repair. The City needs to find ways to pay for necessary capital investment without loading it all on the existing taxpayers. One strategy is to share large city-wide capital costs among more residents and businesses. Other municipalities are capturing increasing shares of regional employment growth.
•Larger surrounding municipalities are capturing increasing shares of regional growth, particularly in sectors (e.g. technology, health, education) that will be the main engines of regional economic development in the next century. New Westminster risks becoming an economic backwater if it does not become a stronger participant in these sectors.
For these reasons, New Westminster needs consistent with the community’s vision for the a strategy to strengthen its economic future, and that will make positive position within the region. But this economic contributions to the quality of life. This is development plan is not about chasing why New Westminster calls its economic growth for the sake of growth; it is about plan the “Livable City Strategy”: a strategy selecting economic opportunities that are for tapping economic opportunities that will appropriate for New Westminster, that are help build a better community.
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
2.0 What is an Economic Development Strategy?
An urban community can be thought of as the region. However, each municipality having four main components: the people within a metropolitan area has a unique set who live in the community, the physical of competitive advantages and environment in which they live (which has disadvantages that create the potential for urban and natural components), the niches within the regional economy. New infrastructure and services that support daily Westminster’s economic development life, and the economic base that provides the strategy aims to identify and take advantage jobs, non-residential tax base, and of the City’s niche within the region. investment that create income and wealth. Municipalities have control, or at least influence, over factors such as: People 1. Maintaining a high quality of urban development and community life, that
Economic Physical attracts firms and workers. Base Environment 2. Establishing an image and reputation that can attract desirable kinds of Infrastructre development. and Services
3. Marketing the community and recruiting
businesses. Just as a community adopts an Official 4. Adopting land use and development Community Plan to guide urban policies and regulations that are development and the provision of services, a supportive of desirable kinds of industrial, municipality can adopt a plan to influence commercial, and residential and guide the structure and trajectory of its development. local economy. 5. Providing infrastructure. Municipalities in general have a limited ability to influence the economy. Factors at the 6. Creating efficient approvals processes. global scale (e.g. international trade, 7. Helping ensure an adequate supply of currency exchange rates, climate, land to accommodate new businesses. geopolitics), the national or provincial scale These are the sorts of levers that a (e.g. taxation, immigration, labour law), and municipality can use to influence its the regional scale (e.g. major transportation economic prospects. An economic networks, overall regional growth patterns, development strategy is a plan that sets out land availability) largely control which sectors realistic objectives for the local economy and of a region’s economy decline or grow and shows how the municipality will use the how growth is spatially distributed throughout available tools to achieve its objectives.
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
3.0 Why “Livable City Strategy”?
New Westminster is geographically small; it economy are necessarily closely linked with has a charm, scale, and character that are other kinds of planning initiatives, all of which more attractive in many respects than most are primarily aimed at building a better of the suburban communities in Greater community. Vancouver. New Westminster also has a There is another important reason why special role in the history of the Province. economic development is so closely linked to The combination of small scale, unique making a better community. In the so-called urban character, and interesting history new economy, in which knowledge-based result in a distinctive community image that and service sectors are growing and is important to the City’s residents. traditionally important sectors such as forest products manufacturing are shrinking, firms and workers are attracted to high quality urban environments and safe, interesting, livable communities. Tourism, technology, film and television, and other new economy sectors do not have to locate near raw materials, a key piece of infrastructure such as a rail line or port, or major consumer markets; they can go where they will find a high quality labour force, respected Courtesy of City of New Westminster Photo Gallery (NWPG) educational institutions, and excellent In such a compact community, the lines amenities. Building a highly livable, safe between economic development, urban community is an essential ingredient in development, and quality of daily life are not attracting firms and workers. as distinct as they might be in a sprawling suburb. New Westminster has no large greenfield areas that can accommodate Economic Improved Development industrial development remote from existing Quality of Life Opportuinties neighbourhoods. It has no tedious strips of 1960s shopping centres for which almost any form of redevelopment could not help but Therefore, when the City recognized the make the community more attractive. In need for an economic development plan, it New Westminster, almost any change affects was very conscious of the link between the character of the whole community and economic change and community life: the the quality of life, positively or negatively. purpose of this strategy is to use economic Consequently, steps to enhance the local
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER development opportunities to improve the quality of life in New Westminster for residents and thereby appeal to the kinds of businesses that are a good fit in the City. New Westminster is interested in tapping economic development opportunities that meet these criteria:
They are well-suited to the scale and
character of New Westminster.
They will make a positive, lasting improvement to the fiscal health of the Appropriate scale City, in that they will contribute revenue without adding huge cost burdens. Want to Contribute They fit well with the community’s overall loacte in revenue high without vision for the character of the City and quality cost community burden the quality of life.
They are in economic sectors in which growth tends to occur in communities Good fit with vision for quality of life with a high quality of life.
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
4.0 Process
The Livable City Strategy was developed in these main steps:
City selected Citizen •The City selected a citizen Task Force to provide knowledge Task Force and guidance in the development of the Strategy.
City retained •The City retained a consultant to provide expertise, analysis, Consultant and assistance in developing the Strategy.
•Background analysis was conducted to understand New Background Analysis Westminster’s prospects, strengths, and weaknesses in the regional economic context.
•The sectors that make up the regional economy were Identify Sectors with evaluated to identify sectors in which there are strong prospects and which are particularly suited to New Strong Potential Westminster.
Create Sector Work •Working Groups were created to consider the chosen sectors in greater detail. These Groups included members of the Groups Task Force and additional invited resource people.
•The Task Force and the consultant developed a preliminary draft and presented it to City Council. Then the consultant Draft Strategy developed a full draft of the Strategy which was reviewed by the Task Force, the general public, City staff and Council.
Final Strategy •The final Strategy was developed.
The Task Force met several times during the economy and improve the quality of life. The preparation of the Strategy, providing input contributions of the Task Force and the on appropriate economic goals, the selection Working Groups were essential in the of sectors that offer the best and most creation of this Strategy. The City is very appropriate opportunities for New grateful for their expertise, their insights, and Westminster, the identification of New their generous contribution of their time. The Westminster’s strengths and weaknesses, members of the Task Force and the Working and the development of practical action Groups are listed in Appendix A and plans that would strengthen the local Appendix B.
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
5.0 Overview of the Strategy
The Livable City Strategy has 6 main parts:
Section 6.0 Section 7.0 Section 8.0 Section 9.0 Section 10.0 Section 11.0 presents a summarizes provides an sets out the sets out the suggests an profile of New the main overview of economic goals strategic plan approach to Westminster economic the main for New for improving monitoring within its prospects for organizations Westminster, the City’s local progress and regional the City. that would based on its economy. updating the context. have a role in niche in the Livable City implementing region and the Strategy. New community’s Westminster’s vision for the economic future of the strategy. City.
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
6.0 New Westminster in the Regional Context
6.1 A Short Economic History of the Royal City
New Westminster is one of the oldest administered distinctly from the colony on communities in Greater Vancouver and it Vancouver Island) led to the designation of played a special role in the development of New Westminster as the first capital city. the Province and the region. The status of capital city was later transferred to There is value in a much-abbreviated recap Victoria as part of of the development of the City, from an the negotiations economic perspective, because New that led to the Westminster’s current situation and amalgamation of prospects for the future derive in part from its the mainland and past. Circa1898 courtesy of NWPL (photo 241) Island colonies, but The urban development of what we now New Westminster remained an important know as Greater Vancouver started in the urban centre, attracting office, retail, and 1800s in a few isolated locations on the institutional development and creating what Fraser River and Burrard Inlet. In the first is now a fine stock of heritage buildings. century of urbanization, the fur trade, the The development of the Greater Vancouver logging industry, urban region, right up until the 1960s, can be the salmon fishing thought of as a gradual suburban infilling and canning around the compact, distinct, scattered industry, the gold urban centres that had developed over the rush, and the route previous century. Gastown, New of the Westminster, Steveston, Langley, Lonsdale, Circa 1925 courtesy of the New transcontinental Westminster Public Library Port Moody, Cloverdale, and other towns (NWPL Photo 3226) railroad created formed a network of urban business and and reinforced a few scattered urban service centres that provided the retail, centres, including New Westminster. Most of professional, personal service and other the early urban centres were on waterfront economic functions for an agricultural and locations, for transportation reasons. later suburban residential and commercial New expansion in the Westminster’s large land areas early emergence between these as an urban older settlements. centre in the The region’s first mainland colony rail transit system Circa 1865 courtesy of NWPL (photo (which was then Circa 1914 courtesy of NWPL (the Interurban) 155) (photo 2323)
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER linked several of these towns with a tram in Whalley, Guildford, Coquitlam, and system. Metrotown repatriated retail and service spending that had previously been exported In addition to its role as an important urban to New Westminster. Suddenly, New centre, New Westminster also became an Westminster was no longer the retail and important forest products manufacturing business centre for a large surrounding area; location because of the Fraser River it had become a small, old-fashioned, frontage which gave easy access to timber relatively inaccessible business centre trying supply. Major to compete with large, modern malls with forest products unlimited parking. New Westminster lost manufacturers retailers, movie chains, and other (such as saw mills businesses. Columbia Street buildings were and paper mills) back-filled with lower quality tenants; the provided large Circa 1905 courtesy of NWPL area began to decline. (photo 1061) non-residential tax base and a large number of high paying The municipalities with large regional unionized jobs. shopping centres and large supplies of land well-placed on the regional major road Up until the 1960s, with its large industrial system also began to attract larger shares of employers and concentration of businesses, regional office development to the emerging New Westminster was clearly the retail, town centres and to suburban business financial, professional, cultural, and parks. With neither an inventory of business entertainment centre for a large surrounding park sites nor a major regional shopping area that included much of Burnaby, centre, and no real Coquitlam, east Richmond, north Surrey, competitive and north Delta. Residents of these areas advantage as a regarded New regional office Westminster as their location, New downtown, with 1984 courtesy of NWPL (photo 2252, photographer Peter Scurr) Westminster major department declined in relative significance as a stores, movie commercial centre. theatres, and banks. 1970 courtesy of NWPL (photo 2755, photographer Commercial However, the rapid Meanwhile, declining fibre supply, increased Illustrators Ltd.) and extensive traffic congestion, declining importance of suburban residential development that rail and river transportation, and rising land started in these surrounding communities in values were beginning to put pressure on the the 1960s meant that inevitably they would older industries in the central part of the support their own major commercial centres. region. Over the last few decades, mills in This population growth, coupled with the rise Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster of automobile culture, resulted in a surge of have closed and their sites have been regional shopping centre development in the redeveloped with residential, business park, 1970s and 1980s. Major retail developments recreation or other intensive uses. None of
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER the vacated sites have been re-occupied These initiatives have helped and, as a with heavy manufacturing uses. More of result, New Westminster recovered some of these mills will likely close over time. the ground it lost. However, since 1971 New Eventually, there will be few or no heavy Westminster’s share of regional population manufacturing uses in the urban core of and regional employment have continued to Metro Vancouver. New Westminster must decline. In 1971, New Westminster had prepare for this transition in its economic almost 6% of the region’s jobs and 4% of the base. region’s population. By 2001, even though population and employment grew in the City, The combination of declining significance as its regional shares had fallen to about 3% a regional commercial centre and the start of because the rest of the region had been the gradual erosion of the heavy growing more quickly (see Exhibit 1). manufacturing sector made New Westminster seem like a community on the EXHIBIT 1: New Westminster's Share of way down. Columbia Street, once the busy GVRD Population and main street in a prosperous downtown, Employment, 1971 to 2006 provided highly visible evidence of decline, 7.0% Population with the loss of prominent retailers, high 6.0% Employment vacancy, seedy tenants, and undesirable 5.0% street activity. 4.0% Starting in the 1970s, there were several initiatives to try to revitalize New 3.0%
Westminster. 2.0% Some riverfront 1.0% lands were made available for high 0.0% density residential 1971 1981 1991 2001 2006
development. Justice Institute courtesy NWPG Investment in As of 2001 (the most recent year for which Douglas College, the Royal Columbian detailed employment data is available), New Hospital, the Justice Institute, and the Westminster had 3% of all regional jobs. As Provincial courthouse strengthened the City shown in Exhibit 2, the City’s shares of as an institutional centre. Development of employment by economic sector vary the regional rapid transit system gave New considerably, with above average shares in Westminster an health care, public administration, cultural increased strategic industries, and the arts but with below significance as an average shares in professional/ scientific/ urban centre, with technical (the high tech industry), stations on two transportation and warehousing (one of the main light industrial sectors in the region), SkyTrain and Bus, courtesy NWPG lines.
