Executive Summary
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Executive Summary Community services are the defining element of any community. A complete, healthy and vibrant community has schools, community facilities, appropriate public transit, and useable public open spaces. These elements create an environment that allow residents to become part of the community by providing opportunities to walk freely within the neighbourhood, to enjoy open space, or to take a bus to the nearest café. Community services may not be the skeletal makings of a community, but they are the muscle that makes the community strong. The purpose of this document is to outline services that will be included in Pine Creek Villages. Two scenarios will be examined: 1) designs according to current City of Calgary planning processes; and 2) designs that incorporate joint use facilities and transit oriented development. Schools Schools serve as a stepping-stone for communities to be healthy and grow. They offer the community a place to meet, as a place that looks over their children, as a place to play. In a nostalgic sense, schools are the community. However, the school’s relationship with the community is under financial pressure and many of the strict planning guidelines that have been put into place have left vacant fields for communities to look at and not enjoy. New communities, in an attempt to raise density, have lost valuable open space due to an outdated land calculation system that is held by both of Calgary’s school boards. Calgary’s school boards are acquiring more than 75% of the municipal land reserve that is intended for schools, community facilities, and open space. The school section looks at the current model that new communities are being built under. It will show the available space for facilities other than school sites and how it will directly affect the community. This section will also look at some alternatives that school boards may use to increase the likelihood of a school being built. Joint use i agreements may be the predominant way for schools to exist within a community; creative ways to implement the agreement will reduce costs, reduce land consumption, increase community interaction, and offer more amenities to the community. This section will also look at one school that has been built, in Alberta, following a joint use agreement and how it has benefited the community. Transit Even though the current Calgary Transit System offers a good quality of services, the population in Calgary still relies on the idea of using private cars, either for convenience or for status. Also, late implementation of the LRT system in new suburban developments (because of the minimum population threshold) has contributed to making the Calgary population dependant on vehicles. New approaches based on transit oriented development are taking place as part of planning policies. By generating a balance between different modes of transportation, pedestrian-friendly streets and encouraged use of the public system, cities can be made safer, healthier and more vibrant. Key to the success of transit oriented development is the community and neighbourhood node structure, road hierarchies, and land saved through an adapted Park ‘n’ Ride site. Community Facilities Based on the community node and the neighbourhood node concepts, many facilities will be strategically located throughout Pine Creek Villages to promote accessibility of services. Through these facilities, residents will have opportunities to meet together and interact while their various services requirements are met. Appropriate facilities contribute to create and sustain a vibrant, healthy, safe and caring community, and enhance the sense of community. Through joint use of sites, some land requirements for ii community facilities can be reduced and this will save costs for infrastructure and maintenance. The facilities considered in the plan include: fire / EMS / police services, public library, community associations, medical clinics, recycling depots, bottle depots, post offices, churches / places of worship, and daycares. Public Open Space There are two ways for the city to acquire land for public open spaces. The first is through the environmental reserve and accounts for 473 acres available for passive recreation in Pine Creek Villages. The second method is the municipal reserve which is ten percent of the gross developable area provided by the developer. However, the land available for public open space from the municipal reserve is dependent on the needs of schools. Under the current policies, the two school boards will require a significant portion of the municipal reserve land (based on a population of 74 000) leaving public open space with only 48 acres of land to share with the community associations. A second alternative is to create joint use