Who are we?

The Arterial-Overpass Working Group has spent the last 18 months examining the various options for a proposed major east-west arterial road through Strathcona and False Creek Flats.

Our objectives were to:

• collect information to equip us to make informed assessments

• support the City’s commitment to calm Prior St

• safeguard Strathcona Park and Community Gardens

• support Produce Row’s continued operations

• maintain bus route #22 on Prior St

• retain reasonable access into and out of our neighbourhood

• support the planned bike/pedestrian underpass on Union St

• support convenient access to Produce Row and adjoining businesses east and west of the rail line

• support a healthy, sustainable environment that considers the present and future impacts on air quality, public safety and wellbeing.

We have tried to anticipate what City designers are planning. Where available, we have used sources published by the City of Vancouver. We’ve met with City representatives and engineering staff. These meetings were helpful --- but limited, in the absence of formal designs and any clarity on route choice. We’ve also spent much time assessing the implications of each option by observing geography and usage in person. Given all that, we acknowledge that many of our assumptions are speculative.

This report proposes an option that has not been fully explored as yet by city planners, but we acknowledge in advance that all options have negative impacts. Our goal has been to try to determine which has the least. Before looking more closely at our proposal, we want to share our observations about the other options under consideration, specifically:

• how the route will change what’s there now

• how the access routes and transport logistics will work

• negative impacts

• ballpark budget estimates

The MALKIN-CHARLES OPTION

The City of Vancouver’s 2008 False Creek Flats Rail Corridor Strategy recommended Malkin Avenue as the route for a proposed arterial and overpass. The City acquired easement along Malkin in anticipation of widening the road to accommodate this plan. Pushback from business owners along Produce Row has made the City reconsider this option. Earlier this year, the City opted to turn over the arterial recommendation to a yet-to-be-formed Community Panel.

Our research has found that this route will have the following negative impacts:

• ON PRODUCE ROW. Trucks entering and exiting loading bays all along Produce Row regularly use Malkin Avenue to manoeuvre, impeding traffic in both directions. Business owners have stated that a busy arterial will make current truck movements impossible and that, if this happens, they will be forced to move away from their central location, which the City considers essential to food security. Employees also use both sides of the street for parking, which would presumably be restricted during rush hour.

• ON COTTONWOOD GARDEN. For many years Cottonwood Community Garden’s southern area has occupied the city-owned right-of-way, which would be lost.

• ON NORTH AMERICAN PRODUCE SALES. This business has used an easement for access on the north side of Malkin, which would be lost. Presumably, North American Produce Sales would close, and this property be redeveloped under the new commercial-residential zoning.

• ON VANCOUVER ANIMAL SHELTER. Construction of the overpass would severely reduce the shelter’s capacity, likely forcing it to relocate.

• ON STRATHCONA COMMUNITY GARDEN. The arterial’s wider alignment would cut into the southern edge of the garden, resulting in a substantial loss of trees.

• ON ROAD ACCESS. A ramp to the 76m bridge will close Glen Drive at Malkin and Vernon Drive at Charles St. FreshPoint, located at the corner of Malkin and Glen, will lose access to both Glen and Malkin (due to the ramp), most likely leading to business closure. Alternately, Glen and Vernon could have underpasses built at an additional budget cost of $10-20 million each.

• ON AT-GRADE ACCESS. It should be noted that to eliminate at-grade railroad crossings, the City plans to block all vehicle access across the rail tracks at Union, Prior/Venables, Parker, and Glen, further restricting access to businesses along Raymur and Glen, such as the recently opened Article.

• ON PROPERTY BOUNDARIES AND BUILDINGS ON CHARLES. Three properties along Charles St will have their boundaries shifted for the road and ramp profile. Provision for a 30m right-of-way has already been made at the bridge abutment end of Charles.

