Big park, new seawall, new Georgia ramp, public spaces are emerging direction for post-Viaducts city

Trading the Viaducts for a new heart for the city.

A big waterfront park, a new ramp connecting False Creek to Georgia St. and new public spaces are some the exciting “emerging directions” emerging from the city’s lengthy consultations on the future of Northeast False Creek.

Central to the vision released by the city’s planning teams yesterday is replacement of the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts with a new ramp connection up to Georgia that allows for expanded park space, good traffic connections to all of the city’s historic neighbourhoods and an intense mix of public spaces amid new developments proposed by Concord Pacific and Canadian Metropolitan Lands (on the Plaza of Nations site.)

The city’s consultation process is continuing — you can have your say at a new round of open houses occurring around the city.

Where the Skytrain, the Viaducts and at-grade roads now eat up vital space in the heart of the city there will be green space, intense urban development on private lands and unique public spaces both on the seawall and along Chinatown’s south edge.

Intense urban development, new public spaces.

If approved by council later this year, the plan would also open up two city blocks on either side of Main Street where Hogan’s Alley, once he heart of the city’s black and African-descent community.

The Northeast False Creek plans are being co-ordinated with new plans for False Creek Flats, the critical industrial area to the east. Taken together, the two plans will transform the heart of the city.