reGENERATE: A Vision for 22nd Street Neighbourhood
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Project Update, December 17, 2024: Staff are excited to share that work has been completed to developa Vision for the 22nd Street Neighbourhood. Click here to read the Vision, and scroll down to see how your input influenced the plan! Council endorsed the Vision at their December 16 Workshop. Click here to view a recording of the meeting and to read a copy of the staff report.
More details on how the plan will be put into place are coming in 2025. Stay tuned here for details!
The City has launched a visioning process to imagine the future of the neighbourhood around the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station. Join us in creating a climate-friendly neighbourhood where everyone can thrive!
Background
The area around the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station is identified in the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) as an area intended to accommodate higher-density development, with good access to transit and amenities. With input from the community, and in collaboration with local First Nations, the City is developing a long-range Vision for the future of this neighbourhood. This Vision will help set the land use framework to enable growth and change in alignment with community aspirations and priorities, for decades to come.
To reach a Vision, we are integrating the following:
ideas and direction from local First Nations,
input and priorities from community members (see a summary of community engagement activities and findings here),
ideas from participants in the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge (see the reGENERATE website or a summary of the winning submissions, the jury’s statements, as well as the full shortlist can be found here),
the minimum density framework from the new Provincial legislation on Transit Oriented Development areas (more information on the City’s webpage); and
technical analysis.
To learn more about the visioning and engagement processes to date, read our past project updates, here.
Big Moves for a Bold Vision
Building on community input and the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge themes, aligning with Council’s Strategic Priorities Plan, and integrating priorities from First Nations, the Vision calls for the following eight Big Moves:
1) Transit Village: A high-density mixed-use core centered around a regional transit hub, where residents’ daily needs can be met in close proximity to home. This move to a more complete, less vehicle-dependent community supports climate goals by reducing transportation-related emissions.
2) Housing Capacity and Choice: A neighbourhood of abundant housing with a mix of tenures and affordability levels, and somewhere for everyone to call home. Integrating the minimum density framework from the new provincial legislation on Transit Oriented Development areas, development will be tallest by SkyTrain, stepping down from towers to mid- and low-rise forms.
3) Streets for People: A well-connected place with a range of safe, sustainable, and enjoyable mobility options that reduce vehicular dependence and lower transportation-related emissions. Improving bike and pedestrian facilities, car-share and EV charging opportunities, and bus speed and reliability will promote sustainable transportation choices.
4) Green Networks: A diverse system of ecologically-rich, resilient public green spaces and corridors, supported by green private and semi-private spaces. Green Networks include corridors, green streets and lanes, connecting to expanded and new parks. Green Networks will support climate adaptation through rainwater management, reduced urban heat island effect, and improved air quality in the neighbourhood.
5) Coast Salish Cultural Contributions: A community that celebrates the Coast Salish context of the land, and where opportunities for cultural revitalization and reconciliation are provided. Opportunities could include providing places for ceremony, cultural visibility, and inclusion of housing and economic opportunities for First Nations and Indigenous people.
6) Social Connections: A vibrant and inclusive community with a range of social spaces where diverse people can gather, connect, and support each other – through community spaces like a Neighbourhood House (a multipurpose facility), inclusive public realm design, and housing designed to support social connectedness.
7) Climate-Friendly Buildings: Low-carbon, low-emissions buildings, powered by clean and renewable energy. Designed to provide safety and comfort through extreme weather, Climate-friendly Buildings also support reduced energy consumption, and minimized waste. Clean and renewable energy powers the neighbourhood, and community members are empowered to conserve and reduce their own energy use.
8) Fiscally Responsible Approach: A livable neighbourhood that supports long-term municipal financial resilience, where “growth pays for growth” to the degree possible. The emerging Vision is ambitious, and aspirational in addressing the housing crisis, pursuing equity and inclusion, advancing reconciliation, and addressing the climate emergency. Neighbourhoods also need to be served by core infrastructure, such as water, sewer, sidewalks, greenways, roads, electrical, as well as parks, natural assets, buildings, and other facilities and amenities that ensure livability. The draft Vision calls for an approach that balances livability and creating an “amenity-rich” neighbourhood with fiscal responsibility.
The following brief video presents the Big Moves and related strategy highlights.
