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DETAILED NOTES – JUNE 12 COMMUNITY WORKSHOP REVIEW Summary On Thursday June 12 the team and community gathered for a meeting to explore further development of design directions for Dockside Green. The ideas emerged from our design workshop on May 31 and June 1st. The design team presented a number of the early features of the revitalized urban design for feedback and review. These features were captured in five key zones that reflect many of the big ideas shared by workshop participants May 7, May 31 and June 1. The features in summary – please see pdf of presentation to Vic West Community Association for detailed plans: -“the Front Door” –

• a plaza that would provide a site for public gatherings close to Harbour Road designed in a way that creates connection between the Point Hope Shipyards and the Dockside Green site;

-“the Dockside Commons” –

• a community park that uses the natural elevation changes from Tyee Road as well as inside community spaces tucked beneath the park spaces;

-“the Green Ribbon” –

• a continuation of the greenway with a slightly meandering path and providing places of rest, recreation along the route, not mention opportunities to connect to spaces between residential buildings along Tyee Road.

‘the Hub” –

• representing North Precinct of the site, the design team have listened to public feedback and propose a complex that includes

   

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a restaurant, storage and amenities for bicycles and kayaks, as well as improved public access to the water.

“the Connector” –

• we heard overwhelmingly from citizen and residents that traffic calming was needed along Harbour Road, plantings to soften the site and yet retain the ability for cyclists to use and enjoy this route.

“GREEN RIBBON” “DOCKSIDE COMMONS”

“THE HUB” “FRONT DOOR” “THE CONNECTOR”

DOCKSIDE GREEN - PLACE MAKING

   

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GREEN RIBBON •  Urban Agriculture •  Pocket Gardens/Parks •  Pedestrian Connector •  On-site Recreation •  Informal Play •  Water Elements – Mix of linear and more open •  Grade Change as playful element •  Gradation from Lush Green to Urban Green •  Waterway as Habitat for wildlife

•  Sequence of open and narrow green open spaces

•  Diversity of Size and Scale

•  Programming: •  Outdoor movies/performances •  Games/Play •  Passive zones •  Exercise

WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY

   

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THE HUB •  Water Access •  Support for Bikes, Kayaks •  Integration with Galloping Goose •  Waterfront Restaurant •  Kayak, Bike Storage •  Linear Waterfront Development

WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY

   

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FRONT DOOR •  Urban and Open •  Potential service lane + parallel

parking •  Retail edges and access to

“Indoor Dockside Commons” •  Active Day and Night •  Water feature (“Dry Fountain”) •  Overhead lighting (Catenary Lighting) •  Small pavilion structure •  “Spanish Steps” as connector

Visual Connection to

Shipyards

WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY

   

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“DOCKSIDE COMMONS” - OUTDOOR •  Community Park •  Flexible open Space •  Community-oriented activities •  Grade Change as a potential to create

seating edges (amphitheatre) •  Big open lawn area (flexibility) •  Community gathering spaces

“DOCKSIDE COMMONS”- INDOOR •  Dockside Community meeting space:

(Eating, cooking, visioning, NGO space, meeting spaces, play)

•  Revenue Generator – greater Victoria community

WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY

   

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Comments in Summary: From our conversations and detailed feedback forms filled out by participants we heard the following trends emerge: WELCOME – THE FRONT DOOR Participants expressed support for the idea of a welcoming public plaza on the south end of Dockside Green. They also encouraged the development of a clearer point of entry from Esquimalt Road and as cyclists and motorists cross the bridge. There was some cautiousness about having too much traffic or noise generated by encouraging people to gather on site.

THE CONNECTOR •  Two-way cycling track •  Traffic calming •  Planting, soft edges and more trees

WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY

   

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PARKING The lack of parking for visitors and others to the site is considered a challenge and should be addressed via paid public parking in the new plan. PARK SPACE There is a desire for recreational park space. A number of participants supported the idea of natural passive play spaces onsite but just as many were opposed to lawn-based park space as being unsustainable. Many supported the idea of using “Spanish steps” to address the grade changes in the site and as an excellent community space. THE HUB There was excellent support for the idea of bike and kayak storage and related services in the north precinct as well as a restaurant and gathering space on the water. There was a challenge posed to the designers to create massing that would respect the current views of the residents in Synergy. COMMUNAL SPACE There was support for the idea of a flexible indoor/ outdoor commons that could be used for residents and rented out to the broader community. There was support for the design approach of creating spaces beneath park or green space – the idea of the folded landscape. FLOW THROUGH SPACE—THE GREEN RIBBON Participants expressed support for the idea of the greenway meandering and flowing from north to south and providing nodes of connection, rest and play from one end of the site to the other.

   

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What have we heard that is promising or could work well and should be nurtured?

• Level changes in design and landscape plan • Natural, multi-generational “playground”

Green amphitheatre • Nodes and seating places along green ribbon or existing path

linking each destination from dock to retain spaces to public meeting places.

• Love the design ideas! You have some very bright and talented

minds.