City budget for this route:

Roadworks 15-20M 76m bridge 35-60M Property adjustments 20-35M Bike/pedestrian Union St underpass 10-15M $ TOTAL 80-130M

The MALKIN-WILLIAM OPTION THROUGH STRATHCONA PARK

In 2015, in response to opposition from business owners on Produce Row, the City proposed an alternative route that split off from Malkin at Hawks Ave onto a new road that would be built through the southern section of Strathcona Park and connect via a 36m bridge to William St, then to Clark Dr.

Our research has found that this route will have the following negative impacts: • ON PARKLAND. This route would eliminate up to 2.5

hectares of parkland (everything from the road south) or roughly a quarter of Strathcona Park (currently 10 hectares). According to the Parks Board, Strathcona currently has a below average Parkland Per Capita (PPC) ratio (the city average is 1.75 PPC vs. 1.49 for Strathcona). As the population is predicted to rise due to increasing density in Chinatown and along Hastings, this loss of green space will lower PPC to near 1.00. The affected area has the City’s highest percentage of social housing and vulnerable families who depend on this park for outdoor exercise and recreation. The value of this parkland, and an estimate for removing and replacing it needs to be included in budget calculations.

• ON EXISTING PARK AMENITIES. The road would require removal and replacement of the existing oval track, tennis courts, off-leash dog area, baseball diamond, and fieldhouse. The fieldhouse would need to be rebuilt in a new location to provide washroom facilities, adding to the cost of the project.

• ON TREES AND EAGLES. The road would require at least 20 and 30 mature trees to be removed, including a stand of 14 large Cottonwood trees. Because Cottonwoods have unstable root systems, those bordering the road would likely also go, destroying a long-established eagle’s nest.

• ON STRATHCONA COMMUNITY GARDEN. The Malkin alignment before Chess St will be moved deeper north into the existing community garden, impacting the orchard, wilding area, and beekeeping facility.

• ON COTTONWOOD COMMUNITY GARDEN. This community garden would become a triangular island surrounded by busy roads on all sides, likely resulting in garden plots be abandoned. A potential access ramp at Raymur could cut through the existing garden.

• ON TRAFFIC FLOW. The City has yet to release a detailed plan for this route. But even cursory examination reveals numerous traffic flow problems that will have a considerable impact on both Produce Row and commuter traffic. Specifically:

RAYMUR INTERSECTION Speculating on design detail, using the standard codes of practice for ramp-to-bridge grades, the maximum permissible grade to serve the William St overpass starting from Raymur is 8%. However, it's more likely that a 5% grade would be needed for safe arterial use, meaning the overpass ramp will extend further into parkland. To keep access, Raymur will need to be raised and a traffic light installed before the end of the western bridge ramp. Truck traffic attempting the turn will create a backup point. This problem could be solved with an access ramp to accommodate safe vehicle movement, resulting in higher cost and the loss of more parkland and garden.

MALKIN/HAWKS INTERSECTION The new road will intersect with Malkin at a roughly 30-degree angle, making truck access impossible at this point. For safety reasons, Malkin will likely need to be blocked at this intersection. Trucks unable to access Malkin at Raymur will need to turn left on Thornton, then National, then Chess to access Malkin. The left turn from Malkin to Thornton will be a regular backup of truck traffic.

MALKIN WEST OF HAWKS AVE Even with the park diversion, the challenge of traffic blockages on the remaining portion of Malkin west of Chess St will continue. Trucks trying to access Produce Row businesses currently remain on Malkin for up to 5-minute periods while reversing and maneuvering into position, causing total blockage to traffic flow, resulting in access problems similar to the Malkin-Charles route.

THE MALKIN-WILLIAMS OPTION THROUGH STRATHCONA PARK continued

• ON ROAD ACCESS. The overpass will require closing both Glen Drive and Vernon Drive at William Street. The City is also planning to block the at-grade railway crossings at Parker, Glen, Prior and Union. Combined, all these road blockages will severely restrict access to every business in that area. To partly alleviate this problem, Glen and Vernon could have underpasses installed at an additional cost of $10-20M each.