sites which increase the land available to 187 acres. Nonetheless, the land required for schools is still attached to the site, but designed in such a manner as to provide activities for the entire community. Municipal reserve public open spaces should enable all residents to recreate and interact within the neighbourhood or community. This is accomplished by designing a diverse range of public open spaces including active and passive recreation parks, a pathway system linked to the regional system, natural environmental parks, urban plaza and employment centre parks. Other uses for these sites include stormwater management, educational opportunities, community involvement and stewardship, and ecological functions such as habitat and wildlife corridors. In addition to the diversity of activities required, one of the main roles of public open space is to create connections between schools, transit, roadways, parks and other community facilities. iii Table of Contents Executive Summary………………………………………………………………..............i 3.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………..........10 3.2 Background…………………………………………………………………………..11 3.2.1 Mission Statement……………………………………………………….....11 3.2.2 Objectives……………………………………………………………….....11 3.2.3 Approach…………………………………………..……………………….12 3.2.4 Methods ………………………………………...………………….............12 3.2.5 Overview of Trends, Policies and Guidelines……………………...………13 3.2.6 Assumptions ………………………………………………………………14 3.3 Schools……………………………………………………………………………….15 3.3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………...15 3.3.2 Assumptions………………………………………………………………..16 3.3.3 Case Study…………………………………………………………………16 3.3.4 School Facility Thresholds………………………………………...............18 3.3.4.1 Land Requirement………………………………………………..20 3.3.5 Guiding Policy for School Sites in New Communities…………………....21 3.3.6 Scenario A: Current Practices…………………………………………….. 21 3.3.7 Scenario B: Joint Use, TOD………………………………………………..22 3.3.8 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………23 3.4 Transit………………………………………………………………………………..24 3.4.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………...24 3.4.2 Trends……………………………………………………………………...25 3.4.3 Policies and Guidelines ……………………………………………………26 3.4.3.1 The Clean Air Act (1990) and the International Surface Transportation Act (1991)………………...26 3.4.3.2 Calgary Plan (1998)……………………………………………...26 3.4.3.3 Calgary Transportation Plan (1998)……………………………...26 3.4.3.4 Transit Friendly Design Guidelines (1995)………………….......27 3.4.4 Transportation Network in Calgary………………………………………..27 3.4.5 Calgary Transit System…………………………………………………….29 iv 3.4.5.1 Bus system……………………………………….………………29 3.4.5.2 Shuttle Bus System........................................................................29 3.4.5.3 Premium Express Bus……………………………………...…….29 3.4.5.4 Light Rail Transit line (LRT)………………………………….....29 3.4.5.5 Other Transit Services……………………………………………30 3.4.6 Assumptions………………………………………………………………..30 3.4.7 Scenario A: Current Practices……………………………………………...31 3.4.7.1 Service Area Coverage…………………………………………..31 3.4.7.2 Service Implementation Phases………………………………….32 3.4.7.3 Frequency of Bus Services……………………………………….32 3.4.7.4 Land Requirement………………………………………………..33 3.4.8 Scenario B: Joint Use, TOD………………………………………………..33 3.4.8.1 Pedestrian and Transit Oriented Development…………………..33 3.4.8.2 Service Area Coverage…………………………………………..35 3.4.8.3 Service Implementation Phases………………………………….35 3.4.8.4 Frequency of Bus Services……………………………………….36 3.4.8.5 Land Requirement………………………………………………..36 3.4.9 Case Study David Square, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA……………...36 3.4.10 Conclusion and Recommendations……………………………………….37 3.5 Community Facilities………………………………………………………………...38 3.5.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………...38 3.5.2 Case study………………………………………………………………….39 3.5.3 Assumptions………………………………………………………………..40 3.5.4 Neighbourhood Node and Community Node……………………………...40 3.5.5 Community Facilities Considered………………………………………….41 3.5.6 Fire / EMS / Police Services Requirements (Appendix C)………………...42 3.5.6.1 Fire and Emergency Medical Service……………………………42 3.5.6.2 Police Service…………………………………………………….43 3.5.6.3 Tri-service………………………………………………………..44 3.5.6.4 Existing Facilities………………………………………………...44 3.5.6.5 Projection………………………………………………………...45 v 3.5.7 Public Library……………………………………………………………...45 3.5.7.1 Existing Facility………………………………………………….46 3.5.7.2 Projection………………………………………………………...46 3.5.8 Community Association…………………………………………................47 3.5.8.1 Projection………………………………………………………...48 3.5.9 Health Care Services……………………………………………………….48 3.5.9.1 Existing Facility …………………………………………………48 3.5.9.2 Medical Clinics…………………………………………………..49 3.5.9.3 Projection………………………………………………………...50 3.5.10 Recreational Services………………………………………………….….50 3.5.11 Social Services …………………………………………………………...51