.

Peter Busby and Penny Gurstein have co-signed an op ed opposing the Edgewater mega-casino development. Peter Busby, Order of Canada, is a world-renowned architect and is Founder and Chair, Canada Green Building Council. Penny Gurstein is Professor and Director of the School of Community and Regional Planning and the Centre for Human Settlements at UBC.

Below their op ed, you will also find Peter’s notes detailing some of the environmental, architectural, urban planning and economic problems with the casino plan.

Insular megacasino would add no value to Vancouver’s downtown businesses

Also printed in the Vancouver Observer.

On April 9 and 10th, 2011, Vancouver City Council is holding rare weekend public consultations on the controversial proposed megacasino project adjacent to BC Place.

Council’s ultimate decision on the project will test the fundamental values Vancouver has worked hard to achieve and will set forth a vision for the city’s future.

Vancouver has made great strides distinguishing itself from most large North American urban centres. It’s a city where urban-planning techniques and architectural styles are based on the core values of sustainable, economic, social and ecological development. Vancouverites see these values reflected in the growing collection of innovative green architecture, vibrant neighbourhoods, transit options, green space and lack of highways bisecting the city.

The proposal by Crown-owned BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) and Las-Vegas-based Paragon to build this mega-casino, boasting a gambling floor the size of two NFL football fields and 1500 slots, does not reflect a city renowned for its lifestyle, natural beauty and diverse cultural integration.

The presence of this megacasino in the downtown core threatens to undermine Vancouver’s values while running contrary to the vision of a municipality that aspires to be the greenest city in the world in less than a decade.

The project does not align with Vancouver’s vision of pedestrian and cycling-oriented neighborhoods and mixed-use architecture that integrates and enhances the surrounding communities. Instead, its massive floor plates will make it the bulkiest building downtown, a dominating form in a city that prides itself on its livable urban scale.

Inwardly focused and insular in design, casinos are by their very function a narcissistic drain on society. Through a combination of financial incentives, including inexpensive food and alcohol, casinos create tempting scenarios that dominate a visitor’s reason for travelling downtown. As a consequence, casinos have limited benefits for surrounding neighborhood restaurants and businesses.

This is evident in the PavCo/Paragon proposal, with its vague and limited street-level retail, which it describes as being located to draw pedestrians into the facility as opposed to enhancing the community fabric. In fact, only one of nine eating/drinking venues is accessible from the sidewalk. This plan removes existing pedestrian access on the street, inhibiting movement and access in the heart of the city, leaving the area devoid of human scale and texture.

As part of the development of a provincial property, this site should make significant contributions to the public domain, adding to the vibrant atmosphere Vancouver currently enjoys. Instead, above the ground floor, a multi-storey blank wall becomes the most dominant feature of the proposal, running along an entire city block. The proposed exterior illumination schemes discourage pedestrian thoroughfare and will become outdated quickly. The casino has essentially made this block of Smithe Street its own – an unfortunate terminus for the world-renowned urbanism of the Downtown South neighbourhood, known for its extraordinary livability.

The proposal fails to advance the area with regards to housing diversity, office space, or mixed use development. It would however require a great deal of infrastructure that doesn’t currently exist there and would increase the need for water, energy and food without providing a net increase to the overall sustainability of the area. The amount of parking the proposal recommends anticipates that many patrons will drive to the casino and will exceed the minimum parking requirements by a few hundred parking spaces, increasing vehicle traffic in the downtown core.

Provinces like Ontario and Quebec have documented the severe gambling addiction problems associated with their casinos and more often than not, affecting the financially vulnerable. One study published by Cambridge University Press suggests that for every dollar earned by a casino, it will cost society three dollars to manage problems like addiction, extra policing, bankruptcies, and family breakdowns related to gambling debts and other factors. Vancouver has a myriad of social problems pertaining to poverty, substance abuse and homelessness. Building an edifice that will amplify our existing social problems seems counteractive.

Land in Vancouver’s downtown is finite. A mega casino is not an appropriate use of this limited, valuable, waterfront area. There are numerous and better options for this site. The Costco store by BC Place and Home Depot near Cambie St. and Broadway demonstrate how larger retail stores can provide a community-appropriate amenity to a neighborhood. Vancouver’s downtown should be brought up when people talk about Melbourne and Portland, young cities with fresh perspectives on livability and sustainable development, not mentioned in the same breath as Las Vegas, Windsor, or Atlantic City.

This opposition to the PavCo/Paragon Casino does not signify anti-development. Rather, it reflects a demand for urban development that is consistent with Vancouver’s civic values of social, ecological and economic sustainability.

Vancouver City Council must not approve the expansion of a gambling industry that can be socially toxic and economically dubious. It must reject the expansion of the Edgewater Casino. Vancouver can and must do better.

