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Proposed UBC Towers
threaten
GVRD Board Sacrifices Pacific
Spirit Regional Park Values in Face of UBC Brinkmanship
For Immediate Release by the Wreck Beach Preservation Society February 21, 2006 GVRD Board Sacrifices Pacific Spirit Regional Park Values in Face of UBC Brinkmanship
The newly-elected GVRD Board of
Directors failed to heed its own Staff recommendations and its
park stewardship responsibilities on February 17, 2006 by caving
in to UBC's "brinkmanship" tactics with regard to building
heights of the controversial Marine Residence Towers. UBC
claimed they would have to abandon the project if they were
forced to lower the remaining two towers to 16 storeys, as
recommended by GVRD Staff.
The GVRD Board decision to give
UBC its way on this matter will forever alter the once untouched
tree line as seen from the beach and tidal flats, and will
destroy the sense of remote solitude from the city above, that
the bluffs now create. UBC has committed to re-planting trees on
its development site to reduce the towers’ visibility from the
beach. WBPS expects UBC to honour this promise. CONTACTS:
Judy
Williams
James Loewen, Previous postings... The University of British Columbia (UBC) was given a permit to build the first of 4 proposed 20-storey student tower residences for 1960 students just across from the cliff edge of Pacific Spirit Regional Park. The first tower, Phase One, is now nearing completion. Phase Two of the project, including three more proposed towers, has now received permits and is now the issue of the controversy. The towers threaten Pacific Spirit Regional Park's cliff stability, migratory and resident birds, wildlife habitat, eagle roosts, and viewscapes. Heavy truck movements, with over 24 truck movements a day, send dangerous vibrations to the cliff face and jeopardize the wilderness-like ambience of Wreck Beach. DON'T LET UBC HAUNT US THIS WINTER!Because of the efforts of 45,000+ petition signatures and letters to the GVRD (the local government body responsible for development that affects Wreck Beach) we were able to help persuade the GVRD to protect park values, including viewscapes. As a result, UBC lowered the first of several planned towers in their Marine Residence Towers project from 20 to 18 storeys. That was Phase One. Now we are at Phase Two. On July 29, 2005, the GVRD passed a bylaw prohibiting building visibility at Wreck Beach. UBC has unveiled plans for Phase Two which would visually impact Wreck Beach more severely than Phase One. The Phase Two design is NOT yet approved by the GVRD. Pressure from concerned citizens has already persuaded UBC to make significant design changes. BE PART OF THE TIDE THAT WILL ENCOURAGE UBC TO MAKE FURTHER NECESSARY CHANGES NOW! To make this really easy for you, we have provided you with a letter template and sample letters. Add any other thoughts you wish to include. Or compose your own letter if you like, and make sure to send to Paulette Vetleson and Judy Williams at the email addresses provided on the template. MEDIA RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UBC Towers Violate GVRD Resolution Proposed Next Phase of Towers More Visible from Beach VANCOUVER, B.C. -- October 6, 2005 -- UBC held public meetings yesterday, to inform the public of its plans to build yet more high rises adjacent to Pacific Spirit Regional Park. At the Open House meeting, UBC released images showing the impact of these new towers on the view from Wreck Beach. The images show that the proposed towers will be even more visible from the Beach than the existing tower. Worse yet, the proposed towers will violate a GVRD Board resolution of July 29, 2005, which dictated that any new towers not be more visible than the first tower. The GVRD, which has authority over planning on campus, resolved that UBC will only be allowed to build more towers visible from the beach if UBC meets certain conditions. First, UBC must prove that it has explored all reasonable alternative designs and alternative locations for student housing. Second, UBC must prove that any other alterative design or location would cause unreasonable financial hardship on its student housing program. And no matter what, the GVRD resolution prohibits UBC from building any tower that would impact the view from that part of the beach which is currently unscathed by the existing tower. "The two towers will loom over much more of the beach than we feared," said James Loewen, vice-chair of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society. "They will ruin the natural back drop of Wreck Beach. UBC promised not to expose any more of the beach to views of towers, but clearly if these towers are built as proposed it's a broken promise. Shame on UBC," continued Loewen. The public meetings were a 4 pm Open House that was immediately followed by a Town Hall meeting at 7 pm where UBC presented it's Phase Two plans to build two more 18 storey towers, in addition to the Phase One 18 storey tower already built. At the Town Hall meeting, members of the public, including students, alumni, faculty, and members of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society and Pacific Spirit Park Society, almost unanimously opposed UBC's new development plan. Speaker after speaker urged UBC not to build the new high-rises, charging that they will further