Parkade

Please come out to the Public Information Meeting on July 13, 2017 from 5:00 to 7:00PM
1475 Anderson Street, Centre for Active Living

It is important that the planners understand that White Rock, our City by the Sea, deserves something more than an ugly concrete parking structure that would be more appropriate in the downtown core of a major city.



Below are links to several City of White Rock sites that are addressing different aspects of this project. 

White Rock Official Community Plan   

(Look at how prominently the beach is shown in this document)

Final Copy of the Traffic Impact Assessment

Feasibility Study




This parkade is a fait accompli but there is still time to affect the final design details. 
A few items that I feel should be included are:

  1. Make the front half (Victoria frontage) Three levels.  The rear half up to full six level structure. This would save the views of the Sausalito units as well as well as giving a more human scale to the structure.
  2. The OCP (Official Community Plan) is very adamant on varying building masses and heights to minimize the effect on the views and solar exposure enjoyed by adjacent buildings (Sausalito).
  3. Also, in the OCP, an important aspect of the building should be towards setback from the street to provide landscaping and trees, perhaps a lawn, giving an active frontage which reduces crime and vandalism.
  4. OCP also wants buildings to incorporate landscaping and natural materials.
  5. A "Living Wall" similar to the Library - the largest living wall in North America I believe.
  6. Motorcycle and Scooter parking. (revenue)
  7. Secure bicycle parking facilities. (revenue)
  8. Electric Vehicle charging stations. (revenue)
  9. A city-run Valet parking system. (Cell phone app) (revenue)
  10. Winter Farmers Market.

 (And, let's get some decent, high-tech bicycle parking facilities in the beachfront parking lots near the washrooms.) (revenue)

I see so many opportunities for the beach area to be something exciting and modern, somewhere people will talk about with respect, rather than ridicule. Living walls and exciting architecture draws tourists and visitors.

I do not know of any other beachfront community anywhere that is suffering the same type of identity crisis and depression as White Rock. This place should be somewhere people praise and want to be and visit. We should be leaders, not just "making do" with more of the same old boring attitude that has let the city deteriorate. 

Sixty years ago we broke away from Surrey with a great vision and tremendous pride. Now I wonder if that vision and pride has just vanished. 

Perhaps it would have been better to stay with BC's fastest growing city

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