A Stronger Vancouver

Vancouver City Council will review the final package of projects, programs and associated revenues for A Stronger Vancouver at a workshop from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, March 9.

The workshop is open to the public and will take place in the Aspen Conference Room on the first floor of Vancouver City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St.

Public testimony will not be taken at the workshop, but City Council's regular citizen forum will be held that same night starting at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of Vancouver City Hall. Citizens are welcome to speak to City Council about any subject at that forum.

The workshop is intended as an opportunity for City Council to conduct a final review of the overall Stronger Vancouver package, establish direction on a tax levy election date, establish direction on an impact fee vesting policy, finalize the revenue phasing approach and review a list of anticipated related legislative actions.

The workshop will be recorded by Clark/Vancouver Television and can be viewed online at www.cvtv.org.

Review the memo, presentation and project summary table for the workshop.

Vancouver City Council has been holding workshops nearly every week starting in January to develop the final capital projects and programs and services packages. These workshops have been part of Council's regular weekly meetings on Mondays.

On Monday, Feb. 10, Council will have another workshop to finalize the programs and services package. They will also get a preview of a levy design. The first half of the worksho is from 4 to 6 p.m. The workshop will then be continued immediately following the regular Council meeting and citizen forum, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Testimony about A Stronger Vancouver (or any other topic) is welcome during the citizen forum.

City Council workshops are open to the public, but testimony is not typically taken. The workshop (both parts) will be recorded by Clark/Vancouver Television. You can watch it live on Comcast channel 23/323 or streaming on www.cvtv.org. It will also be available on demand after Monday night at www.cvtv.org.

The Vancouver City Council will have a workshop on A Stronger Vancouver at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27.

The workshop will focus on finalizing the capital project package and defining the programs and services package.

It will take place in the Aspen Conference Room on the first floor of City Hall (415 W. Sixth St., Vancouver). It is open to the public and will be broadcast on Clark/Vancouver Television Comcast channels 23/323 and online at www.cvtv.org.

Workshops are open to the public, but public testimony is not taken.

View agenda.

Vancouver City Council is offering another community feedback opportunity where the public can speak directly them about the Stronger Vancouver initiative at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. This week's meeting will occur at the Firstenburg Community Center's (700 N.E. 136th Ave.) on the east side of the city.

Each speaker will be asked to fill out a pre-printed testimony card (provided at the counter at the entrance to Chambers) with their name/address. They will also asked to give their name and city of residence for the audio record. Each speaker who has filled out a testimony card shall have one opportunity to address the Council. Citizens testifying are asked to limit testimony to three minutes.

If you are unable to sit at the table to give your testimony and wish to have a wireless microphone provided to you, please notify City support staff at the meeting.

A link to the full agenda will be added to this page as soon as it's available.

Vancouver City Council is offering an additional feedback opportunity where the public can speak directly to City Council on the Stronger Vancouver initiative at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25, 2019, at Vancouver City Hall Council Chambers, 415 W. Sixth St. in downtown Vancouver.

Each speaker is requested to fill out a pre-printed testimony card (provided at the counter at the entrance to Chambers) with their name/address. They are also asked to sit at the table at the place marked "Citizen Testimony" and give their name and city of residence for the audio record. Please notify the Council Assistant if you are unable to sit at the table to give your testimony and wish to have a wireless microphone provided to you. Each speaker shall have one opportunity to address the Council. Citizens testifying are asked to limit testimony to three minutes.

View the full Council meeting agenda.

Vancouver City Council will meet in two workshops about the Stronger Vancouver initiative on Monday, Oct. 28. Both workshops will take pace in the Aspen Conference Room on the first floor of Vancouver City Hall (415 W. Sixth St.). These workshops are open to the public and will be audio recorded, but will not be broadcast on Clark/Vancouver Television (CVTV).

Workshop #1 | 4-6 p.m.
City Council will engage in a detailed review of two possible revenue sources for Stronger Vancouver programs and projects: Park Impact Fees, which are paid by land developers, and an admissions tax; and will review some alternative scenarios.

Workshop #2 | 6:45 p.m.
City Council will discuss, deliberate and provide direction on remaining variables of the Stronger Vancouver initiative.

Review workshop memo to City Council from City Manager Eric Holmes.

Staff presented the final Community Engagement and Feedback Report to Vancouver City Council at a workshop on Monday, Oct. 7, including the results of:

• More than 1,600 resident comments
• Nearly 1,300 face-to-face conversations
• And over 1,000 online survey participants

The Stronger Vancouver survey is now closed. You can still submit ideas or ask questions using the other tools available on this page.

City Council Workshop Sept. 16

A Vancouver City Council workshop about the Stronger Vancouver programs and services will occur Monday, Sept. 16 starting at 4 p.m. An interim public engagement and feedback update will be presented at this time (the final report will be presented later this year). Review the engagement update.

The workshop is open to the public. It will occur in the Aspen Conference Room at City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St. Or you can watch the workshop live or on-demand online at www.cvtv.org.

(UPDATE: The workshop was not actually recorded by CVTV and is not available to view. Sorry for the confusion.)

We got a lot of questions about the cost of the projects and programs included in the Stronger Vancouver recommendation at our three community open houses.

This information is contained in the Executive Sponsors Council's recommendation report, which is linked on the right sidebar and available on the Stronger Vancouver website.

However, to help make it easier for people to access, we have extracted the estimated costs from that report into a separate web page here: www.strongervancouver.org/costs

There is also a direct link to it on the right sidebar of this web page.

Vancouver City Council is seeking public input about the City’s Stronger Vancouver initiative at three community open houses Aug. 21, 22 and 27.

The Stronger Vancouver initiative is a package of projects and programs aimed at improving safety, livability and access to good jobs within the city over the next decade. It was developed by an executive sponsors council that was formed by the City of Vancouver in May 2017.

The package includes more than 35 capital improvement projects, from developing public spaces, parks and commercial areas to improving emergency preparedness and traffic safety within the city. It also includes new or expanded programs related to homelessness, culture, arts and heritage, strong neighborhoods, community policing and access to recreation.

Community Open House Schedule

Wednesday, Aug. 21
4-7 p.m.
Red Cross building at Fort Vancouver
605 Barnes St.

Thursday, Aug. 22
4-7 p.m.
Firstenburg Community Center
700 N.E. 136th Ave.

Tuesday, Aug. 27
4-7 p.m.
Water Resources Education Center
4600 S.E. Columbia Way

There will be a short presentation at 4:30 and 6 p.m. at each of the open houses. Attendees will be able to learn more about the proposed projects and programs, speak to Vancouver City Councilmembers and city staff, and provide important feedback on the proposal. Refreshments and childcare will be available.

Questions or accommodation requests can be sent to Communications Specialist Sophie Banner at Sophie.Banner@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-8631.

More information about A Stronger Vancouver is available online at www.strongervancouver.org.