Pedestrian issues shouldn't be an afterthought

In my previous post, I mentioned the need for sidewalks and the reasons why many streets still don't have them in the year 2010. Just like cycling infrastructure that is currently being "forced" upon us (it's not a bad thing) after decades of automobile-centered growth in our cities, sidewalks seem to have been built as an afterthought, or without any consideration for good design and purpose. The result for pedestrians is a lack of safety due to uncontrolled automobile traffic, lack of safety due to poor lighting, lack of convenience due to poor connectivity from "point A to point B" and, among other things but perhaps most importantly, a lack of pedestrians.

This is why a pedestrian advocacy group is needed to brainstorm ideas, attend City Council meetings and public hearings, and to communicate pedestrian concerns to both the City and to the public in the form of letters to local newspapers such as the Burnaby Now and the NewsLeader.

Good sidewalk infrastructure is the foundation for building vibrant neighbourhoods where locals and visitors alike feel safe walking to school, work or the local store. I have already written about the elements of appealing sidewalks and how they would improve neighbourhoods and encourage walking. I know there are many people that have thought about the same issues that I have and certainly other issues that I yet haven't when it comes to pedestrian concerns. If anybody reading this shares the same view as I do and is interested in creating and/or joining a pedestrian advocacy group for Burnaby, please comment on this blog or contact me at brentwoodstation@ymail.com.

Local Area Service Program prevents sidewalk construction

There are many streets in Burnaby, some right here in the Brentwood area, that have no sidewalks in place to provide a safe place for pedestrians to walk along. One such street is Graveley St between Willingdon and Carleton Aves. Although new developments require the builder to provide sidewalks along the roads that they build on, many neighbourhoods that preceded current by-laws making sidewalks mandatory have been left without a place for people to walk (other than on the road).

The sidewalk on Whitsell Ave physically ends at Graveley Ave. A view of Graveley in either direction, shows an incomplete and inadequate sidewalk.

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On the surface, the The City of Burnaby's Local Area Service Program seems to be a progressive, sidewalk-friendly program to improve neighbourhoods. However, when one looks at the steps required to have a sidewalk installed in a neighbourhood that already doesn't have one, it becomes evident that the program is an excuse not to build sidewalks.

On it's website, the City describes the program as a way for homeowners to improve their street and consequently "enhance" their properties. By wording it in such a way, The City is making it sound as if the sidewalk is of benefit only to the people living on the street and not to anyone else. It is a fact that sidewalks are a benefit to anyone that needs to get from one place to another by walking. Furthermore, it is not an issue of enhancement, but of safety. It is ridiculous that a parent must push a baby stroller along Graveley, on the road in between parked cars to avoid moving vehicles. In my opinion, it is the responsibility of both the City and property owners to have sidewalks built. A sidewalk is not private property over which homeowners have reign and is therefore the responsibility of the city and the public. That is what being a part of the community is all about.

Under the current program, residents of a street must canvas the neighbours on their block and obtain a minimum number of signatures supporting the building of a sidewalk. This is a major hindrance to sidewalk construction because many people will not support the idea if they are required to pay for its construction. In my opinion, the building of sidewalks in residential areas (where they already don't exist) must be mandatory, and the expense burdened by both the City and the residents of the street.

If funding is the issue, the City must get creative to raise funds. For example, if a company such as the Bank of Montreal funds the construction of 3 blocks of sidewalk in exchange for the right to advertise its brand and products on posts situated at intervals along its length, it might be a good option if done right. The only option that homeowners should have is on how to fund the sidewalk and not whether or not they want a sidewalk in front of their home.

In my opinion, the Brentwood area, if not all of Burnaby, needs a pedestrian advocacy group. I'm not talking about pedestrian activism, but about an organization that brings about awareness of important pedestrian issues that the City must consider if it wants to create complete neighbourhoods. Ultimately, sidewalks enhance not only the properties along which they are built, but the overall neighbourhood and city. I've already written about what elements could make sidewalks more appealing (Appealing Sidewalks). In the case of Graveley St, it would be nice just to have a sidewalk.

A place to buy organic produce: Kin's Farm Market

Whereas at one time the only place I could buy organic produce was at the Save-On-Foods at Madison and Lougheed, recently I've noticed that Kin' s Farm Market at Brentwood Mall has begun to add organic choices on its shelves. Although not having as much variety of organics as Save-On-Foods, the little produce store is beginning to get more of my shopping attention because it seems to have more "BC" or Canadian produce options than its larger competitor. If Kin's continues to add to its "organic" and "local"selection, I'll be happy to do more of my produce shopping there.

More density and taller buildings to come?

On November 23, a public hearing will be held at city hall at 7pm to discuss a proposal to change zoning laws to allow increased densities and taller buildings than currently allowed in Burnaby's town centres. Although not known who brought forth the proposal, it can be guessed that one or more of the developers currently holding properties in Burnaby are behind it.

Earlier this year, Brentwood Town Centre Mall was sold to Shape Properties, a local company that has stated its interest in redeveloping the existing mall and parking lots around it. The plan will very likely include a remodelling and expansion of the mall and a combination of residential and office/commercial development around it. Expect this project by Shape Properties to be the largest single development in the history of North Burnaby which will further entrench the mall site as the core of Brentwood Town Centre.