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
and retail trade (an indicator of tourism and Above average share of jobs of the City’s role as a regional business • Health Care • Public Administration centre). • Cultural + Arts
Below average share of jobs • Scientific, Professional + High Tech • Transportation + Warehouse • Retail Trade
EXHIBIT 2: NEW WESTMINSTER’S SHARE OF GVRD EMPLOYMENT BY ECONOMIC SECTOR (2001)
Sectoral Shares New Number of of New Westminster’s Jobs in New Westminster’s Number of Share of GVRD Sector Westminster Total Jobs in GVRD Total Health care and social assistance 5,635 20% 94,790 6% Manufacturing 3,025 11% 97,810 3% Educational services 2,090 7% 69,105 3% Retail trade 2,050 7% 113,020 2% Accommodation and food services 1,785 6% 78,285 2% Professional, scientific, and technical services 1,695 6% 85,085 2% Finance and insurance 1,625 6% 52,755 3% Public administration 1,575 6% 42,140 4% High tech 1,495 5% 63,055 2% Information and cultural industries 1,465 5% 38,185 4% Other services (except public administration) 1,290 5% 47,500 3% Transportation and warehousing 1,075 4% 53,875 2% Administrative and support, waste management and remediation 875 3% 32,045 3% services Construction 725 3% 25,190 3% Arts, entertainment, and recreation 715 3% 20,255 4% Wholesale trade 605 2% 52,755 1% Real estate and rental/leasing 600 2% 22,935 3% Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting 170 1% 11,265 2% Utilities 55 0% 6,005 1% Mining and oil and gas extraction 0 0% 1,850 0% Management of companies and enterprises 0 0% 860 0% Total 28,555 100% 1,008,765 3%
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
Today, New Westminster faces a mixture of economic challenges and opportunities that have their roots in the City’s past:
The City has a fascinating and important history and an outstanding stock of heritage buildings, but not enough retail and office demand to vitalize them all.
The City has an attractive riverfront
location but past urban and transportation development patterns have tended to cut the City off from the River.
The City still has a large manufacturing
base, providing jobs and tax base, but faces the prospect that over time this base will shrink. The City has little vacant land; almost all new development will require re-use or
redevelopment of existing properties.
New Westminster faces strong competition in all economic sectors from surrounding municipalities that are larger, have better road access, and have more land for new development.
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6.2 Economic Prospects in Metropolitan Vancouver
The Greater Vancouver metropolitan area is accommodation/food service, high tech, and well-positioned to improve its role in the transportation/warehousing. These sectors national and global economies. are strongly linked to tourism, high technology, film/television, international Exhibit 3 shows the distribution of regional business and trade, education, and health, jobs by type of industry in 2001 and 2006. all of which are expected to be major Significant shares of regional employment sources of the world’s (and Canada’s) are in retail, manufacturing, health, economic growth in the next several education, professional/scientific, decades.
EXHIBIT 3: REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT BY SECTOR (2001, 2006) 000's of Share of 000's of Share of Jobs in GVRD Jobs in GVRD GVRD Total GVRD Total Sector (2001) (2001) (2006) (2006) Accommodation and food services 84.9 8.2% 86.9 7.3% Agriculture 6.6 0.6% 10 0.8% Arts, entertainment, and recreation 22.6 2.2% 28.9 2.4% Business, building and other support 42.7 4.1% 54.5 4.6% services Construction 53.5 5.1% 85.3 7.2% Educational services 72.5 7.0% 92.4 7.8% Forestry, fishing 3.5 0.3% 2.8 0.2% Finance and insurance 52.7 5.1% 58.4 4.9% Health care and social assistance 96.1 9.3% 115.8 9.8% Information, culture 43.7 4.2% 41.4 3.5% Manufacturing 104.9 10.1% 104.7 8.8% Mining and oil and gas extraction 2.1 0.2% 5.3 0.4% Other services (except public 52.8 5.1% 52.7 4.4% administration) Professional, scientific, and technical 95.8 9.2% 112 9.4% services Public administration 41.4 4.0% 43.3 3.6% Real estate and rental/leasing 25.2 2.4% 29.5 2.5% Retail trade 121.5 11.7% 135.2 11.4% Transportation and warehousing 66.8 6.4% 67.6 5.7% Utilities 5.5 0.5% 3.7 0.3% Wholesale trade 44.1 4.2% 56.6 4.8% Total 1038.9 100.0% 1187 100.0%
Source: GVRD - Based on Stats Can Labour Force Survey Data Note: LFS figures are slightly higher than Census data for the region as the Census undercounts residents and employees. All figures in 000's
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Exhibit 3 also shows how economic sectors system of property rights, and relatively fared during 2001 to 2006. Sectors with safe communities. relatively high job growth included: Established economic clusters in arts and entertainment technology, film and television, finance, construction tourism, advanced business services, business and support services education. education In short, Greater Vancouver is a very health attractive location for the kinds of economic science and technology services sectors that are likely to make up most real estate global and national economic growth in the wholesale trade. future. Greater Vancouver is in a strong position to Regional employment is expected to grow by continue to attract growth in these sectors about 350,000 new jobs in total over the next because it has several key competitive two decades. advantages relative to other metropolitan Broadly speaking, about 40% of all new jobs areas: will follow very closely the distribution of A diverse economy which taps many population growth, including jobs such as opportunities and is not overly exposed retail clerks, personal service providers (e.g. to downturn in any one sector. restaurant workers and hair stylists), elementary and secondary school teachers, High quality natural environment, healthy bank tellers and other jobs that meet the communities, outstanding amenities, day-to-day needs of residents. So, each clean air, clean water. municipality will receive a portion of regional A strategic location on the North employment commensurate with its share of American coast of the Pacific Rim. regional population growth. High quality public services including The other 60% of jobs (the region’s true health and education. economic drivers) will distribute across the Good quality air, sea, rail, road, and region based on factors such as land supply, transit infrastructure. land cost, transportation infrastructure, location of major institutions (e.g. post- Energy and water resources. secondary education, major hospitals), Strong financial institutions. available labour force, quality of community, and links to downtown Vancouver (which is Good international networks. still the region’s dominant business centre). Highly skilled labour force. Declining share is not of itself a bad thing if there is still employment growth in a Stable political system, established and community. However, declining share can reliable legal system, clearly established
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER mean declining competitive advantage. New share of total regional employment will Westminster will be a stronger community if continue to decline unless the City takes it can at least maintain its current share of action to reverse this trend. regional employment. Therefore, one fundamental aim of the Exhibit 4 shows a recent projected Livable City Strategy is to ensure that New distribution of regional employment growth Westminster’s share of regional employment by municipality for 2001 to 2021. This growth remains steady or increases, rather forecast anticipates that New Westminster’s than declines. To gain ground, New job base will grow by just over 9,000 jobs, Westminster must be able to do well in some capturing a share of about 2.6% of all or all of the sectors for which regional regional job growth. In other words, there is prospects are brightest. a strong possibility that New Westminster’s
EXHIBIT 4: PROJECTED REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH BY LOCATION (2001 TO 2021) Projected Employment Share of Metro Vancouver Growth from Employment Growth from 2001 to 2021 2001 to 2021 Anmore, Belcarra, Lions Bay, Electoral Area 435 0.1% A Bowen Island 130 0.0% Burnaby 39,220 11.0% Coquitlam 30,690 8.6% Delta 7,790 2.2% Langley City 7,630 2.1% Langley Township 29,245 8.2% Maple Ridge 12,080 3.4% New Westminster 9,150 2.6% North Vancouver City 6,010 1.7% North Vancouver District 4,850 1.4% Pitt Meadows 1,520 0.4% Port Coquitlam 7,950 2.2% Port Moody 1,600 0.4% Richmond 52,160 14.6% Surrey 94,770 26.5% Vancouver 44,060 12.3% West Vancouver 1,070 0.3% White Rock 4,280 1.2% Electoral Area A (UBC) 2,630 0.7% GVRD Total 357,270 100.0% Source: Metro Vancouver (previously GVRD), Growth Management Scenario (GMS) version 5.0 (draft 2).
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
Exhibit 5 summarizes the broad outlook for the main economic sectors that make up the metropolitan economy of Greater Vancouver.
EXHIBIT 5: OUTLOOK FOR KEY SECTORS IN METROPOLITAN VANCOUVER ECONOMY
Sector Regional Outlook
Knowledge-based industries (includes Growth. Greater Vancouver offers high quality of life, attractive communications, computers, digital media, environment, attractive social milieu, educational institutions, and a biotechnology, high tech, research) strategic geographic location that appeals to knowledge workers and firms.
