Title: SeatoSky Greenbelt
1Sea-to-Sky Greenbelt
Presentation to the District of West
Vancouver Monday May 26th, 2008
Ione Smith, Special Projects Coordinator, Smart
Growth BC
2Sea-to-Sky Greenbelt
- Outline
- Smart Growth BC
- Greenbelt
- Vision and Goals
- Sea-to-Sky Context
- Timeline
- Next Steps
- Case Study
- Partners and Funders
3Smart Growth BC
Founded in 1999, Smart Growth BC is a charitable
non-profit organization with a mandate to create
more livable communities in British Columbia.
- Through
- Research
- Policy Alternatives
- Community Engagement
- Implementation
410 Smart Growth Principles
- 1 Mix land uses
- 2 Compact neighbourhoods
- 3 Transportation choices
- 4 Affordable housing opportunities
- 5 Encourage growth in existing areas
- 6 Preserve natural areas
- 7 Protect and enhance agricultural land
- 8 Infrastructure efficiency
- 9 Foster a unique community identity
- 10 Nurture engaged citizens
5Sea-to-Sky Context
Context for renewed efforts in the
corridor Olympic Games 2010 Highway 99
Changing demographic Unprecedented development
pressures and ecological vulnerability
6Sea-to-Sky Context
- Many land use plans currently being completed or
under review. - Several types of protected areas parks,
conservancies, recreation areas, riparian areas,
wildland zones. - Missing critical connection and cumulative
perspective on where all the future growth will
occur in relation to protected areas. - Lack of initiatives to identify which key parcels
could be identified as priority for future
protection based on connectivity.
7Greenbelt Vision
- Vision
- The Sea-to-Sky Greenbelt will be a
world-renowned example of what can be
accomplished by respecting our spectacular
natural resources while enhancing community
livability. Urban and rural settlements from West
Vancouver in the South to DArcy in the North
will each exemplify the principles of smart
growth vibrant economies in compact communities
with unique village centres. Each community will
be surrounded by a defined growth boundary
outside of which will remain pristine
recreational lands, productive farming and
forestry lands, and protected wilderness areas.
8Goals
- Goals
- To connect land parcels designated as parks,
recreational areas, and wilderness zones in order
to create a contiguous greenway. The Greenbelt's
success will depend uponĀ a collaborative effort
of a coalition made up of developers, community
organizations, business associations, First
Nations, local and regional government, and
environmental organizations. Ultimately, the
Greenbelt will act in a similar fashion to Metro
Vancouvers Green Zone, the Capital Region
Districts Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt, or the
South Okanagan-Similkameen Conservation Program.
9Already identified and protected
- By the numbers
- Squamish First Nation wild spirit areas
- 82,000 ha (26,000 ha is Garibaldi Park).
- New LRMP conservancies
- 44,800 ha.
- Existing provincial parks and protected areas
- 232,000 ha.
10Opportunities to collaborate
- Other initiatives and groups
- North Cascades Pacific Range Ecoregional
Assessment - Squamish River Watershed Society
- Sea-to-Sky Trails Initiative
- Slow Food Cycle
- Get Bear Smart Society
- City Green Solutions
- Pemberton Valley Trails Association
- Howe Sound Community Forum
- BC Healthy Communities
- AWARE
- Whistler Forum
- Sea-to-Sky Community Services Society
11Timeline
- 2006 building relationships
- 2007 outreach (newsletter, listserv, website,
launch) - 2008 knowledge development (maps, case studies,
designation options) and research extension - 2009 development of implementation strategy
- 2010 final Sea-to-Sky Greenbelt plan launched
12Up to now
- Have held many meetings
- Have begun to execute mapping
- Havent secured to purchase any land
- Will not require more intensive public planning
processes - Will require political support from all levels
motions of support once the mapping has been
completed - Media
- Whistler Question front page Nov 22, 2007
- The Tyee Top 12 Ideas for 2008
- Vancouver Co-op Radio
13Request
- Smart Growth BC would like to co-host a public
workshop in West Vancouver to relay the results
of the mapping exercises, present the public with
the map of the potential boundary of the
Greenbelt, and to discuss local opportunities for
involvement in the Greenbelt initiative. - Workshop would likely be held in September or
October 2008.
14Case Study
- Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt on Vancouver Island
- A vast expanse of wilderness, recreation land and
marine areas running across Southern Vancouver
Island from Saanich Inlet to the Sooke Basin. - The Green Blue Belt will create a 12,000 hectare
corridor of protected wilderness and parkland. - Currently over 90 complete includes Kapoor
Regional Park, Sooke Potholes Regional Park, Sea
to Sea Green Blue Belt Regional Reserve, Ayum
Creek Regional Park. - Partners
- Capital Region District,
- TLC The Land Conservancy of BC,
- Habitat Acquisition Trust,
- The Government of Canada,
- Society for the Protection of Ayum Creek,
- Province of BC
15Partners and Funders
Partners
Funders
16Questions?
- Resources
- www.smartgrowth.bc.ca
- www.greenbelt.bc.ca
- FAQs
- Case studies
- E-newsletters
- Listserv
- Contact
- Ione Smith
- ione_at_smartgrowth.bc.ca
- 604-915-5234
- 314-402 W Pender
- Vancouver
- V6B 1T6
17Case Study
- Metro Vancouvers Green Zone
- Greater Vancouver Regional Greenway Vision
approved in 1999 to implement Green Zone
policies - Greenway Vision includes recreational and
environmental greenways (paths, trails,
environmental corridors) - Defines a limit to urban expansion and fosters a
shared sense of commitment between communities to
protect the lands within it - Includes community health lands (watersheds and
floodplains), ecologically important areas
(wetlands and wildlife habitat), outdoor
recreational areas (parks), renewable resource
lands (farms and forests) - 54,000 ha of ALR land
- 22 regional parks 11,400 ha and attracts 6
million visitors.