VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If you were to redesign Granville Island, what would you add, what would you change, and what would you leave alone?

As the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) surges ahead with their “Granville Island 2040” renovation plans, the public is being encouraged to weigh in.

This weekend, design presentations housed in blue tents outside the Public Market were littered with suggestions written on sticky notes.

“I take it for granted for what it is, and I haven’t thought very creatively about it,” admits Thor Boe, “so part of coming today for me is to shake up my own imagination a bit.”

Access to and transportation on the island were raised often at the event.

“Bringing a car down here is really an uphill climb, trying to find a spot that you don’t have to rush back to in two hours,” says Diane Maguire, “So I think finding a way to leave the cars off the island even… would be a good idea.”

Transportation is also on the mind of Michael Stevenson, who is leading the planning process for CMHC.

“The constant increase in traffic to Granville Island creates congestion and difficulty of movement and access,” he says, “we want to talk about ways to increase access, but not to bottle it up in congestion.”

Stevenson adds the renovations will move rapidly, with plans expected to be finalized around the end of the year. He expects the project to be self-financed, costing anywhere between $20 million and $200 million depending on how much work is done.

“There’s no crisis at Granville Island, this is a great success story,” he explains, “but like any 40 year old, it’s showing some of the creaks and pains of aging… and that might be all that needs doing is sprucing it up a bit.”

One of the big issues to address going forward is what will fill the space left by Emily Carr University, which is set to move next year.