Neighbourhood Plan Recommended by PNAC to City Council
We are pleased to advise that at the recent meeting of the Plan Nanaimo Advisory Committee, after considerable debate and many motions, the Plan has been recommended to City Council. There were five main amendments raised by the Brechin Hill Community Association, along with a few residents from Newcastle, each of which were individually considered, deliberated, and defeated by vote. However, it was agreed by PNAC members that they were sensitive to the height and density issue and requested Chair Holdom to express these concerns to City Council along with their recommendation. He agreed to do so. We are planning to post our submission to PNAC and City Council to this site for your review.*
Thank you for the confidence you neighbours showed to us at our AGM when you assigned the three of us the task of running with the Neighbourhood Plan as part of our activities as the Executive. We have kept you up to date through the website, newsletters delivered by post and by us, and informal meetings with those of you who were at that meeting. Well, the plan is now complete and we can honestly state we did the best job we could for the Newcastle Neighbourhood under what could best be described as some very difficult circumstances.
We look forward to the implementation of the first new cross-walks and bike lanes and all that good stuff. We’ll keep you posted as news develops.
Warren Jaques, Linda Hildebrand, Lee-Anne Stark, NNA Executive
*Please see first comment below
Here is the letter that we, as the Newcastle Neighbourhood Association, sent to PNAC to explain the Newcastle position regarding the proposed Newcastle-Brechin Neighbourhood Plan.
The plan still has to pass City Council and, at this point, it is uncertain as to whether or not it will be accepted.
Personally, I hope that we can soon move forward on the issues that are of interest to the Newcastle area — plan or no plan.
Linda Hildebrand
Letter from Newcastle Neighbourhood Steering committee members to PNAC below:
TO: Mayor and Council Members
Members, PNAC
DATE: January 10, 2011
RE: Newcastle + Brechin Hill Neighbourhood Plan
We are writing this letter to voice our support for the Newcastle + Brechin Hill Neighbourhood Plan, and would like to provide you with our perspective and the reasoning behind our support.
Part of the appeal of living in this area is its semi-urban nature — having a pleasant living space close to, and within easy walking distance, of the waterfront and the services and amenities of the downtown core. Given our proximity to downtown, we recognize that it’s reasonable, logical, and practical for the City to encourage densification of this area to maximize infrastructure maintenance costs, and to encourage sustainable development. As well, Nanaimo needs thriving businesses along the waterfront. Further densification of the Newcastle neighbourhood can support that. Our densified neighbourhoods can also improve access to local services and improve transit systems, which in turn will benefit all of Nanaimo.
Anyone who has walked through the Newcastle* neighbourhood can attest to seeing highly mixed residential forms: 4, 5, & 8-storey condos on the waterfront; multiple heritage houses; many affordable 3-storey rentals; numerous commercial enterprises; and home-based businesses. Newcastle has been very accepting of different styles of built form in the past, and this diversity of housing choices attracts a wide range of new residents from apartment dwellers to owners of high end condos — a necessary mix for a sustainable community. (*Newcastle neighbourhood: East off the Pearson Bridge, along the waterfront to the Nanaimo Shipyards, turn left up St. George Street, left on Terminal and back to the Pearson bridge.)
Much has been made of how high rises will destroy our waterfront landscape. In fact, there are few waterfront properties that are freehold and available for development for high rises. Specifically these are: Waterfront Suites and Marina; Nanaimo Shipyards; Stones Marina, and Pimbury Point (Ocean Cement property). A few well-placed buildings with heights of Base 8 on these properties can help increase the densification necessary to sustain waterfront commercial activity and neighbourhood viability without interfering significantly with the neighbourhood’s enjoyment of the waterfront.
It should be noted that the Waterfront Suites and Marina, as well as the Nanaimo Shipyards, are located directly across the street from the Garden Memorial to Chinese Pioneers, with Walnut Street and the St. George Ravine running directly above all the way to Terminal. Development in this particular location would affect the least number of residents as far as impaired views are concerned. (Protection of view corridors are already addressed in the Plan.)
Regarding Stones Marina, it is a sizable enough property to allow for a number of choices in the location of a development, which would then have little impact on neighbourhood views.
Although Pimbury Point is also a possible development site, we do not expect it to happen soon.
We spent a great deal of time during the planning process being educated, and considered a number of factors in reaching our decision. We did what we thought was best for our neighbourhood. Did we get everything we wanted in this Plan? No, we did not. However, we have a Plan that holds promise and ideas that we can work together with the City to achieve. We believe this Plan to be fluid and subject to adjustments as new conditions arise. It’s a beginning and we look forward to the implementation stages for our neighbourhood.
Although the planning process was often stressful, considering competing interests, it has been our privilege to participate in it. For your kind consideration.
Respectfully submitted,
Warren Jaques, Linda Hildebrand, Lee-Anne Stark
Members, Newcastle Steering Committee & Newcastle Neighbourhood Association Executive
I would really appreciate knowing when this Annual General Meeting was held, how it was publicized, who attended as well as receiving a copy of the minutes. I am a member of the Newcastle Neighbourhood Association (after paying $5.00 to Warren Jaques over a year ago) but I did not receive a notice about the Annual General Meeting.
Regards, Nancy Mitchell
Hi Nancy
If you were to have read the post carefully, the AGM referred to was over two years ago when those members present assigned the elected members of the Executive to the City’s Steering Committee and gave them full responsibility for the Neighbourhood Plan. Thank you for reading our blog.
Lee-Anne Stark
Lee-Anne …. Thank you for your reply.