Vancouver city council to vote on a car-free future for Granville Street

Yahoo

31-05-2025

If Vancouver city council gives the go-ahead on Wednesday, Granville Street could one day resemble a mix of car-free Las Ramblas in Barcelona, with the live music of Nashville's Broadway, plus a touch of the bright lights of Tokyo's Shibuya pedestrian crossing.
That is the 20-year vision for a striking new plan to revitalize the city's once-neon-lit grand old dame of a street, which has fallen on hard times.
The plan, which envisions all of Granville eventually being car-free from the bridge over False Creek to Waterfront Station, could cost up to $140 million in 2025 dollars, according preliminary estimates in the report, which was two years in the making.
'Currently, the area faces challenges with vacant storefronts, lack of daytime activity, and rising health, safety and street-disorder concerns, contributing to a negative perception of the Granville Entertainment District,' the report states.
The plan keys on three areas: The city centre (between Georgia and Smithe streets) with mixed-use residential developments including some of the city's tallest towers; the entertainment core (between Smithe and Davie streets), a hub of live music, theatres and restaurants; and the bridgehead (between Davie and Drake Streets) with a quieter mix of residential, local shops and cultural spaces.
If approved, the plan eventually envisions the creation of a 'world-class destination public space gradually working toward a year-round shore-to-shore pedestrian zone.'
Built around the time the city was founded, Granville soon became known as Theatre Row, and welcomed trolleys heading up and down. By the 1950s, it glowed with endless neon signs, and today is still home to icons such as the Orpheum Theatre and Commodore Ballroom.
The plan's goal is to transform Granville into an arts, entertainment and cultural destination, with more restaurants and patios.
That includes improving safety, live music, expanded hotel space, mixed-use residential (including tall towers 200 and 400 feet high, taller than previously allowed, near the Canada Line Station at Georgia), and single-room occupancy social housing.
There are eight single-room accommodation buildings on Granville, the report states, containing about 600 rooms, many of them privately owned, which the city plans to replace with self-contained social housing.
The preliminary estimated cost is between $90 million and $140 million.
There is a proposed new plaza at Granville and Robson streets, which would be home giant digital billboards, like Manhattan's Times Square or Piccadilly Circus in London's West End, showing visual art and live-event screenings along with advertisements.
At the moment, about 1,100 TransLink buses ply the corridor daily, carrying 21,000 passengers. Those would be shifted to adjacent Seymour and Howe streets, after those roads are upgraded.
'Granville Street, part of Vancouver's historic streetcar network, remains a busy transit corridor connecting key areas,' the report reads.
'The 2010 Winter Olympics marked a peak of activity, with significant changes including the introduction of the Canada Line and public realm improvements,' it says. 'Despite (today's) challenges, Granville Street has significant opportunities.
'The Granville Street plan will enhance the area's future for businesses, venues, visitors, and residents. The plan's vision aligns efforts across city departments, private property owners, and business and venue operators to transform Granville into a dynamic destination for culture, performance, and entertainment.'
There will be regular reviews and updates to ensure the plan adapts to changing contexts, the report says.
Before presenting the plan to council, the city held a dozen public workshops, held youth roundtables and public walking tours, received 5,700 completed surveys and heard 11,000 comments.
The city also met with business and hospitality associations, arts and cultural organizations, social service providers, and public agencies such as B.C. Housing and TransLink.
After the final round of engagement this past February, support for the vision was 76 per cent, the report says.
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If Vancouver city council gives the go-ahead on Wednesday, Granville Street could one day resemble a mix of car-free Las Ramblas in Barcelona, with the live music of Nashville's Broadway, plus a touch of the bright lights of Tokyo's Shibuya pedestrian crossing.
That is the 20-year vision for a striking new plan to revitalize the city's once-neon-lit grand old dame of a street, which has fallen on hard times.
The plan, which envisions all of Granville eventually being car-free from the bridge over False Creek to Waterfront Station, could cost up to $140 million in 2025 dollars, according preliminary estimates in the report, which was two years in the making.
'Currently, the area faces challenges with vacant storefronts, lack of daytime activity, and rising health, safety and street-disorder concerns, contributing to a negative perception of the Granville Entertainment District,' the report states.
The plan keys on three areas: The city centre (between Georgia and Smithe streets) with mixed-use residential developments including some of the city's tallest towers; the entertainment core (between Smithe and Davie streets), a hub of live music, theatres and restaurants; and the bridgehead (between Davie and Drake Streets) with a quieter mix of residential, local shops and cultural spaces.
If approved, the plan eventually envisions the creation of a 'world-class destination public space gradually working toward a year-round shore-to-shore pedestrian zone.'
Built around the time the city was founded, Granville soon became known as Theatre Row, and welcomed trolleys heading up and down. By the 1950s, it glowed with endless neon signs, and today is still home to icons such as the Orpheum Theatre and Commodore Ballroom.
The plan's goal is to transform Granville into an arts, entertainment and cultural destination, with more restaurants and patios.
That includes improving safety, live music, expanded hotel space, mixed-use residential (including tall towers 200 and 400 feet high, taller than previously allowed, near the Canada Line Station at Georgia), and single-room occupancy social housing.
There are eight single-room accommodation buildings on Granville, the report states, containing about 600 rooms, many of them privately owned, which the city plans to replace with self-contained social housing.
The preliminary estimated cost is between $90 million and $140 million.
There is a proposed new plaza at Granville and Robson streets, which would be home giant digital billboards, like Manhattan's Times Square or Piccadilly Circus in London's West End, showing visual art and live-event screenings along with advertisements.
At the moment, about 1,100 TransLink buses ply the corridor daily, carrying 21,000 passengers. Those would be shifted to adjacent Seymour and Howe streets, after those roads are upgraded.
'Granville Street, part of Vancouver's historic streetcar network, remains a busy transit corridor connecting key areas,' the report reads.
'The 2010 Winter Olympics marked a peak of activity, with significant changes including the introduction of the Canada Line and public realm improvements,' it says. 'Despite (today's) challenges, Granville Street has significant opportunities.
'The Granville Street plan will enhance the area's future for businesses, venues, visitors, and residents. The plan's vision aligns efforts across city departments, private property owners, and business and venue operators to transform Granville into a dynamic destination for culture, performance, and entertainment.'
There will be regular reviews and updates to ensure the plan adapts to changing contexts, the report says.
Before presenting the plan to council, the city held a dozen public workshops, held youth roundtables and public walking tours, received 5,700 completed surveys and heard 11,000 comments.
The city also met with business and hospitality associations, arts and cultural organizations, social service providers, and public agencies such as B.C. Housing and TransLink.
After the final round of engagement this past February, support for the vision was 76 per cent, the report says.