FALSE CREEK SOUTH SUMMARY OF THEMES DRAFT

Transcription

1 FALSE CREEK SOUTH SUMMARY OF THEMES NOVEMBER 2017

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 SUMMARY OF THEMES 3 The False Creek Environment 3 First Nations 5 Industrial Development 10 Post-Industrial Planning 13 Community Building 17 Character and Design 20 THEMATIC FRAMEWORK 25 False Creek South seawall and townhouses, 1986, City of Vancouver Archives (CVA)

3 INTRODUCTION The False Creek South Study Area is defined as the area between the Burrard and Cambie Bridges located north of West 6 th Avenue (and north of the railway tracks to the west of Hemlock Street). The area, originally home to First Nations settlements and harvesting grounds, became home to vast industrial facilities through the twentieth century before being transformed into a new typology for inner-city housing development, previously unprecedented in Vancouver. As the forerunner to the city s well-known waterfront communities of the late twentieth-century, False Creek South represents the best planning practices of the 1970s and 1980s, yet still remains a thriving and sought-after community today. The following summary of the Historic Context Statement and Thematic Framework provides a foundation for the current and future planning for the False Creek South area. This document is intended as an integrated planning tool that defines the area s broad patterns of historic development while drawing focus to neighbourhood character and identity. In order to develop the historic themes, the team reviewed existing historic documentation and analyzed the area s historic evolution. The historic themes that emerged are those that best represent the development of the study area, up to the present day and continuing into the future. False Creek South Study Area Boundaries (City of Vancouver) 2

4 SUMMARY OF THEMES The historic themes that shaped the False Creek South Study Area have been analyzed and their following summaries illustrate how the community has formed to date. The False Creek Environment The False Creek South Planning Area exists as part of the Coast Mountain area of the Cordilleran geographic region. It was in this physiographic region over thirteen thousand years ago that the massive Cordilleran Ice Sheet began to retreat, which ended the most recent glacial event in southwest British Columbia, known as the Fraser Glaciation. Over the next 9,000 years, significant events occurred that shaped the Gulf of Georgia and the Lower Mainland into their present day topographical forms. The early Holocene period marked the beginning of the establishment of numerous contemporary plant species in the area including the western Hemlock, mountain Hemlock, Douglas-fir, Spruce, and Alder. Due to its shape and its coastal location, the False Creek area teemed with life, including deer, elk, beaver, bears, cougars, and a variety of bird and insect life. It was also during the early Holocene that the first lasting traces of human activity were found in the region. The steep grade from the False Creek lowlands up to Kitsilano is a remnant of the glacial retreating activity during the early to late Holocene period. The contemporary landscape of the False Creek South area includes mature street trees, which provide a distinctive canopy, parks, and the seawall, which celebrates the water and follows the contours of the False Creek shore. The natural history of the area provides support for its ongoing activity and use. Behind L.A. Hamilton's campsite on the south side of False Creek, 1886, CVA Dist P35 3

5 1978, Vancouver's Old Streams. Vancouver Public Aquarium Association [CVA AM1519, Pam ] 4

6 First Nations For millennia, Canada s original people inhabited and utilized the forests and shores of False Creek; harvesting the abundant natural resources that thrived in the lush and varied environment. A village was established along the western edges of False creek, known as sən a?qw in hən q əmin əm (Musqueam language) and Sen ákw in Sḵwx wú7mesh (Squamish language). Creeks and streams ran down the southern escarpment of present day Mount Pleasant and Fairview, providing the necessary supply of fresh water to the people of the area. Present day Granville Island was also used traditionally as a sturgeon, smelt, and flounder fishing area and was part of a traditional trail network that ran from the Musqueam site of c əsnaʔəm, located near the main Musqueam reserve on the north branch of the Fraser River delta, to the foot of Granville Island and then on to sən a?qw. The First Nations population, which thrived for so long in the area, began to decline significantly as European exploration activity increased, starting with Captain George Richards hydrographic survey of the northwest coast shoreline, which he conducted for the Royal Navy in Joseph Trutch, Chief Commissioner of British Columbia, set apart a small reserve at False Creek in 1869 and, as European settlement continued, only forty-four indigenous people would be recorded as living in the original habitat surrounding False Creek by The reserve was expanded in 1876 spanning 32 hectares at the mouth to False Creek; the enlarged reserve included the historic Squamish settlement of Sen ákw. Between 1899 and 1965, the area of the reserve gradually diminished, as residents were coerced to leave. A number of construction projects went ahead, and land was confiscated, then repurposed for a variety of proponents and uses. It was not until 2002 that 4.2 hectares were returned to the Squamish. False Creek Indian Reserve, Burrard Inlet, B.C., 1937, CVA MAP 1023 (close-up on following page) 5

7 Burrard Street sən a?qw/ Sen ákw Larger map indicates this cemetery was located between Pine Street and Fir Street Granville Street Bridge 6

8 1870 District Lot Map, CVA MAP531 Looking west across False Creek from 7th Avenue and Birch Street, 1890, CVA Van Sc P58 7