The Big Moves became the Vision’s chapters. Click here to see the draft Big Moves and strategy highlights. Each chapter includes a range of strategies for achieving its goal, and most include further detail on strategy highlights, such as a allowing for development of a mixed-use tower precinct in the pedestrian-oriented Transit Village, or 21st Street and adjacent streets offering groceries, restaurants, shops and services.
How did Community Input on the Big Moves Inform the Vision?
In September 2024, community members provided input through a survey and drop-in engagement event on the proposed “Big Moves” and strategy highlights. Feedback was generally supportive of the emerging directions. Click here to read the summary. Comments received informed further refinement of the Vision. The following table outlines how the three key outstanding concerns were addressed in the Vision:
Theme
How the feedback is addressed in the Vision
Continued concern about traffic along 20th Street
Strategies to promote sustainable transportation modes, as well as creating a mixed-use Transit Village to enable residents to meet some daily needs within the neighbourhood are the two main ways congestion in the neighbourhood is addressed through the Vision. Proposed new vehicle connections to Burnaby at the northwest and southwest edges of the neighbourhood are also intended to reduce the need for local residents to use 20th Street to get in and out of Connaught Heights. The Vision also calls for the City to continue to advocate to and collaborate with the Provincial government which own and/or controls major routes to and through the Vision area.
Concern about housing affordability
Strategies in the Housing Capacity and Choice chapter now include a call for a wide range of affordability levels, and emphasis placed on building housing that reflects community need (for each tenure, affordability and form).
Desire to ensure there is sufficient school capacity for the growing neighbourhood
School capacity is not in the City’s jurisdiction. Regardless, it is important to the city and community. As such, City staff have been holding conversations with School District staff related to growing capacity in the Vision area. The Vision now includes strategies to support New Westminster schools as they:
explore the creation of an urban school within the Transit Village,
develop a middle school somewhere within the Vision area,
acquire new sites in the Vision Area, and
intensify existing school sites in the Vision Area.
The City is committed to working with New Westminster School District to advocate for senior government funding for necessary schools to support the Vision area, as well as the city overall.
What’s Next?
The full Vision is scheduled to be brought to Council for their decision in December.
Project Update, December 17, 2024: Staff are excited to share that work has been completed to developa Vision for the 22nd Street Neighbourhood. Click here to read the Vision, and scroll down to see how your input influenced the plan! Council endorsed the Vision at their December 16 Workshop. Click here to view a recording of the meeting and to read a copy of the staff report.
More details on how the plan will be put into place are coming in 2025. Stay tuned here for details!
The City has launched a visioning process to imagine the future of the neighbourhood around the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station. Join us in creating a climate-friendly neighbourhood where everyone can thrive!
Background
The area around the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station is identified in the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) as an area intended to accommodate higher-density development, with good access to transit and amenities. With input from the community, and in collaboration with local First Nations, the City is developing a long-range Vision for the future of this neighbourhood. This Vision will help set the land use framework to enable growth and change in alignment with community aspirations and priorities, for decades to come.
To reach a Vision, we are integrating the following:
ideas and direction from local First Nations,
input and priorities from community members (see a summary of community engagement activities and findings here),
ideas from participants in the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge (see the reGENERATE website or a summary of the winning submissions, the jury’s statements, as well as the full shortlist can be found here),
the minimum density framework from the new Provincial legislation on Transit Oriented Development areas (more information on the City’s webpage); and
technical analysis.
To learn more about the visioning and engagement processes to date, read our past project updates, here.
Big Moves for a Bold Vision
Building on community input and the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge themes, aligning with Council’s Strategic Priorities Plan, and integrating priorities from First Nations, the Vision calls for the following eight Big Moves:
1) Transit Village: A high-density mixed-use core centered around a regional transit hub, where residents’ daily needs can be met in close proximity to home. This move to a more complete, less vehicle-dependent community supports climate goals by reducing transportation-related emissions.
2) Housing Capacity and Choice: A neighbourhood of abundant housing with a mix of tenures and affordability levels, and somewhere for everyone to call home. Integrating the minimum density framework from the new provincial legislation on Transit Oriented Development areas, development will be tallest by SkyTrain, stepping down from towers to mid- and low-rise forms.
3) Streets for People: A well-connected place with a range of safe, sustainable, and enjoyable mobility options that reduce vehicular dependence and lower transportation-related emissions. Improving bike and pedestrian facilities, car-share and EV charging opportunities, and bus speed and reliability will promote sustainable transportation choices.