• ON THE VIABILITY OF PRODUCE ROW. The primary reason for choosing this option would be to support the businesses on Produce Row, which have a deep history in the area, employ many workers and are valuable for downtown food security, especially if there is an earthquake. We do not dispute these arguments, but feel obliged to add several concerns:

SUB-STANDARD CONSTRUCTION Many Produce Row businesses are in outmoded buildings on small lots. None are currently built to survive a major earthquake or equipped with emergency generators, and so are not resilient or reliable sources for emergency food supplies.

INCREASING LAND VALUES Assessed land values and property taxes on Produce Row properties have nearly tripled between 2015 and 2017. Vancouver only has about 250,000 sq ft of developable vacant industrial zoned land. With the False Creek Flats Plan and proposed hospital on the horizon, this will become a prime area to locate new business. Do Produce Row businesses intend to remain long-term or will they cash in on the high property valuations and move elsewhere in the future?

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE The City should be envisioning an updated, sustainable, resilient food supply and security centre that uses current distribution technology and is built to survive an earthquake. That plan should be incorporated into the arterial decision process rather than prioritizing the preservation of businesses that are unlikely to exist in their current form a decade from now.

ROAD CLOSURES A new ramp to the overpass bridge will close Glen Drive and Vernon Drive at William, along with planned closures at Parker and Glen and well as at Prior and Union to eliminate at-grade railway crossings. This will further restrict access to business in that area, especially along Raymur. Alternatively, Glen and Vernon could have underpasses installed at an additional budget cost of $10-20M each.

• ON WILLIAM ST PROPERTIES. Lack of adequate space for the road means all properties in William St will lose up to 5m depth of their street frontage and/or buildings. Seven properties would need to be acquired by the City.

Budget estimate for this route:

Roadworks 15-20M Bridge overpass 20-40M Property adjustments 20-35M Parkland replacement 35-40M Bike/pedestrian Union St underpass 10-15M $ TOTAL 100-150M

The City’s NATIONAL-GRANT OPTION

The City’s proposed National option re-routes Prior to connect to Malkin Ave north of Trillium Park, then turns onto Thornton St to reach National Ave and continues east, where a bridge connects to Grant St and a T-intersection with Clark Drive. The City has largely dismissed this option for the following reasons:

Key challenges identified by the City:

• Requires a longer structure to span the rail yards.

• Wouldn't operate well for driving, cycling, walking, or transit, due to the proximity to E 1st Ave at Clark Dr.

• Impacts the National Works Yard and requires relocating the Chess Street Fire Training Facility and Heavy Urban Search and Rescue site. These facilities would be expensive to relocate and rebuild, and no suitable alternative properties have been identified.

We propose a variation of the City’s National option.

City budget for this route:

Bridge Cost 50-90M Roadworks 15-20M Property adjustments 75-105M Bike/pedestrian Union St underpass 10-15M $ TOTAL 150-230M

The NATIONAL-CHARLES OPTION

After careful examination of available information and consideration of the reality on the ground, we’ve concluded that a feasible variation of the National option exists.

We call it the National-Charles route.

It assumes the City’s (yet-to-be revealed) plan to connect Prior to Malkin, then curves around the east side of Trillium Park and the City Works Yard, to run along an expanded National Drive. It then cuts through the southern edge of the Fire Training facility and connects via an 86m-span bridge that connects to Charles St and ends at Clark Dr.

The National-Charles route has the following advantages:

• DISTANCE FROM TERMINAL AVE/1st ST. This route intersects with Clark at Charles, the same point as was recommended in the City’s 2008 report, sufficiently north of Terminal/1st.

• LENGTH OF BRIDGE SPAN. The redesigned bridge position provides a shorter span of 86m than for the Grant route on the original National option. Moreover, it is only 10m longer than the bridge span on the City’s design for their Malkin-Charles option.

• BIKE/PEDESTRIAN ACCESS. A ramp could be added to route bike traffic along the south edge of Strathcona Park. This would link the existing Grandview and Adanac bikeways.

