I feel a bit ignorant for being oblivious of the changes that have been happening on Granville Island over the past year. I didn’t realize it they would be happening to one of my favourite public spaces in Vancouver so soon and so quickly . As many frequenters know, Granville Island has been a public space for over 35 years, and carries remnants of Vancouver’s industrial history, to this day.

Through the establishment of the great places such as the Public Market, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, the Waterfront Theatre, Arts Umbrella and the Granville Island Breweries, Granville Island is separate – but integrated – with the rest of city life: allowing people to take advantage of all the great things that this public space has to offer. However, the word ‘public’ may no longer continue to be a part of its description.

In July 2014, there were talks of switching the ownership of Granville Island. Currently operated by the CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation) – a public entity of the federal government – Granville Island may be changing ownership to Port Metro Vancouver. No final decisions have yet been made, but much could change from this seemingly simple decision.

The Mayor of Vancouver and other public figures have expressed their opposition towards the privatization of Granville Island, but what does this mean for those who enjoy the space as it currently stands?

As a recent graduate, I recall spending my days at Granville Island enjoying much of what it has to offer – from its range of arts and crafts, to food and great cuisines. I would travel there from where I lived in Burnaby, to seek artistic inspirations and purchase art supplies from Opus. I recall sitting at the docks and enjoying the waterfront view of Stanley Park and the Granville Street Bridge, while eating some freshly baked Public Market donuts from Lee’s.

I would walk around the Public Market and come across fresh local produce, seafood, meats, breads, baked goods, chocolate, teas and spices, all under one roof. Weather permiting, I would sit outside in the one of the many courtyards on the Island, and listen to local artists’ musical performances or watch other buskers display their many other talents.

Above all, I would never come across anyone looking down at a screen and walking blindly as if they have more important matters to attend to. Granville Island was – and is – a place where conversations started, eyes wandered, and curiosity ventured.

The thought of Granville Island switching ownership only dawned on me after a recent visit. Changing the ownership of the Island, and disrupting its current means of operations can deeply impact the space and its identity. If Port Metro Vancouver takes ownership of the area, I would like to hope that they will strongly consider Granville Island’s local significance and continue to allow the public to enjoy this space as it currently stands.

Many vendors fear that privatization will disrupt the current relationship between tenants and landlords. A rise in rental costs caused by switching to larger corporate vendors would drastically change the atmosphere of this great public space and the ability for local vendors to thrive.

With the Emily Carr Institute relocating to Great Northern Way and its buildings soon to be vacant in the near future, many are wondering what will happen to its space, as well. We can hope that the space will consider changes that would keep the current lively, artistic and unique vibe of Granville Island and make a positive addition to the local culture. The future of this space is an important local issue that extends far beyond my personal connection to this unique urban treasure and ultimately includes all the citizens of Metro Vancouver.

This post originally appeared on Spacing.

(You can read Brahman’s initial articles here and here, and a response by the Vancouver Courier’s Geoff Olsen here. The VPSN also weighed in with a blog article of ‘big ideas’ we published, many of which were then included an interview we did with Georgia Straight journalist Stephen Hui.)

Our position at the time (and now) is that this internationally recognized public space does need to think proactively about its future. Markets and public spaces evolve, and it’s important that Granville Island continue to remain the vibrant space that it is today. That doesn’t mean a wholesale reinvention of the space; rather, it implies an important conversation about how the market, its streets, plazas, and its intense mixture of different uses, should function over the next few decades.

As fate would have it, the same day that our team was interviewed by Mr. Hui, the news broke that the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) (a federal entitiy) was in negotiations to transfer control of Granville Island to Port Metro Vancouver (another federal entity). CMHC has been the governing agency of Granville Island (along with a locally appointed Board), for the 35 years of the Island’s existence as a public market.

This spurred a quick response from some corners (including Ms. Brahman’s column, as well as the Mayor’s office). In particular, concerns were expressed that the Port lacks the ability to manage such an intricate and eclectic market space. Other comments noted that the market ought to be under local control. Still other concerns surrounded the Port’s relative lack of local accountability. In sum, the debate shifted quickly from one of ideas, to a question of who gets to be in charge.

Fast forward to late July. On the 22nd of the month, Vancouver City Council debated and passed a motion that will:

• Ask the Mayor, on behalf of the City, “state Vancouver’s opposition to the Federal Government of Port Metro Vancouver taking control of Granville Island” and noting that “that the City’s position is that it should remain under local control.”
• Direct City staff report back on options for the City buying or leasing it to retain local control.

The VPSN wrote a letter to Council with regard to this motion. Our position is that there are important “what” questions that need to be answered first, before the question of “who” is tackled… and before any funding is allocated for the purchase or leasing of the site. The advocacy that the City should be doing, first and foremost, is to encourage all of the public entities involved (federal or otherwise) to take the time to get it right.

After all, what’s the rush? Let’s sit down and figure out what is needed for the future of the space. Start with some key principles. Then let’s figure out who can best deliver on these principles.

Here’s an excerpt from our letter:

We are supportive of the City working to identify options around the future operation of the Granville Island site – particularly in light of the unanticipated nature of discussions around the potential transfer of the facility from CMHC to Port Metro Vancouver.

That being said, we feel that good management can come from a variety of avenues, and that the best interests of this important public space are served by first understanding the type of characteristics that ought to be associated with the management of the site. To this end, we feel that the City, through its discussions with the Federal Government and CMHC, should advance the idea of a collective discussion to identify the type of first principles that should define the work of whatever entity manages the Granville Island site (locally-based or otherwise).

There are various ways of looking at how Granville Island can be managed, and a set of guiding principles will provide a clear framework for evaluating all possibilities in this regard (federal agencies, local government, non-profit, etc.).

What sort of key principles could be included? Without preempting a proper discussion, we offer these as examples: having a custodian that is accountable and transparent, strong connection to local community, attentive to the diverse array of uses present on the site (including cultural, artisan, industrial, food-related, educational, etc), experience in public space programming, and financially responsible. Significantly, the entity endowed with management of the island should, we feel, be capable of upholding the original mandate, which is to provide a self-sustaining environment that fosters diverse cultural, educational and commercial enterprises while maintaining the Island’s historic and industrial character.

There are likely other values and principles that need to be identified as well, and a collective discussion of these features, with ample room for community input, is critical in this regard. We should not be precluding options – or naming solutions – until it is clear what the proper criteria for making decisions are. Similarly, this is not the sort of thing that ought to be rushed, so we encourage the City to work with these other levels of government and advance the idea that it is important to take the time to get it right.

Now that the motion has been passed, we will continue to advance the idea of a ‘go slow/principles first’ approach, and will be advocating for this with City staff and the federal government. We believe this is the best path forward for one of Vancouver’s most important public spaces.

What sorts of values and principles do you think are key to the future of Granville Island? Add your comments here, or drop us a line and let us know at info [at] vancouverpublicspace <dot> ca

Main image courtesy of Rebecca Bolwitt (Miss604). Licensed through Creative Commons.