vancouver street plaza

how the vancouver street plaza came to be!

The NPNA is thrilled to be a recipient of the Healthy Communities Initiative grant from Community Foundations of Canada with funding from the Government of Canada! This amazing grant was developed to help communities bring public space to life. Covid has taught cities across Canada that public space that meets the needs of residents is incredibly important. This federal grant is designed to activate underused public spaces in equity deserving neighbourhoods. 

You can see the other projects funded from this grant here. You can also follow #HealthyCommunities on Instagram, as well as these accounts to see all the projects taking place across the country: Infrastructure Canada on Twitter and Community Foundations of Canada on Twitter and Instagram!

The location of this exciting project is Vancouver Street between Caledonia Ave & Green Street. The North Park Neighbourhood Association is working with the City’s Transportation department to activate this portion of Vancouver Street in coordination with planned placemaking investments. This project aligns with the recently completed bikeway improvements on Vancouver Street. The Transportation Department is contributing funds to support public art and public seating as well as coordinating Mobile Vendors through the Build Back Victoria Program.

welcome to the lending hub!

The lending hub is open everyday from: 11am to 7pm

The lending hub is a larger than life “little free library.” It is stocked with board games, chess & checker sets, puzzles, lawn games, art supplies, gardening tools, bicycle repair kits, a bike pump, and more! See the menu below.

When the lending hub is open you’re invited to borrow these items to use at the Plaza, at a nearby park, or at home!

To take the items home or to another park, you can sign items out for one week. If you’d like to use something at the plaza, just ask! No sign out required.

upcoming activities

plaza guidelines

The following Plaza Rules will be posted and would apply to everyone equally. The rules are:

project elements

  • A mural along Royal Athletic Park by artists Kay Gallivan, Caitlin McDonagh, and Lydia Beauregard.
    • The first phase of the mural will be completed by the end of July. A second phase will start at the end of August. See pictures below for the evolution!
  • A little free library will be installed at the corner of Vancouver Street and Green at the entrance to the 940 Caledonia parking lot. See the photo of the little free library below! Thank you to community volunteer, Allan who made the LFL out of recycled materials!
  • Secured and moveable seating and shade
    • Bistro seats with umbrellas and lounging chairs for reading provided by the City of Victoria.
  • Rotating Food Trucks will be in place on the west side of Vancouver Street. Food trucks will apply for permits (free of charge) through the City of Victoria’s Build Back Victoria program.
  • Whimsical lighting in the trees will add an inviting ambience to the street.
  • The focal point of the Plaza will be a lending hub. This will be an 8×12 foot structure that will be staffed when open. To borrow items from the lending hub, there will be a sign out process that will include a requirement to leave contact details, a commitment to return the item by a specific time, and a limit on the number of items that can be signed out at one time. See the lending hub “menu” above!

project timeline

This project is funded from June 2021-June 2022. While there are some elements that we intend to make permanent (lighting, mural, little free library, secured seating), the rest of the elements (lending hub, moveable seating) will only be in place until June 2022.

plaza committee

The community was invited – through direct invitation as well as the NPNA newsletter – to attend a Plaza Committee Planning Party on July 5, 2021 on site. The notes from this fun dinnertime working party are here.

There will be more meetings and opportunities to get involved! If you want to be a part of the “Plaza Committee” let us know by emailing executivedirector@npna.ca.

project funders

Thank you to the Government of Canada, Community Foundations of Canada, and the Canadian Urban Institute for their leadership and support of the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative! #HealthyCommunities We are also grateful for the support and collaboration provided by the City of Victoria!
We are so grateful for the support of the community businesses that have offered their support and discounted their rates to help with the Vancouver Street Plaza!
Penelope visiting the lending hub!
A sunny afternoon at the Vancouver Street Plaza
Vancouver Street looking North (towards Green Street) where the plaza will be located
Mural in progress by artists Caitlin McDonagh, Kay Gallivan, and Lydia Beauregard
Mural in progress by artists Caitlin McDonagh, Kay Gallivan, and Lydia Beauregard
mural in progress detail featuring Osprey by Kay Gallivan
Lending Hub construction in progress with Jess and Eric
Lending Hub construction in progress
The lending hub constructed and ready for a coat of paint!
The lending hub sporting a fresh coat of paint.
Thank you to Samm’s Painting for donating your time to paint the lending hub!
Little Free Library made from recycled products by local volunteer, Allan and installed by the City of Victoria!
Secured seating purchased and installed by the City of Victoria!