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| A panel from the Community Art Project installed around the fence at 1 Kingsway. |
When will the new facility open?
The Mount Pleasant Centre at 1 Kingsway, which includes the Mt. Pleasant Community Centre, the Mt. Pleasant Branch Library and the child care centre, is expected to open in the fall of 2009.
How can I get involved in the design of the facility or what
is going to be offered?
Visit the project web site at www.1Kingsway.ca
for information about the project, public meetings, contacts and ways
that you can get involved.
Why build this facility at Kingsway and Main, a busy intersection?
The new location is virtually in the centre of Mount Pleasant, and therefore
easier to walk or bike to for the average resident. Being near the Uptown
business area, clients will be able to add shopping to their itinerary.
The new location is much better served by buses, and will be very near
a future Skytrain station. Placing a large civic facility in the middle
of an existing residential neighbourhood, even if the property could be
found, would have been unnecessarily intrusive. Although traffic in the
area is heavy, use of appropriate traffic controls, pedestrian amenities
and traffic calming devices can help create a safe environment for pedestrians.
A traffic engineering study has been commissioned to identify and address
these issues.
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Will the crossings across Main Street and Kingsway be made safer?
A traffic study is underway, as well, the Sustainable Region Showcase for Greater Vancouver (
PDF, 3.52Mb) project was approved on November 26, 2003. Part of the goals of this project are to improve pedestrian safety and transit on Main Street. This will include review and improvement of bus stops, pedestrian crossings and traffic calming measures. Additionally, members of the community have begun an initiative to create or extend Greenways to improve neighbourhood access to the facility.
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What about parking at the new location?
Due to its central location at Main and Kingsway the centre will be easily accessible by bus, bicycle and on foot. For those who choose to drive to the civic centre, there will be a pay-parking facility right under the new building, thus avoiding the need to park on the street. Our project design team is aware of concerns for personal safety and security, and will ensure that the parking floors will be open and brightly lit, and that there will be an easy to find, direct and safe route from the parking levels to the main reception and lobby of the centre.
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Will there be more computers and books in the library?
Yes. The new Mount Pleasant Branch Library will double in size from 548
square meters (5,900 square feet) to 1,114 square meters (12,000 square
feet), meaning more books and more computers.
Will there be more seating space at the library?
With twice the space, we anticipate that there will be more seating.
Will the library have longer hours of opening?
At this time, we don't anticipate any significant changes in the total
number of hours open per week. The opening hours may change, however,
in response to community needs. It is also the intention of The Vancouver
Public Library Board to find ways to increase library opening hours in
the future.
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What are the advantages of including a child care centre in the
facility and how was it decided what to provide at the child care facility?
A Child Development Services Needs and Preference Assessment was carried
out in 2002 in the Mount Pleasant community. Results indicated that families
in the community with young children still have unmet child care needs.
Accessibility and affordability were key barriers. 1 Kingsway provides
a unique opportunity to create an integrated, coordinated child development
hub. You can view the study entitled
Mount Pleasant Child Development Services Needs and Preference Assessment: Final Report - January 2003 ( PDF 213kb).
On April 21, 2009, City Council appointed the Mount Pleasant Community Centre Association to be the operator of the child development centre. To read more about this, please see the April 21 Administrative report.( PDF 230kb)
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What child care services will be provided at the new multi-service
facility?
When opened, the 632 square meters (6,800 square feet) child care services
at 1Kingsway will not only house more child care spaces but a greater
variety of child care services than is currently offered at the Mount
Pleasant Community Centre. A licensed child care centre will be developed
within the new facility for the following: 12 infants (ages 0 to 18 months);
12 toddlers (ages 18 to 36 months); 25 preschool age (ages 2 1/2 to 5
years). The facility would also provide multi use areas for child/parenting
programming and resource spaces.
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Why do we need a new community centre building? Can’t we
just build onto the existing building? Why is the new community centre
being built in a different location?
The community centre is over 35 years old and does not meet current building
and safety codes for new centres. As well, it has become much too small
to meet the needs of the community. Also, to add a new building connected
to the old building, we would have to bring the old building up to current
code. Mount Pleasant is one of the most park deficient areas in Vancouver
and removal of the old building will create more usable park space. The
new location at 1 Kingsway will serve the community more equitably. The
current centre is located at 16th Ave and Ontario. The boundaries of Mount
Pleasant are 16th Avenue, Cambie Street, Clark Drive and Terminal Avenue.
The current location does not have direct transit access and is not well
located to serve the Mount Pleasant community east of Main. The new site
at 1 Kingsway is on the bus routes of #3, 8, 19, 9 and 99-B line and will
be positioned well for an extension of the SkyTrain.
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What will happen to the existing community centre?
The existing community centre building will be deconstructed after completion fo the new building.
This process involves disassembling the building with the intent of recycling
and salvaging as much as possible of the structural materials. The Park
Board has in recent years been able to recycle more than 90% of buildings
that formerly would have been slated for the landfill. Potentially, this
will provide up to 3,252 square meters (35,000 square feet) of green space
to the neighbourhood.
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What will happen to the current programs that operate at the
community centre?
Public surveys have been conducted and public information and planning
meetings will continue to be held to determine what programs, existing
and new, are wanted and needed in Mount Pleasant. Current services will
continue at the old site until the new facilities are ready.
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Why can't we keep the old community centre open for other purposes?
The programs currently accommodated in the community centre will be available
at the new, larger facility at 1 Kingsway. The Park Board does not possess
the resources to operate and maintain two community centres for Mount
Pleasant. Some clients near the western border of the catchment area may
also be able to find suitable programs at Douglas Park or Riley Park Community
Centres. Furthermore, Mount Pleasant is considered deficient in green
park space. Returning the site of the existing building to landscaped
park will help address the parkland shortage in the area. The building
itself has a poor seismic resistance rating which makes it unsuitable
for other purposes.
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What about the pool?
The pool is 38 years old, and nearing the end of its useful life. In March
of 2002 the Park Board adopted a new Aquatic Services Strategy, that includes
plans for a major aquatic facility to replace Percy Norman Pool. The review
determined that our older outdoor pools, including Mount Pleasant, are
essentially operating on borrowed time. A serious failure in the structural
or mechanical systems could occur at any time, forcing an unplanned shutdown.
The Park Board also approved a resolution intending to maintain existing
outdoor aquatic services, wherever operationally feasible, until the new
or upgraded facilities are in place. If unforeseen and significant operating
costs arise because of the attempt to keep the pools open, the resolution
would have to be reviewed by the Park Board.
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What kind of housing will be provided? Will there be low income
or subsidized housing? If not, why?
There will be 98 units of market rental housing on the site. This is not a low income or subsidized housing project. This is a market driven development and funding is not available for non-market development at this time.
What suite types are available, how big are they, and what are the rental rates?"?
There are 46 one bedroom suites, 16 one bedroom + open den suites, 4 one bedroom + den suites, and 32 two bedroom suites. They range in size from 594 to 1,071 square feet. For more detailed information on individual units and their rental rates, please contact Colliers International at either 604.872.0024 or 604.506.3506, or email them at residenceon7th@telus.net
How can I apply for a suite?
Please email your request to Colliers International at: residenceon7th@telus.net
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Comments or questions? Contact us.
©2010,
City of Vancouver
Last Modified:
Monday, March 22, 2010
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