Official Community Plan Review: Policy Chapter Review Phase 4 Public Engagement Transcript | May 2018 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 SECTION I: WRITTEN STAKEHOLDER SUBMISSIONS .................................... 2 SECTION II: COMMENT FORMS SUBMISSIONS .......................................... 200 SECTION III: EMAILS TO STAFF .................................................................... 288 SECTION IV: OTHER CORRESPONDENCE .................................................. 411 Council Correspondence…………………………………………………… 411 Other Submissions…………………………………………………………. 470 SECTION V: INFORMATION BOOTHS .......................................................... 472 SECTION VI: YOUTH ENGAGEMENT…………………………………………... 499 *The feedback contained in this document was provided by residents and stakeholders as part of the Official Community Plan Review consultation process. Portions of these records have been redacted in accordance with section 22 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in order to protect the personal information of the residents and stakeholders who provided feedback. INTRODUCTION: The following is a transcript of public input during Phase 4 of the Official Community Plan (OCP) Review. Correspondence pertaining to requests of general information regarding meeting set up, times and schedules etc. are not included. These comments were provided by residents and stakeholders as part of the Official Community Plan Review consultation and this is a record of their feedback. Portions of this record are redacted in order to protect the personal information and identity of the residents and stakeholders. 1 SECTION I: WRITTEN STAKEHOLDER SUBMISSIONS Stakeholder outreach (including meetings and emails) generated 27 written submissions from the following (alphabetically): • Ambleside & Dundarave Business Improvement Association • Ambleside & Dundarave Ratepayers’ Association • BC Ferries • British Pacific Properties Limited • British Properties Area Homeowner Association • Community Housing Action Committee • DWV Community and Energy Emissions Plan Working Group • DWV Strategic Transportation Plan Working Group • DWV Upper Lands Working Group • DWV Working Group Chair Focus Group • Hollyburn Country Club • HUB North Shore • Lighthouse Park Preservation Society • MyOwnSpace Housing Society • North Shore Advisory Committee on Disability Issues • North Shore Community Resources Society • North Shore Disability Resource Centre • North Shore Heritage Preservation Society • Old Growth Conservancy • St. Stephen’s Anglican Church • TransLink • Vancouver Coastal Health • West Vancouver Blue Dot Committee • West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce • West Vancouver Foundation • West Vancouver Memorial Library Board • West Vancouver Seniors’ Action Table (via Lionsview Seniors Planning Society) 2 3 4 5 Ambleside Revitalization Strategy February 2018 Prepared for: Ambleside Dundarave BIA 200-1847 Marine Drive West Vancouver, BC V7V 1S2 Prepared by: Site Economics Ltd. 701 West Georgia Street – Suite 1500 Vancouver, BC V7Y 1C6 6 Ambleside Dundarave BIA Revitalization Strategy TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 1 REPORT BACKGROUNDER ...................................................................................................... 5 1.0 LOCATIONAL CONTEXT ...................................................................................................... 5 2.0 URBANICS STUDY OF CONSUMER ATTITUDES ................................................................. 11 3.0 AMBLESIDE RETAIL SUPPLY .............................................................................................. 14 4.0 COMPETING RETAIL CENTRES .......................................................................................... 21 5.0 AMBLESIDE RETAIL DEMAND ........................................................................................... 25 6.0 RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT NEAR AMBLESIDE ............................................................. 30 7.0 DENSITY AND POTENTIAL ZONING CHANGES .................................................................. 33 8.0 ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................... 38 APPENDIX - CLASSIFICATION OF SHOPPING CENTRES ........................................................... 42 APPENDIX - RETAIL TRENDS ................................................................................................. 44 APPENDIX – DETAILS OF NEARBY CONDOMINIUM PROJECTS ............................................... 47 APPENDIX – ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITING CONDITIONS .......................................................... 50 APPENDIX – PROFESSIONAL RESUME ................................................................................... 53 7 Ambleside Dundarave BIA Revitalization Strategy EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report was commissioned by the Ambleside Dundarave Business Improvement Association (BIA) in June 2017 and the analysis was completed in January 2018. The purpose of this report is to outline the primary retail strategy to revitalize the Ambleside Commercial Core. The report reflects some original research and assumes that the reader is generally familiar with most of the issues facing this area. At the client’s instruction we have included findings from past reports and have used salient information from those reports where possible. The format of this report is a short executive summary followed by a more detailed, yet brief, backgrounder report and appendices. This assessment indicates the main direction and strategy which will revitalize the Ambleside Commercial Core and create an interesting and dynamic commercial “high street” for West Vancouver residents. For the purposes of this report, the name “Ambleside,” when used by itself, will typically specifically refer to the Ambleside Commercial Core, which is delineated on the map shown below: Observed Issues: The Ambleside Commercial Core includes approximately 200 grade-level businesses, including one-of-a- kind specialty stores, lifestyle and outdoor stores, food retail stores and various and numerous dining options and all manner of financial and personal services, and by all rights should be a highly successful retail precinct. Nonetheless Ambleside and its commercial tenants have continually struggled. This report sought to unravel several issues regarding Ambleside: • The Ambleside Commercial Core area includes over 350,000 square feet of commercial space, or the equivalent of a regional shopping centre, yet its commercial draw seems to be limited to that of a neighbourhood-scale commercial facility. • Real Estate in Ambleside has been stable and its key intersections offer some of the most attractive suburban street front retail locations in western Canada. Yet, the area cannot attract Site Economics Ltd. 8 Ambleside Dundarave BIA Revitalization Strategy new quality retailers or anchor tenants. Indeed, retailers reportedly are choosing to locate (or relocate) to other commercial centres on the North Shore. • Given the higher-than-average and increasing residential values, this area should have seen a revitalization, yet this has not happened. • Ambleside is often considered the centre of cultural and social activities in West Vancouver, it is not so much for commercial activities, and while the commercial core is reasonably attractive and popular it is not as vibrant as it could be. Observed Facts: These paradoxes have been the subject of several studies over the years, and these studies have contributed important facts and insights to the research done for this report. Between studies completed by GP Rollo and Associates, Urbanics Consultants and Site Economics, several facts and trends have been observed: • While the Commercial Core offers over 350,000 square feet of commercial space, it is important to notice that the average store size tends to be well less than 2,000 square feet, indicating more of a boutique retail presence. The tenant mix includes many local tenants and only a few regional and national chain stores. • The Ambleside Commercial Core has a lack of anchor (or sub-anchor) tenants. This is a common problem associated with commercial streets where their small parcels cannot accommodate the larger floor plates that anchor tenants require. Absence of anchors would certainly contribute to a smaller trade area. • Less than one kilometer to the east is Park Royal Regional Shopping Centre, a large and attractive super-regional shopping centre, among the largest in the nation. Park Royal Shopping Centre is approximately 1.4 million square feet in size, with over 280 stores and anchored by The Bay, Simons, London Drugs, Home Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Winners, Home Sense, The Brick, Sport-check, Osaka Supermarket, Whole Foods Market, H&M and Old Navy. The presence and proximity of such a competitor would surely relegate Ambleside to service the convenience needs of its immediate residential population and/or service highly-specialized niches not available at Park Royal. • Indeed, the Urbanics consumer intercept survey suggests this de facto neighbourhood-scale convenience-oriented role for Ambleside. The most popular types of stores respondents travelled to Ambleside for were grocery and food (32%), restaurants and cafes (23%), and pharmacies and personal care