Tourism Growth. The region is an important gateway for Asian visitors, has major attractions in its own right, excellent infrastructure, and growing reputation/exposure. World tourism is rising as developing economies produce new affluent travellers.
Health and Education Growth. Aging domestic population and increasing international demand fuel expansion of these sectors.
Transportation and Distribution Growth. Greater Vancouver is a major port, railhead, and air terminal location. Goods movement to/from Asia is growing.
Film and Television Growth. While susceptible to currency fluctuation and tax- incentive competition from other jurisdictions, Greater Vancouver has an established cluster in this sector, is in the same time zone as California, and has key resources such as studio facilities, skilled workers, access to a wide variety of locations, multicultural community, and excellent infrastructure.
Arts and culture Growth. A multicultural community, growing population, increasing affluence, increasing tourism, and supportive environment for arts and culture all contribute to growth.
Retail and personal services Growth. Most communities will experience growth in the sector closely matched to their population growth. Some communities will attract more growth, because of strengths in tourism, specialty/destination retail, and office-based business (which supports retail).
Light manufacturing Limited growth. Greater Vancouver is not a major manufacturing location. There will be opportunities in manufacturing products targeted at the regional/provincial population and some high tech manufacturing, but only limited prospects in durable goods, machine tools, and other traditional manufacturing niches that are concentrated in central Canada or are locating in developing countries.
Resource processing and heavy Decline. Reduced fibre availability, increasing land cost, manufacturing increasing traffic congestion, all make Greater Vancouver less attractive as a location for heavy resource related industry.
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6.3 New Westminster’s Competitive Advantages and Disadvantages
Like every municipality in the region, New distribution of future employment in the Westminster has a unique mix of competitive sectors with the strongest regional prospects advantages and disadvantages, in terms of for growth. the factors that will affect the regional
6.3.1 New Westminster’s Advantages
Unique charm, character, history, and compact scale. •Much of Greater Vancouver has a bland, suburban character. New Westminster is one of a few places (such as downtown Vancouver, Lower Lonsdale, and Steveston) with attractive and authentic character. New Westminster's compact scale, pedestrian-oriented commercial areas, and high level of transit service help to make the City one of the region's more inherently sustainable communities. "Green" urban environments are becoming more attractive to firms and residents.
Riverfront. •Waterfront is always a major attractor, for residential and some kinds of commercial development. While the Fraser River is not as attractive as the marine waterfront in the region, New Westminster 's downtown has a more attractive setting than the town centres in Burnaby, Surrey, Coquitlam, or Delta because it is on the river.
Rapid transit access. •New Westminster has stations on the Expo and Millennium Lines and will be linked to the proposed new Evergreen line serving the Tri-Cities area.
Existing concentrations of jobs in the education and health sectors. •With Douglas College, Justice Institute, several private educational users, and the Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster has major institutions that have the ability to grow and to attract other users.
Central geographical location •Central geographical location in the region, with good road and transit links to downtown Vancouver and the International Airport. While New Westminster does have traffic congestion problems, it has good access to Highway 1, Highway 99 via the Alex Fraser Bridge, Marine Way, and Lougheed Highway. It is in a central location that can draw from the entire regional labour force and it has good connections to several other regional business centres including downtown Vancouver, Metrotown, Surrey City Centre, and Richmond.
A heavy industrial base that generates significant tax revenue and employment. •While heavy industry is a sunset sector, for the time being New Westminster enjoys the benefit of having several major heavy industrial employers. The reduction in this sector has been more pronounced in Vancouver; New Westminster still has time before its heavy industries all go through a transition. The City cannot be complacent, but it does not need to panic either. When older industries do make a transition, lands will be freed up that may provide opportunities to accommodate new kinds of employers.
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
6.3.2 New Westminster’s Challenges and Obstacles
New Westminster’s economic development A small pool of existing residents and plan must be based on a realistic businesses (due to the City’s small assessment of the City’s competitive geographic size) which results in high per disadvantages. The City’s economic capita costs for services and limits the aspirations must acknowledge that some amount of capital that can be raised from limitations cannot be altered. The Strategy property taxes for new infrastructure or should strive to reduce or eliminate the development initiatives. limitations that can be addressed. A small municipal corporation with limited New Westminster’s main competitive resources that may not be able to mount disadvantages are: the same scale of economic A limited supply of land for new tech development projects as larger firms and light industry, including the lack municipalities. of a business park in an appropriate location with rapid transit and regional Limited land road access. supply
Waterfront The separation of the riverfront from the Small separated municipal from corporation rest of downtown, due to major roads, rail Challenges downtown line, and a parkade structure. and Obstacles Traffic congestion, which tends to
discourage businesses that depend on High per Traffiic capita costs congestion truck deliveries or a mobile work force.
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
6.3.3 Two Sides of the Coin
Interestingly, some of New Westminster’s constrains downtown’s ability to main features inherently contain both accommodate new development. strengths and weaknesses. New Westminster’s geographically central The City’s compact size helps give it a location affords good access to the region’s strong image and personality, but also labour supply and to other major business means there is not much available land, civic centres, but also exposes the City to direct capital and operating costs are spread over competition for new public and private relatively few users, and it is hard to cultivate investment because of the proximity of larger a high profile. municipalities, particularly Burnaby, Surrey, and Richmond. The City’s history, which has supplied a rich past and a good stock of handsome New Westminster’s economic development buildings, provides the raw material for a challenge is to use these attributes to strong market image (such as Yaletown, advantage. Gastown, or Victoria’s Old Town) but also
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7.0 Economic Development Prospects for New Westminster
Based on the assessment of regional trends knowledge workers and tech companies. and prospects, and New Westminster’s mix New Westminster has lagged behind other of advantages and disadvantages relative to municipalities in the region in attracting tech other locations in the region, New firms and jobs. This is an area of great Westminster’s economic prospects for the opportunity, but only if New Westminster can next decade or so are summarized below. figure out how to draw these kinds of firms to the City. New Westminster does not have a Heavy Industry large cluster of knowledge-based industry at Heavy industry is not a growth sector, but it present and it does not have a major post- makes up a large part of existing secondary educational institution with a employment and non-residential tax base. research or applied research focus. The City The City can work to retain this sector as will have to take advantage of the assets it long as possible, although in the long term does have to attract firms. New Westminster heavy industrial sites can be expected to will be more attractive if it creates a supply of transition to other uses. New Westminster readily-developed land for firms that want a needs to retain remaining employers while business park environment, because the City taking an active role in planning for the kinds offers a central location within the region, of commercial and industrial uses that will reasonably good access to the regional occupy these lands when existing industries major road system, and an interesting urban close. This will require finding ways to environment. minimize conflicts between older industrial Tourism uses and newer commercial and light industrial uses on adjacent sites. Tourism is a major growth sector regionally for several reasons: Greater Vancouver’s Health Care gateway function; the outstanding tourism New Westminster is already a major regional brands of Canada, BC, and Vancouver; the health centre, with the Royal Columbian region’s tremendous visitor attractions and Hospital and other medical related uses. services; and the impact of events such as Health will be a growth sector in the region Expo 86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics. and New Westminster should be able to New Westminster (like most of the suburban capture public and private medical, health, communities in Greater Vancouver) has not and related jobs. become a major tourism destination because Technology and Knowledge-Based Jobs it has not developed major attractions or tourism infrastructure. The City does not Tech is a major growth sector globally and have major cultural, historical, convention- Vancouver is an attractive location for related, or recreation draws of the scale of
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER those located in Vancouver (e.g. Trade and Westminster has acquired a down-market Convention Centre, Aquarium, Science image due to years of retail decline. In the World, major sports stadiums), although it future, New Westminster has an opportunity has untapped assets including its riverfront to be more attractive to region-serving office location, its special role in Provincial history, users because the City offers rapid transit and its stock of heritage buildings. service, reasonable travel times to YVR and downtown Vancouver, and an interesting Education urban character. Education is a major growth sector in the Arts and Culture region. While New Westminster is not the home of a major university, it has Douglas Arts and Culture is a growth sector College, the Justice Institute, and a variety of regionally, but New Westminster has not private education related businesses. The established itself as a major centre for arts or City’s central geographic position and culture. To have a larger role, New excellent rapid transit service make it a good Westminster will need new facilities and location for region-serving educational events. institutions. Retail and Services Regional Business and Professional Retail and service jobs account for a large Centre share of regional employment. Residential This is not actually an economic sector, but a growth will attract more retail and service major regional office centre attracts businesses, especially if residential growth is professionals, company headquarters, concentrated in nodes that create pockets of institutions, and service companies that cut demand. Retail and service growth, in turn, across many sectors. Almost all regional- can make residential communities more oriented private and public sector office attractive. New Westminster’s prospects for development occurs in downtown retail growth will depend mainly on the City’s Vancouver, a few regional nodes residential growth policies and its ability to (particularly Metrotown, downtown encourage attractive, livable, functional new Richmond, and central Broadway in (and denser) neighbourhoods. To a lesser Vancouver), and a few major business parks extent, New Westminster will achieve retail (mainly in Burnaby, Richmond, and Surrey). growth by attracting more visitors, including Downtown New Westminster is a designated overnight tourists and day visitors. regional town centre and it has the Film and Television advantage of having once been a major office node, so it has a fairly large inventory New Westminster does not have a of office space and office businesses. concentration of studio and production However, the City has not been attracting facilities, so this sector is not prominent at much new office growth of late, partly present. However, this is a growth sector in because it does not have a business park the region. location and partly because downtown New
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
New Westminster is an excellent venue for on-location filming because of the diversity of urban environments it offers and because of its historic character. As more land becomes available for new light industrial development in the City, New Westminster can try to recruit the development of studio facilities.
