Partington Creek Village Centre Design Charrette Concepts January 20th 2007
Partington Creek Village Centre Design Charrette Concepts January 20th 2007 Introduction On January 20 2007, three design teams made up of landscape architects, architects, planners, local citizens, and students assembled at Leigh Elementary School in Northeast Coquitlam to illustrate what the commercial village centre in Northeast Coquitlam might look like. This document reports the results of that event. Acknowledgements The City of Coquitlam Community Planning Division wishes to thank the enthusiastic members of the Partington Creek Village Neighbourhood Plan Neighourhood Working Group and the students from UBC s School of Community and, whose ideas form the foundation of the three design concepts developed over the course of the day. The Division would also like to thank City of Coquitlam staff from other departments and divisions for providing their knowledge, insight, and support to all of the teams. Finally, we would like to thank the talented, knowledgeable, and well-prepared urban design professionals who worked with the teams to develop and illustrate their ideas. The Site The land on which the village will be located is situated on the lower slopes of Burke Mountain, with a view towards Mount Baker. The land is primarily owned by the City, which presents an exciting opportunity to fully explore innovative and sustainable design alternatives. The village is about 7.5 hectares (18.5 acres) in size. The land is undeveloped and the terrain is sloping and heavily vegetated. Slopes on the site range from five to twenty percent. The existing vegetation is primarily mixed forest with a predominance of Red Alder. Design Brief Although the commercial village centre will be located in the Partington Creek Village neighbourhood plan area (and is being planned for as part of that process), it is intended to provide services to all of Northeast Coquitlam. The development of the village center and the surrounding residential neighbourhoods is governed by the Northeast Coquitlam Area Plan (NECAP) an innovative, long range, comprehensive plan that is based on sustainability and new urbanist principles. The design brief for the charrette reflects input received through the Northeast Coquitlam Area Plan public consultation process as well as input currently being received from the Partington Creek Village Neighbourhood Plan process and policies articulated in the Citywide Official Community Plan.
Vision Design Principles The village centre will provide a focal point for the community that is attractive, vibrant, and pedestrian-oriented. A mix of uses, including retail, residential and educational, as well as other institutional and community uses, will be located along a main street. A community centre, a library, a day-care centre, a seniors centre, and a community police office are envisioned near a village green that serves as a gathering place for those who live and work within or near the centre. There may be a religious institution, a community garden, farmers market, or a recycling centre nearby. Retail and personal service activities will serve residents of adjacent neighbourhoods as well as those who live above the main floor in the three and four storey buildings. Local transit services will deliver residents to the transit hub in the village centre, which will provide direct bus service between Northeast Coquitlam and Coquitlam Regional Town Centre. Residents and business owners in the centre will consume less energy than their counterparts in other urban centres because of thoughtful site and building design and the development of a district heating system, which will also help them to be more energy self-sufficient. The mountain-side nature of the community, its proximity to wildlife habitat, and its role in the watershed will be reflected in the function, design, and character of the site, buildings, street furniture, public art, and landscaping. The Partington Creek Village centre will form an integral part of Coquitlam s evolving network of complete communities. The City-wide OCP and the Northeast Coquitlam Area Plan provide the following principles to guide the development of the centre: Meet everyday needs primarily through the local marketplace. Provide responsive government services appropriate to the scale of the community. Develop effective transportation linkages between the community and the rest of the city. Create a sense of place, of neighbourhood, and of community that builds upon what is locally inherent and enduring (e.g. topography, ravines, and views) yet establishes a unique village character. Establish a varied and equitable mixture of land uses, household types, and building forms, to support a variety socio-economic groups. Encourage all modes of transport, especially walking, cycling and public transit. Create a more compact community form, preserve open space and natural systems, reduce resource and energy consumption, and provide a greater number of local amenities closer to home. Rekindle the spirit of the public realm, especially the streets that are the veins of the community. Develop strategies for integrated stormwater management planning and reflect watershed conditions and needs in neighbourhood planning processes. Consider district energy supply options in Northeast Coquitlam, particularly the village centre.
GOALS NEXT STEPS Based on the vision and principles articulated above, the following charrette goals were developed: 1. Buildings, landscaping, and other amenities should establish a unique character for the village and enhance the public realm. 2. The village centre should provide all necessary services for all anticipated users of all ages and socio-economic groups, including those who work there. 3. Residential units should be available above retail and office spaces. 4. The centre should accommodate all modes of transportation but give functional and visual precedence to pedestrian and other non-vehicular transportation modes. 5. The village centre should include a transit hub that provides connections to Coquitlam Regional Town Centre. 6. The centre should enable a safe, stimulating, comfortable and satisfying lifestyle for all residents. 7. The development of the village should take advantage of the biophysical attributes and spectacular natural setting of the site and it should be designed so that stormwater runoff is not increased. 8. The village centre should use land, water, and energy efficiently. 9. Buildings in the village centre should be designed to provide efficient, flexible spaces that can evolve over time and serve a variety of purposes. 10. Buildings in the village centre should be heated via a district heating system. The three concepts were displayed at the Partington Creek Village Neighbourhood Plan Public Open House on March 14 2007 at Leigh Elementary School in Northeast Coquitlam. The three concepts will be presented to the public for a second time at the Partington Creek Village Neighbourhood Plan Public Open House to be held in June 2007. City staff will report to Council on the results of the public review and an internal evaluation process after the June open house. The preferred concept (or a new concept that incorporates the most desirable elements from each of the three concepts) will become part of the Partington Creek Village Neighbourhood Plan and will form the basis for subsequent development of urban design guidelines for the village centre.
Charrette Teams Team A Busby, Perkins + Will Veronica Gillies Kathy Wardle Joerk Gravenstein Phillips, Farevaag, Smallenberg Chistopher Phillips Joseph Fry Stantec Blair McCarry Pam Goessaert Sandy Kump Steve Vida Courtney Campbell Partington Creek Village Neighbourhood Plan Consulting Team Don Crocket of Lanarc Consultants Ltd. Team B City of Coquitlam Staff Zeidler Partnership Tomasz Sztuk Luc Deniger Cynthia Hildebrand Team C Jorden Cook Associates Michael Jorden Susie Sziklai Keven Tosoff Dolores Gill Karen Laustrup Raymond Nothstein Cheryl Zepeski Clara Brolese Freda Hart Dennis Ratcliffe Max Goldstein Stefan Larose Planning and Development Jim McIntyre - General Manager Rob Innes - Manager, Community Planning Division Patricia Bell - Community Planner Andrew Young - Community Planner Nadia Carvalho - Planner Analyst Sarah Dal Santo - Environmental Services Coordinator Paul Lee - Transportation Planner Kent Munro - Manager, Development Services Leisure and Parks Services Dave Pallidwor - Parks Planner Cyndi Lanthrop - Recreation Coordinator Engineering and Public Works Dana Soong - Manager, Utility Programs Corporate Services Perry Staniscia - Manager, Lands and Properties