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DRA & DV2020 Election Questions for a Better Downtown Victoria Submitted by John Farquharson www.johnfarquharson.com • Please list specific initiatives and proposals you will put forward to improve the livability of Downtown for its residents. A key New Independent principle for improving the livability of Downtown for its resident is that “Expanding community”. The key at this time is to increase the number of people living downtown and introduce initiatives that help transform them into a neighbourhood community. Much has been learned from other neighbourhoods on how to do this. Let's adopt their successes to the downtown. • Please state your opinion about, and a corresponding action you would propose that the City of Victoria adopt, on the following issues: • Park planning/green space Protect the Bowling Green and Cridge Park as Parks. As past Chair of the City of Victoria Greenways Plan Steering Committee and current member of the Multi-Disciplinary Implementation Committee, I support the current focus on detailed planning for the Harbour Pathway section of the plan • Late night downtown issues We need a vibrant downtown that doesn't roll up the sidewalks at 11 PM as it did when I first moved here as a young person 30 years ago. For example, ensure that transportation is available for those exiting the bars at 2 a.m. so they can get home. • Policing and safety More undercover police • Continuing residential development Love it. As a New Independent I favour markets before mandates. Provide incentives to builders to get a greater variety of people living downtown, not just those within one price range of condos. • Additional cultural/social amenities Lose our status as the only capital city without a downtown art gallery • Commercial prosperity Need to think outside the box re: parking downtown. Creative and practical ideas welcome • Transportation planning I support the Transit Commission's decision to delay implementation of the Busway to allow for detailed planning for rapid transit from downtown through to the Western Communities • Infrastructure improvements More pedestrian friendly sidewalks • Budget priorities Affordable Housing. Pursue no or low cost approaches (e.g., the Secondary Suite Policy that originated in Gonzales while I was Chair of the Planning Committee) • Property taxes Need further information on the Province's recent decision to freeze assessments • Please explain your plan to ensure that an effective Good Neighbour Agreement with respect to social service providers is put in place to avoid negative effects in the surrounding area. No occupancy permit until an GN Agreement, with measurable indicators and recourse by the community if the indicators are unmet, is in place • The Social Health of Downtown There are 214 Non Profits funded by the United Way in Victoria. Funding Analysis shows that their volunteer base and number of funders is declining. Many of these Non Profits are charged with providing essential services for the social health of Victoria. Now that the economic climate is weakening these services are more important than ever. How would you work to support Non Profits in the community, and what role do you see the City playing in helping keep this sector strong ? We have a Coalition to end Homelessness, we have a plan, but we don't have all of the organizations working together yet. The new mayor and council will be charged in ensuring that this is resolved or the Coalition will not be successful and the problems will only get worse. How do you propose getting all 214 non-profits to come to the table and work together under the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness to provide a more seamless provision of services to those in need and stop providing a duplication of services and therefore a waste of valuable funding ? An important 1 st step is to re-engineer Victoria's system to end homelessness, a system comprised of scores of agencies, organizations, programs and societies. A revamped system would be free of the current silos, fiefdoms and turf disputes; the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts. We need a system characterized by a focus on outcomes, not input. One that is in keeping with the New Independent principle of rewarding results, not programs. One that is data driven to ensure measurement. A re-engineered system would ensure that none of the passion, commitment and energy of those working within the larger system to end homelessness is wasted. It would allow them to focus their full attention outward on the end goal, not inward and upward on their own program, agency or organization • Making Plans become Realities The City planning department, in cooperation with community associations and other stakeholder groups has created some excellent plans to ensure the success and vitality of downtown. Unfortunately some of these plans have been "in the works" for many years without much tangible progress on the ground. In particular we are concerned about the following four plans: • *The Downtown Plan –* The City needs not just to adopt this plan but also to consider how to activate it, fund it, and make sure things come to pass. • *The Harbourfront Walkway Plan* , which would connect the harbour from Ogden Point all the way up to the Selkirk trestle. Two key areas are the Belleville Terminal and the Blue Bridge. • *An excellent plan adopted in 1992 entitled the Downtown Beautification Strategy* which seems to have fallen into disuse. • The Greenways Plan which will make our city a more sustainable, walkable and liveable place. Are you aware of all these initiatives? Yes 6. Monitoring the Well-being of Downtown Much of the progress downtown Victoria has made over the last few years has been the result of a very strong economic climate. There are signs that this climate is weakening, and the question on our minds is, “Have we made enough progress to sustain ourselves over the coming times?” How would you provide diligence in monitoring the health of downtown retail and services? Through partnership with the DVBA and the Chamber of Commerce Are you willing to take a stand in supporting more residential density downtown as part of ensuring environmental, social and economic sustainability in our region ? YES Are you prepared to take leadership in ensuring that downtown provides the cultural and educational resources appropriate to it's role as the hub of the provincial capital? YES What kind of priority will you give issues such as building a new and up-to-date Central Library, encouraging institutions such as the Art Gallery, or University to come downtown?** High Priority back to candidates list .
info@dv2020.ca

DRA & DV2020 Election Questions
for a Better Downtown Victoria
Submitted by John Farquharson

www.johnfarquharson.com

• Please list specific initiatives and proposals you will put forward to improve the livability of Downtown for its residents.

