Although she has one quibble about the plans, Christina Wolf welcomes the new St. Paul鈥檚 hospital and health care campus .
Wolf was among a steady stream of visitors at a Nov. 20 open house at Creekside Community Centre about Providence Health Care's for its massive development project that's in the works for property at 1002 Station St. and 250 to 310 Prior St.
It includes the new hospital, health care and research facilities, as well as commercial space, office space, a hotel, institutional space and limited residential uses that provide a variety of health-related support functions. It also features plans for retail and commercial space. Proposed building heights range from 20 to 60 metres. Two childcare facilities are planned, as is a new road network through the site to connect existing adjacent streets.
Wolf been following the project since it was announced in 2015 because it鈥檚 in her neighbourhood.
鈥淚 fully support the hospital being [where it鈥檚 planned]. They鈥檝e been really thoughtful about the space needs they have. They鈥檙e planning for the future. I really support the research mandate, and the addition of research buildings, and the existence of housing for residents and people who are visiting for the research mandate,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I think the hotel is in the wrong place because it鈥檚 right across the street from Portland Housing Society and there鈥檚 lots of neighbourhood action there鈥︹��
But generally speaking, she thinks the land will be put to 鈥済reat productive use,鈥� it will generate a lot of jobs, and it鈥檚 a huge opportunity for St. Paul鈥檚 to advance its leadership in a various areas.
鈥淭hey try to today, but they鈥檙e running out of space [at the Burrard Street site] to manage all of the science that they鈥檙e leading on.鈥�
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Paul Dragan stopped by the open house because he鈥檚 interested in the creation of the development, how it will connect to the new , and how it relates to the city鈥檚 active transportation program with respect to routes for cycling, walking and skateboarding.
鈥淚鈥檓 more interested in the mechanics of the plan than I am in the health care part because I鈥檓 more interested in how people move around and how they move around with or without their automobile,鈥� he told the Courier.
Dragan thinks the plan looks good and there are lots of options for getting to the site without a car.
鈥淚 like the transit connections. The initial plans address pedestrian access, pedestrian mobility and bicycle-type activity, as well as people in wheelchairs and walkers and scooters, which we鈥檙e going to see more and more of. From what I see here, it looks like a great plan,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey put a tremendous amount of thought and effort into how everything is going to connect and it will be exciting to see it go forward.鈥�
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Zoe Ellerton and her husband Noah Budarf dropped by the open house with their toddler and baby to survey the plans. They live in a condo in the neighbourhood where the development is going in. Ellerton looks forward to having a hospital in the community and thinks it鈥檚 a great location considering its proximity to the SkyTrain and downtown area.
鈥淚 almost wish it was happening faster,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t sounds like it won鈥檛 be breaking ground for years. I鈥檓 not looking forward to the construction and ripping off that Band-Aid [but] it鈥檚 an empty lot right now so it鈥檚 definitely underutilized. It will be nice to have something practical 鈥� something that can really give back to the city.鈥�
However, Ellerton said the neighbourhood is terrible for street parking, so she hopes there will be sufficient parking for hospital staff, visitors and overflow.
John Yee said he thought there were pieces missing in the hospital piece such as emergency power provisions and he鈥檚 unsure about how the traffic will work in the area.
鈥淎nd it seems an odd location with the train tracks and CN adjacent to it. I don鈥檛 know how that will work and how it will evolve over time,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 like the idea of a hospital there. The existing St. Paul鈥檚 is decrepit 鈥� it really shouldn鈥檛 be there. [I鈥檓 happy] something is being done about it.鈥�
Rhonda Lui, Providence Health Care鈥檚 associate director for design build, told the Courier the hospital will be built to post-disaster standards and the City of 麻豆传媒映画also has bylaws that govern a post-disaster facility.
鈥淔or all hospitals, we create a redundancy for power. So we鈥檒l have generators on site that look after all the emergency power that we need in a crisis situation,鈥� she said, adding that it shouldn鈥檛 be a concern for people. 鈥淲e will have a full functioning hospital post-disaster. There are many standards that are required for a post-disaster hospital and it includes [standards] for electricity, water, heating and how we maintain all that and keep a functioning hospital going.鈥�
The zoning application must still go before the Urban Design Panel and it鈥檚 also subject to city council鈥檚 approval.
The current timeline sees the project, if approved, being finished in phases but targets 2024 as the completion date for the hospital.
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