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8.0 Groups Involved in Improving New Westminster’s Local Economy
The City of New Westminster is responsible The Province of BC for taking the lead in efforts to improve the While the Province is not directly responsible local economy and to ensure that the City is for economic development in individual developing in a way that makes the municipalities, it is important to recognize community better, is environmentally that some of New Westminster’s main sustainable, and is fiscally healthy. But the economic prospects, particularly in health City is not the only agency with a role in and education, are in sectors that depend community economic development; there are heavily on Provincial capital and operating other groups involved, at the provincial, dollars. In order for there to be major growth regional, and local levels. This section in public sector health and education provides an overview of the roles of the institutions in New Westminster, the different participants. Province must perceive that New The City of New Westminster Westminster is a good location for region- serving institutions and that New The City has recently appointed an Westminster is a good location for Economic Development Manager, who infrastructure investment. This means that works in the City Administrator’s Department New Westminster must cultivate a strong and whose primary responsibility will be the relationship with the Provincial Government implementation of the Livable City Strategy. and find ways to demonstrate that locating Other civic departments will have major roles public institutions in New Westminster is in some aspects of the Strategy, though, so good for the region. it will be the Economic Development Manager’s responsibility to coordinate Metro Vancouver municipal efforts and provide leadership. Metro Vancouver (the Greater Vancouver Because of New Westminster’s emphasis on Regional District) has a strong role in building a livable City, Engineering Services, regional land use and transportation Parks and Recreation Services, planning but at present it is not directly Development Services and other involved in regional economic development. departments are all important contributors to This is unfortunate because some aspects of economic development. economic development are clearly best It will also be the Economic Development handled at a regional scale. Manager’s responsibility to coordinate City The “Vancouver” brand is well-recognized activities with those of other local and highly regarded nationally and organizations that are involved in some internationally. “Vancouver” is perceived to aspects of economic development. be the whole region, not just the City of
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
Vancouver. Most of the other municipalities partners hope that this effort will grow to in Greater Vancouver do not have distinct become a comprehensive regional economic and high profile images outside the development program. The motive for this metropolitan area. inter-municipal cooperation is articulated in the Memorandum: “Competition for With over 20 individual municipalities sharing economic development is increasingly a relatively small geographical area and among regions, as well as among nations common infrastructure, it does not make and individual municipalities. In a global sense for them all to be mounting image- context, Metro Vancouver is a small building, advertising, and recruitment efforts region…which must continuously focus on aimed at the rest of Canada or the world. strengthening its overall competitive position Most metropolitan areas in North America in Canada, across North America, and world- that are actively involved in economic wide. It therefore makes sense, wherever development have realized that marketing possible, for municipalities within Metro the region and attracting external businesses Vancouver to act supportively and is best done by a regional-scale collaboratively in pursuing economic organization. As one member of the New development opportunities.” The Westminster Livable City Task Force put it participating municipalities have created a “market the whole region, and then let the Task Force on Regional Economic individual municipalities compete for shares”. Development that is involved in sharing This is far more effective and efficient than information, conducting research, developing having each community in the region go to collaborative marketing programs and trade shows, advertise internationally, send materials, and working on an overall delegates to trade missions, and try to recruit promotional plan for Metro Vancouver. firms on a global scale. Rather than try to mount its own national and However, there is not at present a strong international campaign or passively rely on Metro Vancouver economic development the efforts of this new inter-municipal program. This leaves New Westminster with partnership, New Westminster should join two options: go it alone or work cooperatively this group and become a member of the and voluntarily with other like-minded Task Force. municipalities interested in collaborating on some aspects of regional economic Other Local Organizations development. There are other groups active in New Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, and the Westminster that are involved in economic District of North Vancouver recently signed a development activity. The principal groups Memorandum of Understanding regarding are: Regional Collaboration on Economic The New Westminster Chamber of Development. Their purpose is to “identify, Commerce: This group advocates the design, and implement collaborative projects interests of the New Westminster and activities that will strengthen the business community and provides a economies of the municipalities”. These
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
variety of services to its members. It Hyack Festival Society. This provides a good vehicle for the City to organization runs the annual Hyack increase its contact with the local Festival (the longest running May Day business community and could provide celebration in the Commonwealth), the assistance in helping to recruit new Easter Parade, and the Christmas businesses to the community. Parade.
Tourism New Westminster: This group is 2010 Winter Olympics Committee. This mainly involved in marketing New group, comprised of the Mayor and Westminster as a visitor location. The members of Council, is intended to group’s efforts are focused within the identify opportunities to capture benefits region, targeting regional residents and from the 2010 games. visitors who are already in the region with Arts Council of New Westminster. This is messages about making day visits or an umbrella organization comprised of short stays in New Westminster. individuals and groups involved in arts New Westminster Business Improvement related festivals and events throughout Society: This downtown-oriented the year. business association is responsible for
marketing downtown New Westminster as a shopping district.
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9.0 Goals of the Livable City Strategy
The Livable City Strategy aims to achieve accommodating uses and, in the interim, seven economic development goals: minimize conflicts between heavy industry and existing and future 1. Make New Westminster one of the most commercial and industrial uses on interesting, livable, and sustainable adjacent sites. communities in Greater Vancouver, so it will attract firms, skilled workers, and 5. Encourage growth in the public and investment as well as continue to provide private sectors and encourage a broad a high quality of life for existing residents. array of private sector business including self-employed people, home-based 2. Maintain or increase New Westminster’s businesses, entrepreneurs, and small, share of total regional employment. medium, and large-sized firms. 3. Increase the diversity of the local 6. Position New Westminster to capture economy, so that it is more resilient shares of the economic sectors that will during weaker economic times and so it see strong growth in Metropolitan will provide the widest possible array of Vancouver over the next few decades. investment and employment opportunities. 7. Maintain or increase the non-residential tax base so the City has the ability to pay 4. Retain the existing heavy industrial uses for the facilities and services that make as long as possible, but anticipate the New Westminster an attractive place to eventual transition of these lands to live. other, more intensive employment-
Livable Community
Maintain or Maintain or increase increase non- share of residential employment tax base
Goals Capture Diverse growth in Economy strong sectors
Retain heavy Growth in industry as public and long as private possible sectors
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
10.0 The Strategic Plan
The Livable City Strategy has six main components. Each of these components is a group of actions intended to help achieve the goals articulated in Section 9.0.
Continue working to make New Westminster one of •The aim is to make New Westminster able to attract a diverse, the most interesting, unique, livable, fiscally strong, skilled labour force and attract the kinds of public sector employers and environmentally sustainable communities in and private firms that put a high priority on quality of the urban Greater Vancouver. environment and quality of life.
•The aim is to provide a business-friendly environment with readily Make New Westminster a preferred location within available development sites, good transportation, an efficient the region for the kinds of employers that New regulatory environment, and a fair property tax structure to appeal Westminster wants to attract. to the kinds of employers that the City wants to locate in New Westminster.
•The aim is strike a good balance between actions that New Westminster should take on its own, to improve its competitive Participate with other municipalities in regional economic development initiatives. position within the metropolitan area, and actions that can contribute to economic development in the whole region and are best implemented by several municipalities acting in concert.
Take specific steps to improve New Westminster’s •The aim is to take advantage of opportunities and reduce obstacles prospects in the sectors that are likely to contribute related to the sectors that will make up most of the City’s jobs, most to New Westminster’s economic base : existing heavy industry, technology and other high quality investment, and non-residential tax base for the foreseeable future. light industry, health, education, regional business These are sectors in which New Westminster has the best potential centre, and tourism/arts/culture. to retain existing jobs and capture a larger share of regional growth.
•The aim is to make sure that the City’s economic development Create an economic development services function office has a good relationship with other City departments involved that is efficient, effective, and makes good use of the in community development and a constructive relationship with resources of local organizations the other local organizations interested in improving New Westminster.
•The aim is to ensure that economic development benefits the whole community and does not have negative social impacts. Make New Westminster a welcoming, safe, inclusive community.
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10.1 Make New Westminster one of the most interesting, livable, fiscally strong, and environmentally sustainable communities in Greater Vancouver.
Making New Westminster a better and more Continue to •Continue the development of livable community is one of the fundamental a variety of high density, Create High pedestrian-oriented urban goals of the economic Strategy, because Density commecial and residential New Westminster will be better able to Urban centres. attract skilled workers and new firms if it is Centres an outstanding place to live and work.
New Westminster already has major •Improve the City's access to and relationship with the advantages in this regard because it is one Improve Fraser River. of the most interesting, compact, transit- Access to oriented, and characterful municipalities in River the region. The City needs to do a better job of using its riverfront, heritage buildings, history, compact scale, and charm as •Develop a practical set of Create incentives to assist in the economic assets. Heritage renovation and preservation of high quality heritage Preservation buildings and districts. There are four components in this section of Incentives the strategic plan.
•Aim to make New Westminster one of the most Implement sustainable communities in "Green" Greater Vancouver. Initiatives
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10.1.1 Continue the development of a variety of high density, pedestrian- oriented urban commercial and residential centres.
Background New Westminster has a variety of different have a diversity of locations that can appeal commercial districts and high density to different kinds of users. For example, the residential neighbourhoods that have the Sapperton area is an obvious location for a ability to appeal to a wide range of retailers, concentration of health and medical office office businesses, and residents. While users. Also, creating attractive downtown New Westminster is the City’s neighbourhood commercial centres preferred location for major office increases the appeal of these locations for development, it is in the City’s interest to high density residential development.
Action Plan location for businesses that is 1. Continue to develop neighbourhood complementary to downtown. commercial centres in Downtown, Uptown, Sapperton, Queensborough, 3. Support continued residential along Twelfth Street, and at Eighth Street development in these centres, to create and McBride Boulevard. Define additional demand for shops and boundaries for each of these centres and services, to increase the cost- describe the kinds of retail and office effectiveness of municipal services development that are appropriate for provision, to make the neighbourhoods each. more livable, and to contribute to a more sustainable (pedestrian-oriented, transit- 2. Develop detailed land and urban design friendly) pattern of regional urban policies, public realm improvement development. programs, community amenity strategies, and parking strategies for neighbourhood 4. Develop a strategic approach to the centres. Include provision for a diversity priorization and funding of community of retail, service, and office businesses amenities that will do the most to attract appropriate to each centre, so that each more residents to New Westminster’s is an attractive focal point for residential high density neighbourhoods. development and each offers a niche
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10.1.2 Improve the City’s access to and relationship with the Fraser River.
Background The Fraser River frontage is one of the main It is in downtown that there is the greatest defining elements of New Westminster’s need and greatest opportunity to re-connect character and it offers an opportunity to the City with the waterfront. Linking attract residents, firms, and visitors. downtown to the river is key to injecting new However, the City has long been cut off from life into Columbia Street, increasing the the river, by roads, rail, industrial financial viability of renovating and development, and (in downtown) a large preserving heritage buildings, and attracting parkade structure. region-serving office uses to downtown.
