vancourier.com
THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS
ANighthawks toremember
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WEEKEND EDITION FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013 Vol. 104 No. 44 • Established 1908
OPINION: Church purchase of Centre tale of two stories 10
Parkboard seekscontrol of Hastings Park PROPERTY INCLUDES PNE, RACECOURSE, EMPIRE FIELDS SANDRA THOMAS Staff writer
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photo Dan Toulgoet
Darren Burns of Stantec Architecture stands on a balcony overlooking the expansive Oakridge parking lot. Stantec is involved in the rezoning application to redevelop the site. Scan page with Layar for links to the Oakridge plan.
Oakridge plan under the microscope RESIDENTS DEBATE BILLION-DOLLAR PROJECT NAOIBH O’CONNOR
Staff writer
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anny Kornfeld stands on his fifth-floor balcony overlooking an almost-empty parking lot near The Bay at Oakridge Centre. Few might enjoy such a view, but under a bright blue sky, Kornfeld can see across the city to the southern horizon, over singlefamily residential neighbourhoods
sprinkled with the odd highrise. The 46-year-old lives in a two-level, one-bedroom condo in The Terraces. It’s one of 32 units in a strata located in the top three floors of the building housing Crate & Barrel and medical offices at the entrance to the popular mall at the corner of 41st and Cambie. Residents of The Terraces will be among the most affected by the ambitious, and some argue overly aggressive, billion-dollar proposal to re-de-
velop the sprawling 28-acre Oakridge site into a mixed-use development featuring 13 residential towers ranging from 18 to 45 storeys, retail space, rooftop green space, as well as various amenities, including a community centre. Two of the highest towers are proposed to flank the six-storey building in which The Terraces is located — a 42-storey one to the south and a 45-storey one to the west. Story continued on page 20
he spokesperson for the community advocacy group Friends of Hasting Park says it’s vital the park board take control of the East Side park, which is home to the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), Empire Fields, Hastings Racecourse, the Sanctuary and several gardens. “We truly believe the park board has a different mandate when it comes to what happens in the park than the PNE,” said Linda Shuto. Hastings Park is currently governed by the PNE’s board of directors, which is chaired by Vision Vancouver city councilor Raymond Louie. Hastings Park is at the start of a massive redevelopment project estimated to cost about $310.5 million. Some of the many projects included in the Hastings Park master plan include the expansion and greening of Playland, a new exhibition building, park upgrades and improved parking. A large part of the project includes creating more internal pedestrian pathways and connections to the surrounding community, including New Brighton Park. The master plan also includes 5.4 kilometres of pedestrian and cycling trails. As part of the plan, city staff asked for public input into governance of the park, while recommending the PNE board retain control. A third option is to have a city department, such as engineering, manage the property. In response, Friends of Hastings Park, the Hastings Park Conservancy and Hastings Community Association made presentations to the park board Monday night. At the meeting, Vision Vancouver park board vice-chair Aaron Jasper initially brought forward a motion asking city council that when considering governance for the park to place key importance on key areas. See CITY on page 4