• Many creative ideas: o Seeing through buildings o Folding green space over buildings o Industrial Theme Throughout

• Traffic calming on Harbour Road near Fol Epi, too. • Living building standards • Set up a stakeholders group for ongoing consultation and

contribution • Differing heights and angles for new buildings • The tie in to Point Hope Shipyards is very positive • Support for kayaks, e.g. storage • Development of the dock or what you called “the hub” in your

presentation • No lawns and no lawn mowers • Multi-generational considerations • I really like the idea of green space with a room underneath – the

“folded landscape” • For Daytime:

o Like idea of “front door” o Public spaces o Transitional spaces o Parking

• For Nightime:

   

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o Like idea of “the hub” o Restaurant o Venue for celebration o Parking is a must

• Inviting the community in and provide venues for: o Festivals o Food trucks o Temporary Buildings

• Continuation of greenway but perhaps in a different form • The idea of pocket parks • The south end of the development welcoming in the rest of

Victoria

• The flowing nature of the whole concept • I like the idea of having a village hub at the north end that is

connected to the water • I liked the “Spanish Steps” idea and the potential for concerts

and speaking space • Waterway being continued is great particularly if it extends to the

south end of the development. • Green space at North End • Enlarging greenway • Plaza space • Plaza • Green Space in North Precinct • Keeping building low on North lot (the least obstruction of our

current views of waterway) • Public parking beneath plaza • Angled buildings along Tyee Road • Raised buildings to provide view from the street • Terraced plaza facing shipyard • “Sticky edges” bringing the inside out eg. al fresco eating, roll

shutter fronts to walkway • European-style plaza • Playing with levels, geometry and elevations • Entrance Plan to Vic West • Traffic calming on Harbour Road

   

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• Lower buildings on “the Hub” area close to the Galloping Goose • LEED Standards maintained • Robust agriculture in terraces, to create revenue – SOLE FOOD

FARMS • Green Ribbon and play spaces integrated • Like waterfront special dining experience • Greenspace on top of commercial space , creating something

playful and new • Like Green Ribbon • Like concepts of elevated buildings on stilts (creating play

spaces and common spaces) • Like water parks • Like beautiful lighting • Creative building showcasing green building best practices • Like buildings at different angles

What are some key recurring challenges and obstacles to moving forward with these emerging ideas?

• Traffic • Start cuts for bikes • Becoming too pet friendly • Whether to include more parking • Cost is a challenge: we would like to see it developed so it can’t be

too expensive for the developers to tackle. • Parking is a challenge: very little thought seems to have been given

to the present lack of parking, which will only be exacerbated by adding more residents, more retail and commercial

• Missing wider relationship to community: the site should relate to the new Johnson St. bridge with adjoining parks – a gateway to our community.

• No lawn, it’s not sustainable • Consider sea level rise and waterfront of Dockside Green • Lack of parking is an issue • Cycling parking needed concerns with too much lawn – not energy

efficient • Costs

   

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• Parking • Traffic – how to calm and slow down bikes as well as cars • Design guidelines, making them feasible, affordable, practical and

enforceable • No lawns please!!! • Critical in the neighbourhood design is to AVOID driving up

construction costs for developers • Related issue is that the more shared spaces or overlays in these

spaces the less willing developers may be to join • More parking for residential and commercial parking • Dedicated seniors housing and associated gardens and walks • Controlling traffic on Harbour Road (space bleeding onto public

square and Harbour Road) • Parking • Slowing down Harbour Road • Distributing affordable housing throughout the development • Concern about ghettoizing affordable housing by having it in one

building rather than integrating it into all buildings • Parking for non residents. Must be welcoming, obvious and easy to

access • Concern about waterway petering out at the south end of Dockside

Green • Traffic on Harbour Road • Shipyard Traffic • Attracting business • Possible competition with Roundhouse • A lot of talk of maintaining site lines in the southern area for Tyee

residents • Please consider owners in synergy A & B and keep our site lines in

the northern precinct greenspace to the only water facing property • Parking • Lack of anchor retatil to draw the larger community in such as

specialty grocery. • Who will “guide” the architecture? • How to transform Harbour Road and make it attractive and

interesting • What will cooperation with shipyard look like?

   

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• Money • Aesthetics • Parking in the hub area • Height of buildings and the densities in the entire building – quite

high and difficult for people to feel • Balancing access with keeping cars to a minimum

What are some ideas to address these obstacles and move us forward?

• How to innovate with the space and to make it distinctive and relevant to its occupants, as well as potentially national draw.

• Public paid parkades • Public paid parkades that are underground and at both ends of the

development

• More visitor parking in underground parkades for the residential buildings

• Simple, easy to build, buildings but with really neat public spaces • We need to admit that we need parking and build it in for visitors

and retail, pay parking, underground, traffic calming on Harbour Road

• Do one or two things really well, for example, “the Dock” or “the Commons”

• Create signature pieces, then compromise on the rest • Traffic calming by bakery please! • Dockyard’s requirements for water access – how does Granville

Island do it? • Design Character needs to be right • Perhaps consider a design review board • Community design review • Interim space development • Integrate affordable housing into all residential buildings • Welcoming easily accessed parking for non-residents • Ensure the waterway continues all the way to the south end of the

project i.e, water cascade down the steps

   

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• Make Harbour Road a non-through road for vehicles other than bikes.

• Revenue • Temporary use of Northern Lot as picnic area, play area, passive

park • Trader Joe as retail anchor grocer? • Communication and inclusion • Keep reaching back to community • Don’t promote the concept of a neighbourhood divorced from the

architecture