New Westminster is concerned about residents’ ability to access part of a trail through Glenbrook Ravine while sewer work is underway next summer.
On Monday, council received a report regarding a temporary working space agreement for 590 Blackberry Dr. Metro Vancouver is planning to work on the Glenbrook combined trunk sewer in the area and is requesting a “temporary working space agreement” that would allow parts of the ravine lands to be used for access and storage of construction materials.
Onni, which still owns the land, has agreed to provide the temporary working space to Metro Vancouver.
“The city must enter into a temporary working space agreement with Metro Vancouver and Onni, and in order for Metro Vancouver to tender the works in July 2022,” said a June 27 report to council. “Construction is expected to extend over a three-month period during the dry summer months, between May and September 2023.”
Coun. Patrick Johnstone expressed concern about the impact of closing part of the trail that’s adjacent to the work area.
“This is the trail at the top of Glenbrook Ravine that connects to Glenbrook Drive,” he said. “We don’t know the impacts, right now, on the trail.”
Johnstone said the language in the proposed agreement doesn’t make it clear what impacts the project would have on the trail.
“Closing that trail through Glenbrook Ravine for an extended period during the summer will be more than an inconvenience; that’s a really vitally important park space, greenspace connection in the city,” he said. “People living in Victoria Hill, on Ginger Drive and the Sapperton community really value that trail, and every day they use it. Every day.”
Johnstone said he’d like the city’s expectations about trail access to be written into the agreement.
Kwaku Agyare-Manu, the city’s senior manager of engineering services, said the current plan is for the majority of the Glenbrook Ravine to remain open and accessible to residents, including the southern access from Jamieson Court and the western access from Ginger Drive.
The agreement, presented to council for its consideration on Monday, would allow Metro Vancouver to enter and work in about 1,325 square metres of land.
“As the construction is being undertaken, Metro Vancouver would like to use that access to move the heavy machinery from the construction site. One of the crucial concerns there was keeping that access open will be quite a safety concern for residents going in and out of there,” Agyare-Manu said. “Metro Vancouver are planning to have a lot of traffic control personnel on the actual trail during the time of the construction to aid in public safety and to direct the public in that area.”
Agyare-Manu said Metro Vancouver would have a significant communications plan in place and would update the residents and the community during construction.
Coun. Jaimie McEvoy said he’d like the city to get more information about Metro Vancouver’s needs for storage and set-up space for the project.
“I hate to say this, but I don’t have a lot of confidence based on Metro Vancouver’s project downtown,” he said. “So I’d like to be really clear, as much as possible, on timelines and access and what that might look like.”
McEvoy said Glenbrook Ravine is an important space for the neighbourhood.
“This is an important cooling area in a neighbourhood full of 1980’s wooden buildings. I just want to add that to the equation – that access is important,” he said. “Even though we need good weather to do projects, we also need to consider the realities and impacts of climate change on people and build that into the system.”
Instead of supporting the temporary working space agreement, council asked staff to provide an update at its July 11 meeting.
The report to council noted that as part of the Woodlands development agreement, Onni is required to transfer Parcel P as parking to the city following completion of the development. The transfer of land is still pending and Onni has agreed to allow Metro Vancouver to use the space temporarily as part of its project.
Staff are continuing to engage with Onni Development around an agreement on that transfer,” said Lisa Leblanc, the city’s director of engineering. “There are still some outstanding issues that need to be discussed and agreed upon, but We are hopeful that will be wrapped up within the next couple of months.
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