Port Place Mall plans: extensive revisions
First Capital Realty Inc’s revised redevelopment plans for Port Place Mall were presented to the Design Advisory Panel on Thursday evening, along with 4 other projects: 888 Bruce (DP000653), 6461 Metral Dr (DP000655), 650 Terminal Ave (Husky Gas Station).
I was happy to see representatives from the adjoining neighbourhood associations in attendance.
Details of the development permit applications can be found on the City’s website at NanaimoMap — select the “development” option in the “themes” menu. The revised Port Place plans were not posted yet though when I looked earlier today. The rezoning application detail, also, has not been posted.
The Port Place plans have undergone considerable alteration. The smaller project — to build a stand-alone slab commercial building at 9 Nicol St ran into provincial Department of Highways complications that required that area to be reworked. The catalyst however for a much broader reworking was the requirement to ensure for the anchor tenants a certain number of parking stalls.
The reworked plans now group the residential component at the north end of the site including the tower. There is an additional longer term plan to build row houses and condos facing Piper Park.
This grouping I would say is an improvement in that it lays the groundwork for a possible eventual residential “neighbourhood” with amenities within walking distance and the housing stock likely to result in a mix of incomes. Whether any of this residential component will ever be built is another question… If a new streetcape is developed along Piper Park it could accomplish extending the street grid from Commercial down Museum Way and connected to the harbour.
The City and the proponent continue to promote the new access and egress alignment as at “street”. I continue to wonder if publicly owned streets have become sound public policy.
This is still a suburban shopping mall in our downtown core however. Once this amount of surface parking is entrenched here, we’re stuck with it for between 15 and 25 years.
Another opportunity lost I’m afraid.
Frank Murphy
Posts and Comments on Nanaimo Governance 
Victoria downtown plan . . .
Click to access downtown-core-area-plan-draft.pdf
Is this just more pie in the sky?
Thanks for this Urbanismo.
After a cursory scan, this stood out:
5.7.7 5.7.8
Prohibit the development of new surface parking lots and single- purpose, above-grade parking structures.
What’s your take?
Frank,
I’ll dig up my email to you and post it here. I personally do not like that parking lot and we should do whatever we can to hide it under a structure or similar.
Until I find it…
Frank,
Sorry for the late reply, I was in Edmonton.
I find it strange that the previous council made such a mess of the development of the conference centre, which although is beautifully done and is something we need they are doing what appears to be the same thing with the port place. They should have a group of 3rd party professionals that run these sorts of things and work with the owners to ensure that things are done in a fashion that is acceptable to the city.
Anyway, I think that we may want to sit down over a coffee one day and see if there is a way to ensure adequacy.
Cheers,
Wyatt Earp
Frank,
What is this business about the changes or revisions to the Port Place?
I would like to point out one thing about the road the ROW has always been there and remains there to this day on the legal plans. It was Nicol St. that goes from the hill directly to the ferry terminal. Nothing really to worry about I suspect.
In so far as the “cluster” housing – my only opinion is that this had better be more than 4 storey wood condo’s – in fact they had better be 8 to 12 storey concrete or the system will never support itself. I also agree that this “mall” has got to loose this ugly parking lot. Put it under the structure (can’t dig under that rock) but you know what I’m getting at.
Cheers,
Wyatt Earp