Victoria鈥檚 harbour has long been a valuable component of the Island鈥檚 economy, and esthetics did not always come first. Travellers arriving by sea were undoubtedly impressed by the majesty of the legislative buildings and the Empress Hotel, but they have also been greeted through the years by an assortment of industrial facilities, including shipbuilding, fish-processing, a paint factory and a plant that generated gas from coal.
As the harbour has evolved away from its industrial past, it has become increasingly apparent that its beauty is its most enduring and valuable feature, economically as well as esthetically.
The City of Victoria鈥檚 proposals for redeveloping its harbourfront properties continue that evolution and will ensure the Inner Harbour continues to be the heart of the city and the jewel of the region.
And it鈥檚 clear that鈥檚 the direction people want the city to take.
The city conducted extensive public consultation in May and June, seeking views on what to do with three prominent harbourfront sites: the lower Wharf Street parking lot, Ship Point and the Belleville Street Wharf. That information was compiled into a report called Harbour Vitality Principles 2014.
Keep it people-friendly was the gist of the response. Public input pointed to the need for a plan that will attract locals and tourists, maintain a working harbour, develop a continuous walkway along the harbour and improve pedestrian access and experience.
The report suggests the Wharf Street property, now a barren parking lot, could accommodate buskers, food kiosks, a sloping grass park, a pebble beach and a float-plane terminal. It envisions a range of uses for Ship Point, including performance areas, fountains and marine-related businesses and restaurants.
One option shows the sa国际传媒 Maritime Museum at Ship Point, which would be in keeping with the nautical and historical aspects of the harbour.
With the Empress, the legislative buildings and the CPR Steamship Terminal as magnificent anchors for the harbour鈥檚 viewscape, the Belleville Street Terminal stands out like a plywood shack amid granite mansions. It鈥檚 downright embarrassing that visitors arriving in Victoria and sa国际传媒 on the Victoria Clipper and the MV Coho must disembark through a structure that has no redeeming architectural features.
One of the possibilities envisioned by the harbourfront report is a combined terminal for the Clipper and the Coho that would be in keeping with its surroundings.
These concepts fit perfectly with the David Foster Way that, when completed, will provide a five-kilometre pedestrian route around the harbour.
Plans should take into account that the harbour鈥檚 history did not begin with the arrival of Europeans. For thousands of years, it has been important to the Esquimalt and Songhees people for its calm waters and abundance of natural resources. Development around the harbour would be woefully incomplete if it did not include prominent First Nations components.
The changes cannot come quickly, nor should they. 鈥淲isely and slow,鈥� advises Friar Lawrence in Shakespeare鈥檚 Romeo and Juliet. 鈥淭hey stumble that run fast.鈥�
Neither will the improvements come cheaply, but they will be a good investment, if properly planned and executed.
As a busy shipping port and industrial area, Victoria鈥檚 harbour has been a mainstay of the regional economy. More important, it is an architectural, historical and cultural gem well worth polishing.
