Longtime Resident Has a Plan for the Contentious Imperial Landing Land

by Dave Davis
(Steveston, BC Canada)

As a longtime resident of Steveston, I have been following this issue for some time now. Time after time Onni submits a new plan to develop this narrow strip of land between Bayview Street and the South Dyke and the city shoots them down. Back to the drawing boards for plan B, C, etc. One of the most contentious issues has been the city's insistence on having-marine based businesses on the ground floor with residential above. This is what the current zoning allows. I have a plan.

First off, the city needs to face the reality of the situation. Fishing is not what it used to be, and to insist on marine-based businesses to populate the lower floor along this waterfront is ridiculous. As far as I can ascertain, the commercial fishers are well served with existing businesses already in and around Steveston. Forcing Onni, or any other developer, into building for nonviable businesses would be a mistake. Their reasoning is to invite fish shops, boat rental, fish auction and other marine services aimed more directly towards the general public, however... and this is a big however, there is little to no water-based infrastructure, such as a public marina, to attract people interested in a day on the water. To date, the only such services are whale watching companies, charter boat and water taxis which are already located in the village.

The city is planning for Tall Ships 2011 to be held in June of next year. The costs are spiraling, but those in favor of this event say that the infrastructure needed to host this event, such as a dock and public floats, could be moved to other areas of the Steveston waterfront once the event is over. What better place to move these capital structures than down to Imperial Landing. I'm not the only one who has thought of a public marina for Steveston. Even the City of Richmond has talked about it at times. 2011 would be a good time to stop talking about it and start doing something. Rather than forcing a developer to adopt unworkable zoning, work out a compromise so they can get building, so by the time the public marina infrastructure is moved in and expanded, marine type businesses would want to locate there because of the public facilities in place.

Right now, pleasure boats can moor in Steveston Harbour and Paramount, but as they are the primarily commercial harbors, fishing boats have priority over any other boat. This is not an overwhelmingly welcoming prospect for visiting boaters who can't be guaranteed moorage should a fishing boat need the space.

I think it's time we started developing one of the last pieces of Steveston waterfront to get the general population involved in looking to the river for recreation and other activities. So far, development has only looked at the river as a view, but not as a source of active recreation and enjoyment, such as renting a sailboat, kayak or other watercraft. We need the basic infrastructure before any marine-base businesses would want to locate here, as I can guarantee you, the rents won't be cheap. I would like to see an active pleasure boat marina, with all the services that would entail, including houseboats on the river, a boutique hotel and pub on land and most of the land developed except for a small public park at the west end of the property. Other than the public sales floats at Fisherman's Wharf, there is very little public access to the waterfront for residents and visitors alike, other than to passively take in the view.


Wouldn't it be great to create a place that would draw in pleasure boaters from all over the West Coast. This would not add more traffic to our roads, and would provide a fantastic destination for those day sailing or on even longer voyages. What a great destination this would be... if we had the facilities. We have these facilities on the north side of the island Richmond is located on, but with nowhere near the draw our little village would have to those wanting to visit. The village itself is a destination and we are near public transit. Current facilities are located in light industrial areas that don't create much of a draw other than facilities are there. Let's make Steveston a prime destination for those with marine leisure craft or interested in water activities.

Getting back to the development, I say encourage Onni to draw up a plan to use the lands east of the roundabout for their development. The land west of the roundabout would be donated to the city for use as a public park along with funds to develop a public marina. The city should relax zoning to allow more varied commercial enterprise to occupy the ground floor, and to accommodate residential above with even more density overall. Higher density is in keeping with historical housing along the waterfront, such as the barracks that housed cannery employees. On the far east rear area along Bayview Street, there would be enough room for a residential only building, but I don't think anything should be allowed over four stories. Mistakes of the past in allowing medium-rise development should not be repeated front and center on this land. Development should be in keeping with the historic values and style of the village.

With this in mind, there is a second public open house is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 22 at Steveston Community Centre, 4111 Moncton Street, from 6 to 8 p.m. To help you get up to speed on some of the issues, I have included various website links below to add to your must read list. First, start off with Onni's webpages on the proposed development. Other helpful reading on the subject can be found at:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/news/102653144.html
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/news/101503644.html
http://gardencitylands.wordpress.com/2010/09/04/omni/#comment-981
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=4980077

My Suggested Plan