New Westminster Gas Works Building 231 Twelfth Street Purpose - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

New Westminster Gas Works Building – 231 Twelfth Street –

Purpose

Discuss the possible land use considerations and environmental implications with Gas Works site. City to decide possible offer by Province of a Free Crown Grant.

Process Overview

Overview of the Process

• Site is Provincial Crown Land
• Province considering gifting site to City as

a Crown Grant

• Province’s obligation to remediate site

contamination remains

• City to undertake land use plan for civic

and community uses and heritage plan for Gas Works building, and transfer

• bligation for 20 non-market housing units

Overview of the Process

• City retained consultants to work over the

summer

• Consultation with the community in September

– Environment Committee – September 9 – Heritage Commission – September 16 – Council Workshop – September 21 – Community Open House – September 23

• Report back to Province – September 30*

*

City Due Diligence

• City has retained two sets of consultants:

–Somerset Engineering Group (with Barry McGinn); and –Ramsey Warden Architects

Background

Location

• Located in North Arm

North neighbourhood.

• Old industrial area with

many properties converted to automobile sales, service and repair.

• City adopted Official

Community Plan for this area in 2004

– Lower Twelfth Street Area Plan

Adjacent Neighbourhood

• Located adjacent to the

Brow of the Hill neighbourhood.

• Steep slopes to Fraser

River.

• Historic “working class”

neighbourhood.

• Undeveloped until the

1890’s.

• Today mix of three story

multifamily residential and

• lder single detached

dwellings.

Gas Works Building

• Brick masonry building

34’ x 86’

• Retaining wall built to

create usable areas

• Situated on highest

elevation of site

• Interior wood framed

timber trusses

• Interior demising walls

create four chambers

• Additions and alterations
• ver time

Site Remediation

Contamination

• Hydrocarbon impacted soils

– total volume of impacted soils 3,645 m3

• 845 m3 in lower area
• 2800m3 in upper area including:

– 400 m3 below heritage building

– Contaminants include, among others:

• benzene, ethylene benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene,

pentachlorophenol, and cyanide

• Contamination extends onto streets and lane

– 145 m3 in dissolved phase hydrocarbon plume onto Twelfth Street

Contamination

• Province has offered to cleanup site.

– Province’s preferred option is to remove the on- site contamination and use monitoring and risk assessment for off-site contamination (the plume on the street)

• Estimated cost for Province’s preferred option:

– $1.45 -$1.85 million

– Engineering Department prefers total cleanup

• Additional costs for cleanup, as opposed to monitoring

and risk assessment of off-site contamination – $0.6 million

Contamination

• Cleanup Standards – study done on

basis of residential level according to site contamination guidelines.

– Urban park has same standard as residential however, agricultural standard is 10 to 100 times more stringent. – If there are to be community gardens, they must be isolated from site soil.

Key Remediation Questions

• Should the site cleanup occur now or later?

– Engineering Department would prefer that it is done now.

• Does the Province provide funds to the City for

cleanup or does the Province do the work?

– Engineering Department would prefer that the Province do the work.

• Who manages the cleanup – the City or the

Province?

– Engineering would prefer that the Province manage the cleanup.

• Is the proposed method of cleanup suitable?

– Not suitable for in-site remediation, excavation required.

Heritage Value

Heritage Value

Building listed on the Heritage Register- July 23, 1997 Heritage value based on three main areas:

• 1. Historical Associations
• historical themes, associations, persons and

events

• 2. Architecture
• design, materials, craftsmanship, construction

techniques and architect

• 3. Historic Environment
• site, setting/context, landmark

• 1. Historical Association
• Has high local and regional

significance as an early public works system – Built in 1886 when New Westminster was industrial heartland of the region – One of two coal gasification plants remaining in BC

• 1. Historical Association
• Keen community interest – 37

articles in the Columbian during construction

• Coal gasification process was

considered “high tech”

• Coal first used as street lighting on

Columbia and Front Streets

• Now very little remaining of New

Westminster’s industrial heritage

• 2. Architectural
• High architectural significance

with its design and as the

• ldest remaining brick building

in New Westminster, having survived the Great Fire of 1898

• Built at a cost of $65,000 –

large expenditure for the time

• Designed in the Victorian

Chicago Industrial style – displaying civic progress and industry

Fire Ruins, 1898 (NWPL 994)

• 2. Architectural
• Designed by prominent architect George
• W. Grant who also designed other civic

buildings in New Westminster

• Features arched window openings,

corbelled brick work, ocular windows

• Once had a 5 foot high gable on the roof

that held wooden louvers for roof ventilation

• 3. Historic Environment
• One of the few remaining industrial

buildings

• Once surrounded by industrial uses
• Retains an original relationship to the site
• Dimensions and form similar to Parthenon

– tribute to industrial progress

• Highly visible on hillside and has a

landmark status

Assessment of Gas Works Building

Consultant

• Somerset Engineering Group - review

feasibility and costs related to retaining the heritage building, including:

– raising or relocating the building to remediate soil underneath; or – disassembling the building, storing it during cleanup and then putting it back together.

• Heritage Consultant (Barry McGinn)

Gas Works Building

• Becomes City’s responsibility if land

accepted as Free Crown Grant

• City would like to protect but may be too

costly

• On-going engineering studies to report on

protection during cleanup – how to do it and costs

Gas Works Building

• How to define acceptable level of cost for

heritage protection – e.g. cost savings from free land and cleanup, other

• If very expensive, appetite for referendum,

bond issue

• Uses for building, if retained

Land Use Study

Consultant

• Ramsey Warden Architects preparing

land use planning options for entire site examining civic and community uses

Site Elements and Principles

• Site has important connections:

– Third Avenue is an entry to the Quay via the Third Avenue overpass; – Relationship to Twelfth Street corridor and gateway to Downtown

• Need for strong uses along Twelfth Street

to reinforce activity and synergy on the site.

Potential Uses

–Fire Hall:

• Appropriate location – completion of location plan
• Size – 4 bay?
• Timing of construction
• Accumulation of funds for capital expenditure

–Neighbourhood park and open space:

• Appropriate location
• funding

–Community space and community use These meet the goals of the 2004 Lower Twelfth Street Area Plan.

Potential Uses

Connections

Proposed Site View

Possible Ground Floor Plan

Potential Site Plan

(without Gas Works Building)

Potential Site Plan

(with partial retention of Gas Works Building )

Option - Walled Courtyard

Garden Wall Examples

Potential Site Plan

(with restored Gas Works Building)

Option - Community Facility

Housing Agreement

• Obligation to provide 20

non-market housing units

• Would involve process with

BC Housing in form of a MOU

Next Steps

• 1. Continue with due diligence with time

extension.

• 2. Work with Province regarding

remediation issues with City Streets.

• 3. Inform Province of City’s decision to

accept or refuse the offer.

• 4. Province to inform City of their decision

to pursue Free Crown Grant or not.

• 5. Legal and Regulatory Process if project

proceeds (i.e., OCP and Zoning).

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