Another highlight of the R-C vision is the revitalization and beautification of the natural environment and parks. A good example of this plan being implemented is the Still Creek Improvement project. First proposed in 1988, the revitalization of the Still Creek is one of the first projects recommended in the Still Creek Enhancement Study. Still Creek is part of the Brunette Basin Watershed and is the last remaining stream in the urbanized portion of Vancouver not completely buried. Council has a long-standing policy to enhance, daylight converted portions and link the 29th Avenue Skytrain Station to Burnaby Lake via a Still Creek Greenway.
City Council has taken several steps to implement the Still Creek Policy. One important step they have taken occurred in 2000 when Council established the Still Creek/Greenway Enhancement Fund. In 2002, as part of adopting a new plan and rezoning policies for the Grandview Boundary Industrial Area, Council endorsed the Still Creek Enhancement Plan for the Creek which included ten year actions estimated to cost $1.2 million and endorsed in principle a long-term plan (10 to 50 year) which included daylighting converted sections, and creation of several wetlands.
Currently, the Creek runs through a straight narrow channel lined with concrete divisions and overgrown blackberry brambles, making the water virtually invisible from most vantage points. A map of the area being redeveloped is at the top of this entry.
The plan will take advantage of the high-profile Grandview Highway location to open up the Creek by reshaping and naturalizing the south bank, and creating a side channel and small planted island. Other improvements will include replacing non-native blackberries with native vegetation, removing concrete and installing natural gravel, boulders, anchored tree roots and a “green” engineered bank on the north side. When completed, this 70 meter section of Still Creek will be the first naturalized Still Creek Enhancement Project - 3003 Grandview Highway 4 section of creek in Vancouver.
The Still Creek improvement at 3003 Grandview Highway will be the first project in implementing the Still Creek Enhancement Plan endorsed by Council. The project will be carried out in partnership with the GVRD, local stream-keepers (Still Creek Stewardship Society) and students and staff at Vancouver Technical School at a total estimated project cost of $157,850, of which the City’s contribution of up to $118,100 will come from the Still Creek/Greenways Enhancement fund.
Construction will be completed in summer 2007 with a community planting in the fall. This creek section will be reshaped and planted with native species, will mature into a naturalized area and offer improved biodiversity and rainwater management capability. The project is primarily funded by the Still Creek/Greenway Enhancement Fund, with additional assistance provided by the GVRD and through grants from local businesses. The project was designed by KWL Engineering and the native planting was coordinated by Evergreen with the generous help of community volunteers including the Still Creek Stewardship Society and students from Vancouver Technical Secondary School.
Initiatives such as this are examples of actual implementation of the R-C vision. I have visited the sight and it is now a vibrant and natural area. It is virtually unrecognizable from its former state. City Council, businesses and local residents have all contributed to the success of this project and in the coming years, the plants and vegetation that have been planted will further develop and only make the area more natural. For more information on the Still Creek Renewal Project you can visit http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/stillcreek/3003Grandview.htm. This gives an overview of the past, present and future of the Still Creek project and provides detailed images and maps of the ongoing work.
City Council has taken several steps to implement the Still Creek Policy. One important step they have taken occurred in 2000 when Council established the Still Creek/Greenway Enhancement Fund. In 2002, as part of adopting a new plan and rezoning policies for the Grandview Boundary Industrial Area, Council endorsed the Still Creek Enhancement Plan for the Creek which included ten year actions estimated to cost $1.2 million and endorsed in principle a long-term plan (10 to 50 year) which included daylighting converted sections, and creation of several wetlands.
Currently, the Creek runs through a straight narrow channel lined with concrete divisions and overgrown blackberry brambles, making the water virtually invisible from most vantage points. A map of the area being redeveloped is at the top of this entry.
The plan will take advantage of the high-profile Grandview Highway location to open up the Creek by reshaping and naturalizing the south bank, and creating a side channel and small planted island. Other improvements will include replacing non-native blackberries with native vegetation, removing concrete and installing natural gravel, boulders, anchored tree roots and a “green” engineered bank on the north side. When completed, this 70 meter section of Still Creek will be the first naturalized Still Creek Enhancement Project - 3003 Grandview Highway 4 section of creek in Vancouver.
The Still Creek improvement at 3003 Grandview Highway will be the first project in implementing the Still Creek Enhancement Plan endorsed by Council. The project will be carried out in partnership with the GVRD, local stream-keepers (Still Creek Stewardship Society) and students and staff at Vancouver Technical School at a total estimated project cost of $157,850, of which the City’s contribution of up to $118,100 will come from the Still Creek/Greenways Enhancement fund.
Construction will be completed in summer 2007 with a community planting in the fall. This creek section will be reshaped and planted with native species, will mature into a naturalized area and offer improved biodiversity and rainwater management capability. The project is primarily funded by the Still Creek/Greenway Enhancement Fund, with additional assistance provided by the GVRD and through grants from local businesses. The project was designed by KWL Engineering and the native planting was coordinated by Evergreen with the generous help of community volunteers including the Still Creek Stewardship Society and students from Vancouver Technical Secondary School.
Initiatives such as this are examples of actual implementation of the R-C vision. I have visited the sight and it is now a vibrant and natural area. It is virtually unrecognizable from its former state. City Council, businesses and local residents have all contributed to the success of this project and in the coming years, the plants and vegetation that have been planted will further develop and only make the area more natural. For more information on the Still Creek Renewal Project you can visit http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/stillcreek/3003Grandview.htm. This gives an overview of the past, present and future of the Still Creek project and provides detailed images and maps of the ongoing work.
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