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DRA & DV2020 Election Questions for a Better Downtown Victoria Submitted by John Luton, Candidate for Council and CRD Director www.johnluton.ca I participated in the Downtown 2020, helping to develop conceptual plans for the “Blue Bridge Junction” Concept. Many Downtown 2020 initiatives seem to have receded in the public consciousness because the city hasn't taken action to realize the ideas that were generated through the process. Livability Downtown residents share the heart of a vibrant, working city. The balance between sustaining economic activity, providing jobs and supporting cultural and entertainment activities, and ensuring a comfortable environment for residents is an ongoing challenge. The city lacks a current, coherent workplan to build on the downtown plan they should already be using for guidelines. The first application they have received knowing that this plan has been endorsed by the community, asked and received approval to circumvent the plan. This isn't a good approach to shaping our future. Downtown residents are rightly concerned that social issues are affecting their quality of life. The city, the region, business and community leaders all agree on measures needed to help end homelessness and restore some order and polish to our downtown. It's critical to the quality of life for residents who live in, work at, or come to visit downtown. Initiatives Accelerate greenways, centennial square, art gallery, waterfront walkways, infrastructure renewal, other revive and review downtown 2020 • Park planning/green space – designate or bylaw; look for new greenspace opportunities redeveloping squares and public spaces • Late night downtown issues – work with business community, police, residents to address issues and find mutually satisfactory solutions • Policing and safety – Staiblize police force and secure new staff levels, clarify procedures and accountability to ensure police are focused on doing their job well and not focused on internal management issues or blows to public confidence • Continuing residential development – balance approvals to ensure affordable, rental stock and other options add diversity to the current oversupply of expensive investment condos • Additional cultural/social amenities – we need a new home for the art gallery, downtown library, and we need to think of how we might reclaim our waterfront – converting parking lots to festival and people spaces • Commercial prosperity – diversifying our housing options should help to favour resident populations downtown, rather than absentee, resort style models and sustain our economy year round; recognize that culture and entertainment is essential to our downtown fabric and work with stakeholders to ensure responsible prosperity; grow our visitor profile with continuing investments in the infrastructure that supports active living in a green city • Transportation planning – embrace new forms of mobility, secure a regional planning authority, move forward on LRT • Infrastructure improvements – Sidewalks and bike facilities, improve transit accessibility, start work on LRT, sewage and cultural and recreation facilities, energy efficiency upgrades • Budget priorities – move homelessness solutions forward to reduce long term costs, focus on projects that have partnership opportunities (sewage, cycling, building energy improvements) or piggyback other work (sewer, water, redevelopment) • Property taxes – maintain current balance between business and residential rates Good neighbour Back it up with resources – needle exchange, community policing, community courts, other services for addictions, mental illness, escape from abusive homes etc Bring together 214 organizations We have plan, bring together the essential doers and diffuse the engagement to the broader community through key players necessary to get action while having lines of communication established and nurtured to ensure continuous community contact and buy in Plans I participated in developing Plans for the Blue Bridge through the Downtown 2020 Project as well as contributing to Harbour Pathway ideas through the conference and subsequent consultations and through my work as Chair of the City's Cycling Advisory Committee. The CAC also vetted the Greenways Plan and made recommendations and has been working with city staff to oversee implementation of specific projects. The Downtown Plan must be adopted by resolution of council and projects screened through this lens. Council ignored the plan for the very first proposal to come before them after receiving the draft plan. Funding for public elements of the plan should be pursued through partnership projects and other resources to assist in the renewal of public spaces and cultural facilities like a downtown art gallery and new central library. The Harbourfront pathway should be accelerated to implement specific projects that will add appeal and vitality to the downtown. Funding from federal gas tax transfers for green infrastructure and specific programs like Local Motion and Bike BC (provincial) should be accessed to help complete elements of the pathway corridor. It should be noted that this is a multi-use concept, not just a walkway. While sections will be preserved pedestrians, the complete concept includes facilities for cyclists. Downtown Beautification and city Greenways plans need to be lifted off of the page and used as guides for capital, maintenance and development projects. The city's workplans should prioritize and seek opportunities to focus works on these important plans. I am less aware of the details of the Beautification Strategy but have participated in development of the Greenways Plan. Moving these forward will require the city to support incorporating elements into development projects and seek partnership funding or internal capital funding to ensure these strategies are implemented. Monitoring well being The city should work in partnership with the business community and downtown residents to confirm measures for assessing the well being of downtown, perhaps including occupancy rates for commercial/retail business, updated pedestrian flow counts, citizen and visitor surveys, assessment of public safety and comfort issues with the police and other agencies etc. The city has been rapidly developing downtown residential accommodation but needs to carefully monitor developments to ensure that a balanced mix of higher end condominiums along with rental and affordable housing options provide year round residents essential to support the workplaces, businesses and public services that characterize a vibrant city. The city's cultural and entertainment health must also be maintained and careful consideration of location of residential developments and tourism/cultural/entertainment facilities to minimize conflict while maintaining healthy and sustainable economic activity will be important to our success. New cultural facilities should be fast tracked for development to take advantage of likely downtowns in other construction projects to hold on to local workforces, sustain economic activity and prepare the city and downtown core for a healthy and vibrant future for residents and visitors alike. The art gallery and library are both long overdue for new homes and the time may be ideal to move forward on renewal of these important institutions. Working with our post secondary institutions may also provide some synergies for incorporating expanded education opportunities and facilities into any new developments that may include our cultural facilities. back to candidates list .
info@dv2020.ca

DRA & DV2020 Election Questions
for a Better Downtown Victoria
Submitted by John Luton, Candidate for Council and CRD Director

www.johnluton.ca

I participated in the Downtown 2020, helping to develop conceptual plans for the “Blue Bridge Junction” Concept. Many Downtown 2020 initiatives seem to have receded in the public consciousness because the city hasn't taken action to realize the ideas that were generated through the process.