• IMPACT ON CITY WORKS YARD. The design would only require a slight widening of National and some land on the southwest corner of the works yard parking lot to accommodate a curve in the road. No works yard buildings would be impacted.

• LEAST LAND/PROPERTY ACQUISITION. This route requires the least amount of property acquisition on either side of the tracks. The bridge would run from vacant land behind the FreshPoint building to the Black Cab parking lot at Charles and Vernon.

• IMPACT ON FIRE TRAINING FACILITY. No VFD buildings or structures would be impacted. However, the VFD has told us it would be unable to function on a smaller site – and that it has outgrown the existing location as is and has been looking for an alternative site. If VFD determines a move is necessary, the excess land could be disposed of at current market rate (we estimate $35M) to offset the City’s estimate of $70M relocation cost.

• PRESERVES PARK AND GARDENS. It preserves Strathcona Park and both community gardens in their current state.

• PRESERVES PRODUCE ROW. It allows Produce Row businesses to continue as is or to evolve without interference during construction and after.

• CALMS PRIOR STREET. Prior would be blocked at the tracks to through traffic and restored to residential use, reconnecting the neighbourhood to the Park.

• IMPROVES AIR QUALITY. Arterial roads create a higher concentration of Ultra Fine Particulates (UFPs) which numerous studies have found to have long-term, multi-generational health impacts by increasing inflammation and compromising immune systems, especially on high density neighbourhoods with vulnerable populations: seniors, children, poverty-level families and at-risk individuals. This route keeps traffic farthest away from parks and people.

Budget estimate for this route:

Roadworks 15-20M Bridge cost 40-68M Property adjustments 20-35M Land and fire dept 55-70M Bike/pedestrian Union St underpass 10-15M Sale of land (35M) $ TOTAL 105-173M

THE NATIONAL-CHARLES OPTION continued

Next, we look at some specific questions about our proposed National-Charles route:

From Strathcona residents and businesses:

• How will we get from a National arterial into our neighbourhood? Won’t it be too far away for convenient movement in or out of the neighbourhood? Answer: A bike/pedestrian Union St underpass will help local east-west movement. North-south access to and from the arterial will be via Chess onto Hawks or via Malkin onto Prior. Truck traffic to the commercial properties in False Creek Flats area will use Chess, Malkin, and Raymur.

• Where can we access the #22 bus? Answer: Bus stops on Prior St at Princess St, Hawks and Campbell Avenues can still operate. The bus will access Prior via Raymur/Malkin/Chess through the industrial area to/from the arterial (to the advantage of workers in that area).

From Produce Row:

• How does this impact truck movement and employee parking on Malkin? Answer: Trucks using the arterial would be able to access Malkin from two points: at Chess and at Thornton. Also, access from Hawks would remain as is. Trucks would be able to manoeuvre as they currently do on Malkin, Raymur, and Glen. Employee street parking would remain as it is presently.

From the City:

• What happens along Trillium Park? Answer: There’s a need to soften the road curves, which would encroach on the City Works Yard parking area, and the northeast corner of Trillium Park. This would be a limited loss of relatively undeveloped land. Note that loss of parking north of the park is a factor for all the options. Parking lost on Thornton St could be replaced with additional parking on the Park’s southern and western boundaries.

• What is the impact on the City Works Yard land and access? Answer: The current right-of-way width measures 22.5m, which accommodates the planned road profile of the new arterial. Here there would be a sacrifice requiring possible boundary adjustments and changes to access points, but no existing buildings or facilities would be impacted.

• How do we deal with poor geotechnical conditions to a depth of 10m anticipated in some sections? Answer: Road foundation rehabilitation is not costly, with various solutions. The City budget allocation seems to confirm this position.

• Is the lack of buildings, land uses, or street connections to the south of National Ave a problem? Answer: No, this lack would surely improve the performance and efficiency of a major arterial route.