4) Green Networks: A diverse system of ecologically-rich, resilient public green spaces and corridors, supported by green private and semi-private spaces. Green Networks include corridors, green streets and lanes, connecting to expanded and new parks. Green Networks will support climate adaptation through rainwater management, reduced urban heat island effect, and improved air quality in the neighbourhood.
5) Coast Salish Cultural Contributions: A community that celebrates the Coast Salish context of the land, and where opportunities for cultural revitalization and reconciliation are provided. Opportunities could include providing places for ceremony, cultural visibility, and inclusion of housing and economic opportunities for First Nations and Indigenous people.
6) Social Connections: A vibrant and inclusive community with a range of social spaces where diverse people can gather, connect, and support each other – through community spaces like a Neighbourhood House (a multipurpose facility), inclusive public realm design, and housing designed to support social connectedness.
7) Climate-Friendly Buildings: Low-carbon, low-emissions buildings, powered by clean and renewable energy. Designed to provide safety and comfort through extreme weather, Climate-friendly Buildings also support reduced energy consumption, and minimized waste. Clean and renewable energy powers the neighbourhood, and community members are empowered to conserve and reduce their own energy use.
8) Fiscally Responsible Approach: A livable neighbourhood that supports long-term municipal financial resilience, where “growth pays for growth” to the degree possible. The emerging Vision is ambitious, and aspirational in addressing the housing crisis, pursuing equity and inclusion, advancing reconciliation, and addressing the climate emergency. Neighbourhoods also need to be served by core infrastructure, such as water, sewer, sidewalks, greenways, roads, electrical, as well as parks, natural assets, buildings, and other facilities and amenities that ensure livability. The draft Vision calls for an approach that balances livability and creating an “amenity-rich” neighbourhood with fiscal responsibility.
The following brief video presents the Big Moves and related strategy highlights.
The Big Moves became the Vision’s chapters. Click here to see the draft Big Moves and strategy highlights. Each chapter includes a range of strategies for achieving its goal, and most include further detail on strategy highlights, such as a allowing for development of a mixed-use tower precinct in the pedestrian-oriented Transit Village, or 21st Street and adjacent streets offering groceries, restaurants, shops and services.
How did Community Input on the Big Moves Inform the Vision?
In September 2024, community members provided input through a survey and drop-in engagement event on the proposed “Big Moves” and strategy highlights. Feedback was generally supportive of the emerging directions. Click here to read the summary. Comments received informed further refinement of the Vision. The following table outlines how the three key outstanding concerns were addressed in the Vision:
Theme
How the feedback is addressed in the Vision
Continued concern about traffic along 20th Street
Strategies to promote sustainable transportation modes, as well as creating a mixed-use Transit Village to enable residents to meet some daily needs within the neighbourhood are the two main ways congestion in the neighbourhood is addressed through the Vision. Proposed new vehicle connections to Burnaby at the northwest and southwest edges of the neighbourhood are also intended to reduce the need for local residents to use 20th Street to get in and out of Connaught Heights. The Vision also calls for the City to continue to advocate to and collaborate with the Provincial government which own and/or controls major routes to and through the Vision area.
Concern about housing affordability
Strategies in the Housing Capacity and Choice chapter now include a call for a wide range of affordability levels, and emphasis placed on building housing that reflects community need (for each tenure, affordability and form).
Desire to ensure there is sufficient school capacity for the growing neighbourhood
School capacity is not in the City’s jurisdiction. Regardless, it is important to the city and community. As such, City staff have been holding conversations with School District staff related to growing capacity in the Vision area. The Vision now includes strategies to support New Westminster schools as they:
explore the creation of an urban school within the Transit Village,
develop a middle school somewhere within the Vision area,
acquire new sites in the Vision Area, and
intensify existing school sites in the Vision Area.
The City is committed to working with New Westminster School District to advocate for senior government funding for necessary schools to support the Vision area, as well as the city overall.
What’s Next?
The full Vision is scheduled to be brought to Council for their decision in December.
December 16, 2024 Council Report – reGENERATE: A Long Range Vision for the Neighbourhood Around the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station (141 KB) (pdf)
reGENERATE: A Vision for 22nd Street Neighbourhood
