reGENERATE: A Vision for 22nd Street Neighbourhood
The City has launched a visioning process to imagine the future of the neighbourhood around the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station. Join us in creating a climate-friendly neighbourhood where everyone can thrive!
Background
The area around the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station is identified in the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) as an area intended to accommodate higher-density development, with good access to transit and amenities. With input from the community, and in collaboration with local First Nations, the City is developing a long-range Vision for the future of this neighbourhood. This Vision will help set the land use framework to enable growth and change in alignment with community aspirations and priorities, for decades to come.
Process and Framing
To support the City’s commitment to climate action, the Vision will focus on identifying how to create a climate-friendly future, guided by the City’s Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action. The Vision will also be framed by Council’s Strategic Priorities Plan, and the City’s commitments to truth and reconciliation such as applying lessons from A Year of Truth.
To reach a Vision, we are integrating the following:
- ideas and direction from local First Nations,
- input and priorities from community members (see a summary of community engagement activities and findings here),
- ideas from participants in the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge (see the reGENERATE website for a summary of the winning submissions)
- the minimum density framework from the new Provincial legislation on Transit Oriented Development areas (more information on the City’s webpage); and
- technical analysis.
To learn more about the visioning and engagement processes to date, scroll down to Phases to read our past project updates.
Big Moves for a Bold Vision
Building on community input and the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge themes, aligning with Council’s Strategic Priorities Plan, and integrating priorities from First Nations, the Vision calls for the following eight Big Moves:
The Big Moves became the Vision’s chapters. Click here to see the draft Big Moves and strategy highlights. Each chapter includes a range of strategies for achieving its goal, and most include further detail on strategy highlights, such as a allowing for development of a mixed-use tower precinct in the pedestrian-oriented Transit Village, or 21st Street and adjacent streets offering groceries, restaurants, shops and services.
How did Community Input on the Big Moves Inform the Vision?
In September 2024, community members provided input through a survey and drop-in engagement event on the proposed “Big Moves” and strategy highlights. Feedback was generally supportive of the emerging directions. Click here to read the summary. Comments received informed further refinement of the Vision. The following table outlines how the three key outstanding concerns were addressed in the Vision:
Phases
Ideas Evaluation & Iteration
Project Update – March 22, 2024: Design Workshop
The project team held a multi-day design workshop from March 5-7, 2024. This workshop was a first step in integrating the input, priorities, and feedback from community with ideas surfaced in the Ideas Challenge, as well as other more technical considerations.
The project team explored opportunities to:
- advance a vision for a complete, high-density community with diverse housing options,
- create an enhanced network of greenspaces and gathering spaces to support livability, connectedness and resilience,
- provide safer biking and pedestrian infrastructure,
- create low-carbon buildings and energy infrastructure, and
- identify Coast Salish cultural revitalization opportunities for further discussion with First Nations.
Following the design workshop, community members were invited to a public event at City Hall on the evening of March 7. Participants were able to view and provide feedback on the sketches and concepts produced during the design workshop. City staff and the project consulting team addressed questions and collected comments from over 50 attendees.
Participants at the March 7 public event look at an illustrated map.
Attendees view the information boards of reGENERATE Ideas Challenge winners.
Project Update – March 4, 2024:
The reGENERATE Ideas Challenge winners have now been announced.
Community’s Choice Award: “We are the Memory We Inhabit,” by Fiorella Pinillos, Natalia Botero, and Johanna Pabon
- More than 500 votes were cast, and the winning submission received 18% of the votes
The jury selections were:
- Top Comprehensive Idea (tie!): “The Same Station in an Urban City,” by JIM Architecture, and “22nd Street Courtyard Community,” by Peter Williams and Jamie Eden
- Top Local Community Idea: “A Vision for the Future,” by the Monkey Rebel
- Top Youth Idea: “Destination - Connaught Heights,” by Christian Zollner
- Honourable mentions: “Sensory Park,” by Carter Canton and “We are the Memory We Inhabit,” by Fiorella Pinillos, Natalia Botero, and Johanna Pabon
Thank you to everyone who participated and voted, and congratulations to the winners!
Project Update - February 29, 2024:
Community members were invited to drop by for the public portion of a multi-day design workshop on Thursday, March 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at New Westminster City Hall (in Council Chambers). The public event included a display of ideas for viewing and feedback.
The multi-day design workshop included staff, designers, and technical experts to integrate the input, priorities, and feedback from community with ideas surfaced in the Ideas Challenge, as well as other more technical considerations.
Project Update – February 15, 2024:
We received 82 submissions from New Westminster and beyond as part of the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge. We are excited to be learning from all the creative entries submitted! Voting for the Community’s Choice Award is now available!
Vote by February 28, 2024. Please vote once only – multiple responses will not be counted. The submission with the most votes will win $1,500! To learn more about the Ideas Challenge, and the other prizes that will be awarded, visit the reGENERATE Ideas Challenge page. The full list of winners will be released soon.
Up Next
The project team will be in a multi-day design workshop in early March to integrate the input, priorities, and feedback from community with ideas that surfaced in the ideas challenge, as well as other more technical considerations. Community members are invited to join for the public portion of this event. An informal display of ideas for viewing and feedback is scheduled for Thursday, March 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at City Hall (in Council Chambers).