False Creek Flats Plan

January 2017 open house: draft local area plan for the Flats

In January we presented a summary of the draft plan. Learn more about the draft plan in our open house information displays:

• Part 1 – strategic context and moves  (7 MB)
• Part 2 – urban design and plan implementation ​ (7 MB)

Questionnaire: What do you think about the options for a Prior-Venables replacement?

We asked for your ideas and concerns about the options for replacing the Prior-Venables arterial street in the False Creek Flats  (2 MB) in an online questionnaire from March 31 to April 18. Your responses will help us to shape the future of the False Creek Flats.

March 31 open house: discuss options for a new arterial street in the Flats

We invited you to learn about and discuss the options for replacing the Prior-Venables arterial street in the False Creek Flats  (2 MB). The planning work is part of a strategy to remove conflicts between the street network and rail lines.

Open house and online survey: review the emerging directions

We hosted an open house on February 4, 2016, and an online survey from February 4 to 29, for you to share your thoughts about the emerging directions of the False Creek Flats Plan. Your responses will help develop a framework for the draft plan and economic development strategy that will guide the future of the Flats.

We formed the emerging directions based on reviewing the Phase 1 summary of public input with members from other City departments and the Vancouver Economic Commission. Check back for future open house events.

Summary of what we heard in Phase 1

Our Phase 1 public consultation in spring and summer 2015 included a launch event, six topic workshops, seminars for local businesses, onsite appearances, and online survey. Thank you to all who participated.

On October 8, 2015, we gave a summary presentation of what we heard in Phase 1.

Your feedback and ideas on what we need to address for a successful False Creek Flats Plan, and on potential solutions to area challenges and opportunities, will help frame our planning work on Phase 2 – the emerging directions for the plan.

Read our summary of public input:

Workshops: questions, challenges, and opportunities in the Flats

In June 2015, nearly 200 stakeholders participated in a series of six topic workshops to help our planning team:

• Identify the big questions that we need to address for a successful plan
• Brainstorm potential solutions to the challenges and opportunities in the area
• Frame the conversation in the False Creek Flats planning process

Topics included employment, innovation, transportation, food, arts and culture, and public space.

Your comments were documented and mapped and they'll help frame the issues, challenges, and opportunities we'll explore in the planning process. View the collection of maps and comments below.

Workshop topic	Your feedback
Working in the Flats: Inner-city industrial and employment intensification	Maps and comments  (4 MB)
A district defined by innovation: Where industry and technology collide	Maps and comments  (5 MB)
Moving what matters: Connectivity, transit, and transportation	Maps and comments  (2 MB)
Food for thought: Leveraging existing assets to define excellence in a sustainable urban food system	Maps and comments  (3 MB)
A thriving cultural district: Arts, culture, and the role of inner-city industrial	Maps and comments  (3 MB)
Creating great places: Natural systems, amenities, and the public realm	Maps and comments  (3 MB)

Launch event

We launched the False Creek Flats planning process on May 27, 2015, complete with a food truck and Flats-brewed beer. Event guests met neighbours and local businesses, and learned about the area's history, diverse economy, and unique industrial character. Guests also found out how to get involved to help shape the future of the area.

View the information displays from this event  (15 MB)

• False Creek Flats Plan  (3.7 MB)

Council reports

• False Creek Flats Plan implementation: Policy and bylaw amendments (July 25, 2017)  (12.5 MB)
• False Creek Flats local area plan and economic development (May 17, 2017)  (376 KB)
• Dunsmuir and Georgia Viaducts and Related Area Planning Urban Structure Policy Report (June 26, 2013) (6 MB)

Zoning Policy reference map

Zoning district schedules

• False Creek Flats Zoning Policy reference map  (212 KB) 
• False Creek Flats Rezoning Policy (125 KB)
• FC-2 District schedule (282 KB)
• I-3 District schedule  (80 KB)
• I-2 District schedule  (80 KB)
• IC-3 District schedule (268 KB)
• MC-1 and MC-2 Districts schedule (276 KB)
• Great Northern Way Campus CD-1 (402) (725 KB)

Policies and guidelines

• False Creek Flats urban design and development policies and guidelines for FC-2 – The Innovation Hub (2.6 MB)
• False Creek Flats urban design policies and guidelines for I-2 and I-3  (3.8 MB)
• Brewery Creek IC-3, C-3A, C-2C and RM-4/4N guidelines (141 KB)
• Downtown District and IC-3 District policies and procedures for low cost rental artist studios  (85 KB)
• False Creek Flats urban design policies and guidelines for IC-3 (3.8 MB)
• MC-1 and MC-2 guidelines for Cedar Cottage, Hudson St, and East Hastings (Clark to Semlin) areas and False Creek Flats (Malkin-Atlantic-Prior) areas  (4.2 MB)
• Micro dwelling policies and guidelines (169 KB)

The area profile walks you through the history of False Creek Flats its ecological significance, the economic role today, the policy framework that guides growth, and the transportation patterns that have defined development to date in the Flats.

Together, this information provided a starting place for dialogue about the future of the False Creek Flats.

• False Creek Flats area profile  (17 MB)

Prior to and throughout the False Creek Flats planning process, a public engagement strategy was undertaken to ensure a diversity of voices were represented in the plan.

The planning began in May 2015 and over the two-year period numerous activities, workshops, events, meetings, and surveys were held to invite public participation. Over 4,300 participants were engaged over the duration of the planning process.

Phase 1: Framework and principles

• Phase 1 summary of public input (9 MB)

June 2015 workshop maps and feedback

• "Working in the Flats" workshop maps and feedback (4 MB)
• "A district defined by innovation" workshop maps and comments (5 MB)
• "Moving what matters" workshop maps and comments (4 MB)

May 2015 launch event

• Information displays (15 MB)

Phase 2: Emerging directions

March 2016 open house: Prior-Venables replacement

• Information displays  (2 MB)

February 2016 open house: Emerging directions

• View the open house displays  (5.8 MB)

Phase 3: Sharing the Draft Plan

January 2017 open house display boards

• Part 1 – strategic context and moves  (7 MB)
• Part 2 – urban design and plan implementation ​ (7 MB)

• New St. Paul’s Hospital + Health Campus Policy Statement (2017)  (11.7 MB)
• The Flats Economic Development Strategy (2017)  (5.5 MB)
• False Creek Flats Statement of Significance (2013) (11 MB)
• Regional Growth Strategy (2011)  (5 MB)
• Metro Core Jobs and Economy Land Use Plan (2007) (2 MB)
• Industrial Lands Policy (1995)  (200 KB)