impact the beautiful views enjoyed by beach visitors. Despite this near-universal opposition, UBC Properties Trust intends to submit its plans to the UBC Advisory Urban Design Panel today, October 6, without amending them in any way to reflect public concern. "We are extremely skeptical about UBC's willingness to actually incorporate public feedback and input into its design," said Judy Williams, chair of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society. "The public comment period extends to October 31, 2005. Yet UBC is pushing to have its building design approved immediately, before the public has had a full opportunity to comment," Williams' continued. At the Town Hall meeting, UBC was unable to demonstrate that it had truly considered alternative locations and site designs. WBPS has presented alternative locations, and alternative building designs, to both the GVRD and UBC; however UBC appears not to have considered these alternatives. WBPS has provided an alternative architectural design, demonstrating how UBC could easily lower the proposed 18 story towers, while maintaining virtually the same number of student beds in the original design. Many at the Town Hall meeting said there is much underutilized space at UBC that could be used for student housing, making up any shortfall that would result if the towers were lowered. Wreck Beach is part of Pacific Spirit Regional Park, which is protected from development impacts by its Regional Park Management Plan and by the Official Community Plan (OCP), a bylaw of the GVRD. Any towers built higher than the GVRD line-of-sight analysis are not in compliance with the OCP. The OCP requires all new development by UBC to protect and preserve Park values. Judy Williams, Chair, WBPS, 604-308-6336, judyw@wreckbeach.org James Loewen, Vice-Chair, WBPS, 604-689-9697, james3d@shaw.ca Kim Siren, Director, PSPS, 604-738-5233, siren1@telus.net Questions 1. What does GVRD plan to do now that UBC's latest Phase Two plan does not follow GVRD's July 29 resolution? 2. Will UBC incorporate public feedback and input into its design? Backgrounder In February 2004, UBC announced plans to build towers on the bluffs above Pacific Spirit Park's Wreck Beach. On April 10, 2004, WBPS retained a professional firm to help conduct a visual impact study by raising a blimp to the exact height of the towers closest and farthest from the cliff, at the towers' exact location. Only those two towers were measured because of the expense and the Society's limited budget. The height of the blimp is clearly shown in the top right hand corner of the photo that was later used to illustrate the view of the towers from Wreck Beach. On May 3, 2004, WBPS released an illustration produced by an architectural grad student who took UBC's own plans and measurements and superimposed the closest and farthest towers onto a photograph taken April 10, 2004. The illustration accurately portrayed UBC's original plan of the tower now built (Phase One) and towers yet to be built (Phase Two). On or before May 17, 2004, Dennis Pavlich, VP of External and Legal Affairs for UBC, said that the tower farthest from the cliff edge (the Phase One tower now built) would not be visible from Wreck Beach and UBC would proceed to build the towers despite widespread community opposition and no public hearing. On November 22, 2004, UBC announced plans to drop the height of the Phase One tower. UBC was forced to lower that rear tower to 18 storeys when it was discovered that their original plan did not comply with the Official Community Plan for Electoral Area A, a bylaw of the GVRD adopted on July 25, 1997. UBC is part of Electoral District A, which is administered by the GVRD. The GVRD has the authority to regulate building guidelines on the UBC site in relation to their impact on the adjacent park and beach. Petitions were launched by the WBPS where, to date, over 40,000 people have signed calling on UBC to find another way. Visitors from all provinces in Canada except PEI, 45 communities within BC but outside the Lower Mainland, 30 states in the US, and 18 foreign countries in addition to thousands of Lower Mainland residents, have supported preservation of Wreck's magnificent vistas. In less than 54 hours this summer, over 3000(?) persons have signed a petition calling for comprehensive public consultation and supporting the GVRD Staff line-of-sight which would preserve the remaining panorama viewscape from Wreck Beach toward the forested cliff tops. On July 6, 2005, Tourism Vancouver issued a letter asking the GVRD to preserve the viewscapes near the tip of Point Grey, at Wreck Beach, and including portions of Pacific Spirit Park. Many international and local guidebooks refer visitors and tourists to Wreck Beach, as do six Tourism Vancouver information centres, describing Wreck as "one of the worlds' great beaches", "very beautiful", "undeveloped (and unspoiled)", and "pristine". The GVRD has echoed the concerns of the public about the impact on the pristine, natural views of the cliffs from the beach, on the privacy of beach visitors, and on cliff stability and erosion. On October 29, 2004, the GVRD passed three resolutions regarding the development. The first expressed opposition to any development that compromises the historical viewscape and the privacy of Wreck Beach from all areas of exposed beach at low tide. The second