Action Plan 100 years of separation from its 1. Develop a long term plan to demolish the waterfront. The extra cost needed to parkade that separates downtown from construct these improvements below the River. The plan for demolition must grade is a necessary investment in New be accompanied by a plan to construct Westminster’s future. replacement parking, at scattered strategic locations in downtown. It will be 3. In conjunction with NFPR planning, expensive, but this barrier must be develop detailed plans to re-connect the removed if New Westminster’s downtown City with the river, including opportunities is to become (as it should) one of the for pedestrian routes and aggressive most vibrant urban centres in the region. strategies to make vacant riverfront lands in the downtown area financially feasible 2. Take all possible steps to ensure that the for development. North Fraser Perimeter Road improvement project does not continue 4. Work closely with land owners and or exacerbate the separation of developers to find the mix of building downtown from the river. There is an densities, building heights, and opportunity to eliminate the barrier appropriate amenity contributions that created by the existing major truck route will allow remaining waterfront on Front Street and the rail line. As part development sites to be viable for of the NFPR project, these transport residential and mixed use development. routes can be expanded and they can be 5. At the right time (linked mainly to NFPR constructed below grade so that they do timing) make sure the regional not separate the City from the Fraser. residential, hotel, and office development These transportation improvements have community knows about the emerging regional economic significance and they new opportunities on the New should proceed, but not at the cost of Westminster downtown waterfront. condemning New Westminster to another
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6. In addition to making the riverfront more accessible, it must also be made more
interesting. In conjunction with new urban development on riverfront sites, the City should work with developers on the creation of:
riverfront walkways.
pedestrian links between downtown
and the river.
piers and viewing areas where they would not interfere with the navigable channel and where river depth makes it feasible.
marina berths for transient vessels to
attract boaters to visit New Westminster.
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10.1.3 Preserve and market New Westminster’s heritage.
Background New Westminster’s history and heritage its heritage buildings and historic buildings and districts are among the City’s neighbourhoods to strengthen its image and best assets for creating a distinct identity, role as a regional business centre and strong brand, and unique image in the tourism destination. regional market. New Westminster can use
Action Plan
1. Take specific steps to protect and 2. Encourage the retention and enhance important heritage buildings in preservation of heritage homes downtown and particularly along throughout New Westminster, particularly Columbia Street: in neighbourhoods such as Queens Park that have a high concentration of high a. Identify the heritage buildings that quality heritage houses. offer the optimal combination of historic significance, architectural 3. When marketing New Westminster (for character, adaptability to modern tourism, arts, business recruitment), use uses, and contribution to a heritage and history as a major theme. concentrated heritage district. Those This is one asset that sets New are the highest priorities for Westminster apart from most suburban assistance. municipalities in the region and it should be used to help brand the City as a b. Develop an incentive strategy for the special location. priority buildings including a period of
property tax forgiveness for fully restored buildings and a system of transferable density bonuses.
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10.1.4 Make New Westminster one of the most sustainable communities in Greater Vancouver.
Background Going “green” is not only important because compact scale make the City more of the need to reduce ecological footprints pedestrian-oriented than most suburban and address climate change. Increasingly, communities. Its location on two rapid transit businesses and residents are attracted to lines creates an opportunity to reduce locations that are sustainable. automobile use. The region’s suburban town centres (e.g. Metrotown, Surrey City Centre, New Westminster has a head start in some Richmond) are trying to retrofit themselves to respects. Its traditional street grid and achieve what New Westminster already has.
Action Plan 1. Build on existing strengths to make New b. encouraging the use of geothermal Westminster more transit-oriented, energy systems in new buildings to through actions such as: reduce energy consumption. a. improving the pedestrian links c. establishing district energy systems between neighbourhoods and transit in high density neighbourhoods (such stations. as The Lonsdale Energy Corporation in the City of North Vancouver) b. possibly reducing off-street parking requirements in multifamily 3. Increase community recycling, taking residential developments. advantage of the community’s small scale to appeal to people’s community c. encouraging high density pride and sense of social responsibility. development around transit stations. 4. Show leadership by ensuring that new 2. Use New Westminster’s unique position civic buildings are green buildings and by as the owner/operator of an independent finding ways to make City operations electric utility to encourage energy more environmentally friendly. conservation through means such as: 5. Adopt requirements for green building a. developing educational programs features in new urban development aimed at reducing consumption. projects.
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10.2 Make New Westminster a preferred location within the region for the kinds of employers that New Westminster wants to attract.
The aim is to provide a business-friendly •Encourage intensive environment with readily available Use Industrial redevelopment of existing development sites, good transportation, an Land More industrial lands. Intensively. efficient regulatory environment, and a fair property tax structure to appeal to the kinds of employers that the City wants to locate in •Make sure the City's New Westminster. Ensure Fair property tax structure is Property Tax not an impediment to Structure attracting and retaining There are three components in this section firms. of the Plan.
Communicate •Ensure that approvals Business processes are reasonable. Friendly Attitude
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10.2.1 Make more intensive use of the City’s industrial land inventory.
Background In New Westminster there are 608 acres of It is in the City’s economic interests to help land in 363 separate legal parcels currently existing industrial businesses continue to zoned for industrial use. Most of this land is operate in New Westminster for as long as located along the Fraser River or near possible. However some industrial users will transportation infrastructure (e.g. regional leave in the future and when they do, there roads, rail lines). Until recently, almost all of will be opportunities for more intensive this land was occupied, with over half of the redevelopment of vacant industrial lands. land used for manufacturing, warehousing or The New Westminster Industrial Strategy storage, approximately 20% of the land prepared in 2007 as background to this occupied by transportation and utility economic development plan identifies infrastructure, and the remaining 10% used several sites with potential for more intensive for commercial or residential purposes. reuse in the future. The Industrial Strategy While there are few vacant industrial sites in also suggests detailed City actions that could New Westminster, much of the City’s help these sites be redeveloped for more industrial land is developed to relatively low intensive industrial or employment use. density. The heavy industrial users occupying many of the industrial sites use lots of land for outdoor storage.
Intensity of Use Number of Sites Acres of Land Percent of Total Inventory A: Very Low Intensity Use (<0.25 FSR) 48 33 5% B: Low Intensity Use (0.26 FSR to 0.5 FSR) 87 285 47% C: Potential For Subdivision 7 72 12% D: Higher Intensity Use or Transportation/Utility ROW 221 217 36% Total 363 608 100%
Action Plan on this site and offer assistance with 1. Meet with the owners of the three vacant, approvals. zoned and subdivided industrial sites on Braid Street at Brunette Avenue to 2. Support more intensive industrial or confirm the City’s expectation for business park development on the industrial or business park development former Canfor and Western Forest
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Products sites. Specific actions should 4. Where lands with potential for more include: intensive redevelopment are already subdivided into small parcels and/or a. Providing clear direction to occupied, coordinate discussions landowners, the real estate between landowners to determine future community and potential purchasers plans for the site and investigate that the City would like to see these possibilities for consolidation and joint sites continue to be used for marketing to make the parcels large industrial or business park purposes enough to be appealing to future and will not be considering industrial users. conversion to non-industrial (e.g. residential, commercial) use. 5. Consider selling surplus City-owned industrial land for industrial development. b. Assisting landowners, their agents Where sites are too small to be of and potential purchasers with interest to industrial users, approach rezoning, subdividing and owners of adjacent vacant industrial demolishing/constructing buildings on lands to explore consolidating or jointly the site. marketing sites. 3. To encourage more intensive use of 6. Advise owners and users of industrial industrial lands in the Brunette Creek lands identified as having possible future area, the City should address the traffic potential for redevelopment that the City congestion caused by the active rail lines supports the ongoing industrial or that separate much of the industrial land employment accommodating use of the from Highway 1, and the single lane sites. If any of these users leaves, bridge that links the industrial area to provide clear direction to the landowner, United Boulevard. The construction of agents and potential future owners/users the United Boulevard Extension/ Blue that the City expects industrial or Mountain interchange would make the business park redevelopment for the site, area more attractive to light industrial and and provide assistance with approvals. business park users.
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10.2.2 Make sure the City’s property tax structure is fair and not an impediment to attracting and retaining firms.
Background New Westminster has a fiscal challenge: it is especially for non-residential properties. New a small City in which the cost of some Westminster must balance its needs for services per resident is relatively high. revenue with maintaining tax rates that do Consequently, there is fiscal pressure to not discourage business from locating in the have relatively high property tax rates, City.
Action Plan tax load without compromising the City’s 1. Review New Westminster’s property fiscal health. The top priority is on rates for business and industrial maintaining competitive tax rates for properties and compare them with other office and light industrial properties, as municipalities, especially Burnaby, those are most likely to be able to locate Coquitlam, and Surrey. elsewhere in the region. 2. Be sensitive to business concerns about property taxation and aim to minimize the
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10.2.3 Communicate a business friendly attitude and ensure that approvals process for new industrial and office development are reasonable.
Background Urban development is complex and, good land use decisions and quality urban especially in a small community, many design. There is a limit, though. To attract interests and factors must be considered in development, New Westminster must be considering major development proposals. able to demonstrate that its approvals There is a need, therefore, to have processes are reasonable and inherently development approvals processes that take business-friendly. an appropriate amount of time to ensure
Action Plan departments are “on the same page” and 1. Review rezoning and development delivering consistent messages about the permit processes for industrial and kind of projects the City wants. commercial projects and find ways to make the process faster and more 3. Recognizing the growing number of efficient without compromising people who work from home, ensure that thoroughness. the City’s regulations allowing home- based businesses are not needlessly 2. For major projects, ensure that Economic restrictive. Development and Development Services
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10.3 Participate with other municipalities in cooperative regional economic development initiatives.
As a small municipality in a large urban There is one component in this section of the region, New Westminster must strike a good Plan. balance between actions that the City should take on its own, to improve its competitive position within the metropolitan area, and Participate in •Participate in Regional actions that can contribute to economic Regional Economic Development Economic Task Force. development in the whole region and are Development •Participate in Provincial best implemented by several municipalities Initiatives initiatives. acting in concert.
10.3.1 Participate in the Task Force on Regional Economic Development and Provincial Initiatives.
Background New Westminster will benefit from regional for individual municipalities (especially a economic development and it should small one) to act independently to promote cooperate in regional-scale economic the region. initiatives because it does not make sense
Action Plan 1. New Westminster has already joined the Olympics, 2010 Commerce Centre, and Task Force on Regional Economic Provincial economic development Development. It should continue to activities and programs). participate in this cooperative regional 2. Work with the Province on its Asia Pacific economic initiative on projects such as initiatives and participate in regional or regional trade missions (e.g. Beijing 2008 Provincial trade missions.
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10.4 Take specific steps to improve New Westminster’s prospects in the sectors that are likely to contribute most to New Westminster’s economic base: existing heavy industry, technology and other high quality light industry, health, education, regional business centre, and tourism/arts/culture.
There are six components in this section of •Encourage continued the Plan. operation of existing heavy Support Existing industrial firms as long as Industry possible.
Attract Tech •Attract more high quality light industrial firms and Firms and High more firms in the Quality Light technology sector. Industry
•Expand the existing Expand concentration of public Concentration in agencies, private firms and Health Sector jobs.
•Strengthen the existing Strengthen concentration created by Education New Westminster School District, Douglas College, Sector and the Justice Institute.
