Metro Vancouver Parks & Green Space

[whatnext]

Maybe they can look at some revenue-generating opportunities to live it up:

Vancouver Park Board to ponder new revenue sources, including more restaurants
Kenneth Chan
Jan 11 2023

Vancouver Park Board commissioners are set to direct Park Board staff to get creative with generating new additional revenue to help support the budget of operating and improving the city’s parks and recreation system.

A new member motion by Park Board commissioner Marie-Claire Howard of the ABC Vancouver party seeks to prioritize a “think big” revenue-generating strategy that “enables opportunities for increased commercial revenues.”

The Park Board is increasingly struggling to renew its aging facilities and infrastructure and expand its services to meet the needs of the growing population...

....Private restaurant operations that lease space on Park Board property have been a relatively lucrative revenue source.

For example, Cactus Club Cafe’s 2010-approved agreement to open a restaurant at English Bay Beach stipulates a starting base rent of $240,000 for the first two five-year terms. For all revenues after the first $4 million, the Park Board will receive 4%. A similar rent formula is applied to other restaurants on Park Board property in Stanley Park, Kitsilano Beach, and Queen Elizabeth Park.....

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-park-board-revenue-generating-strategy

[Migrant_Coconut]

More F&B? I'm not used to the Parks Board having good ideas, give me an evening to process this...

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

More F&B? I'm not used to the Parks Board having good ideas, give me an evening to process this...

Yeah I don't know about Cactus Club necessarily, but something like Kits Beach definitely needs a F&B upgrade over the sad shack they have now. Food Trucks help fill the gap but the Park Board is missing out on a ton of revenue potential.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Yeah I don't know about Cactus Club necessarily, but something like Kits Beach definitely needs a F&B upgrade over the sad shack they have now. Food Trucks help fill the gap but the Park Board is missing out on a ton of revenue potential.

Need more Seasons in the Park level of quality restaurants at all price ranges. Boathouse pricing for what they serve is such a ripoff.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Yeah I don't know about Cactus Club necessarily, but something like Kits Beach definitely needs a F&B upgrade over the sad shack they have now. Food Trucks help fill the gap but the Park Board is missing out on a ton of revenue potential.

You mean the concession underneath The Boathouse?

I find The Boathouse itself really uneven in food and service. As someone pointed out, for what you pay it should be better. The gawdawful buskers hanging out under their windows don't help either.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

You mean the concession underneath The Boathouse?

I find The Boathouse itself really uneven in food and service. As someone pointed out, for what you pay it should be better. The gawdawful buskers hanging out under their windows don't help either.

Oops no I was thinking of the crap at Spanish Banks. Most PB stuff is old though, with a few exceptions. Plenty of room for improvement.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Yeah, folks can whine about the lousy hours of the Cactus Club stall, but at least the food is edible!

[mcj]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Yeah, folks can whine about the lousy hours of the Cactus Club stall, but at least the food is edible!

Lousy hours? It closes at midnight like almost every other Cactus.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by mcj

Lousy hours? It closes at midnight like almost every other Cactus.

I'm talking about the concession stand at beach level; there's somebody in the comments complaining about how other concessions have bigger menus and longer evening hours... to which I say that a wider selection of trash is still trash.

[Sheba]

Plans to create B.C.'s first 'living dike' move ahead in Mud Bay

A pilot project planned for Surrey and Delta will look to nature to reduce the flood risk presented by rising sea levels by creating B.C.’s first “living dike”.

Work is expected to begin later this year with sediment, natural materials and plants added to almost a kilometre of shoreline at three points along Mud Bay. The project will be monitored to determine its impact on water and wave heights during high tides and storms and, if successful, could delay or reduce the need to raise dikes.

“The old-school way to deal with sea-level rise would be to raise and harden the dike,” said Enda Murphy, a senior research engineer with the National Research Council of Canada. “The concept of the living dike is to expand and make use of the marsh in front of the dike.”

The project will involve adding sediment dredged from the Fraser River to gradually increase the elevation of the foreshore in three areas. Sand berms, bags filled with oyster shells, and brushwood dams will be tested to provide stabilization, while vegetation will be planted to enhance the salt marshes.

...

[Sheba]

Vancouver neighbourhoods being offered 250 free trees to boost canopy

Vancouver’s parks board is giving away 250 trees to people in neighbourhoods that lack a robust canopy.

Residents of Sunset and Victoria-Fraserview can register to get a free tree to plant on their property at vancouver.ca/branch-out. To be eligible, you must own your property or get permission from a landlord.

The trees were chosen because they are resilient and grow well in the city’s soils, and include plums, figs, spruce, lilac and gingko. They are expected to thrive and create a much-needed canopy in just a few years.

Those who are chosen will get their tree in March at the start of planting season, and will get advice from park board staff on choosing a spot and nurturing its growth.

“Today’s changing climate has created an increasingly challenging environment for people and trees in Vancouver,” said Vancouver parks’ manager of urban forestry, Joe McLeod, about the strategy behind the pilot project.

The neighbourhoods, which are in south-central Vancouver, were chosen because they have less than 15 per cent canopy cover. The city’s urban forest strategy calls for an expansion of the green canopy from 23 per cent to 30 per cent by 2050.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Vancouver neighbourhoods being offered 250 free trees to boost canopy

Do people in general want trees on their property? I know in general people appreciate tree canopy but I'm not sure if people want the issues of having a tree on your property like leaf disposal, lawn disruption, broken pipes, etc. Everyone I know that intentionally planted trees in their yards has regretted it years later. Maybe it's better to stick to city owned land?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Do people in general want trees on their property? I know in general people appreciate tree canopy but I'm not sure if people want the issues of having a tree on your property like leaf disposal, lawn disruption, broken pipes, etc. Everyone I know that intentionally planted trees in their yards has regretted it years later. Maybe it's better to stick to city owned land?

Everybody has to do their part to save the climate. Why should the evil single family homeowner be given a pass?

[WarrenC12]

Vancouver used to have a tree sale twice a year (pre-COVID). $10 for a tree, limit 2 per address I think. We got a few, it's a great program.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Vancouver neighbourhoods being offered 250 free trees to boost canopy

Ha!

The neighbourhoods, which are in south-central Vancouver, were chosen because they have less than 15 per cent canopy cover. The city’s urban forest strategy calls for an expansion of the green canopy from 23 per cent to 30 per cent by 2050.

That's because the residents there grow vegetables in their gardens and need the direct sun,
as opposed to the Westside where residents lounge and drink in the shade.

It's reflective of the divide between east and west sides. ... let them buy their vegetables at the supermarket, instead!

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Ha!


That's because the residents there grow vegetables in their gardens and need the direct sun,
as opposed to the Westside where residents lounge and drink in the shade.

That was tongue in cheek, right?

[FarmerHaight]

• Video Link

Food for thought on the seawall, and ways it could be improved.

I, for one, would love more restaurants and entertainment options adjacent to, or located on the seawall. Incorporating ground floor commercial spaces facing the seawall in the Plaza of Nations development would be a great start. I also think a seasonal concession at David Lam Park could be successful, and I would love if more permits for food trucks and other mobile vendors for the stretches along Sunset and English Bay beaches. Also, when the co-ops between Cambie and Granville are redeveloped they could include some seawall-facing commercial spaces too.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Food for thought on the seawall, and ways it could be improved.

I, for one, would love more restaurants and entertainment options adjacent to, or located on the seawall.

I'm 95% positive this was a part of either general motions at council (last council) or for the West End Waterfront Plan. ABC councillors were throwing this around last time I believe.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

• Video Link

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by madog222

Thanks!