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St. Lawrence & False Creek : A Review of the Planning and Development of Two New Inner City Neighbourhoods CPI #10 U.B.C. J.D. Hulchanski Oct. 1984 nn1• per Scliool o! Com.munity anL1.Re31ona 1 Plann1ng University of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia I SSN; 0828-2390 ST. LAWRENCE& FALSE CREEK: A REVIEW OF THE PLANNINGAND DEVELOPMENTOF TWO NEW INNER CITY NEIGHBOURHOODS CPI ff 10 D. Hul chans ki October 1984 U.B.C. PLANNING PAPERS Canadian Planning Issues, #10 University of British Columbia SCHOOLOF COMMUNITY& REGIONAL PLANNING 428, 6333 Memorial Road Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1W5 Canada ST . LAWRENCE AND FALSE CREEK: A REVIEW OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF TWO NEW INNER CITY ~EIGHBOURHOODS John David Hulc hanski Assistant Pr of essor School of Community and Regi onal Planning Universit y of Brit1sn Colombia Vanc ouver October 1984 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was undertaken with the finan cial assistance of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation . Research assistants Leigh Howell, Barbara Maass and Barbara Sanford helped collect data in Toronto and Vancouver. The staff of the City of Toro nt o Housing Department and the False Creek Development Group were especially help ful in provid ing full access to necessary research materials. In particular , I wish to thank Keith Ward, Co-ordinator of Program Planning for the City of Toronto Hous i ng Department and Cameron Gray, Develop ment Co-ordinator for the False Creek Development Group for their patient and prompt responses to numerous requests for information. While the assistance provided by CMHCand by these individuals and thejr agencies is gratefully acknow ledged , the y bear no responsibility for any faults, omissions or for the opinions expressed in this study. CONTENTS 1. Introduction and Overview l 1.1 Objectives and Or ganization of this St ud y 1 1.2 The Significance of St. Lawrence and False Creek 6 "Neighbourhoods" not "Projects" Social and Tenure Mix Municipal Redevelopment of Under Uti lized Land The Federal Cont ribu tion The Different Origins of Both Neighbourhoods The Politics of the Site Planning Proces s Resident Satisfaction 1.3 Some Definitions 12 PART I: THE ST. LAWRENCENEIGHBOURHOOD, TORONTO 2. Goals and Objectives of the St. Lawrence Project ... 20 2.l Policy Recolllll\endations of t he Housing Work Group, 1973 20 2.2 Fur the r Defini tion of Policies for St. Lawrence • 22 The First St. Lawrence Report , 1974 The St . Lawrence Status Report, 1974 Progress Report, 1974 2.3 Impact of Council' s Reform Caucus on St. Lawrence Policies 27 2.4 Achievement of the St. Lawrence Goals and Objectives 28 3. The St. La~rence Planning and Des ig n Process .. .. 35 3.1 Selection of the Site and the Early Planning Decisions 35 3.2 The Early Administrative and Design Decisions, 1974-75 38 The St. Lawrence Status Report , 1974 The Gr i d Street System 3.3 The First Round of Consultants Studies 42 3.4 The Second Round of Consultants Studies 49 The Environmental Buffer Studies The Acoustical Envelope Social Services The Preliminary Site Plan 3.5 The St. Lawrence Official Plan, 1976 54 3.6 The Detailed Site Planning and Design Process, 1976-1979 58 3.7 The Planning Department's Review of Phase A-1 . • . • • • 63 4 . Implementation of the St. Lawrence Development Plan 67 4 . 1 Housing Department Co-ordination of Implementation 67 The Range of Options Considered 4.2 Establishment of Advisory Committees 69 4, 3 Approval of the Official Plan and Zoning Amendments. 70 The First Proposal Call, 1976 Provincial Approval , 1977 Amendment of the Phase A Review Pro cedures, 1978 4.4 Expeditious Implementation vs. Cautious Evaluation 74 The Politics of Implementation Implementation Progress as of 1982 5. St . Lawrence Project Costs and Financing • 79 5.1 Total Project Costs and Revenues 79 5.2 The Federal Role in Finan c ing the Land Assembl y • 83 6. Outline Chronology of the Pla nning and Development of St. Lawrence 90 7 . St . Lawrence Bibliography . 100 7.l St. Lawrence Planning Studies . 100 . ' 7 . 2 City of Toronto Housing Department Annual Reports 101 7.3 City of Toronto -- Misc . Related Reports 101 7.4 Other Report s and Articles . .. 102 PART II: THE FALSE CREEKNEIGHBOURHOOD, VANCOUVER 8. Goals and Objectives of the False Creek Project 104 8.1 Industrial Improvemen t: Decades of Indeci si on 105 Obstacles to Land Use Change Consolidation and Transfer of Ownership , 1968 8.2 The Land Use Policy Debate, 1967-1973 .. .. .. ... .. 108 Industrial Land Use Reconsidered Public Planning Process Laun ched , 1968 The False Cr eek Policy Plan, 1970 Preliminary Site Planning and Design Studies, 1971- 72 Municipal Elections, 1972 8.3 Approval of the False Creek Development Policies •••. 