9 Group near Kitsilano Reserve, 1891, CVA In P1.1 False Creek from Fairview, 1893, CVA Dist P34 8

10 Kitsilano Reserve, circa 1907, CVA Kitsilano Reserve, 1935, CVA Park N10.3 9

11 Industrial Development The growth of the timber industry encouraged the formation of transportation routes to and from the already established communities of the Lower Mainland, including New Westminster and Moodyville. In May 1884, negotiations between the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and the British Columbia government began regarding the transfer of several pieces of land in exchange for the designation of Coal Harbour as the railway terminus. The resulting agreement included property around the old Granville townsite, and a sizable tract of forest south of False Creek, where the CPR would construct a railway corridor just north of West 6 th Avenue that remains extant. The False Creek area was seen as an ideal location for the establishment of industry due to its easy access to English Bay and the shipping routes of the Salish Sea (Strait of Georgia), and as a result, competition for waterside property in False Creek became intense. Businesses gravitated to the False Creek area, quickly filling the shoreline with industries ranging from sawmills to brick plants; the topography of the Creek was used to full advantage, providing a convenient area to float log booms, to dump waste (both industrial and raw sewage), and to transport finished products. In 1915, with the port of Vancouver growing and in recognition of the need for wartime industrial production, the newly formed Vancouver Harbour Commission approved a 14-hectare reclamation project in False Creek for an industrial area. Almost 765,000 cubic metres of fill was dredged from the surrounding waters to create Industrial Island ; the name Granville Island was eventually given to the development. Following World War II, concurrent with the growth in population and the rise in land value, False Creek s industries began to decamp to massive suburban industrial parks, marking the decline of the railway and leaving behind contaminated water and soil, and decaying structures. View of Leamy and Kyle Sawmill looking east from the foot of Ash Street, 1890, CVA Mi P65 10

12 Industry on Granville Island (right) and along False Creek South waterfront (left), 1928, CVA Wat N62.1 B.C. Electric Railway repair shops near Burrard Street Bridge, 1935, CVA N

13 Logs in False Creek, circa 1940s, Vancouver Sun Files, courtesy John Mackie False Creek environment, 1973, CVA

14 Post-Industrial Planning Debates on the future of False Creek ignited through the mid-twentieth century, as both port activities and the remaining industrial facilities jockeyed for prime positions on False Creek, while others in the city suggested the entire basin should be filled. The conditions along False Creek were such that the concept of future, adjacent residential neighbourhoods was unfathomable: log booms floated long past the closure of most of the waterfront sawmills; sewers discharged directly into the basin; and the ambient noise from factories, trains, bridges and roads made the area generally inhospitable to both humans and wildlife. It was not until the 1960s that ideas beyond the entrenched industrial uses began to formulate and plans to clean up the polluted waterway began to gain traction. Senior levels of government, along with the Canadian Pacific Railway, which retained ownership of the majority of the property along the waterfront, eventually negotiated land swaps that resulted in the City of Vancouver acquiring nearly all of the land north of West 6th Avenue between the Burrard Bridge and Cambie Bridge (excluding Granville Island). The City quickly enacted a planning program to organize its vision for the future of the site and industrial leases were quashed as of The next handful of years were dedicated to the establishment of a new development plan that would see the land filled, sculpted and prepared for a wave of residential construction. Concurrently, construction on the waterfront seawall began in 1973, which initially prepared False Creek to eventually become a world-renowned centre of recreation. The seawall was designed with a steep slope into the water to discourage anyone from venturing into the then-heavily polluted water. False Creek South, 1973, CVA

15 False Creek South at foot of Laurel Street, 1974, CVA

16 False Creek South, 1974, CVA False Creek South with new waterfront seawall, 1975, CVA

17 False Creek South with new waterfront seawall, 1975, CVA False Creek South with new waterfront seawall, 1975, CVA

18 Community Building Set amongst the progressive planning policies adopted by the 1972-elected civic administration, plans for False Creek South emerged with a new typology of inner-city residential development, incorporating a mixture of tenures, income levels, and building/unit styles. Early designs for the future neighbourhood were based upon community charettes led by architect Stanley King, who, along with a team of UBC students, illustrated visions for the area while citizens explained their desires. The renderings were eventually displayed in a temporary park by the newly constructed seawall, allowing people to visualize how the future community could unfold. The diversity of housing units that were to be constructed on the post-industrial site represent the TEAM (The Electors Action Movement) City Council s desire to ensure that the new development was welcoming to a range of residents that may not otherwise have the means to live on valuable waterfront property, including lower income citizens, as well as families, which had otherwise been excluded from central city planning efforts. The 1974 Official Development Plan for False Creek South helped establish Vancouver as a pioneering leader in the provision of desirable social and market housing located in central areas. Affordable housing located on land previously dedicated to heavy industry was a relatively novel planning outcome for the 1970s and was related to the budding concept of Vancouverism that promoted the livability of inner-city districts. Social interaction in the community was encouraged through collective spaces outdoors (e.g. courtyards, plazas) and indoors (False Creek School, False Creek Community Centre), as well as the public accessibility of the waterfront. Apartment buildings in False Creek South, 1983, CVA

