Understanding development patterns around the 22nd Street and New Westminster SkyTrain Stations by Jonathan X. Cote B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2002 Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Urban Studies in the Urban Studies Program Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Jonathan X. Cote 2014 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2014 Approval Name: Jonathan Cote Degree: Master of Urban Studies Title: Understanding development patterns around the 22nd Street and New Westminster SkyTrain Stations Examining Committee: Chair: Karen Ferguson Professor Urban Studies Program and Department of History Anthony Perl Senior Supervisor Professor Urban Studies Program and Department of Political Science Patrick J. Smith Supervisor Professor Urban Studies Program and Department of Political Science Clive Rock External Examiner Principal, Silex Consulting Date Defended/Approved: September 4, 2014 ii Partial Copyright Licence iii Ethics Statement iv Abstract The introduction of SkyTrain into the Greater Vancouver Area has had a significant impact on the land use patterns in the region. However, development patterns have been uneven and have varied from station to station. Some neighbourhoods have intensified and diversified their land uses, while others have only changed minimally since the introduction of rapid transit. This project examines the factors that have influenced the development patterns around the 22nd Street and New Westminster SkyTrain Stations. The intent of the research project is to determine why some places in the Greater Vancouver area have intensified and diversified their lands uses since the introduction of rapid transit while others have not. Nine factors (Land Use Planning, Catalyst Developer, Availability of Developable Land, Community Prioritization, Neighbourhood Perception, Neighbourhood Characteristics, Public Investment, Public Resistance to Land Use Change and Road Infrastructure) have been identified in this research project that have influenced and shaped the development patterns around the New Westminster and 22nd Street SkyTrain Stations. Understanding these factors and the relationships between them will help assist municipal planner and leaders to better understand the processes that influence land use changes around rapid transit stations. Keywords: Transit-oriented development; rapid transit; land use planning; SkyTrain; New Westminster Station; 22nd Street Station v Table of Contents Approval .............................................................................................................................ii Partial Copyright Licence .................................................................................................. iii Ethics Statement ...............................................................................................................iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................. v Table of Contents ..............................................................................................................vi List of Figures.................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Reasons for case study locations ............................................................................ 1 1.2. Research Question .................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 2. Literature Review ........................................................................................ 5 2.1. Defining Transit Oriented Developments ................................................................. 6 2.2. Benefits of Transit Oriented Developments ............................................................. 9 2.2.1. Impacts on travel behaviour ......................................................................... 9 2.2.2. Health Impacts ............................................................................................ 11 2.2.3. Impacts on Housing Prices ......................................................................... 12 2.3. Evaluating the impact of rapid transit on land development ................................... 13 Chapter 3. Methodology ............................................................................................. 17 3.1. Field Observations ................................................................................................. 17 3.2. Secondary Data ..................................................................................................... 18 3.3. Content Analysis .................................................................................................... 19 3.4. Qualitative Interviews ............................................................................................. 19 3.5. Survey .................................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 4. Local Context ............................................................................................ 22 4.1. Downtown New Westminster ................................................................................. 23 4.2. Connaught Heights ................................................................................................ 24 4.3. Downtown New Westminster and Connaught Heights since the introduction of rapid transit ........................................................................................................ 25 Chapter 5. Land Use Plans ......................................................................................... 33 5.1. Regional Land Use Planning .................................................................................. 33 5.2. City Plans ............................................................................................................... 37 5.3. Neighbourhood Plans ............................................................................................. 40 5.3.1. Connaught Heights Neighbourhood Plans ................................................. 40 5.3.2. Downtown New Westminster Neighbourhood Plans .................................. 43 5.4. Analysis of Land Use Plans ................................................................................... 46 vi Chapter 6. Identifying the Factors ............................................................................. 49 6.1. Land Use Planning ................................................................................................. 50 6.2. Developable Land .................................................................................................. 52 6.3. Public Reaction to land use change ....................................................................... 54 6.4. Catalyst Developer ................................................................................................. 56 6.5. Community Prioritization ........................................................................................ 57 6.6. Public Infrastructure Investment ............................................................................. 59 6.7. Community Perception ........................................................................................... 61 6.8. Road Infrastructure ................................................................................................ 62 6.9. Neighbourhood Characteristics .............................................................................. 64 Chapter 7. Ranking the Factors ................................................................................. 67 7.1. Survey Results ....................................................................................................... 68 7.2. Analysing the survey results .................................................................................. 70 Chapter 8. Conclusions and Policy Recommendations .......................................... 72 8.1. Why has the land uses around the New Westminster SkyTrain Station intensified and diversified since the introduction of rapid transit? .......................... 72 8.2. Why has the land uses around the 22nd Street Station seen only minimal intensification and diversification since the introduction of rapid transit? ............... 74 8.3. Comparing Results to Published Findings on Rapid Transit and Land Use .......... 76 8.4. Policy Recommendations ....................................................................................... 77 References ................................................................................................................... 81 Appendix A: List of Planning Documents Examined for Content Analysis ............ 84 Appendix B: List of interview subjects ....................................................................... 85 Appendix C: Follow Up Survey .................................................................................... 86 vii List of Figures Figure 1. New Westminster Neighbourhood Map (Source: City of New Westminster http://www.newwestcity.ca/database/rte/files/NW4%20- %20New%20Westminster%20Neighbourhood%20Planning%20Ar eas_Added_BL7396_2010.pdf) ............................................................... 23 Figure 2. Population Density per square km around New Westminster and 22nd Street