advocated that UBC release its background reports to the public, and the third requiring UBC to conduct a full public review, including consultation with the Musqueam, regarding the impact of the development on Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Unfortunately, UBC still wasn't listening -- prompting the GVRD, at its full Board meeting on July 29, 2005, to pass a motion directing UBC to improve its public consultation process and not build towers visible during the spring/summer foliage season from the beach -- or demonstrate that UBC has explored all reasonable locations and site design alternatives, and prove that there is no alternative that can be achieved without unreasonable hardship to UBC's student housing program. The full resolution passed July 29 is: " That the GVRD Board: a) Advise UBC that the Board recommends that the Marine Student Residences-Phase Two not be visible during spring/summer foliage season from Beach Zones 'A', 'B' and 'C' as illustrated in Attachment 1 [of the report dated July 8, 2005, titled 'Pacific Spirit Regional Park and UBC's Marine Drive Student Residences-Phase Two']; b) Advise UBC that the Board recommends relaxation of recommendation (a) to no visibility of the Marine Student Residences-Phase Two during spring/summer foliage season from Beach Zones 'A' and 'B' and a maximum height limit of 53 meters including appurtenances be considered if UBC can demonstrate that: i) they have explored all reasonable locations and site design alternatives to minimize the visual impact from Beach Zone 'C'; ii) there is no alternative that can be achieved without unreasonable hardship on the UBC student housing program; iii) the absence of any visual impact on Phase Two buildings on Beach Zones 'A' and 'B' has been proven by a verifiable study acceptable to GVRD and UBC staff; and iv) if any issues cannot be resolved by GVRD and UBC staff, that the matter be referred to the GVRD-UBC Joint Committee co-Chairs; c) Direct staff to review the GVRD-UBC Memorandum of Understanding regarding the process for institutional development that may have an impact on Pacific Spirit Regional Park; and d) Reconfirm UBC develop consultation guidelines that includes broad consultation, sufficient advance notice, and a process for incorporating suggestions into any final outcome. " Option (b) means the GVRD has the final say where UBC has to come back to the GVRD Board if they can't adhere to (a) or (c). At the July 29 GVRD meeting, the WBPS presented alternate locations for student housing, as well as alternative building designs for the Phase Two towers site. A full range of locations and design alternatives now exist, including a redesign of the Phase Two site where WBPS's architectural consultant demonstrated how UBC could lower the towers significantly, while maintaining virtually the same number of student beds as originally intended at the Phase Two site. The WBPS's design lowers the tower's height and adds floors to the lower connective building. WRECK BEACH NEWS ~ ARTICLES This page shares articles that expose some of the more current concerns that endanger our beautiful clothing-optional Wreck Beach. Whether you attend this beach or not, it is important everyone choose to protect the fragile environment that exists there. Help the concerned beach community keep this beautiful, unspoiled natural environment from becoming another developed statistic.
UPDATES ON SLIDES AT WRECK BEACH
Third Largest Slide to date Occurs
Dec. 10th, 2004 DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED to continue supporting our beach in the ongoing Towers concerns... Mail to: WBPS - 28616 Haverman Rd. Bradner, BC V4X 2P3 I want to Support Wreck Beach in 2006! UBC Marine Residence Towers Concerns... The destruction forever of the heritage viewscape from the tidal flats in the Trail 6 and estuarine areas of Wreck Beach. Proposed construction of four, 20-storey UBC towers known as the Marine Residence Towers would loom over the cliff tops and would spoil the panoramic view from the beach and tidal flats. Wreck Beach itself stretches from Booming Ground Creek to the Acadia sections of the beach for a distance of 7.8 km. These towers would be located beside Marine Drive in the 6900 block. Since January 8, 2004, the WBPS has been trying to mitigate or prevent the destruction of the Wreck Beach Trail 6 area of Wreck Beach and Point Grey promontory by stopping or persuading UBC to lower the heights of all four of the proposed 20-storey Towers. Four demonstrations, almost 21,000 signatures on a petition calling for the lowering of the towers, intensive lobbying of the GVRD and UBC officials, and a worldwide letter-writing campaign have been slowly making inroads in changing the attitudes of authorities toward what is about to be lost forever. Information may be found on the petitions page about the NAC Letter Writing Alert. Background information is also listed to help you understand the basic three areas of concern: Cliff stability, stormwater management, and preservation of the viewscape from the beach to the tops of the cliffs. South Campus Area Plan Concerns... The impact on Wreck Beach by the development of an 18,000-person South UBC Campus “Village in the Forest” community. The public has demanded that GVRD and UBC allow more public input with regard to university neighbourhoods. Suffice it to