planning Archives - LEES+Associates

Salt Spring Lions Commemorative Bike Park

The Salt Spring Lions Commemorative Bike Park was opened to the public on August 6th with a ribbon cutting and community celebrations that included a prize draw for new bikes, professional bike trials demonstration and food served by the Salt Spring Lions Club.
The bike park is designed to facilitate skills development and cycling opportunities for new and young cyclists. The design consists of three main trail loops, one for beginners, one requiring more advanced balancing skills and an outer loop for intermediate riders. Each trail loop contains a variety of skills features that are challenging and fun for riders of varying skills levels, such as table tops, berms and wooden roller coasters.
Extensive understorey restoration and split rail fencing to define boundaries is expected to be completed during the fall.
The skills trails were enjoyed by many families and look to be a destination for enjoyable recreation on Salt Spring for years to come.
We’re incredibly pleased to have been part of this awesome project!

Enjoy these photos from the opening event.

Salt Spring Island Bike Park Open House

LEES+Associates presented a preliminary concept for a new Family Bike Park proposed for Salt Spring Island at a well-attended Public Open House on March 25th.

Visitors reviewed information on the planning process and environmental and technical assessments and walked the site with tour guide, Elizabeth FitzZaland of Green City Builders.

The new park will be located in Mouat Park and built with funding from The Salt Spring Lions Club, the Salt Spring Island Recreation Commission (PARC), and the Capital Regional District (CRD).

Responses to the Draft concept were generally positive and the next round of work is now underway. Construction of the bike park is projected to begin this summer.

Skaha Bluffs Climbing Strategy Survey

Are you a climber? Have you checked out Skaha Bluffs? It’s one of BuzzFeed’s 16 Places to go Rock-Climbing!

We’re pleased to assist BC Parks with the development of a comprehensive Climbing Strategy for Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park. The bluffs, just outside Penticton in BC’s Okanagan region is a world-class rock climbing destination.

The Climbing Strategy will provide a more specific direction to the management and development of recreational climbing and outdoor recreation in Skaha Bluffs Park, ensuring that recreation needs are balanced with ecological conservation.

The survey below is part of the toolkit that will help shape the future of climbing in Skaha Bluffs.

Sunset Seniors’ Centre Feasibility Study

We’re pleased to announce that on Nov. 1, 2017, Vancouver City Council voted to support the development and construction of a new seniors’ centre adjacent to Sunset Community Centre in south Vancouver.

LEES +Associates worked as consultants to Carscadden McDonald and Stokes Architects Inc. on the feasibility study for this new seniors’ centre. Our work included leading public and stakeholder engagement and preparing a Needs Assessment report.

The adopted Council motion (on p. 7) states:

THAT Council support development and the construction of a Seniors’ Centre of at least 10,000 square feet to be located adjacent to the existing Sunset Community Centre.
THAT Council direct staff to pursue funding opportunities to cost-share the Sunset Seniors’ Centre project, currently estimated to cost up to $10 million, with the Federal and Provincial governments and report back to Council.
THAT Council direct staff to form a building committee for the Sunset Seniors’ Centre Project, including representatives from the Vancouver Park Board, the Sunset Community Centre Association, Seniors’ Advisory Committee, Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee and LGBTQ2+ Advisory Committee.

Tsawwassen First Nations Youth Centre

LEES+Associates is excited to be working in collaboration with Nancy Mackin of Mackin + Associates on the conceptual design of the Tsawwassen First Nations Youth Centre. We had our second open house this week, engaging teens and K-7 kids in the visioning of their new Youth Facility.

Below are a few snapshots from the workshop…