Hopefully, the project will be able to create more pedestrian-oriented accessibility to and from the site including the area immediately next to Brentwood Station and also consider the potential for developing a commercial zone just north of the station with quick access to and from the station to take advantage of the increasing numbers of commuters using the Millennium Line. Something similar to the shops in and around Commercial-Broadway Station would be a good idea.

The lot located just west of the station (right photo), formerly the site of Brentwood Brake and Muffler and a gas station, will most likely be part of a community amenity space and has been described as potentially being used as a public "celebration square" or "gathering place". Several other projects that have been on hold in the Brentwood area may be awaiting zoning change approvals to take advantage of the increased height and density allowances.

The benefit to the city in return for allowing more density is in the form of cash paid by the developer for a fund geared towards the building of public amenities and social housing or in the form of a public space or facility being built into the project by the developer at no cost to the city.

Since I will not be working during the evening of November 23, I will experience attending a public hearing for the first time in my life. It should be interesting and informative to hear varying viewpoints along with potential ideas associated with the proposal.

You can read more about this topic in the following Burnaby Newsleader article.

Another Embassy Development for Brentwood

The old Canadian Tire site at Rosser Ave and Lougheed Hwy is now being excavated as the Vantage project by Embassy Development Corporation gets underway. The project will include 200 units of highrise and townhouse homes along with commercial and community amenities. The site is located 1 block west of the Brentwood SkyTrain station.

Terasen bringing jobs to Brentwood

Teresen Gas is bringing around 150 new jobs to the Brentwood area of Burnaby with the opening of its new contact centre in the Willingdon Business Park at 4370 Still Creek Ave between Willngdon and Gilmore Avenues. According to the Burnaby NewsLeader, the new facility will open in January 2012 and are within walking distance from Gilmore and Brentwood SkyTrain stations. A shuttle bus running to the Gilmore and Brentwood stations will transport employees during peak hours and will be offered by Willingdon Business Park (Burnaby Now).

Located close to rapid transit and Hwy 1, the facility will add to the mix of residential/commercial character in the area. Still Creek Ave has already seen the emergence of the Morrey Nissan dealership that moved from Willingdon and Lougheed.

Brentwood Station needs diversity of mom-and-pop shops

If you walk or drive through the Brentwood neighbourhood near Willingdon Ave and Lougheed Hwy at around 8pm on a Friday evening, you will see that the sidewalks are nearly devoid of people and that most of the businesses are either already closed or near closing for the day. With a major SkyTrain station and bus loop merely steps away, it is surprising that very little streetlife exists at Lougheed and Willindgon and outwards from there. With the exception of the strip mall complex featuring Miki Sushi, Fat Burger, and a soon-to-open Starbucks just west of the Petro Canada gas station, there are no businesses to draw the locals out from the surrounding residential neighbourhoods or from their cars as they drive through Brentwood. It certainly isn't anything like the Burnaby Heights district along Hastings St between Willingdon Ave and Boundary Rd. where a diversity of restaurants and retail businesses line the street. To make sidewalks even more appealing than as mentioned in my previous post (Appealing Sidewalks...), the right combination of amenities are required to bring out the pedestrians that currently don't have reason to frequent the area around Brentwood Station.

What does an area need to attract more people to its sidewalks? Although the area is slowly beginning to attract businesses, it has a ways to go.

Currently the only places open late are Save-on-Foods and a few major chain restaurants dispersed over a wide area between Willingdon Ave and Boundary Rd. What is needed is different types of shops to bring out different types of consumers, particularly 'mom and pop' shops that offer a variety of goods and services at the street level dispersed among the restaurants and cafes. Unfortunately, as older buildings are torn down and replaced with newer ones over time, the retail space that was once affordable for local independent businesses becomes even more scarce. When this occurs, 'mom and pop' shops are either forced to move away, or close down for good. What consumers are left with are the "cookie-cutter" chain stores that provide "cookie-cutter" goods and services. The newer retail space is usually built to a standard minimum size which is unaffordable for an independent entrepreneur with a great business idea but lacking a corporate-sized pocketbook.

Fortunately, this does not have to be the case every time a new retail development is built. Crystal Mall in the Metrotown area of Burnaby is a terrific example of a retail complex that houses a diverse range of primarily independent businesses. The retail and office spaces in this complex are not built to standard size, but range from smaller sized units to the standard larger sizes. The smaller space has attracted a variety of shops that offer specialty goods and services that would not otherwise be available in the usual chain stores that dominate our retail landscape. If I want to watch Asian movies or TV dramas, I won't find them at Rogers Video, but at Crystal Media in Crystal Mall. If I want to buy specialty Asian-style pastries or cakes, I would find them in one of the shops in Crystal Mall, not at Safeway. It is this type of retail space, at street level instead of an indoor mall-like setting, that would encourage businesses that are able to meet the specific needs of a diverse range of consumers.

In my opinion, the following types of businesses would bring life to the area both day and night:

-Asian or European-style tea or coffee shops

-small independent bars or taverns

-specialty dessert cafes or bakeries

-karaoke parlours

-non-chain restaurants to add to the flavour of existing chain restaurants

-specialty food stores

-convenience store that isn't a cookie-cutter gas station store (7-11 or Mac's would suffice)

-specialty meat or fish shop

I hope that someday I can walk around the Brentwood area and be entertained by a variety of retail businesses. As the area around Brentwood Station continues to develop and grow, I hope it will encourage independent businesses to become established and grow with it.