To the editor:
Re: “Cambie Corridor faces its future,” July 4.
Remember the Cambie Street Heritage Boulevard? It was so important to City of Vancouver planners that during the construction of the Canada Line prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics, they even erected a sign to commemorate the heritage designation.
We spent millions extra on the Canada Line south of 49th Avenue to preserve the Cambie Street Heritage Boulevard, keeping the line underground until Marine Drive instead of daylighting at the 49th Avenue station. This preserved the wonderful trees along that stretch of the boulevard. All this has been apparently set aside in the city’s obsession for densification regardless of the community’s thoughts or the city’s livability.
We will still have the wonderful central meridian but on either side will be an endless corridor of six- or eight-storey condominiums stretching from Marine to King Edward and beyond. The only remaining view will be of the six 30-storey plus towers to be built at Oakridge.
There is one, fleeting, reference to the heritage boulevard in the Cambie Corridor Plan published by the city in 2011: “the Canada Line runs underneath Cambie Street — a central spine of the City and ceremonial heritage boulevard.” Otherwise it seems to be forgotten in the rush for development.
One of the saddest losses will be the view as visitors travel northwards along Cambie Street as it curves around Queen Elizabeth Park at about 33rd Avenue. This is one of the most spectacular views for travellers entering Vancouver, with the downtown and the mountain backdrop clearly spread out below them. Two cranes currently presage the view to be: two or three six-storey condominiums will block the vista.
Like the many neighbourhood plans torn up by the current city administration, the heritage boulevard is trampled in the name of progress.
Mark Stoakes,
Vancouver
