On May 22nd, Vancouver city council voted to approve moving forward with the redesign of downtown’s Granville Street. The makeover will cost the city (and it’s taxpayers) $20-million and will include a redesigned civic plaza (at Granville and West Georgia), custom made street furniture, a walk of fame and new pavement design.
There has been an ongoing battle over Granville Street for decades. Charles Gauthier, of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association says, “In the last 5 – 10 years we’ve seen huge changes on the street. This is just going to spur more of it on. It’s amazing how the design has won a lot of approval.”
Originally, one of Vancouver’s exclusive streets it was known for it’s colour and night life. Underground malls pulled businesses off the street (and customers) in the 1970s. A decision by the city in 1974 to convert the street to a pedestrian mall failed to halt the decline. More recently, the city has attempted to revitalize the area.
It has allowed limited car traffic back onto the street, and has also designated a three block portion of the street as the Granville Entertainment Zone for a concentration of bars and nightclubs. Major businesses have been moving back onto the street such as Holt Renfrew, Winners and Future Shop.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure in the area has remained out of date. This decision by the city appears to be an effort to reverse that disparity.
Sebastian Albrecht, Vancouver Realtor with Royal LePage Westside
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