say, that after a February 7, 2004 community workshop which examined better ways for neighbouring communities, including Wreck Beach, to have input into campus development, the South Campus Working Group (SCWG) was established. This group was to explore all aspects of development in the South Campus area under study. A separate Consensus Group met to write up our concerns to ensure that they dovetailed with the intent of public input every Wednesday between March and June 2004. Several drafts have come and gone and a short open house was set for October 25. Unfortunately, the Area Planning Committee, which was given the power to override suggestions made by the more representative-of-the public South Campus Working Group, has made decisions to alter the SCWG recommendations. The areas which have been most drastically altered include elimination of 90-year-old trees in the wooded lot at the SW corner of Wesbrook and 16th, and the provision of a right of way for a possible later egress road at the NE corner of the Neighbourhood for South Campus. The other huge issue is the control of the stormwater run-off over Pacific Spirit Regional Park cliffs from the South Campus. The drafts have come and gone and a short open house was set for October 25. Unfortunately, the Area Planning Committee, which was given the power to override suggestions made by the more representative-of-the public South Campus Working Group, has made decisions to alter the SCWG recommendations. The areas which have been most drastically altered include elimination of 90-year-old trees in the wooded lot at the SW corner of Wesbrook and 16th, and the provision of a right of way for a possible later egress road at the NE corner of the Neighbourhood for South Campus. The other huge issue is the control of the stormwater run-off over Pacific Spirit Regional Park cliffs from the South Campus. An earlier version of so-called stormwater control was formulated by UBC Properties Trust and would have seen a pipe and rip-rap replace Booming Ground Creek’s (BGC) beautiful exposed geological beds and deep fern and lush vegetated banks and ravine. Otto Langer, respected fish habitat specialist now with the Suzuki Foundation and formerly with Federal Fisheries produced a report extolling this precious resource as an urban fish-bearing stream. He was commissioned by the WBPS in May-April 2004 to evaluate the importance of BGC to the Fraser River fishery. It was his conclusion that this precious urban stream must be protected at all costs. UBC, as an alternate, has also proposed that GVRD allow them to sink a directional pipe through perched aquifer topography on parkland so that they may direct stormwaters into the estuary where salmonid and humans need clean water for health. To allow UBC and the South Campus developers to dictate how they will handle stormwater drainage is tantamount to letting the fox protect the henhouse. GVRD has a policy that they do not allow adjacent development to direct stormwater onto parkland, and UBC will have to devise innovative ways to cope with that policy which involves public input, before, not after the fact! Construction of an Upscale Restaurant on the Cliff top in the Loonie Lot parking area. How about an upscale naturist resort instead! The impact on Wreck Beach by the possible construction of an "upscale" restaurant at the Fraser Parking Lot location. Such a restaurant would overlook the beach and could change the Attorney General's interpretation of the Canadian Criminal Code with regard to nudity at Wreck Beach. Also, such a restaurant would interfere with wildlife, vegetation, and the natural ambience of the area. No one enjoying sunset and afterglow from the beach wants to look up on the cliffs to have the glare of restaurant lights detract from Wreck’s natural beauty. What GVRD should be exploring with the help of our Society is the location within the park or on the South Campus of a top-of-the line naturist resort to accommodate the literally hundreds of thousands of naturist tourists who visit Wreck Beach annually. An upscale resort would generate enough revenue so that the GVRD would never have to worry about money or increased taxes to run its operations! The WBPS has been advocating this to various GVRD authorities over the years. Who knows? Maybe one day they will see the ultimate wisdom of creating that amenity within its park system! Elimination of all curb-side parking... The elimination of all curb-side parking along Marine Drive from the provincial Ministry of Highways and Transportation. Should this happen, UBC is on record as wanting to "eliminate" ALL FREE CURB-SIDE parking along Marine Drive. In addition, discussions are being held to possibly convert sections of Marine Drive into a pedestrian mall which would make access to the beach more complex and difficult for many persons, including seniors. Buses would not be able to drop people off. Permanent Structures on the Beach...
The impact of having buildings or
structures on the beach should GVRD decide to build flush toilets on
the beach. Of concern, as well, because it could encourage campers,
would be to pipe fresh drinking water to the beach. Previous Postings... April 2004 Battle of the TOWERS heats up with Legal Representation Article & Photos by James Loewen from WBPS Newsletter Summer 2004
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