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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 develop a 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.

Process and Framing

To support the City’s commitment to climate action, the Vision will focus on identifying how to create a climate-friendly future, guided by the City’s Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action. The Vision will also be framed by Council’s Strategic Priorities Plan, and the City’s commitments to truth and reconciliation such as applying lessons from A Year of Truth.

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.

Diagram illustrating the sources of input for the 22nd Street neighborhood's reGENERATE long-range vision, including community ideas, provincial housing legislation, First Nations input, 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 develop a 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.

Process and Framing

To support the City’s commitment to climate action, the Vision will focus on identifying how to create a climate-friendly future, guided by the City’s Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action. The Vision will also be framed by Council’s Strategic Priorities Plan, and the City’s commitments to truth and reconciliation such as applying lessons from A Year of Truth.

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.

Diagram illustrating the sources of input for the 22nd Street neighborhood's reGENERATE long-range vision, including community ideas, provincial housing legislation, First Nations input, 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 – October 1, 2024

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    Project Update – October 1, 2024

    Thank you for reviewing the big moves and strategy highlights for the 22nd Street Station Vision. The survey has now closed. Feedback is being reviewed and incorporated as the Vision is refined. The final Vision is anticipated to come to Council for decision-making by the end of 2024.

  • Project Update – September 10, 2024

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    Project Update – September 10, 2024

    After integrating input, priorities, and feedback from the community with ideas surfaced in the Ideas Challenge, and other more technical considerations, eight Big Moves have been identified as the foundation of a Vision for 22nd Street Station Area. These are detailed below.

    We would love to hear from you:
    📋 Complete a survey on the Vision’s eight Big Moves and some key strategies. Survey closes on September 30.

    📍 If in-person is your preference or you would like to talk with City staff, a drop-in engagement event is also being held on Tuesday, September 24, from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Pentecostal Assembly church in Connaught Heights (2201 8th Ave).

  • Project Update – March 22, 2024

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    Project Update – March 22, 2024: Design Workshop

    The project team held a multi-day design workshop from March 5-7, 2024. This workshop was a first step in integrating the input, priorities, and feedback from community with ideas surfaced in the Ideas Challenge, as well as other more technical considerations.

    The project team explored opportunities to:

    • advance a vision for a complete, high-density community with diverse housing options,
    • create an enhanced network of greenspaces and gathering spaces to support livability, connectedness and resilience,
    • provide safer biking and pedestrian infrastructure,
    • create low-carbon buildings and energy infrastructure, and
    • identify Coast Salish cultural revitalization opportunities for further discussion with First Nations.

    Following the design workshop, community members were invited to a public event at City Hall on the evening of March 7. Participants were able to view and provide feedback on the sketches and concepts produced during the design workshop. City staff and the project consulting team addressed questions and collected comments from over 50 attendees.

    Participants at the March 7 public event look at an illustrated map.Participants at the March 7 public event look at an illustrated map.


    Attendees view the information boards of reGENERATE Ideas Challenge winners.Attendees view the information boards of reGENERATE Ideas Challenge winners.


  • Project Update - March 4, 2024

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    Project Update – March 4, 2024: The reGENERATE Ideas Challenge winners have now been announced.

    • Community’s Choice Award: “We are the Memory We Inhabit,” by Fiorella Pinillos, Natalia Botero, and Johanna Pabon
      • More than 500 votes were cast, and the winning submission received 18% of the votes

    The jury selections were:

    • Top Comprehensive Idea (tie!):
      • “The Same Station in an Urban City,” by JIM Architecture
      • “22nd Street Courtyard Community,” by Peter Williams and Jamie Eden
    • Top Local Community Idea: “A Vision for the Future,” by the Monkey Rebel
    • Top Youth Idea: “Destination - Connaught Heights,” by Christian Zollner
    • Honourable mentions:
      1. “Sensory Park,” by Carter Canton
      2. “We are the Memory We Inhabit,” by Fiorella Pinillos, Natalia Botero, and Johanna Pabon

    Thank you to everyone who participated and voted, and congratulations to the winners!

  • Project Update - February 29, 2024

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    Project Update - February 29, 2024: Community members were invited to drop by for the public portion of a multi-day design workshop on Thursday, March 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at New Westminster City Hall (in Council Chambers). The public event included a display of ideas for viewing and feedback.

    The multi-day design workshop included staff, designers, and technical experts to integrate the input, priorities, and feedback from community with ideas surfaced in the Ideas Challenge, as well as other more technical considerations.

  • Project Update - February 15, 2024

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    Project Update – February 15, 2024: We received 82 submissions from New Westminster and beyond as part of the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge. We are excited to be learning from all the creative entries submitted! You can check out the shortlisted submissions here, and voting for the Community’s Choice Award is now available!

    Vote by February 28, 2024. Please vote once only – multiple responses will not be counted. The submission with the most votes will win $1,500! To learn more about the Ideas Challenge, and the other prizes that will be awarded, visit the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge page. The full list of winners will be released soon.


    Up Next

    The project team will be in a multi-day design workshop in early March to integrate the input, priorities, and feedback from community with ideas that surfaced in the ideas challenge, as well as other more technical considerations. Community members are invited to join for the public portion of this event. An informal display of ideas for viewing and feedback is scheduled for Thursday, March 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at City Hall (in Council Chambers).

  • Project Update - December 20, 2023

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    Project Update – December 20, 2023: The comprehensive What We Heard Engagement Report is now available! Click here to read the full report about the engagement process and a summary of the input received through the Ideas Gathering phase this fall.

    Interested in a short summary? Review the snapshot of community engagement activities that took place in October 2023. This snapshot provides highlights of themes and results from the community survey.

  • Project Update - November 20, 2023

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    Project Update – November 20, 2023: You are invited to participate in the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge by submitting ideas about how we can re-imagine the area around the 22nd Street Station as a climate-friendly neighbourhood where everyone can thrive. Entry is open to everyone from November 20, 2023 to January 31, 2024.

    The reGENERATE Ideas Challenge is part of the City’s visioning process for this area. The vision is propelled by our region’s housing crisis and guided by foundational values around climate action, truth & reconciliation, and equity, diversity & inclusion. To learn more about the Ideas Challenge and how to submit, visit www.newwestcity.ca/regenerate.

  • Project Update - October 23, 2023

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    Project Update - October 23, 2023: This phase of online engagement for the 22nd Street Station Area has now concluded. Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend the Idea Jam sessions, stop by a pop-up, or participate in the conversation online. If you completed the online survey or contributed to the Ideas Board, keep an eye on your email, you may be one of the lucky winners of our prize draw!

    There is still more to come! Drop by an engagement session at the Connaught Heights Elementary School gym on Saturday, November 18 between 2:00-4:00 pm. Also, check back here in a few weeks for details on the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge happening in November.

Page last updated: 17 Dec 2024, 11:57 AM