Testing your ideas on transit oriented development in McKernan/Belgravia

The McKernan/Belgravia TOD project team has been busy collecting, analyzing and synthesizing feedback we’ve received over the last few months on design options for the McKernan/Belgravia station area. Our aim is to create a ‘preferred’ design concept that will guide future redevelopment around the station area for the next 25 years.

Back in March 2012 a second Public Open House Workshop was held at McKernan School. This meeting presented a set of design options for the McKernan/Belgravia station area in hopes of soliciting further input and direction on the plan from community members. This included a draft vision, set of design principles, and potential development options for the station area based on community input from the first workshop in November. A copy of the presentation, display panels and workbooks can be found here.

Of the 80 or so people in attendance that night, we had a good mix of comments and discussion both during and after the workshop. Key messages we heard from people included maintaining existing McKernan School green space and Belgravia Arts Park use, more emphasis on walkability while trying to find ways of reducing traffic through the area, shared-use path connection across University Avenue from the west side of 114 Street, and more emphasis on family oriented housing opportunities.

Since the workshop we have received many more phone messages, letters, and email which we have been busy responding to. All this requires additional testing and evaluation on our part. We had planned to hold a third workshop in June but we are not far enough along in our evaluation and testing. So that work will continue over the summer.

A third public workshop is now being planned for late September. The September date will allow us the time to test the feasibility and balance of the ‘preferred’ concept and plan in response to community feedback to date. A draft of the station area plan document will also be provided at the workshop.

While we continue our work, we encourage you to continue to share your thoughts and ideas with us either here on this blog or directly.

This could be about design quality, green building or even multi-unit family oriented housing (e.g. row housing side-by-side; family apartment units).

What do you think? We want to know.