The Pacific region branch of a national non-profit association representing the development industry is pushing for Vancouver and other municipalities to consider using development fees to pay for transit upgrades.
Anne McMullin, president and CEO of the Urban Development Institute's branch in Vancouver, said fees developers pay when rezoning property could help get more buses on the road and contribute to major projects such as a subway from Commercial Drive to the University of B.C.
Although government estimates put such a subway at $2.8 billion, McMullin said the anticipated growth of developments along the Broadway corridor could generate significant funding over time towards the project, which the government has not committed to build anytime soon.
The City of Vancouver collected $68 million in community amenity contributions, or CACs, in 2012. Historically, that money is used to build community centres, libraries, daycares, neighbourhood houses and for improvements to parks.
"Transit is an amenity and it benefits the home buyer and it benefits the community," said McMullin, who believes the need for transit improvements in the region is at a crisis level.
McMullin cautioned she isn't proposing that transit upgrades replace all other amenity-financed projects such as daycares. Rather, she said, city council should consider the needs of the community when a developer applies for rezoning of a property in a neighbourhood.
"Daycares? Yes, there's an absolute need," she said. "Other things? I think it's worth discussing. Is there a crisis for more community centres? I don't know."
McMullin's comments come on the heels of the mayors' council on regional transportation rejecting Premier Christy Clark's plan to hold a referendum for Metro Vancouver residents to ask whether they will pay more money for transit upgrades.
CityStudio is a collaboration between six post-secondary institutions, the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Economic Commission to get students working with city staff and the community on projects that further the city's Greenest City 2020 Action Plan. His group had heard about public pianos in other cities like London, England, Barcelona, Spain and Montreal. They found a free piano on Craigslist in April and set it up at MacAuley Park, the little triangle of grass near Les Faux Bourgeois restaurant at Kingsway and Fraser.
The scale of positive response was so great that CityStudio hired Mendoza to lead a public piano project this summer to animate public spaces in new ways.
"It's a big conversation starter," Mendoza said.
Anyone can slide onto a bench and plunk away.
A polka-dot piano at Spyglass Place near the southern foot of the Cambie Bridge has received much attention. The piano first appeared at Robson Square at the launch of the city's VIVA Vancouver project, which aims to enliven public spaces.
"We had some pretty professional guys come up," Mendoza said. "You wouldn't think that they'd be professional-sounding pianists but they'd just come up and rip apart the keys and then just leave. It would be awesome. People would take photos and people would clap. It was exciting, interesting, weird all at the same time."
From his perch at CityStudio at Spyglass Place, Mendoza has witnessed a Beatles sing-a-long. His favourite sights have appeared on Twitter and Instagram. Musicians performing on an upright bass, kick and snare drum and the piano jazzed up the path in front of Creekside last week. Whitecap fans wearing their scarves gathered at the polka-dot piano to celebrate after the team's recent win.
Mendoza takes care of the piano at Spyglass. Creekside Community Centre staff makes sure the one on the seawall is covered at night and staff of a youth substance abuse program look after the piano in Robson Park at St. George and Kingsway. The Mount Pleasant piano will be donated to the nearby Boys and Girls Club after its stint outdoors and the Creekside piano will go to the community centre.
The pianos and benches are chained together. The piano at Creekside has been hit with minor graffiti.
Mendoza expects a fourth piano to pop up near the information booth near the entrance to Stanley Park by August.
