VANCOUVER — The City of Vancouver should consider building a new transit line along Broadway in phases, while restricting high density to the busy commercial core to preserve the city’s character in the neighbourhoods along the route, according to a new report.

Issued by the Urban Land Institute’s Governor’s Advisory Panel, the report suggests the public should also be consulted, noting Vancouver “did not balance zoning changes with economic potential and community livability” when it built other mass transit projects — specifically the SkyTrain ahead of Expo 86 and the Canada Line for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“Invariably, stakeholders perceived that neighbourhood impacts were overlooked or under-represented in order to fast-track major transportation projects. ‘Blanket up-zones’ were applied at transit hubs, leading to rampant speculation and dislocation of residents and businesses,” said the panel, which included experts from across North America.

“Although the panel recognizes that the market may ultimately dictate a lot of development decisions that accompany the growth in population and the increased opportunities that a mass transit line brings, it also recognizes that the local neighbourhoods and districts give Vancouver much of its charm.”

Vancouver has long been pushing for a subway line from Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station to the University of B.C., maintaining it is one of the busiest transportation corridors in North America. TransLink has cited the line, along with light rail in Surrey, among its top priorities, but the projects are stalled as regional mayors attempt to come up with new funding sources, such as a carbon tax or vehicle levy, to pay for them.

The panel noted that “existing transit along the Broadway corridor is a failure under current conditions,” with 49 per cent of all westbound rapid bus passengers headed for Central Broadway, including Vancouver General Hospital, and 38 per cent continuing on to UBC, according to the report. Transit on the corridor is at capacity.

Even with conventional bus services running every two to three minutes, more than 2,000 passengers are left behind at the Commercial-Broadway Station every morning.

But the development of the line should be done slowly, the report urges, noting a “one size fits all” rezoning across the Broadway corridor is not appropriate for economic or residential vitality.

The panel noted new development along the Broadway corridor should be concentrated in existing commercial zones, which are only about 60 per cent built out in the corridor’s central core. It also suggests that institutional entities within the corridor such as the University of B.C. and Vancouver General Hospital participate actively in the planning of station locations and phasing, and “if at all possible, would provide financing contributions.”

The report’s recommendations come as many municipalities face public opposition in their quest to densify regional town centres in a bid to contain growth in urban centres and protect agricultural and industrial areas ahead of another one million more people coming here by 2040. Residents in Vancouver’s Marpole, for instance, had complained the city was trying to shove density on them, as part of a pitch to connect two developments along the Cambie corridor, which will each add more than 4,000 people. City council has since revised the plan.

ksinoski@vancouversun.com