Peter Busby – Notes on the Edgewater Casino / BC Place “Entertainment Complex” plan

1. Social and Urban design issues:

· As part of the development of a provincial property, this site should make significant public contributions to the public domain. Instead, above the ground floor, a multi-storey blank wall becomes the most dominant feature of the proposal, running an entire city block. The proposed exterior illumination schemes will date quickly and seem gaudy in no time.

· As a public facility, the stadium should be as accessible as possible from all sides. Not only does the proposal dead-end the circulation ring around the building, compromising public circulation in the area, but it forces pedestrians approaching from the west to access the stadium from Expo or Pacific Boulevards. The area around the stadium is one of Vancouver’s least pedestrian-friendly environments, already challenged and devoid of human scale and texture. Removal of any existing pedestrian permeability on the street will inhibit movement and access in the heart of the city

· The casino essentially has made this block of Smithe Street its own – an unfortunate terminus for the world-renowned urbanism of the Downtown South neighbourhood, known for its extraordinary livability.

· The massive floor plates of the casino will make this the bulkiest building downtown, a dominating form in a City that prides itself in the successful urban scale of most places and projects.

· What about the social cost? Other provinces like Ontario and Quebec have documented the severe gambling addiction problems associated with their casinos and more often than not, affecting the financially weak. BC has taken the high road on so many other social issues; why shouldn’t we be standing strong against this?

· The size and scale of development is not in keeping with the goal of walkable, pedestrian and cycling oriented spaces.

· Casinos are inherently black boxes – inwardly focused and insular, the proposal shows extremely vague and limited retail at grade that is described as being located to draw pedestrians into the facility – only 1 of 9 eating/drinking venues is at grade

· Reports suggest that almost all of the revenue from the Edgewater casino is generated from “locals” who, on average visit 2-3 times a week for 25 hours/week – this is an addict – most new users are to come from “out of town” This paints a picture of users as a lethal mix of tourists who are visiting Vancouver (not for its beauty) and local addicts.

· Land Downtown is not endless. Is this an appropriate land use for such a prime location? There are much better uses for this site. Costco down the street and the Home Depot near Cambie and Broadway show you can put in larger retail stores and still provide an amenity to a neighbourhood. We probably want our downtown to be brought up when people talk about Paris, Vienna and London, not Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City.

2. Environmental issues
· How does this project contribute to the goal of the Greenest City?

· The project is 1.967 acres – “generally 2 acres or more” is needed to be applicable for a large site rezoning in the city – this site should be subject to the EcoCity requirements

· There has been no attempt to address the high energy usage of the casino by leveraging the adjacent residential land uses or using/developing district energy (Screening Study required under EcoCity to determine feasibility for district energy)

· There has been no recognition that hotels and casinos are massive users of potable water – lost opportunities to retain water and recycle for facility uses

· Their proposal to be “33% better than MNECB” (the Canadian Model National Energy Code for Buildings is the weakest energy code in the Western world, except for the USA, which doesn’t have one!) will mean they will not meet the Vancouver energy code when the building opens. That means it’s 22% better than ASHRAE 90.1-2007. Since the CoV’s energy code takes precedent at the time of building permit (and the building permit for this building won’t likely be complete until 2012 at the earliest), this building won’t be designed to meet the CoV’s newest energy code (ASHRAE 90.1-2010 to be adopted soon). They would be at least 3% worse than the building code before the building ever opened. If they open in 2015 they will be 30% worse than the building code at the time. It’s something that they and the CoV need to clear up. The bar is constantly being raised. We need to design to anticipate higher standards!

· The proposal doesn’t plan to pursue the rainwater quality control credit. Given they are on a brownfield, and right next to False Creek this is of concern, especially given the area of parking shown. Where’s all that dirt, grit and oil flowing?

· Generally the whole issue of “equivalence” is impossible to verify. Without a third party to review their work they can claim credits like durable building (which they show on their spreadsheet) and never produce a document to show compliance with the credit requirements. They’ve also thrown some pools up on the roof and the new ASHRAE modeling requirements don’t let you ignore that stuff anymore (that and the crazy plug loads from slots and the other gambling machines they want to put in there).

· They can’t design to LEED equivalence. “Ensure all new provincial government buildings meet LEED® Gold or equivalent green standards.” https://www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca/efficiency/ . If ICBC, VCH, and everyone else needs to design to meet LEED Gold why doesn’t the BCLC? It is a provincial government organization.

· The electrical loads in a casino are extremely high. It’s like a server room with all those slot machines, especially when it’s open 24/7 365. Adding something like this to an already dense area is going to make it pretty hard for BC Hydro and the province to meet its carbon reduction goals.

