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News story of the year – Downtown Renaissance

From dope dealers to food trucks

Crowds descended downtown this fall for two seminal events that marked the culmination of a decade of turning around the downtown.

The opening of the Anvil Centre, an anchoring community facility on the corner of Eighth and Columbia streets, and the unveiling of the Wait for Me, Daddy sculpture, a Second World War memorial at Hyack Square, were two of the biggest events in the city’s recent history.

Both structures stand as physical markers to the renaissance of New Westminster’s downtown. And just over the train tracks lies the city’s new Westminster Pier Park – yet another controversial project which seals the Downtown renaissance as The Record’s News Story of the Year.

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A decade ago, the same swath of land that the Anvil Center and Wait for Me, Daddy resides on was littered with drug activity and a general air of urban neglect. Years of looking upwards had taken its toll, but a new mayor with a distinctly downtown focus had taken office. Early on, Wayne Wright ran on a campaign to maximize the potential of the waterfront neighbourhood.

But he didn’t do it alone. Many on council, including current Mayor Jonathan Cote, supported that vision, voting (as a councillor) in favour of the hefty $86.4 million budget for the Anvil Centre project, which drew thousands of curious residents for its much-anticipated opening in September.

The local Twitterati raved about the venue, which is home to the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a Tourism New Westminster kiosk, a state-of-the-art theatre, a conference centre and a number of cultural spaces where a variety of programs will be offered.

The modern structure stands on the corner of Eighth and Columbia streets across from what was once the epicenter of drug dealing at the New Westminster SkyTrain station.

Across the street the other way, on the south side is the Wait for Me, Daddy sculpture, a large bronze rendering of Claude P. Dettloff’s iconic photograph of Warren (Whitey) Bernard racing out to touch the hand of his father, marching down Eighth Street with a row of soldiers on their way to war.

The Oct. 4 unveiling event garnered plenty of media attention to the city. One has to wonder if such a piece of art would have been erected in the same spot 10 years earlier?

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Downtown’s metamorphosis didn’t happen in a single year. It was a slow push, with luck also playing a part in the neighbourhood’s scrub down. Drug dealing practices have changed to a certain extent, with Dial-a-Dope operations (where drug dealers are called for a sale) have taken over some of the old-fashioned street-level dealing, Sgt. Chad Johnston, spokesperson for the New Westminster Police Department, told The Record.

Crime statistics for downtown New West show that rates have dropped significantly in drug offences, going from 200 incidents in 2006 and 239 in 2007 to 70 (up to the end of November) so far this year.

Another factor blowing new life to downtown are the many residential towers that have crept up over the last decade (too quickly perhaps for some).

But even in the good times, the city hasn’t shoved out the area’s vulnerable residents, partnering with provincial and local agencies to create shelters and emergency housing.

The Westminster Pier Park, the Shops at New West, the revitalized River Market and sophisticated Gastown-style development have all also had a hand in the shifting downtown core.

While Columbia Street might not be the Golden Mile it was 60 years ago, the area has emerged with new life and a unique vibe. It’s reclaimed a new kind of prominence – without any pretension – in the Lower Mainland. And the new landmarks will shape and define the neighbourhood. Now that the downtown has undergone a rebirth, it will be interesting to watch where the neighbourhood goes from here.