Five major issues identified by consultants
David Carrigg
Province
An artist’s rendering of the proposed Whitecaps’ soccer stadium on the waterfront east of Canada Place. Photograph by : Jon Murray, The Province
An ambitious plan to build a soccer stadium in Gastown, above the railway tracks, must overcome key problems before it can go ahead, says a city report released yesterday.
It recommends council back the project only if five major issues are dealt with:
– That an adequate street network be provided;
– That the risks associated with having dangerous cargo travelling under the stadium be resolved;
– That the proposal be reconfigured to ensure a better fit in Gastown;
– That the impacts on the livability in areas south of the rail lands be resolved;
– That the impact on future port lands development be resolved.
“It’s a difficult project and I hope we can make it work,” Coun. Peter Ladner said. “But I’ve been around Gastown and speaking with people, and there are a lot of problems.”
The Whitecaps Football Club has proposed a 15,000-seat, open-air stadium above a portion of rail yard it owns along the northern edge of Gastown.
The city hired four consultants to assess a preliminary proposal before the Whitecaps submitted a formal application for approval.
That consultants’ report — dubbed the High Level Review of the Whitecaps Stadium Proposal — was handed to council on May 15.
It says “the proposal as submitted has significant flaws.”
“These cannot be resolved if the concept is not revisited in some fundamental ways.”
It said the problems relate to urban design, impact on adjacent heritage buildings, impact on the future development of port lands, stadium functionality and access.
Whitecaps president John Rocha said he remains upbeat about the proposal.
“You could think, ‘Geez, this is not positive,'” Rocha said. “But it’s been simplified for us. We can now work with the city and staff to request a time frame. We’d love it [to be] ready for 2010.”
Rocha is confident the Whitecaps can address all the issues raised. The city has been in discussions with the Whitecaps since 2003, when former mayor Larry Campbell asked the organization if it was interested in building a stadium in the city.
An initial plan to develop the field on city-owned land in the False Creek Flats fell through and last July the Whitecaps bought a large stretch of waterfront land from CP Rail.
Council will vote on the staff recommendation at meetings on June 27 and 29.
© The Vancouver Province 2006
