Alcohol-in-parks pilot gets the go ahead

This week at council, a few decisions were finalized that have been on the docket for a while.

Highlights

Responsible consumption in parks program receives final approval

After receiving approval to move forward on May 8 at a previous council meeting, the alcohol-in-parks pilot program returned to council for final approval.

From June 23 until October 30, 2023, residents will be able to drink in:

• Edmonds Park

• Confederation Park

• Central Park

• Keswick Park

Coun. Sav Dhaliwal raised concerns about the program during discussion, including citing a recent letter from a medical health officer at Fraser Health Authority regarding weekly alcohol consumption limits.

He also spoke about the timeline, stating, “This came to council last month, and there hasn’t been much time for the staff to engage with the public, to ascertain their response,” and urged for council to put the program on hold until more public consultation could be done.

Coun. Pietro Calendino countered Dhaliwal’s remarks stating that he had originally brought up the idea for the program in 2021, and that he has not heard any negative news from the other Metro Vancouver municipalities that implemented similar programs.

Staff also provided clarification regarding safety concerns, including the ways the parks were chosen, highlighting that amenities and aspects like lighting, washrooms, the number of visitors, and public safety were influential.

There are restrictions about where alcohol cannot be consumed in the parks, which are:

• Within 10 metres of a playground, spray pad, wading pool, outdoor pool, skate bowl, parking lot or sport court

• On any artificial turf surface or any trail, pathway, natural parkland or forested areas

• Within 10 metres of a playing field while it is in use by a user group

• Within any indoor building

Staff will work with the parks, recreation and culture committee to establish guidelines in July that will be used to judge the effectiveness of the program when it ends in October.

The program was passed 7-1, with only Coun. Dhaliwal in opposition.

6645 to 6707 Dow Ave. discussion

This project was seeking council authorization to move the application forward to a future public hearing date. Concerns were raised by Coun. Alison Gu who questioned why the strata had 1.22 parking spots per market strata unit when the building is near a Skytrain station, and was concerned about a potential waste of parking spots if left empty.

Mayor Mike Hurley voiced similar concerns, stating, “Our parking requirements are way too great. I have spoken to planning and engineering about this to allow us to move away from a sometimes ridiculous amount of parking that we’re putting in, and hopefully we’ll have something very shortly about that.” Staff responded that there is an ongoing study, and that changing the procedure would take several months.

The recommendation was passed unanimously.

IPD Rowan Childcare design and construction team

The project went to council for approval to give a contract award to a selected integrated project delivery team for the design, procurement, and construction of the Rowan Childcare facility at 4248 Rowan Ave. and 6250 Deer Lake Ave. The project estimated a baseline cost of $22,680,000 and opportunity costs of $1,635,900.

Mayor Hurley suggested the proposal be referred back to staff for further consultation, citing concerns about the cost and direction. Council unanimously agreed.

Edmonds Town Centre, Royal Oak Urban Village, and Cascade Heights Urban Village Community Plans

Although technically these are three different projects, the councillors spoke about them as a group to avoid having to re-hash the same points multiple times over.

Coun. Maita Santiago highlighted that the plans look to use the gender-based plus analysis tool, starting with Edmonds Town Centre, to ensure that the plan assesses how diverse groups might experience projects. Staff confirmed that they are looking to get development and design divisions trained in these processes.

She also highlighted concerns about the availability of non-market housing for large families, and stressed the importance of this consideration when planning, both in community communications and structural processes.

All three plans were passed unanimously.

6800 Lougheed Highway

After the vote had taken place–which was unanimous–Coun. Daniel Tetrault wished to reconsider. However, due to procedure, Mayor Hurley allowed him to comment on the project.

Coun. Tetrault noted the project not only meets the 20% requirement for non-market housing, but goes above it by about 15%. He also raised concerns about the reliance on purpose-built rentals, stating, “Just relying on the developer to build purpose-built rentals is not necessarily going to work and we can’t depend on that.” He further inquired about a rental policy review to potentially look at this.

Coun. Gu also spoke about the Bainbridge plan, speaking in support of purpose-built rentals. She commented on the long-term options that open up to renters with purpose-built rentals and the security they offer, and that “the Bainbridge is a wonderful opportunity to provide some of that missing middle options for renters.”

Mayor Hurley also chimed in, saying, “I don’t want to leave this meeting tonight having the public thinking that we’re doing nothing about rentals.” He mentioned they are playing a sort of catch-up for the last 30 years when rentals weren’t prioritized, and they are working at closing that deficit now.

Motions from Councillors

Establishing a brewery row in Burnaby

Coun. Tetrault introduced a notice of motion that will direct staff to look at new policies or amendments that can be made to Burnaby’s current laws to make it easier for craft and artisanal beverage manufacturers to set up in Burnaby.

For Tetrault, bringing more breweries to Burnaby wasn’t just for adding a few places for beer tasting either.

“What we’ve seen is that it contributes to building complete communities by bringing people together to socialize. It attracts restaurants, bakeries, other small businesses and attracts an arts scene,” he explained.

He cited examples such as Port Moody’s Brewery Row as something that he was aiming to bring to Burnaby, explaining that the bylaws and limitations on small businesses are too restrictive in Burnaby.

Ed Kozac, the city’s general manager, agreed, stating that, “Burnaby has a lot of regulatory obstacles that makes it difficult for small businesses of all kinds that are impacted by zoning.”

Other councillors voiced support of the motion, with Coun. Gu joking that she would like to see a kombucha brewery, and Coun. Joe Keithley discussed how important a music aspect would be, likening it to Austin, Texas.

The motion was passed unanimously, and staff will report back to council at a later date.

The next council meeting will take place at 5pm on Monday, June 19. Meetings can be accessed in-person or online.