· From a LEED ND perspective this adds nothing to the area with regards to housing diversity, office space, or mixed use development. It would however require a great deal of infrastructure that isn’t there right now and would increase overall the need for water, energy and food without providing a net increase to the over sustainability of the area. The amount of parking they are adding suggests to me that they are anticipating this will be a driving crowd (exceed the minimum parking requirements by a few hundred parking spaces). This is nothing like the people who live in towers next to Costco and bring their stuff home by hand.

We are pleased to announce that a number of new supporters have joined other eminent people from diverse backgrounds to endorse the Coalition in its opposition to what would be Western Canada’s largest gambling casino.

These people and the many others who have supported the Coalition have asked themselves whether this casino is a reflection of the kind of Vancouver that they want for themselves and for future generationsTheir answer is a resounding no.

The latest individuals to offer their endorsement of the goals of Vancouver, Not Vegas! include:

Milton Wong, Chancellor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University, Order of Canada, Order of BC.
Peter Busby, Order of Canada, Founder and Chair, Canada Green Building Council.
Ken Lum, Artist.
Lynne Stopkewich, Filmmaker.
Colleen Hardwick (Nystedt) Urban Geographer, Film Producer.
Richard Lipsey, Professor  Emeritus, Simon Fraser University Economics Dept., Order of Canada.
George Bowering, former Poet Laureate of Canada, Order of Canada, Order of BC.
Val and Richard Bradshaw, Mr. Bradshaw is the former CEO of Phllips Hager & North Investment Management Ltd.
Karen Flavelle, President and CEO, Purdy’s Chocolates.
Donna Bridgeman, CA, (ret’d) GrowthWorks Capital
Penny Gurstein, University of British Columbia School of Community & Regional Planning.
Colin Miles,  Regional Director, Canadian Music Centre (Ret’d)   See his excellent comments here:   Video: Colin Miles tells it like it is
Earl Moulton, Retired Commander of Saskatchewan RCMP, Chair, Vision Quest Recovery Society (addiction recovery)
Stan Douglas, Artist
Ian Wallace, Artist
Rodney Graham, Artist
Chris Mathers, Retired corporal, RCMP, undercover officer specializing in gangs, money laundering; former President, KPMG Corporate Intelligence Inc. chrismathers.com

Vancouver City Council is holding public hearings about the proposed expansion of the Edgewater casino. The consultations take place tomorrow, April 9, from 10 am to 6 pm Saturday, April 9, at City Hall.

Hearings will continue Sunday if necessary, from 1 pm to 6 pm, and again on the evening of April 12.

For more information:

Ann Gibbon
604 263 0634
778 999 0064
info@anngibboncommunications.com

Full list of names continues below

Civic & BC political leaders
May Brown, Order of BC
Peter Ladner, Former City Councillor
George Puil, Former City Councillor
Darlene Marzari, Former City Councillor/BC MLA for Point Grey
Hon. Pat Carney
Gordon Gibson, Order of BC
Marguerite Ford, Order of BC, Former City Councillor
Setty Pendakur, Former City Councillor
Stuart Mackinnon, Park Board Commissioner, Green Party of Vancouver
Jonathan Baker, Former City Councillor
Dianne Ledingham, Former Vancouver Park Board Commissioner
Tim Louis, Former City Councillor

Community builders & Philanthropists
Milton Wong, Chancellor Emeritus SFU, Order of Canada, Order of BC
Jean Swanson, Award-winning anti-poverty activist
Mo Dhaliwal, Chair, Van. Int’l Bhangra Celebration
Fred Mah
Michael Clague, Order of Canada
Bill Chu
Herb Barbolet, Sustainable development expert, Founder, Farm Folk/City Folk

Architects, planners, urbanists & city builders
Bing Thom, Order of Canada
Peter Busby, Order of Canada, Founder and Chair, Canada Green Building Council
Cornelia Oberlander, Order of Canada
Penny Gurstein, UBC School of Community & Regional Planning
Colleen Hardwick (Nystedt), Urban geographer, film producer
Richard Balfour, Architect
Ned Jacobs, urbanist
Mark Osburn, Architect
Anthony Perl, Dir. SFU Urban Studies Program
Nick Milkovich, Architect

Academics & policy
Yosef Wosk, Order of BC
Jack Blaney, Order of Canada, Pres. Emeritus SFU
Michael Stevenson, President Emeritus, SFU
Dr. Marlene Moretti, CIHR Sr Research Chair, SFU
Doug McArthur, SFU Public Policy
Ann Cowan, ED SFU Harbour Centre/Morris J. Wosk Centre
Seth Klein, BC Director, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Medical, health & addictions
Dr. John Blatherwick, Order of Canada, Former Chief Medical Health Officer of Vancouver 1984 – 2007
Dr. Tom Perry, MD, Former cabinet minister
Dr. Stephen Drance, Order of Canada
Candace Plattor, Addiction therapist
Virginia Giles, Order of BC

