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Dragon Boat Canada


IDBF


Canoe Kayak Canada

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[Scaly]

This was circulated to FCRCC members -

The City is having open houses on the rezoning of Northeast False Creek on:

Sunday, Jan 25, 2009
11:30 am – 4 pm
Central Branch Library, 350 West Georgia

Monday, Jan 26, 2009
4 – 8 pm
Roundhouse Community Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews

With encroachment onto the existing DragonZone site due to the South East False Creek redevelopments, we hear that efforts are being made for permanent home for the Dragon Boat Festival in the northeast corner of False Creek - Area 9 on this map.



More information on the process at the City's website:
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/nefc/index.htm

If you can't make it to the open house, e-mail the City's staffers on the project supporting a home for the Dragon Boat Festival.

Paula Huber, Project Planner, [email protected]   604.871.6013
Cory Dobson, Planning Assistant, [email protected]   604.871.6419

************

You can help the Dragon Boat Festival stay at False Creek! Please plan to drop by one of two upcoming Open Houses and leave a comment:
 
Sunday, Jan 25, 2009
11:30 am – 4 pm
Central Branch Library, 350 West Georgia

Monday, Jan 26, 2009
4 – 8 pm
Roundhouse Community Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews

The north side of False Creek is the last piece of land that is suitable for our activities in the City of Vancouver. If this land is developed without a permanent home for dragon boating as part of the plan, Vancouver will lose a first class festival, a popular paddling community organization, a tourist event and a very important cultural icon. We'd like a boat house on False Creek.
 
Please drop in and write your comments. Tell your team. It's not complicated – we just want a place to paddle and hold our Festival.
 
Thanks – and paddles up!
 
 
Ann Phelps
General Manager, Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival

[Scaly]

Also received the following:

Send an email or leave a post and help the dragon boat festival stay at False Creek
Additional info for those who cannot make it to one of these Open Houses:

People can email their comments to [email protected] (NEFC stands for North East False Creek).

Also, by Wednesday of next week they hope to have all the "boards" - the images and maps that will be at the Open House - up on their site at www.Vancouver.ca/nefc

There people can study the presentations and submit comments and suggestions.

Thank you for your support!

Leah Nagano
Race Registrar
2009 Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
[email protected]
www.dragonboatbc.ca

[PaddlesUp]

Paddlers, even if you are not from Vancouver or paddle outside of Vancouver, please send an email.  This affects the annual Alcan festival and other Regattas held.

Send an email or leave a post and help the dragon boat festival stay at False Creek
Additional info for those who cannot make it to one of these Open Houses:

People can email their comments to [email protected] (NEFC stands for North East False Creek).

[DBWTim]

I attended the Open House at the Vancouver Library and here are some of the highlights that I remember (It's been a couple days and my memory is a little hazy):

Using the image above...

• Biggest issue seems to be the relocation of the Vancouver Art Gallery from its current location to where the Edgewater Casino is currently.(6B)
• They will be demolishing the majority of Plaza of Nations. (6B)
• They will be adding a "job space", which is basically an area where there will be used for retail and office spaces. (6C)
• There will be some residential space with relative low heights so they don't ruin the view. I believe 20% would be for affordable housing. (6C)
• There will be a "gathering space" roughly about half of the size of the Plaza of Nations which will be used for festivals and stuff. I believe that this will be the new location for the festival, however based on what I've seen, it doesn't seem quite large enough for the festival, including racer's village. (6C)
• They are looking to build facilities underneath the viaduct for basketball, skateboarding, etc. (6C)
• The majority of the area on the northeast side will be used to expand Creekside Park. (9)

Some interesting things I overheard was that the expansion of the park and the gathering space would be the last portions that would be developed as they would be used as a holding area for the terrain cleanup of "bad stuff" that we all know that's in the ground in that area. Also, I also overheard that the paddling facility was out of scope for this development but was pretty firm in the plans for Creekside Park.

[Scaly]

Thanks for the info.

There currently is a membrane barrier under Area 9 that prevents contaminated leachate/groundwater from leaking into False Creek.  The small glass and steel structure under the viaduct is a pumping station that sends the groundwater into the municipal sewer system for treatment.

We need to make sure that a dragon boat facility remains in the minds and written plans of the planners from the outset, otherwise it may fall off the table or be opposed by CityGate residents (who may view it as encroachment into parkspace).  The key facility would be a permanent boathouse for DragonZone (and not just steps to the water for a temporary festival viewing area). 

