City of Vancouver: Guiding Principles set direction for the Broadway Plan

October 24 2019 – A set of guiding principles for planning the area of Broadway between Clark Drive and Vine Street has been endorsed by City Council, setting the direction for the creation of the Broadway Plan which will incorporate core community values into future planning in the area.

“The nine Broadway Plan Guiding Principles reflect what staff heard from the community after the first six months of consultation,” said Gil Kelley, General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability, “The input from the community has been invaluable as we work to create a plan that will meet their needs and aspirations and take into account citywide planning objectives and policies on key areas such as affordable housing, health and livability, sustainability, transportation, and reconciliation.”

The Broadway Plan Guiding Principles

• Support Affordable, Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Complete Neighbourhoods
• Support Reconciliation with First Nations and Urban Indigenous Peoples
• Foster a Robust and Diverse Economy
• Demonstrate Leadership in Sustainability and Resilience
• Encourage Contextual Design
• Recognize and Enhance the Area’s Distinctive Neighbourhoods and Places
• Enhance Broadway as a Great Street
• Provide and Support Healthy Transportation Options
• Create and Enhance Parks and Public Spaces

For the full descriptions of the Guiding Principles as endorsed by Council, see the set of principles PDF file (2.4 MB)

Public engagement

Public input played a key role in developing the principles. Between March and September 2019, staff engaged with community members through 24 public events, 12 focused engagement events, and three surveys, resulting in a total of more than 10,300 engagement contacts, which includes participants at all the events and meetings, and survey respondents.

Community members shared what they value about their neighbourhoods, ideas, interests and opportunities, all of which helped define the community’s core values and shape the Guiding Principles.

Broadway planning program

The Broadway planning program is a two-year process to create a comprehensive plan for the area along Broadway, generally located east to west from Clark Drive to Vine Street, and north to south from the 1st Avenue to 16th Avenue.

The 30-year plan will leverage the opportunities created by the Broadway Subway, and address: deepening housing affordability and minimizing displacement of existing tenants; increased job space; new or improved connections; improved parks and public spaces; and new and renewed public amenities.

The Broadway Plan will include a public benefits strategy that will consider all the needs for affordable housing, infrastructure and other community amenities, with an associated long-term funding strategy.

Phase 2 of work

With the Guiding Principles in place, Phase 2 of work on the Broadway Plan will move forward with developing growth scenarios and emerging directions which will be presented to the public in early 2020.

Once a preferred set of directions has been selected and tested with the public, a draft plan will be created and presented to Council for consideration by the end of 2020.