•Strenghten Downtown as a unique and successful Strengthen regional business centre. Downtown
Enhance Role as •Enhance the City's role as an arts/culture centre and Tourism visitor draw. Destination and Cultural Centre
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10.4.1 Support the continued operation of existing heavy industrial firms as long as possible.
Background While the long term transition of heavy Westminster during 1996 to 2001, but only industrial lands to other uses may be 1% during 2002 to 2005. inevitable, it is in New Westminster’s interest Therefore, the strategy for this sector is to retain these employers as long as retention, not expansion. New Westminster possible, for several reasons: can contribute to the longevity of the existing They provide jobs, contribute to the industries in several ways, particularly: diversity of the economy, and provide Maintaining a reasonable level of substantial non-residential tax revenue. property taxation. Manufacturing accounts for 11% of the jobs in the City and about 13% of all Working with industries cooperatively to property tax revenue. address issues that arise from the interface between large industry and They are good corporate citizens, adjacent non-industrial uses. providing support for a wide range of community activities and programs. Improving the local road network and easing local road congestion. There are not any immediately available alternative employment-generating uses Communicating that New Westminster for this much land. For New Westminster wants to keep these industries and that to maintain as much employment- the City expects to keep the land in accommodating land use as possible, it employment-accommodating use. By will be necessary for the transition away avoiding the perception that industrial from heavy industrial use to be planned land can be readily converted to higher and gradual. value use (particularly residential), the City will not inadvertently create an Heavy industry is not a growth sector; incentive to shut down industry in order industrial projects accounted for about 5% of to realize a capital gain on the land. all building permit activity in New
Action Plan industrial lands that are to remain in 1. Refine land use policy for lands currently industrial use for the long term. At occupied by heavy industry: the same, time identify any industrial Define clear policy and land use lands that are not expected to remain boundaries in the OCP, designating industrial in the long term and
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suggest alternative uses for them. (short term and long term) regarding The recently completed Industrial expansions, significant changes to Land Study provides very clear operations, or prospects for guidance regarding which lands to downsizing or closure. retain in industrial use. 3. Evaluate the City’s heavy industrial tax Indicate that if industrial lands are rate and try to make sure that property vacated by the existing heavy taxes are not so high as to become a industrial uses, the City will expect factor contributing to the closure of a that these lands will remain in plant: employment-accommodating use, Compare heavy industrial tax rates in such as light industry, technology, or New Westminster with other business park. municipalities in the region that also Plan the edges of retained industrial have large heavy industries. lands carefully, so that there are For major companies, compare their “defendable” borders and so that property tax burden with the property conflicts with adjacent land uses are taxes they pay for similar plants in minimized. other North American jurisdictions. 2. Communicate regularly with existing Discuss property taxation with the heavy industries in the City: industries, to see if there are any Establish contact with local plant or significant concerns. mill managers and develop long term While retaining the important tax relationships. revenue from these major employers, Identify matters of concern to heavy try to ensure that taxation is at a level industries and work out cooperative that does not become a significant approaches to addressing these factor in determining whether an issues. industry closes.
Clearly communicate the City’s 4. Work with remaining heavy industries on desire to retain heavy industrial plans to minimize conflicts with adjacent employers and communicate the and surrounding uses. This is necessary City’s intent to retain the lands in for two reasons: industrial use. Make sure that to avoid pressure from nearby industries do not feel that the City residents or businesses who may would prefer them to leave and make want to see heavy industries it clear that the City is not disposed to relocate. convert these lands to residential or to ensure that the presence of heavy other higher value land uses. industry does not impair New Westminster’s ability to attract new Try to develop a good understanding industries to sites vacated by heavy of the outlook for each employer
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industry but that are still near encouraging heavy industries to operating mills. maintain reasonably attractive edges Conflicts can be minimized by: (e.g. orderly outdoor storage, screening with landscaping and working with industries to reduce fencing). external impacts such as noise, providing appropriate buffer areas smell, exhaust, dust, and glare. between heavy industries and reducing traffic congestion, adjacent uses. particularly conflicts between heavy trucks and other vehicles.
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10.4.2 Attract more high quality light industrial firms and more firms in the technology sector.
Background The tech sector includes high tech, small and only accounts for 3% of all information technology, biotechnology, employment in the GVRD, this high tech robotics, communications, research, digital share is not bad. On the other hand, media and entertainment, environmental considering that New Westminster is part of science and green technology, and other so- the region’s urban core, has excellent public called knowledge based businesses. The transit, is close to the major tech clusters in common threads in these sectors include: a Vancouver and Burnaby, and is not far from strong orientation to science, technology, SFU and BCIT, perhaps New Westminster and design; dependence on a highly should have achieved a stronger showing in educated labour force; a combination of the technology sector. activities including research/development, Business in Vancouver magazine publishes manufacturing, administration, sales, and a survey of the largest (based on service; links to post-secondary education; employment) tech companies in BC. In 2006, and a tendency to cluster in areas with this survey showed that: specific amenities or resources. This sector is one of the region’s main prospects for Of the 28 largest software developers in growth, but New Westminster has not BC, 12 are in Vancouver, 9 are in captured much of the development in the Richmond, 4 are in Burnaby and none region. Other communities (notably are in New Westminster. Yaletown in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Of the 23 largest telecommunications Richmond) have captured most of the tech companies in BC, 7 are in Vancouver, 9 development in the region. are in Burnaby, 5 are in Richmond and Greater Vancouver is well positioned to none are in New Westminster. attract firms in these areas for reasons that Of the 26 largest electronic hardware include: excellent transportation manufacturers in BC, 10 are Burnaby, 4 infrastructure; a Pacific Rim location; are in Richmond, and none are in New excellent post-secondary education; a high Westminster. quality urban and natural environment and a high quality of life; and a highly skilled labour Of the 20 largest biotech firms in BC, 14 force. are in Vancouver, 3 are in Burnaby, 1 is in Richmond, and none are in New In New Westminster, the high tech and the Westminster. professional/scientific/technical services categories combined account for about As technology will be one of the region’s 3,000 jobs, or about 4% of the region’s total main economic growth areas, New employment in these areas. Considering Westminster should try to be better that New Westminster is geographically positioned than it has been to capture a
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER share of regional growth. The top priority is small light manufacturers. to make sure there are sites available for the warehouse/ distribution firms. kind of office development that appeals to sales/ service firms. tech firms. New Westminster is well-located to attract In addition to the tech sector, there are other these kinds of firms, but it lacks a good growth opportunities for high quality light quality business park providing zoned, industry and business park uses in the serviced, subdivided, development-ready region, including: parcels. film and television studios and production facilities.
Action Plan users as well as excellent rapid transit 1. Recognizing that some tech firms and service, because there are lands in the almost all high quality light industries east part of the City that are near prefer buildings with large floor plates, a Highway 1 and near stations on the high level of automobile accessibility, Millennium Line. In order to achieve the proximity to the ground floor, and a development of a business park, the City campus-like environment, New should: Westminster must facilitate the development of a high quality business Work with landowners in the park in New Westminster. Business industrial area in the east part of the parks are regarded by some as not a City to identify opportunities for sustainable form of development development of high quality business because they tend to be automobile- park and light industrial development. oriented and there are concerns that Make road network improvements in business parks can detract from the the Brunette River area that are development potential of more urban needed to reduce congestion for locations such as regional town centres truck traffic. (including New Westminster’s downtown). However, some tech users Develop a cooperative approach to combine research/lab, warehousing, the approvals and urban services that sales/service, and light manufacturing will be needed to create a new with office space, so they are not really business park, so that bringing new candidates for a high density, downtown- serviced, zoned parcels to the market like environment. is reasonably straightforward. New Westminster has a rare opportunity When it is clear that a supply of to create a business park environment zoned, serviced development parcels that has all the attributes desired by tech is in the pipeline, develop a
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recruitment strategy to raise New The City should work with employers Westminster’s profile. The Chamber to develop programs that encourage of Commerce, existing tech transit use. businesses located in New 3. Recognizing that some tech users prefer Westminster, and industrial land a more urban, characterful location (e.g. realtors should all be approached to Yaletown in Vancouver), find ways to help make contacts in the region’s encourage the development of office tech sector so that firms looking for space in downtown, either in new space or sites will consider New buildings or in renovated heritage Westminster. buildings: 2. To ensure that new business park Examine the feasibility of heritage development enhances the City’s building renovation in downtown New economic base without damaging Westminster and, as necessary, prospects in other locations (particularly explore the potential for property tax downtown) and to ensure that new forgiveness, transferable density business park development is as bonus, or other incentives to make sustainable as possible, the City should heritage office building renovation an adopt these guidelines: attractive option. (Note: this work is A business park/ high quality already underway as part of a new industrial park should have good plan for downtown New quality streetscape and a package of Westminster). architectural design guidelines Identify sites in downtown New (implemented via Development Westminster on which demolition and Permit) to require good quality redevelopment should be allowed, to design. create modern new space that will Allowable uses should include: appeal to tech users. (Note: this work warehouse/ distribution; uses that is already underway as part of a new combine office with one or more of plan for downtown New research, lab, sales, service, light Westminster). manufacturing, or distribution; film/ 4. Consult with existing tech firms in New television production and studios; Westminster to identify any infrastructure some types of large floor plate deficiencies or opportunities in the City, retail/showroom. such as wireless networks or fibre optic Office users appropriate to higher capacity. density urban environments (e.g. 5. In order to increase prospects in the film professional, general business, and television sector, New Westminster financial) should not be permitted. needs to attract studio and production No outdoor storage should be facilities. This will require a gradual allowed. process:
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Promote New Westminster as a good Develop streamlined, simple place for on-location shoots by processes for approving on-location making sure New Westminster is shoots. registered with the BC Film When business park sites become Commission. available, promote New Westminster Establish a film coordinator function as a location for studio/ production as part of the Economic Development facilities. Office.
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10.4.3 Expand the existing concentration of public agencies, private firms, and jobs in the health sector.
Background Health care and related fields account for positioned to capture a large share of about 20% of all of the jobs in New regional growth in this sector. Westminster. New Westminster has about There is a very interesting opportunity to 6% of all of the health and related jobs in the create a much larger cluster of health care whole GVRD, even though New Westminster institutions and private sector firms in the only accounts for about 3% of total regional vicinity of Royal Columbian Hospital. The employment, so this is clearly a strong suit in recent rezoning of the former Labatt brewery the local economy. site allows a large mixed use development This concentration of health sector jobs is that includes residential, commercial and largely due to the presence of the Royal health related space. Some of the health Columbian Hospital, which is the single related space is intended to be earmarked largest employer in the City. New for Fraser Health Authority, for uses related Westminster also has significant numbers of to the hospital. There are other potential jobs in residential care facilities, ambulatory development sites in Sapperton that could care, and other medical/health occupations. accommodate public and private health related uses. Planning for the future of the Health is expected to be a growth sector in Sapperton commercial area should facilitate the region, largely due to growth in total the development of office space, medical population and increase in the average age labs, clinics, educational uses, research of the population. While the economic, institutes and other medical and health social, and political issues associated with related uses that are interested in rising health care costs are complex, there concentrating around a major hospital. will be nonetheless be growth in health and There is a concentration of this type around medical jobs. New Westminster is well the Vancouver General Hospital.