• How do the costs compare to the other options? Answer: The estimated National-Charles budget is comparable, especially given the complexities and costs of both Malkin options.

In summary:

Malkin-Charles $80-130M budget (+ potential Glen/Vernon underpasses 20-40M)

Malkin-William $100-150M budget estimate (+ potential Raymur/Glen/Vernon underpasses 30-60M)

Original National $150-230M budget (+ potential Vernon underpass 10-20M)

National-Charles $105-173M budget estimate

The PRIOR OPTION

Officially, Prior St has been taken off the table as a possible arterial route. However, we have heard rumblings that it is still under consideration. The rationale: the road is already being used as an arterial and the costs for building an overpass or underpass would be lower than other routes.

We have the following concerns about this option:

• Prior St was designed and intended as a residential street. At 12.5m, it is not wide enough to be a properly designed 30m arterial.

• An underpass or an overpass would block all access to Glen from Prior, both north or south. Combined with planned railroad right-of-way blockages at Union, businesses like Casa Gelato would be nearly inaccessible to cars and access in and out of Kiwassa very limited.

• Either option would block access to Raymur from Prior. Trucks would have to turn at Hawks. As access from Glen and Parker would also be blocked, this would be the only access point for Produce Row and Article, creating a back-up for trucks wanting to turn left from Prior onto Hawks.

• Residents of Strathcona, and particularly those who live along Prior, have suffered long enough with safety risks, limited street parking, noise, and air pollution.

• The busy street divides the neighbourhood in two and restricts the use of Strathcona Park by residents, especially the young and old.

• High volumes of fast-moving traffic have long been a safety concern. This was confirmed by the City’s 2015 Road Safety Review and Liability Assessment.

• Both the Mayor and City Council have on numerous occasions acknowledged these facts and promised to return Prior St to its intended use.

• This short-sighted move would mean missing the opportunity to work with the Port, CN Rail and the Federal government to design and fund a plan that will build a better future for all involved.

For these reasons, and in light of the neighbourhood backlash that would inevitably result from the City’s reneging on its commitment to calming Prior, we strongly recommend against this option.

It’s worth asking: what is driving the need for this arterial and overpass? Who really benefits in the end? In our opinion, the one entity undoubtedly benefitting financially from the re-routing of the arterial and construction of a bridge is CN Railway. CN’s reactivation of the Burrard Inlet Line in January 2017 is part of its presumed business plan to route container traffic out of the expanded Centerm Port primarily through Strathcona and adjoining neighbourhoods to the east. We estimate that the expanded port capacity of 500,000 TEU containers could require an additional 125,000 rail cars. The Federal government recently announced that it is contributing $22.5M to fund a CN led plan to double the existing track. The reactivation of the BI line is already causing serious problems: reduced air quality (caused by diesel fumes), shunting noise at night (causing sleep disruption), rat running traffic through residential streets and concerns about public safety (people on the tracks, potential derailment). Any of the options will ease roadblocks at Prior (by closing it to all traffic) but will do nothing to address these other problems. Doubling the track will only double the problems.

Many argue that these “improvements” need to be made in interest of the Canadian economy. But it’s worth noting that CN changed its name from Canadian National when it became a public, now largely US owned company. And Centerm is owned by Dubai World. Enough rail capacity already exists along the Burrard Inlet to service an expanded terminal, but for business reasons it has not shared, CN walked away from a decade-long track sharing agreement with CPR. We recommend that the City not support, and certainly not finance, any major infrastructure project until its full impacts on residents, local businesses, public health, safety and sustainability are fully assessed and factored in and viable alternatives explored.

For further information contact Richard Taplin at rtaplin9@gmail.com or Dan Jackson at chair@strathcona-residents.org.

Arterial-Overpass Working Group

Richard Taplin Sally Taplin Susan Anderson Behn Jan Marie Martell Lincoln Kaye Meilang Hsu

Strathcona Residents Association Council

Dan Jackson Jeff Murton Trefor Smith Wilson Liang Charis Walko