Past work, direction, and research

Past work, Council direction, and research

2018: the District conducted extensive community engagement to inform the creation of an Arts & Culture Strategy. The strategy lays a foundation for the advancement of arts and culture and sets the stage for detailed planning for enhanced facilities.
2018: Council created the Arts Facilities Advisory Committee to consider the existing needs of arts and culture activities in West Vancouver and to develop an arts and culture facilities plan.
2019: The Arts Facilities Advisory Committee worked with Cornerstone Planning Group to create the Arts & Culture Facilities Plan (June 2019). This document identified and quantified West Vancouver's need for exhibition, performance, workshop/studio, programming and storage spaces to support West Vancouver’s current and future arts and culture community for the next 20 years.
2020: The Arts Facilities Advisory Committee worked with Cornerstone Planning Group to create the Arts Facilities Site Identification Analysis (February 2020). This document identified the most suitable locations for developing a new facility or facilities.
2021: After rigorous data collection, analysis, and forecasting; consultation with local stakeholders, community groups and business leaders; and careful consideration of local aspirations as expressed in the Official Community Plan and Economic Development Plan, the findings revealed that West Vancouver requires a new building of approximately 25,000 square feet to replace its unsuitable facilities and to meet future demand.
2021: Community engagement focused on the work done by the previous Arts Facility Advisory Committee; in particular, the outcomes of the Arts Facilities Site Identification Analysis completed by Cornerstone Planning Group. That study analyzed the Ambleside region for suitable sites for future arts facilities and ranked them based on site selection criteria. The outcomes of that study, and subsequent Council decisions, was the recommendation to present two site options for public consideration.
2021: Consultation results indicated a split in community opinion in terms of acceptance of either of the sites. In addition, they raised several questions and concerns about aspects of the project. Council did not select either proposed site.
2021: To address the concerns and questions remaining in the community, and to raise awareness of the current condition of municipal arts facilities in West Vancouver, Council directed that additional community-wide engagement program on the next steps for arts and culture facilities in West Vancouver and the development of a governance model and a Capital Funding Plan for the replacement of the facilities for arts and culture in West Vancouver be undertaken.
June 2022: The goal of this engagement is to develop a working vision and concept for a replacement arts facility. This work will inform the development of a proposed governance model and Capital Funding Plan.