Commercial Corridors Strategy

Evergreen and Grand Commercial Corridors Strategy Implementation Underway

On February 28, 2022, the Evergreen and Grand Commercial Corridors Strategy was adopted by Vancouver City Council without amendments, intended to guide future zoning code text changes and other land use, community development and transportation implementation. The project team has started the process of drafting development regulations and additional implementation measures that reflect the vision included in the strategy document.

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Evergreen and Grand Commercial Corridors Strategy 

East Evergreen and Grand Boulevards are locally-oriented corridors that boast an emerging small business district, have a unique character with smaller-scale buildings oriented to the street, and are located in an area adjacent to established neighborhoods. The City of Vancouver has embarked on a community planning process for the Evergreen and Grand study area that is intended to support neighborhood livability and create a walkable environment where businesses can thrive.

Adopted Plan and Appendices:

download this documentEvergreen and Grand Commercial Corridors Strategy (Feb. 2022) download this documentEvergreen and Grand Commercial Corridors Strategy Accessible Version download this documentEvergreen and Grand Commercial Corridors Strategy Appendices (Feb. 2022)

Planning Process

download this documentEvergreen and Grand Commercial Corridors map

Evergreen and Grand are locally-oriented corridors that boast an emerging small business district, have a unique character with smaller-scale buildings oriented to the street, and are located in an area adjacent to established neighborhoods. The City of Vancouver embarked on a community planning process for the study area that is intended to support neighborhood livability and create a walkable environment where businesses can thrive. This planning process progressed in three stages:

  • Issues and Opportunities (Spring – Summer 2020): Issues, opportunities and priorities were identified and reviewed by the public at the February kick-off open house and online survey.
  • ​Corridor Vision (Summer – Fall 2020): A long-term vision, goals, and objectives for the corridors were reviewed and refined by the public to ensure they reflect community priorities at the August virtual open houses and online survey.
  • ​Vision Concepts and Recommendations (Fall 2020 – Fall 2021): Recommendations to achieve the vision will be developed and reviewed by the community at public outreach opportunities in February 2021, which will address types of land uses and development that are allowed, the pedestrian environment, building orientation in relationship to the street, and parking and access.

​In order to ensure results of this process could be fully implemented when completed, a moratorium on new development was established in November 2019. Based on concerns about economic impacts and hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic, the moratorium was lifted by the City Council in May 2020.

Project Documents

Commercial Corridors Strategy

The Evergreen and Grand corridors are part of the Commercial Corridors Strategy, a larger citywide effort to improve major commercial corridors and nearby areas throughout Vancouver where residents work, shop, live, and travel through. The Commercial Corridors Strategy is a community planning process intended to enhance existing commercial corridors, increase walkability, ensure access to services and amenities, support job growth, and increase housing opportunities. The overall process originally included study corridors in three general areas with the process kicking off with the Evergreen and Grand commercial corridors.

Evergreen and Grand (currently in-process)

  • Evergreen Boulevard, from V Street to Grove Street
  • Grand Boulevard, from East Mill Plain Boulevard to East Evergreen Boulevard

St. Johns/St. James Couplet (timing delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic)

  • From Burnt Bridge Creek to NE 68th Street

Fourth Plain and Mill Plain (timing delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic)

  • Mill Plain Boulevard, from East Reserve Street to SE 92nd Avenue
  • Fourth Plain Boulevard, from I-5 to NE 172nd Avenue

Project Goals

Fourth Plain and Mill Plain are longer, regionally-significant transit corridors that provide important employment and housing opportunities. These corridors require broader policy considerations to address allowed uses and densities, multi-modal safety to allow increased access to employment and amenities, and a more in-depth focus around existing or proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations.

Evergreen, Grand, and St. Johns/St. James are smaller, neighborhood-serving corridors. For these locally-oriented corridors, the project will evaluate types of uses that are allowed, the pedestrian environment, building orientation in relationship to the street, and parking and access to support neighborhood livability and create a walkable environment where businesses can thrive.

For each set of corridors, the project will result in a set of recommendations for policies, programs, and tools to achieve the long-term vision established through the process. Potential project deliverables include:

  • Development of general corridor design concepts
  • Amendments and updates to zoning designations and standards related to allowed uses, building densities, building orientation in relationship to the street, and access and parking requirements
  • Recommendations related to the location and density of housing
  • Improvements to multi-modal transportation and access
  • Placemaking recommendations to provide services and amenities to nearby residents

Project Timeline

The process kicked off with the Evergreen and Grand commercial corridors (currently underway). The larger Commercial Corridors Strategy also included the St. Johns/St. James Couplet and Fourth and Mill Plain Boulevards, but COVID-19 impacts have postponed the study of these sets of corridors. These corridors will be revisited in future years as resources allow.

  • Evergreen and Grand: Currently in-process and is anticipated to conclude in early 2021
  • St. Johns/St. James Couplet: Delayed
  • Fourth Plain and Mill Plain: Delayed

More information

Contact Bryan Snodgrass, Long Range Principal Planner, at 360-487-7946 or bryan.snodgrass@cityofvancouver.us.