Livability

Downtown residents share the heart of a vibrant, working city. The balance between sustaining economic activity, providing jobs and supporting cultural and entertainment activities, and ensuring a comfortable environment for residents is an ongoing challenge.

The city lacks a current, coherent workplan to build on the downtown plan they should already be using for guidelines. The first application they have received knowing that this plan has been endorsed by the community, asked and received approval to circumvent the plan. This isn't a good approach to shaping our future.

Downtown residents are rightly concerned that social issues are affecting their quality of life. The city, the region, business and community leaders all agree on measures needed to help end homelessness and restore some order and polish to our downtown. It's critical to the quality of life for residents who live in, work at, or come to visit downtown.

Initiatives

Accelerate greenways, centennial square, art gallery, waterfront walkways, infrastructure renewal, other revive and review downtown 2020

• Park planning/green space – designate or bylaw; look for new greenspace opportunities redeveloping squares and public spaces

• Late night downtown issues – work with business community, police, residents to address issues and find mutually satisfactory solutions

• Policing and safety – Staiblize police force and secure new staff levels, clarify procedures and accountability to ensure police are focused on doing their job well and not focused on internal management issues or blows to public confidence

• Continuing residential development – balance approvals to ensure affordable, rental stock and other options add diversity to the current oversupply of expensive investment condos

• Additional cultural/social amenities – we need a new home for the art gallery, downtown library, and we need to think of how we might reclaim our waterfront – converting parking lots to festival and people spaces

• Commercial prosperity – diversifying our housing options should help to favour resident populations downtown, rather than absentee, resort style models and sustain our economy year round; recognize that culture and entertainment is essential to our downtown fabric and work with stakeholders to ensure responsible prosperity; grow our visitor profile with continuing investments in the infrastructure that supports active living in a green city

• Transportation planning – embrace new forms of mobility, secure a regional planning authority, move forward on LRT

• Infrastructure improvements – Sidewalks and bike facilities, improve transit accessibility, start work on LRT, sewage and cultural and recreation facilities, energy efficiency upgrades

• Budget priorities – move homelessness solutions forward to reduce long term costs, focus on projects that have partnership opportunities (sewage, cycling, building energy improvements) or piggyback other work (sewer, water, redevelopment)

• Property taxes – maintain current balance between business and residential rates

Good neighbour

Back it up with resources – needle exchange, community policing, community courts, other services for addictions, mental illness, escape from abusive homes etc

Bring together 214 organizations

We have plan, bring together the essential doers and diffuse the engagement to the broader community through key players necessary to get action while having lines of communication established and nurtured to ensure continuous community contact and buy in

Plans

I participated in developing Plans for the Blue Bridge through the Downtown 2020 Project as well as contributing to Harbour Pathway ideas through the conference and subsequent consultations and through my work as Chair of the City's Cycling Advisory Committee. The CAC also vetted the Greenways Plan and made recommendations and has been working with city staff to oversee implementation of specific projects.

The Downtown Plan must be adopted by resolution of council and projects screened through this lens. Council ignored the plan for the very first proposal to come before them after receiving the draft plan. Funding for public elements of the plan should be pursued through partnership projects and other resources to assist in the renewal of public spaces and cultural facilities like a downtown art gallery and new central library.

The Harbourfront pathway should be accelerated to implement specific projects that will add appeal and vitality to the downtown. Funding from federal gas tax transfers for green infrastructure and specific programs like Local Motion and Bike BC (provincial) should be accessed to help complete elements of the pathway corridor. It should be noted that this is a multi-use concept, not just a walkway. While sections will be preserved pedestrians, the complete concept includes facilities for cyclists.

Downtown Beautification and city Greenways plans need to be lifted off of the page and used as guides for capital, maintenance and development projects. The city's workplans should prioritize and seek opportunities to focus works on these important plans.

I am less aware of the details of the Beautification Strategy but have participated in development of the Greenways Plan. Moving these forward will require the city to support incorporating elements into development projects and seek partnership funding or internal capital funding to ensure these strategies are implemented.

Monitoring well being

The city should work in partnership with the business community and downtown residents to confirm measures for assessing the well being of downtown, perhaps including occupancy rates for commercial/retail business, updated pedestrian flow counts, citizen and visitor surveys, assessment of public safety and comfort issues with the police and other agencies etc.

The city has been rapidly developing downtown residential accommodation but needs to carefully monitor developments to ensure that a balanced mix of higher end condominiums along with rental and affordable housing options provide year round residents essential to support the workplaces, businesses and public services that characterize a vibrant city. The city's cultural and entertainment health must also be maintained and careful consideration of location of residential developments and tourism/cultural/entertainment facilities to minimize conflict while maintaining healthy and sustainable economic activity will be important to our success.

New cultural facilities should be fast tracked for development to take advantage of likely downtowns in other construction projects to hold on to local workforces, sustain economic activity and prepare the city and downtown core for a healthy and vibrant future for residents and visitors alike. The art gallery and library are both long overdue for new homes and the time may be ideal to move forward on renewal of these important institutions. Working with our post secondary institutions may also provide some synergies for incorporating expanded education opportunities and facilities into any new developments that may include our cultural facilities.

back to candidates list