Action Plan Authority, so that the City can do 1. Ensure that the redevelopment of the what it can to bring about a more former Labatt brewery site includes a formal plan for creating new health detailed strategy for accommodating related space adjacent to Royal Fraser Health Authority and other health Columbian Hospital. related uses: Explore possible ways to influence Maintain liaison with the developer of the Provincial health care capital the brewery site and Fraser Health
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funding allocations within Greater remains a significant regional hospital Vancouver, so that Fraser Health and to ensure that Royal Columbian is a receives approvals for development candidate for new expenditures on at Royal Columbian Hospital. specific projects such as specialized treatment centres, centres of excellence 2. In planning for future redevelopment in in particular branches of health care, Sapperton, create opportunities for office medical education, and related uses. and commercial development related to health and education, so that there are 4. Work with Royal Columbian Hospital, sites that can accommodate the wide Fraser Health, and post-secondary variety of private, public, and non-profit educational institutions to find sector agencies that are interested in opportunities for new health/medical locations near major hospitals. education and training opportunities in New Westminster. 3. Liaise with the Provincial Government to ensure that Royal Columbian Hospital
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10.4.4 Strengthen the existing concentration in the education sector.
Background
Education accounts for about 7% of all the Growth in the population leads to more employment in New Westminster. The New teaching jobs in the K to 12 system. Westminster School District, Douglas There is increasing demand for post- College, and the Justice Institute are among secondary education. the City’s largest employers. New Westminster’s share of total regional There is increasing demand for career- education-related employment is about 3%, oriented training and skill development, which matches the City’s share of total for new job entrants, for upgrading, and regional employment. In other words, while for career switching. education is a major employer in the City, There is growth in international education New Westminster does not have an above- in languages and in career related average concentration of jobs in this sector. training. There is a wide variety of prospects for job New Westminster is interested in capturing a growth in the education sector in Greater strong share of regional growth in education Vancouver: sector jobs.
Action Plan that could lead to employment growth 1. Cultivate good, ongoing relationships in New Westminster, such as working with Douglas College, the Justice with Royal Columbian Hospital on Institute and the School District so that medical education or with the Justice the City is aware of any pending Institute on law enforcement and significant changes (positive or negative) security training. related to capital and operating funding, changes in programs, or changes in With the College, develop a protocol enrolment. for a response if the Province 2. With regard to Douglas College: proposes the relocation of any programs that would have a Work with the College to identify significant negative impact on the candidates for new or expanded New Westminster campus. programs that will draw more faculty and students to the New Westminster Work cooperatively with the College campus. on any plans for physical expansion of the campus or facilities. Assist the College in developing 3. With regard to the Justice Institute: relationships with other institutions
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Work with the Institute to find ways to site or in other good locations in New ensure that New Westminster Westminster. remains the flagship campus for the 4. Make contact with other major post- Institute. secondary educational institutions in Work constructively with the Institute Greater Vancouver (particularly UBC, to ensure that it can meet its needs SFU, and BCIT) to identify any for additional facilities on its existing opportunities for satellite programs to be located in New Westminster.
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10.4.5 Strengthen Downtown as a unique and successful regional business centre.
Background New Westminster’s downtown is one of the the table below, New Westminster’s share of designated Regional Town Centres in the regional office-based employment matches GVRD, meaning it is a preferred location (in the City’s share of total regional terms of planning policy) for higher density employment, with neither a particular office development. However, not much new concentration nor under-performance. office development has occurred in New Going forward, New Westminster has a mix Westminster over the last couple of decades, of strengths and weaknesses that will affect when compared with the pace of office its ability to attract more regional-oriented development in surrounding communities office-based firms: such as Richmond, Surrey, and Burnaby. A central location in the region and good Reasons for the low rate of office transit access, but a moderate location development in New Westminster include: on the regional major road network and a New Westminster does not contain any greater distance (compared to Burnaby of the region’s large business parks, and Richmond) to the international which have accounted for a very large airport. share of regional office growth. Good connections via rapid transit to Of the designated regional town centres, downtown Vancouver, but Burnaby is only Burnaby and Richmond have closer to Vancouver. achieved significant amounts of new Interesting urban character (riverfront, office development. New Westminster’s history, pedestrian scale) but a weak experience has been similar to North image as an office location. Vancouver, Surrey, and Coquitlam which contain designated regional town centres Available sites for downtown-type office but have not yet seen much high density development, but no business park office space. location.
New Westminster’s downtown, despite There will continue to be growth in the total rapid transit service, has not been regional market for office space, fuelled by viewed by the office market (developers growth in a wide variety of office-based or major tenants) as a highly desirable sectors including technology, professional location. services (such as law, medicine, engineering, accounting), real estate, Nonetheless, New Westminster has a government, trade, and finance. New reasonable share of total regional office- Westminster will continue to see some based employment as at 2001. As shown in
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER growth in this area just because of its needed to make New Westminster more location within the region, but to increase its attractive to region-servicing office users. share of total regional growth some action is
Jobs in New Share of Total Share of Regional Sector Westminster Employment in New Employment in this Westminster Sector
Finance and insurance 1,625 6% 3.0%
Public administration 1,575 6% 3.7%
Real estate 600 2% 2.6%
Professional, 1,695 6% 1.9% scientific, and technical services
Total of above sectors 5,495 20% 2.7%
All sectors of economy 28,555 100% 2.8% Source: Vannstruth Consulting Group – State of the Economy in New Westminster, 2006.
Action Plan new retail and office uses in renovated 1. Build strong relationships with the heritage buildings that cannot provide Provincial and Federal governments, and their own parking. lobby them as necessary, to retain all of the major government agencies that are 4. Promote New Westminster as an office currently located in Downtown. location to the region’s office developers Government offices can act as anchors, and leasing agents. New Westminster pulling private sector firms in related will attract some office development just businesses. to meet the needs of the growing resident population. New Westminster’s 2. Encourage senior governments to locate aim should be to also attract regional- region-serving agencies in downtown oriented office uses that serve a much New Westminster, because these can broader area. To do this, New act as anchors that draw other Westminster will have to: employers. New Westminster has strong advantages as a regional government/ Promote its main assets, which administration centre, including a central include the riverfront, regional location and excellent rapid transit centrality, rapid transit service, and service. good access to downtown Vancouver 3. Develop a comprehensive parking and the airport. strategy for downtown, to provide spaces Use the creation of new business to replace the existing Front Street park development to attract tech and parkade and space to meet the needs of light industrial firms who, in turn, will
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add demand for higher order oriented to serving Vancouver/ business and professional services Burnaby/ New Westminster (i.e. not (e.g. legal, accounting, marketing, oriented to serving the Fraser Valley). design, engineering) that are good not requiring a location in downtown candidates for downtown office Vancouver. locations. oriented to rapid transit. 5. New Westminster should not try to target a specific narrow range of office users. Examples include private education firms The total regional market for town centre- (e.g. language schools, career/ skills type office users is not very large and training), call centres, government many of these have tendencies to locate agencies/ crown corporations, financial in particular areas (e.g. downtown institutions, pension plan offices, labour Vancouver, near the airport, near major organization offices, and utility offices. educational institutions, near specialized New Westminster’s main competition for uses). New Westminster’s best prospects office uses will be various locations in can be characterized as: Burnaby, Coquitlam and Vancouver.
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10.4.6 Enhance the City’s role as an arts/culture centre and visitor draw.
Background While tourism, arts, culture, retail, and developable land well-served by regional services are very different sectors in many roads have resulted in the growth of major respects, there are two compelling reasons commercial and entertainment centres that for thinking of them in an integrated fashion: have eroded New Westminster’s role. New Westminster is now an exporter of retail and Strategies for achieving expansion in entertainment dollars to these other centres. each of these sectors come down to two basic approaches: getting New The good news is that people are Westminster residents to spend more in increasingly interested in more characterful their own City and getting people in the alternatives to suburban shopping centres rest of the region (residents and tourists) and automobile-oriented commercial strips. to spend a greater share of their Attributes such as pedestrian scale, historic shopping and entertainment dollars in character, charm, and specialization are New Westminster. becoming more valued so New Westminster should be able to capitalize on this. There is a significant amount of overlap between these subsectors, because New Westminster has not been a major visitor spending occurs in retail stores, player in the regional tourism market, service businesses (such as although this is true of most Greater restaurants), and cultural/arts venues Vancouver municipalities other than the City (such as performances or museums). of Vancouver. Vancouver’s near monopoly on major convention facilities, high end New Westminster’s current (2001) hotels, major tourist attractions (e.g. Stanley employment situation in these sectors is Park, Aquarium, Science World, Space summarized in the table below. Centre, Gastown) and major arts/cultural These sectors combined account for a facilities means that other municipalities play significant share of the total jobs in the City, niche roles at best. but New Westminster has comparatively low New Westminster’s main assets include its share of regional jobs (in total) relative to riverfront, historic character, pedestrian other sectors of the local economy. scale, regional centrality, and high In the past, New Westminster was a more accessibility via public transit. The economic important regional retail, entertainment, and development strategy needs to find practical cultural centre because it was the urban core ways to use these assets to pull in more serving a large geographic area including tourists, induce regional residents to shop much of Burnaby, Coquitlam, north Surrey more in New Westminster, and encourage and north Delta. However, large population City residents to spend more at home. increases in those communities combined with the availability of huge inventories of
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In 2007, all groups involved in tourism in the New Westminster has a vibrant arts City collaborated to produce a New community, with many artists and strong Westminster tourism Plan. This Plan outlines supporters of artistic and cultural events. The product development, marketing, and other City can support the arts in a variety of ways, activities to promote tourism, focusing on including sponsoring events, encouraging New Westminster’s arts, heritage, culture entrepreneurial initiatives in the arts, and and the Fraser River. celebrating the artistic achievements of the community. The City provides an annual grant to Tourism New Westminster to support its marketing activities; the City also operates two small attractions (Irving House Heritage Centre and the Museum).
