New Westminster will launch a parklet pilot project in Sapperton this summer.
Council has directed staff to proceed with implementation of a demonstration parklet on East Columbia Street for the summer of 2015.
“I am excited about the parklet program. I’d love to see at least one of these in all our major commercial main streets,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote. “I think it’s something that adds extra vitality to the street.”
Cote said people often think of sidewalks as a way of creating pedestrian environments, but a big part of a great street is providing a place that people like to walk on and feel comfortable.
“Parklet programs have been very successful all across North America in many cities, particularly if they are located near businesses that either offer food or coffee,” Cote told the Record. “Those tend to be the locations that are most successful. Those will be the locations, as we move forward with this, that we will be focusing on.”
In keeping with lessons learned elsewhere, New Westminster’s first parklet will be located in the 400 block of East Columbia Street, in front of Fratelli’s bakery.
“I think it is absolutely fabulous that we are going to do this,” said Coun. Lorrie Williams, a Sapperton resident. “I think they are going to make our streets so much more interesting. I think it’s going to help commerce a lot.”
Williams said Commercial Drive in Vancouver has a strong sense of community because there are people on the streets and interacting with others, something she thinks will be enhanced in New Westminster with the introduction of parklets.
Cote said there’s been quite a bit of research about parklets across North America and New Westminster has learned from other cities’ experiences.
“There have been parklets that have not been successful. Sometimes if they are near businesses that are completely unrelated to that type of activity, they don’t get as much success,” Cote said. “I am looking forward to the first one coming to Sapperton, and I think we are going to have opportunities to learn from that experience and then as we move forward in to future years with our other commercial main street. I think we want to keep an open mind and be available to be creative in how we build these spaces too.”
In the summer of 2013, the Uptown Property Group got the city’s permission to create a parklet in front of Westminster Centre. The space included seating on Sixth Street, where people could enjoy musical entertainment offered outside the mall.
While the uptown parklet was seasonal, the city’s plan is to create permeant parklets in commercial areas.
“This is going to be a permanent feature on the streetscape,” Cote said. “Parklets are built in a way that they can be removed, but the goal here is to actually create permanent public spaces on our commercial mains streets.”
According to a staff report, the city’s parklets pilot program includes capital funding for a new parklet every year for the next five years, with the goal of building parklets on a main street in each of the city’s five commercial neighbourhoods. The plan would see a parklet created in the uptown in 2016, with 12th Street, the downtown and Queensborough to follow in 2017 to 2019.
“Many forward-thinking cities, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver already have similar programs in place,” stated a staff report. “Parklets transform on-street parking stalls into comfortable places for people to sit, socialize and enjoy the city. They support local businesses, residents and visitors by providing unique public spaces that attract customers and promote socialization. Research has shown that parklets bring an improved quality of life to residents and visitors by increasing access to open space in an urban setting.”