19 Leg-in-Boot Square, 1983, CVA

20 Island Park Walk along False Creek South, 1986, CVA Island Park Walk along False Creek South, 1986, CVA

21 Character and Design The character and design of False Creek South was formed in the early 1970s, when architectural preferences were shifting away from the sleek and streamlined tenets of modernism and instead beginning to embrace imported styles. New design methods and theories, including Christopher Alexander s human-centred models, were emerging that challenged the monotony of traditional, linear forms of development in favour of enclaves of housing that promoted livability by following the structure of cells. Townhouses, which helped fulfill the mandate of providing units suitable for families, were clustered along the seawall and were designed in styles more common in warmer climates. The siting of the townhouses near the waterfront helped preserve mountain views from the eight to twelve-storey apartment buildings that were constructed further inland and also for residents of the adjacent Fairview Slopes. This deliberate, sloped rise set a precedent of waterfront development that would continue in Vancouver for decades to come. The meandering streets of False Creek South, along with the small plazas, seawall, and Charleson Park, together comprise the village-like atmosphere of the area, despite it being in the middle of the city. The design of the majority of the buildings on the site, with few exceptions like Peter Cardew s colourful townhouses on Millbank next to Leg-in-Boot Square, are generally complementary toward one another, instead of standing out individually. This design cohesiveness helps firmly anchor the community in the ideals of the 1970s and 1980s, but the village character of False Creek South remains contemporary and relevant to best-practice planning schemes of the twenty-first century. Townhouses along Millbank,

22 Seawall and marine character of False Creek South, 2017 Map of then-proposed enclaves, False Creek Area 6 Proposal, Thompson Berwick, Pratt & Partners,

23 Land use proposal for sub-area south of Burrard Bridge, False Creek Phase 2 Proposal, Thompson Berwick, Pratt & Partners,

24 Shoreline Walk, 1983, CVA

25 Ferry Row, 1983, CVA Fisherman s Wharf, 1987, CVA

26 THEMATIC FRAMEWORK The national System Plan, developed by Parks Canada, lays out the historic forces relevant to the development of the country. The City of Vancouver Thematic Framework categorizes the national themes into municipal themes, while the Thematic Framework for False Creek South further distils the themes into the area context. 25

27 The following chart summarizes the themes and suggests sites in the study area that are representative of the respective themes. Note the representative site lists are not exhaustive, but are meant to provide a starting point for a planning exercise that identifies sites with potential heritage value within the study area. THEME SUMMARY REPRESENTATIVE SITES 1. The False Creek Environment Due to its shape and its coastal location, the False Creek area teemed with life, including Historic shoreline Escarpment/berm deer, elk, beaver, bears, cougars, and a variety of bird and insect life. The contemporary landscape of the False Creek South area includes mature street trees, which provide a distinctive canopy, parks, and the seawall, which celebrates the water. 2. First Nations First Nations settlements have existed along False Creek for millennia and the waterway and surrounding land were used for resource Ancient sən a?qw/sen ákw village (Musqueam/Squamish) Archaeological site DhRs-18 gathering and transportation. European exploration and eventual settlement displaced the First Nations population. 3. Industrial Development Industry arrived in the False Creek area early in the days of Vancouver s incorporation, recognizing its easy accessibility to English Bay and the Salish Sea. The Canadian Pacific Railway constructed tracks north of West 6th Railway infrastructure, including signs, signals and tracks Adjacent remnants of industrial facilities on Granville Island and in Southeast False Creek Avenue and became the major landowner of the area, leasing waterfront parcels to heavy industrial facilities. 4. Post-Industrial Planning The future of the industrial facilities lining False Creek was called into question in the middle of the twentieth century, resulting in a new plan for residential development beginning in the 1970s. Waterfront seawall (including steep slope down to water) Street naming conventions (with industrial references) 5. Community Building New, participatory community planning methods were employed by the progressive civic administration of the early 1970s in order Leg-in-Boot Square Charleson Park Marinas to ensure a mixture of tenure, income levels, False Creek Elementary School and building/unit styles to be constructed on Playground/Dog park the site. Social and recreational outlets were Mixture of social and market central to the human-scaled development. housing Interspersed commercial nodes Transit, including ferry landings and #50 Translink bus 6. Character and Design Cohesive building design, with plenty of surrounding green space, add to the village-like atmosphere of False Creek South. Townhouse clusters and mid-rise apartment towers represent best-practice building typologies of the 1970s and 1980s, while some buildings are particularly notable for their avant-garde Colourful townhouses on Millbank next to Leg-in-Boot Square Clusters of townhouses near the waterfront Taller/stepped apartment buildings further from waterfront aesthetic and others for their imported Mews, pathways, views to architectural style. waterfront and North Shore Landscaping, including seawall paving, benches, lighting, etc. 26