A key New Independent principle for improving the livability of Downtown for its resident is that “Expanding community”. The key at this time is to increase the number of people living downtown and introduce initiatives that help transform them into a neighbourhood community. Much has been learned from other neighbourhoods on how to do this. Let's adopt their successes to the downtown.

• Please state your opinion about, and a corresponding action you would propose that the City of Victoria adopt, on the following issues:

• Park planning/green space

Protect the Bowling Green and Cridge Park as Parks. As past Chair of the City of Victoria Greenways Plan Steering Committee and current member of the Multi-Disciplinary Implementation Committee, I support the current focus on detailed planning for the Harbour Pathway section of the plan

• Late night downtown issues

We need a vibrant downtown that doesn't roll up the sidewalks at 11 PM as it did when I first moved here as a young person 30 years ago. For example, ensure that transportation is available for those exiting the bars at 2 a.m. so they can get home.

• Policing and safety

More undercover police

• Continuing residential development

Love it. As a New Independent I favour markets before mandates. Provide incentives to builders to get a greater variety of people living downtown, not just those within one price range of condos.

• Additional cultural/social amenities

Lose our status as the only capital city without a downtown art gallery

• Commercial prosperity

Need to think outside the box re: parking downtown. Creative and practical ideas welcome

• Transportation planning

I support the Transit Commission's decision to delay implementation of the Busway to allow for detailed planning for rapid transit from downtown through to the Western Communities

• Infrastructure improvements

More pedestrian friendly sidewalks

• Budget priorities

Affordable Housing. Pursue no or low cost approaches (e.g., the Secondary Suite Policy that originated in Gonzales while I was Chair of the Planning Committee)

• Property taxes

Need further information on the Province's recent decision to freeze assessments

• Please explain your plan to ensure that an effective Good Neighbour Agreement with respect to social service providers is put in place to avoid negative effects in the surrounding area.

No occupancy permit until an GN Agreement, with measurable indicators and recourse by the community if the indicators are unmet, is in place

• The Social Health of Downtown

There are 214 Non Profits funded by the United Way in Victoria. Funding Analysis shows that their volunteer base and number of funders is declining. Many of these Non Profits are charged with providing essential services for the social health of Victoria. Now that the economic climate is weakening these services are more important than ever. How would you work to support Non Profits in the community, and what role do you see the City playing in helping keep this sector strong ?

We have a Coalition to end Homelessness, we have a plan, but we don't have all of the organizations working together yet. The new mayor and council will be charged in ensuring that this is resolved or the Coalition will not be successful and the problems will only get worse. How do you propose getting all 214 non-profits to come to the table and work together under the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness to provide a more seamless provision of services to those in need and stop providing a duplication of services and therefore a waste of valuable funding ?

An important 1 st step is to re-engineer Victoria's system to end homelessness, a system comprised of scores of agencies, organizations, programs and societies. A revamped system would be free of the current silos, fiefdoms and turf disputes; the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts. We need a system characterized by a focus on outcomes, not input. One that is in keeping with the New Independent principle of rewarding results, not programs. One that is data driven to ensure measurement. A re-engineered system would ensure that none of the passion, commitment and energy of those working within the larger system to end homelessness is wasted. It would allow them to focus their full attention outward on the end goal, not inward and upward on their own program, agency or organization

• Making Plans become Realities

The City planning department, in cooperation with community associations and other stakeholder groups has created some excellent plans to ensure the success and vitality of downtown. Unfortunately some of these plans have been "in the works" for many years without much tangible progress on the ground. In particular we are concerned about the following four plans:

• The Downtown Plan – The City needs not just to adopt this plan but also to consider how to activate it, fund it, and make sure things come to pass.

• The Harbourfront Walkway Plan , which would connect the harbour from Ogden Point all the way up to the Selkirk trestle. Two key areas are the Belleville Terminal and the Blue Bridge.

• **An excellent plan adopted in 1992 entitled the Downtown Beautification Strategy which seems to have fallen into disuse.**

• The Greenways Plan which will make our city a more sustainable, walkable and liveable place.

Are you aware of all these initiatives?

Yes

6. Monitoring the Well-being of Downtown

Much of the progress downtown Victoria has made over the last few years has been the result of a very strong economic climate. There are signs that this climate is weakening, and the question on our minds is, “Have we made enough progress to sustain ourselves over the coming times?”

How would you provide diligence in monitoring the health of downtown retail and services?

Through partnership with the DVBA and the Chamber of Commerce

Are you willing to take a stand in supporting more residential density downtown as part of ensuring environmental, social and economic sustainability in our region ?

YES

Are you prepared to take leadership in ensuring that downtown provides the cultural and educational resources appropriate to it's role as the hub of the provincial capital?

YES

What kind of priority will you give issues such as building a new and up-to-date Central Library, encouraging institutions such as the Art Gallery, or University to come downtown?

High Priority

DRA & DV2020 Election Questions for a Better Downtown Victoria Submitted by John Farquharson