Vancouver City Center Vision Plan

Esther Short Park – Vancouver’s Community Heart

In 1997 the Vancouver City Council approved the Esther Short Subarea Plan, a redevelopment plan and strategy for a 27 block area in downtown Vancouver. This plan was intended to guide a 20 year redevelopment effort. However, due to an unusual economy and aggressive public / private development efforts managed by Steve, eighty percent of the plan was accomplished in about eight years. So in 2005 the City Council directed that a new downtown plan be developed for a larger area of 130 blocks. Steve was the staff person in charge of this planning process.

His responsibilities included:

• Designing the plan’s scope and format;
• Retaining and managing the economic feasibility and urban design consultants;
• Bringing together and guiding the citizen advisory committee deliberations;
• Resolving disagreements related to proposed policies;
• Presenting the plan and its environmental impact statement to and obtaining approvals from the Downtown Redevelopment Authority, the Planning Commission and the City Council.

The plan and its environmental impact statement can be found with the following links:

Final Report:
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/upload/images/EconDev/VCCVFINALREPORT061807.pdf

Planned Action:
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/upload/images/EconDev/ORD%20M-3833.pdf

Appendix Part 1:
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/vccv/VCCVappendix%20WEB-PART1.pdf

Appendix Part 2:
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/vccv/VCCVappendix%20WEB-PART2.pdf

Appendix Part 3:
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/vccv/VCCVappendix%20WEB-PART3.pdf

Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement:
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/vccv/VCCV-FinalSEIS.pdf