A two and a half-page report titled Country Lanes Demonstration Project from Engineering Services to city council, dated July 9, 2002, is buried on the website archive known as former.vancouver.ca. It is a former public policy conceived by a group of enthusiastic city staffers who saw the potential in Vancouver's otherwise overlooked back alleys.
But with so many laneway homes being built today, will the Country Lane program that has lately languished win new fans at city hall?
Most of us know what typical back lanes look like that is where we park our cars, store our garbage receptacles or stumble upon old TV sets and soiled mattresses. In contrast, the Country Lane is an inviting public space that combines tough plastic grids and structural permeable soil that allows grass to grow. Two concrete strips running down the lane bear the weight of vehicles, while the remaining space is both durable and green.
Despite receiving international recognition, the Country Lanes never caught on as a city-making initiative. Their detractors within city hall were quick to point out the expense of the demonstration project $225,000 for three lanes ignoring in that new initiatives often cost more at the outset.
It is rumoured that engineering department senior management of the day vehemently rejected the new lane surfacing concept in favour of tried and true asphalt paving. When a city garbage hauler used his truck tires to rut the newly planted grass during the Country Lane's early days, it all but confirmed that rumour.
Approved during the final months of the NPA political dynasty, Country Lanes never again found a political champion in the administrations that followed. Over time they fell off the radar of city planners.
A decade later, fans are as passionate as ever about Country Lanes. Over the noon hour on Sunday, July 14, folks who were instrumental in the creation of the first Country Lane behind 700-block East 27th Avenue will gather to celebrate the tenth anniversary of a unique public space.
A community block party the latest of several that have been held there over the decade will be a chance to demonstrate the success of the demonstration project.
The lane was originally pitched as a way to reduce the burden on storm sewer systems by providing natural filtration for rainwater. In addition, the summertime heat caused by the off-gassing of asphalt is replaced instead by cooler, landscaped surroundings. It has also lived up to expectations as a community space, where drivers usually slow down to navigate the tire tracks.
To the delight of organizers, former mayor Philip Owen whose council approved the lane has promised to stop by. Attendees will include Sharole Tylor and Jeannie Kamins, whose neighbourhood activism garnered the attention of Sandy James, the retired city greenways planner who spearheaded the lanes project. Tylor and James are quick to credit the creativity and leadership of city staffers Dave DesRochers, Wally Konowalchuk, and David Yurkovich for the success of the project.
Invitations are out to others from the city including the current council and staff to see the Country Lane how it was meant to be as a great gathering place for people. Organizers hope that an old idea will one day become new again.
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Mike Klassen (@MikeKlassen) is B.C. director for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and a proud member of Vancouvers Mountain View neighbourhood.
