It is on the most valuable piece of public waterfront in the city, connecting Stanley Park and downtown. And by now it should be gone.
Here’s the motion moved by Council on June 11, 2010:
A. THAT the Director of Planning be advised that Council would favour the approval of Development Application Number DE413848 for the continued use of the Temporary Float Plane Terminal in Coal Harbour for a further period of time, not to exceed two years from permit issuance or the completion of the new permanent facility at 1001 Canada Place, whichever is first and with no option to renew.
June is here and yet the temporary float-plane terminal is still there, caught in the unpleasant negotiations among four different parties. You can find the backstory here and here. City Hall says they expect to resolve the problem this September.
We’ve heard that before, and seen the half-hearted effort to properly sign the route through the site.
But why wait? Why can’t the shacks be moved a few feet back right now? Or simply be demolished, with the operations shifted to available office space?
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It needn’t involve the movement of the docks themselves, and at least provide a clear public right-of-way during the summer.
Why not?
Why is there no reflective material and or neon yellow/orange on a thing blocking a transportation corridor?
I’m surprised there isn’t more of a backlash against the seaplane operators. I’ve been in the new terminal, it’s wonderful. Who the heck wants to sit around in an ATCO trailer when they could use the infinitely more civilized new terminal?
Whatever their beef is with the new terminal I can’t understand what gives the seaplane operators the right to inconvenience the rest of us.
We waited a long time for the completion of this section of the seawall. It’s unacceptable that a dispute between private companies should cause this sort of disruption in a public space.
I gather the gripe has something to do with a fee charged for the use of the new terminal. I don’t think it’s a huge amount. Let’s remember, the people who travel by seaplane to the islands are either spending other people’s money (company/government, etc.) or they can afford the luxury of flying.
It’s time the city met their responsibilities and booted the seaplane operators off the seawall. Or, charge them so much rent for staying their that the new terminal will look like the deal of the century.
Wow Gord you’re a dog on a bone on this issue. Good for you! Keep gnawing away and maybe you’ll shame the companies into doing something (either that or they are going to start buzzing your building every time a float plane leaves for YWH!
Why not? I think the answer is simple. Bruce McDougall (not sure if that is his name), the owner of Harbour Air, and the float plane terminal operator) has a lease on that space, and he is using it to his utmost advantage in his negotiations and litigations with the new terminal operator.
I would assume that he believes that the longer he can block that section of the seawall, the better it helps his negotiating position. The funny thing is, the operators of the new terminal seem to have deep pockets, and appear to be able to operate an almost empty terminal for a long time without going bankrupt. I don’t know how much they are paying the province to rent space in the convention centre, but I bet it is a lot more than Bruce is paying to the City to rent space for his shacks on city land.
Bruce wants to pressure the province to lower their rental charge to the new terminal operator, and pass the reduced rent on to him. He therefore wants to apply pressure to get the province and the new terminal operator to both renegotiate their private commercial agreements.
At the same time, he does not want to abide by the lease agreements that he has made with the City of Vancouver, by extending the lease without a definite end. Have I got that right?