Share of Total Share of Regional Jobs in New Employment in New Employment in This Sector Westminster Westminster Sector
Retail trade 2,050 7% 1.8%
Accommodation and 1,785 6% 2.2% food services
Arts, entertainment, 715 3% 3.5% recreation
Total of above 4,550 16% 2.1%
All sectors 28,555 100% 2.8% Source: Vannstruth Consulting Group – State of the Economy in New Westminster, 2006.
Action Plan theatre groups, the Arts Council, and the 1. In the short term, in the absence of major Hyack Festival Society to keep new arts, culture, or destination tourism developing events that will draw people facilities, New Westminster should focus into New Westminster. on using events such as festivals, celebrations, parades, concerts, and the 2. The City should continue to assist arts to draw visitors. The City does not Tourism New Westminster as the agency have top level visitor destination or major responsible for marketing the City as a arts/cultural facilities, so it must rely on tourist destination. The City’s Economic events to attract visitors. Development Office should not duplicate this tourism marketing role, but it should New Westminster’s history, charm, help the City ensure that the City’s grant transit service, and riverfront make it an money is linked to clear deliverables. excellent location for events targeted at regional residents and visitors in the 3. There are already groups in the City area. The City should work with local working to derive benefits from the 2010
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Winter Olympics. These efforts should 7. Take a hard look at the long list of major continue, with emphasis on: civic amenities that New Westminster has on its wish list (e.g. museum, art marketing New Westminster’s gallery, performing arts centre, library, overnight accommodation (especially recreation facilities) and select the top B&Bs). priorities for facilities that will meet marketing New Westminster as an important resident needs and increase attractive, easy day trip for tourists in New Westminster’s visitor appeal. New the Vancouver area for the Olympics. Westminster does not have the capital to 4. Work with the BIA and local arts/ culture building everything; it must invest in only groups to keep enhancing New a few projects that improve the Westminster’s offerings in retail, crafts, community and have economic benefits. galleries, local artists, and performing 8. Make a much bigger profile for New arts. Westminster based on its role in B.C. 5. Try to recruit a developer for a new history. New Westminster has fascinating downtown hotel with privately-funded stories and personalities in its past, yet meeting space, targeted at the regional the City does not have a high profile, as market for meetings and small compared to Fort Langley, Gastown, or conferences. Steveston for example. The City’s transit service makes New 9. Take advantage of opportunities to foster Westminster a central, accessible local artists and encourage meeting place. entrepreneurial endeavours in the arts, such as commissioning local artists for 6. Support proposals for residential projects public art or public graphics, sponsoring with artist live/work studios, especially in art and craft shows, or creating downtown. recognition programs such as awards.
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10.5 Create an economic development services function that is efficient, effective, and makes good use of the resources of local organizations.
There are four components in this section of Consolidate •Consolidate activities in the the Plan. City's Economic City's Economic Development Office. Development Activities
•Cooperate in business Cooperate with networking and recruiting. the Chamber of Commerce
•Cooperate in marketing. Cooperate with Tourism New Westminster
Cooperate with •Cooperate in event development and Arts, Culture, marketing. and Festival Groups
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10.5.1 Consolidate most local economic development activity in the City’s new economic development office.
Background The City has appointed an Economic Development Manager should be the City’s Development Manager who should be the liaison with the Chamber of Commerce, BIA, primary person responsible for implementing Tourism New Westminster, and other local the Livable City Strategy. The Economic groups.
Action Plan 1. Develop a work program for knowledgeable about the market. implementing the Strategy. Share or important community profile delegate tasks pertaining to business information (population, employment, recruitment and tourism marketing by major employers, utility rates). drawing on the resources of the detailed outline of the development Chamber of Commerce, Tourism New approvals process and list of City Westminster, and other groups. contacts. 2. When delegating tasks and providing 5. The Economic Development office City funding to other groups: should maintain a system of recording draft clear terms of reference for the and following up on all contacts. purpose of the funding. 6. When the detailed employment data is define specific services or available from the 2006 census, New deliverables to be provided. Westminster should obtain employment set out criteria or goals that can be data for the City and analyze changes in evaluated to determine if grants the number of jobs and the regional should be renewed annually. share of jobs by sector since 2001. 3. Ensure that the City’s Economic 7. This Strategy includes a variety of Development and Development Services actions that can be grouped under the functions remain complementary and are general heading of Marketing and not perceived as being in opposition. Communications, but these actions are 4. The Economic Development office intended to be targeted and specific to should have basic community information each sector. The Economic Development on hand that can be provided to Manager should develop an annual interested businesses, including: Marketing/ Communications Plan that information about sites for sale. integrates the elements from each contact information for realtors sector.
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10.5.2 Cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce in business networking and recruiting.
Background The City should use the contacts of the making contact with firms that may consider Chamber of Commerce in building stronger locating in New Westminster. relationships with existing employers and in
Action Plan pertaining to economic development that 1. Meet regularly with the Chamber to the organization is better equipped than establish relationships and enlist the help the City to perform. Any funding should of members in contacting prospects. have terms of reference defining 2. Consider funding assistance to the responsibilities, deliverables, and Chamber, but only for specific functions reporting.
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10.5.3 Cooperate with Tourism New Westminster in tourism marketing.
Background Tourism New Westminster markets the City this marketing and the City should not as a visitor location. This industry-oriented duplicate these activities. organization should retain responsibility for
Action Plan
1. Work with Tourism New Westminster to 3. Continue funding assistance to Tourism make sure its marketing messages and New Westminster, but only for specific the City’s direction for economic functions pertaining to economic development are consistent. development that the organization is better equipped than the City to perform. 2. Work with Tourism New Westminster to Any funding should have terms of identify new ideas for events that will reference defining responsibilities, draw visitors. deliverables, and reporting.
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10.6 Make New Westminster a welcoming, safe, inclusive community.
Background The City of New Westminster has a Social The Livable City Strategy is not intended to Planning group that is working on initiatives be a social planning tool, but part of building such as affordable housing, daycare, and a strong community and a strong economic homelessness. The Parks and Recreation base is creating a strong social structure. Department is also involved in social planning work.
Actions As New Westminster develops, it is services and must include steps to deal important to ensure that the benefits of with street issues such as panhandling, economic and urban growth flow to the littering, property crime, and substance whole community. When pursuing economic abuse. goals, the City should keep these social 4. Businesses and residents need to feel considerations in mind: safe or they will not locate in an area. 1. While encouraging high density New Westminster must avoid a residential and commercial development reputation for issues such as auto theft, in some locations, the City should property crime and general nuisance by monitor the loss of affordable housing continuing to provide appropriate police stock. New large projects making protection and crime prevention amenity contributions should be programs. encouraged to make affordable housing 5. One of New Westminster’s strengths is contributions. its social diversity. New Westminster 2. Many new businesses are home-based should nurture this diversity by continuing or small start-ups. The City should make to attract a mix of public and private sure its zoning and business license sector jobs, retaining historic regulations do not unnecessarily limit neighbourhoods while developing these opportunities. modern ones, appealing to seniors and young families, and welcoming a variety 3. Revitalizing downtown and Columbia of ethnic groups. Street will require an investment in social
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11.0 Monitoring and Updating
Background This Strategy does not set specific numeric The Strategy does advocate one quantitative targets for job growth or urban development target: New Westminster should strive to at by sector because the intent is to set a least maintain its share (about 3%) of total direction and suggest actions that will move regional employment. This share has been New Westminster’s local economy in that falling, so New Westminster’s challenge is to direction. There are too many factors draw enough new businesses and jobs to outside the City’s control to make it keep pace with the overall pace of regional worthwhile setting quantitative targets; a growth. buoyant regional context will make it easier to attract growth to New Westminster and a flagging economy will make it harder.
Action Plan 1. Keep track of total employment and the and, if so, set out the work to be pace of job creation in New Westminster accomplished in the coming year. The and compare with the pace of regional Economic Development Manager should job creation, to see if New Westminster is consider involving a group similar to the gaining or losing share. Task Force that helped develop this Strategy in the periodic review. 2. Each year, conduct a brief review of progress on each of the actions in the 3. Conduct a complete update and revision Livable City Strategy, to summarize the of the Livable City Strategy in about 5 work that has been done, confirm years. whether the action is still appropriate,
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Attachment A
Consultant The lead consultant for the Livable City Strategy was Jay Wollenberg, Coriolis Consulting Corp. Livable City Taskforce The Taskforce members were selected by Council on November 6, 2006 and include the following people:
Name Sector/Area/Organization Rick Carswell Arts, Culture and Entertainment Barry Forbes Business and Professional Services (i.e. financial organizations, management firms, other professionals) Maureen Kirkbride Communications and Uptown commercial area Ron Gordon Community Economic Development Gary Pooni Development Industry Hazel Postma Education Carol Baert Education Faisal Mirza Environmental Industries Marco Buccini Health Care Andrew Boyd Health Care/Not for Profit Sector Jack Fulton Manufacturing (primary and/or secondary) and Primary Industries Allen Domaas Marine Industries John Prasad Real Estate (commercial/office) Graham Nash Entertainment and Food and Beverage Industry Carolyn Bonesky Social Services/Community organisations Marise Kwasnicky Retail and BIA/Downtown merchants Lorraine Brett Technology and Media Ian Rokeby Transportation Erin Nesci Tourism Gordon Hobbis Sapperton Merchant's Association Connie Fenyo Chamber of Commerce and Community Economic Development Brian Sproule Queensborough Merchants Glenn Wilson Twelfth Street Merchants
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LIVABLE CITY STRATEGY: AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR NEW WESTMINSTER
The purpose of the Livable City Taskforce is to:
Expand knowledge through the Inform the development of an contribution of each taskforce economic vision for the City; member’s expertise in their field; Assist in identifying, prioritizing and Review and providing comment on implementing strategies and technical work; resources to advance the vision; and
Provide advice on potential future Liaise with the broader community, growth sectors and new ideas or industry or groups each member innovations for consideration; represents.
Livable City Taskforce members were selected based the following selection criteria:
Knowledge and experience in their Access to implementation resources industry sector or organizational (e.g. potential public or private area; partners relationship with senior governments and/or potential Demonstrated commitment and/or investors, funding); and previous contributions to New Westminster; Previous experience in economic development initiatives.
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Attachment B
Participants in Sectoral Workshops
Other Attendees:
Tom Corsie (Fraser River Port Authority)
Bruce Clark (Advisory Planning Commission)
Alvin Chok (IT Manager, City of New Westminster)
Rob Cruickshank (President, BC Technology Industries Association)
Helen Carkner
Lorraine Brett
Al Balanuik
Brian Dodd (BIA)
Jo-anne Edey Nichols (Parks and Recreation Department)
Paul Yard (Circle Craft)
Olga Stankovic
Debbie Larson (Dye and Durham Corporation)
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