Here the illustrative plan from one of the poster boards:

[Swordfish]

Would it be more efficient to have DZ draft a petition for people to sign off on? 

Keeners like the ones who frequent DBW will know what's going on but only a few will send emails. 

I'm sure with the season starting up, DZ could post a sign up sheet for members to sign.  DZ is also in a better position to provide the facts and figures to the City.  All I could effectively say is "I've paddled for X years, I like it, others seem to like it, please keep us in mind and build a paddling centre (that doesn't smell)".

[paddling geek]

Would it be more efficient to have DZ draft a petition for people to sign off on? 

I second that!
Only problem is not a lot of teams are out on the water yet

[mandachan]

I actually attended the roundhouse open house on Monday before practice. I couldn't really read much of it because it was so crowded, but the slides I did see seemed to say they're building commercial buildings and increasing office space for the downtown core? Also there was a building on the south east corner of BC place (possibly a high rise) that would have a pretty great view of the stadium, downtown, and False creek.

Anyway in the comments part in the booklet, I mentioned a paddling centre but it's unfortunate I didn't have much time to write a lot.

A 3rd the motion for a petition - paddlers may not have the time or convenience to go somewhere and do a survey.

[Scaly]

Here's an e-mail reply I received from the City today (emphasis added). 
It sounds like the issue is moving up in importance.

Thank you for the e-mail about the need for a dragon boat facility in NEFC.  As out know our display materials at the open house did not provide this material since our topic was high level land use.  However, many people are interested in the topic.
 
According, we will be  posting the information below along with the 2006 concept plan for the extension to creekside park on our web page.  Check it next week at vancouver.ca/nefc.

There are two non-motorised boating facilities intended for the east end of False Creek.

The first one is the SEFC boating centre that is part of the SEFC community centre currently under construction. That facility is targeted for many different types of boating, in particular kayak/canoe, rowing, dragon boating and possibly outrigger canoeing. There will be some boat storage on land inside the community centre, mostly for beginner kayaks, and two boat sheds on water: one for canoes/kayaks and one for rowing. There will be space for two or three dragon boats permanently moored in the water. Given the very limited parking available in SEFC, the boating facility will have to be programmed to minimise the need for parking by focussing on local boaters, youth teams, etc.

A second facility is planned for the Creekside Park extension north of Science World. That facility is intended to become the major dragon boat facility in the city, replacing the existing Dragonzone that is currently located south of Science World. The intended size for that is to harbour 12 to 18 dragon boats, in addition to other team boats like outrigger canoes and rowing shells. The facility is included in the conceptual design for the Creekside Park extension plan that was done in 2006. Since then there has been a more extensive discussion about boating needs, and there may be revisions made to this planned "dragon boat centre".
 
Paula Huber
Central Area Planning
City of Vancouver
Phone: 604.871.6013
e-mail: [email protected]

[NFW]

Thanks for the email post Scaly.
The future of a DB center in false creek wont seem to be so bleak anymore if that conceptual plan becomes a reality.

[Scaly]

Here's what was posted regarding the Creekside Park Concept Plan at the City's NEFC website.  You can see docks along the Science World deck:

Northeast False Creek (NEFC) High Level Review
Creekside Park Extension

The quantity of neighbourhood park to be provided in False Creek North has essentially remained unchanged since the ODP was approved in 1990: 6 parks, totaling about 17 hectares (42 acres). One park remains to be delivered, the extension of Creekside Park, which is at the east end of the Northeast False Creek study area, making up approximately 4 hectares (10 acres). The park, as illustrated in the current ODP is bounded by the Carrall Street extension to the west, Pacific Boulevard to the north, False Creek to the South and Quebec Street to the east. The phasing of parks in False Creek North has always been linked to the need to deal with the disposal of contaminated soils in the area. The provincial government is responsible for the cost of soil remediation. An agreement between the Province, City and Concord (property owner) regarding contaminated soils in FCN was amended in November 2000 to permit the Province to use the Creekside Park extension land (Area 9) for the long-term storage of contaminated soils to be relocated from Area 6A and 6B. When the rezoning of site 6A was considered in 2004, the ODP was amended to delay delivery of the Creekside Park extension until after the last of Areas 6A and 6C was developed. Therefore the timing of the development of a park on Area 9 (Creekside Park extension) is linked to the development of Area 6C. A concept plan (PDF, 1.71MB) was developed in 2006 following a series of community workshops.

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/nefc/pdf/creeksideconceptplan.pdf