The proposed park behind the Wood Innovation and Design Centre could be a highlight in the downtown core, said members of city council, but only if the city can head off potential problems.
During Monday night's meeting, city council heard from representatives from van der Zalm and Associates, a Vancouver-based firm that put together the concept design for the new greenspace behind George Street's newest building.
But council members have already heard pushback from residents and neighbouring business owners about creating a new downtown space, with concerns ranging from access points to its potential use as a new space for crime to loss of off-street parking spaces.
"I think it's a great thing for the downtown. My concern is that if we don't have RCMP enforcement, people will not feel safe going down there," said Coun. Brian Skakun.
Coun. Terri McConnachie also said the park is something she wants to see downtown, but that it requires strategic oversight.
"There's no doubt that we have social issues and the reasons are very complex and the answers are even more so. Unfortunately there's also a criminal element that thrives in that environment," said McConnachie.
Mark van der Zalm, president of van der Zalm and Associates, said the concept took these issues into consideration.
"We know there's been a lot of challenges downtown in some other public park spaces with drug trafficking and other behaviours that we don't want to encourage, so there's been quite a bit of emphasis on sight lines and crime-prevention-approved environmental design," he said.
As the concept design currently stands, the WIDC park allows for main access from Fourth and Fifth Avenues and greenway access from George and Dominion Streets. It will include lighting, furniture and vegetation.
The preliminary design also allows for the future development of a transit hub along the park's east side, which is on the city's unfunded capital plan.
The design of the park will be available for public review this afternoon. An informal open house is set for the lobby of the Ramada hotel from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. where van der Zalm and Associates representatives will be on hand to answer questions and take in feedback.
A commitment to the new park was part of the contract for the Wood Innovation and Design Centre with the province, said planning department head Ian Wells, and the province has kicked in $750,000 for it as well.
"A large portion of that was already spent with BC Hydro to beautify the area because there's big overhead lines that have to be underground as part of this park development," said Wells.
Another $330,000 in provincial grants is added to the city's contribution of $170,000 from the capital expenditure reserve and $250,000 from development cost charges collected for parkland.
