Sea-to-Sky Greenbelt

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Sea-to-Sky Greenbelt
Presentation to the District of West
Vancouver Monday May 26th, 2008
Ione Smith, Special Projects Coordinator, Smart
Growth BC
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Sea-to-Sky Greenbelt

• Outline
• Smart Growth BC
• Greenbelt
• Vision and Goals
• Sea-to-Sky Context
• Timeline
• Next Steps
• Case Study
• Partners and Funders

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Smart 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

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10 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

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Sea-to-Sky Context
Context for renewed efforts in the
corridor Olympic Games 2010 Highway 99
Changing demographic Unprecedented development
pressures and ecological vulnerability
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Sea-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.

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Greenbelt 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.

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Goals

• 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 upon 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.

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Already 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.

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Opportunities 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

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Timeline

• 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

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Up 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

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Request

• 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.

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Case 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

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Partners and Funders
Partners
Funders
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Questions?

• 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

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Case 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.