126 8.4 Achievement of the False Cr eek Goals and Objectives 131 9. The False Creek Planning and Design Process 135 9 .1 Adoptjon of a Conceptual Plan for the South Shore, 1973 • 136 Family Housing Development Option Selected, 1973 I mplicat i ons of a Large Family Housing Component 9.2 The Design Competition . .. ...... 144 A Competition Limited to Three Local Design Teams Terms of Reference for the Design Competition Selection Process Selection of the TBP&P's Design Proposal Summary of t he TBP&P's Design Pr oposa l 9.3 The False Creek Off~cial Development Plan and Zoning Bylaws . 151 Official Development Plan Rather Than Zoning Bylaw 9.4 Area Development Plan for Phase 1, November, 1974 . 154 9.5 Area Development Plan for Phase 2, 1976 . • . 154 Phase 2 Design Concept Phase 2 Unit Mix 9.6 Area Development Plan Phase 3 (Ar ea lOB) 167 Phase 3 Unit Mix 9.7 Resident Satisfaction with the Design of False Creek 169 10. Implementation of the False Creek Development Plan . .. .. 172 10.l The Early Stages in the Implementa t ion of False Creek 172 lD.2 The Search for an Appropriate Institutional Struc t ure 173 Selection of a Development Consultant 10.3 The Creation of the False Creek Development Group, 1974 175 Terms of Reference for the FCDG 10.4 Phase 1 Implementation. .. .. ... .•• 176 The Project Management Group Review of the Phase 1 Implementation Process, 1977 10. 5 Phase 2 Implementation . 180 10.6 Phase 3 (Area lOB) Implementation 182 10 . 7 The Implementation Process: An Overview 183 11. False Creek Project Costs and Financing 184 11.1 Total Project Costs and Revenues . 184 Project Financing on a Full Recovery Basis Municipal Costs and Revenues Surplus Revenues from Each Phase 11 . 2 Municipal Financing of the Redevelopment of False Creek 189 The Federal $10 Million Loan, 1973 Significance ofthe Federal Loan The Federal Grant Partially Financing the Seawall Financing the Individual Housing Projects 11. 3 False Creek -- A Financial Success 192 12 . Outline Chronology of the Planning and Development of False Creek 194 13. False Creek Bibliograph y .... 204 13. 1 City of Vancouver Planning Department Reports 204 13 .2 Vancouver City Planning Com.mission Reports 205 13. 3 False Creek Study Group Reports 205 13.4 City of Vancouver -- Misc. Reports 205 13.5 False Creek Consultants Studies 206 13 . 6 Other Major Reports and Articles . 207 APPENDIX .• • . • ~ ..• i • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 210 TABLES Ta b le page 1-1 St . Lawrence and False Creek Statistics 2 5- 1 St. Lawrence Neighbourhood: Total Project Costs .. 81 5-2 St . Lawrence Neighbourhood: Total Project Revenues 82 5-3 Federal and Municipal Financial Commitments to Landbanking 85 11-1 False Creek Neighbourhood: Total Project Costs 186 11-2 False Creek Neighbourhood: Total Project Revenues 187 FIGURES Figure page 1-l The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood: Location Map 3 1-2 The False Creek Neighbourhood: Location Map 4 1- 3 Comparison of Densities in St. Lawrence and False Creek. 7 1-4 Two Sketch Views of the St . Lawrence Neighbourhood 8 1-5 False Creek Phase 1 : Location of the Two Neighbourhoods 13 1-6 The Land Use Context of the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood 14 1-7 The False Creek Comprehensive Development District and Vicinity 16 1-8 The B.C. Place Development Plan Controversy, 1982 17 1-9 St. Lawrence: Development Phases 18 1-10 False Creek: Development Phases 19 2-1 Proposed Phasing and Timing of Construction in St . Lawrence 25 2-2 King-Parliament : Official Plan Sub-Areas 29 2-3 King Parliamen t : Existing Housing 30 2-4 King Parliament: Community Facilities and Services 30 3-1 Four Land Assembly Sites Considered Prior to St . Lawrence 37 3-2 Planning Studies Around St. Lawrence 40 3-3 Three Design Considerations : Ident it y, Mix, Open Space 43 3-4 The Grid Street Pattern Surrounding the St. Lawren ce Site . 44 3-5 The Grid Street System Proposed for St. Lawren ce 45 Figure pa ge 3-6 Proposed Reuse of Historic Buildings 46 3-7 Land Use Proposals for St . Lawrence and the Surrounding Area 50 3-8 The "Acoustical Envelope" Noise Buffer Proposed for Phase A. 52 3-9 Design Performance Criteria Proposed for St. Lawrence 55 3- 10 St. Lawrence Official Plan: Streets and Transit 56 3-11 St. Lawrence Official Plan: Height Precincts 56 3 - 12 St. Lawrence: Proposed Phasing . 57 3-13 St. Lawrence: Land Use Plan 57 3 - 14 Example of Material Presented in Promotional Brochure, 1977 60 3-15 Final Street Pattern for the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood 62 3-16 Development Progress in St. Lawrence as of 1979 ..•. 64 4 - 1 Consultants Involved in the Planning and Design of St. Lawrence . 71 4-2 Key Individuals Responsible for the Implementation of St. Lawrence. 72 4-3 Summary of Development Activity in St.

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