Judges, lawyers, law enforcement, criminology
Ian Pitfield, Retired judge
Cameron Ward
Jack Giles, QC
Sgt. Bob Cooper, retired VPD, gang specialist
Peter Ditchfield, former Deputy Chief of Organized Crime Agency of BC
Katherine Wellburn, insolvency lawyer, former Registrar in Bankruptcy
Earl Moulton, Retired Commander of Saskatchewan RCMP, Chair, Vision Quest Recovery Society
S/Sgt Peter Montague (Ret’d) RCMP
Michael Walker, Lawyer (commercial real estate/hospitality)
Dr. Colin Campbell, Criminologist
Prof. Neil Boyd, SFU School of Criminology
Assistant Commissioner Earl Moulton – RCMP Commanding Officer Saskatchewan
(Ret’d) Chair of Vision Quest Recovery Society (Addiction recovery services, BC)
Detective Ian Pope, Organized Crime Agency of B.C., formerly VPD, (Ret’d)
Sergeant Ivan Chu, New Westminster Police Service (Ret’d)
Superintendent GlennWoods, Officer in Charge of Behavioural Sciences, RCMP (Ret’d)
Staff Sergeant Otto Bertagnolli, RCMP Drug Section (Ret’d)
Staff Sergeant Scot Filer, RCMP Major Crime Section (Ret’d)
Staff Sergeant Peter Montague, RCMP Commercial Crime Section (Ret’d)
Corporal Howard Parks, RCMP Money Laundering Expert (Ret’d)
Corporal Chris Mathers, RCMP Money Laundering Expert (Ret’d)
Sergeant Pat Powell, RCMP Threat Assessment Expert (Ret’d)
Inspector Keith Davidson, RCMP Major Crime Section (Ret’d)
Staff Sergeant Bob Hartl, RCMP Security Engineering Expert (Ret’d)
Dr Teal Maedel, RCMP Operational Psychologist (Major Crime Section)
Staff Sergeant Robert Stenhouse, RCMP Drug Section (Ret’d)
Staff Sergeant Sid Slater, RCMP Major Crime Section (Ret’d)
Staff Sergeant Tibi Roman, RCMP Border Integrity (serving)

Creative leaders
Ken Lum, Artist
Alma Lee, Order of Canada
George Bowering, former Poet Laureate of Canada, OC, OBC
Shane Koyczan, poet
Rodney Graham, Artist
Brian Jungen
Lynne Stopkewich, film director
Colin Miles, City Opera
Stan Douglas, Artist
Ian Wallace
Dan Mangan, musician
Michael Turner, Writer
Catriona Jeffries
Alda Pereira, Designer
Hank Bull, artist/founder, Western Front
Judith Marcuse
Mark Leiren-Young
Ken Pickering

Economists, Business & public leaders, businesses
Richard Lipsey, Order of Canada, Prof. Emeritus of Economics, SFU, world-renowned economist
Val and Richard Bradshaw; Mr. Bradshaw is former CEO of Phllips Hager & North Investment Management Ltd.
Patrick Reid, Order of Canada
Donna Bridgeman, CA, (ret’d) GrowthWorks Capital
Karen Flavelle, President and CEO, Purdy’s Chocolates
Arran & Ratana Stephens, Nature’s Path
Alix Brown, past owner, Dexter Properties
Jab Sidhoo
David Allison, Braun Allison
Lea Watson, Owner, Canterbury Tales, 4th Ave/Commercial Drive
Bikes On The Drive
Attic Treasures, Commercial Drive
Bioethique

Commentators & press
David Berner
Alex G. Tsakumis

Clergy & religious leaders
Rev. James Ip, Chair, Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship (Assn of approx 120 Canadian Chinese churches in Metro Vancouver
Rev. Dr. Ted Ng, Lead Pastor, Faith Community Christian Church
Christ Church Cathedral:
The Very Reverend Dr. Peter Elliott, Dean,
The Venerable Dr. Ellen Clark-King, Associate
The Reverend Alisdair Smith, Deacon
The Reverend Chris Dierkes, Curate,
The Reverend Dixie Black, Deacon
St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church:
Rev. Gary Paterson, Senior Minister
Jennifer Cunnings, Minister of Children, Families and Seniors
Tim Scorer, Minister of Adult Formation
Michael Dobbin, Director of Development
Central Presbyterian Church:
Rev. Jim Smith, Minister
First Baptist Church:
Rev. Darrell W. Johnson, Senior Minister
Rev. Dr. John Cuddeford, Minister
Andrea Tisher, Dir. of Music & Worship
Rev. Bob Swann, Minister of Mission & Justice
Judy Lang, Ass. Minister for Congregational Care
Pastor Janet G. Porcino, Minister of Discipleship
Luz Figueroa, Director of Children and Family Ministries
Rev. Abraham Han, Minister of Urban & Community Life
St. Paul’s Anglican Church:
The Rev. Markus Duenzkofer, Incumbent