City Council Workshops

0:00 (upbeat music) - The Vancouver City Council, today is Monday, June 8th, 2026. We're going to discuss the Arts Hub with Mr. Perlick and Kevin Kearns. City Manager, did you have anything you wanted to add to this? - No, Mayor, we can go right into the presentation. - Okay. - Well, good afternoon. My name is David Perlick. I'm Director of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services for the city. We're excited today to be with you and provide an update on a variety of things going on with the Vancouver Arts Hub. I'd like to invite Kevin. - Awesome. Thank you, Dave. And I'm Kevin Kearns, Project Manager for the Capital Projects Division of the General Services Department.

0:59 Excited to be here. - Thank you. - So I think today is an effort to give you a holistic look at a number of things that are occurring to support the current and future success of the Arts Hub. And so this will include a quick summary of how we got to this point. Also some highlights for the very successful initial activation effort that's ongoing, an overview of what we're doing to take care of the building in the short run, and then we'll spend most of our time talking about the work going on to help refine long-term plans for the facility. So let's launch in. So here's a bit of a timeline. The dots are sort of in the right place. But we just wanted to really emphasize that this has been a long-term community conversation. And we've heard about need for dedicated art space for a long time. I think this was solidified as a community priority in the Culture, Arts, and Heritage Plan

1:57 that was adopted by the City Council in 2018. One of three major focus areas of this plan was dedicated space for arts and culture in Vancouver. We found out in 2022 that the former community library building would become available for transfer to the city earlier than expected through some unfortunate events that occurred. But this allowed us to begin planning for how to use this well-loved community asset with a new focus. We went through a reuse study and the City Council endorsed recommendations from that study in 2023. It contemplated the former community library as a arts hub for Vancouver. This process included evaluation of the building that showed it's in relatively good shape, but as a building its age, it does need some repair and renovation. With the right investments, it can become an important catalyst for the Vancouver arts ecosystem.

2:55 Wanted to talk a little bit more about facility improvements. That study helped us prioritize what's most critical to preserve the building in the short run. In response, we are currently underway replacing the roof right now. Don't worry, weatherization portion has been completed and we're finishing up that work. And there's also upgrades to some of the HVAC elements, things that needed to happen in the short run. Let's take care of the asset while we're planning what to do with it in the longer run. So we're excited today to provide you an overview of the next phase in the planning work. That will help us imagine how a renovated arts hub can create an even greater impact in the future. I think today is really about the process, where we've been, what we're doing, the scope of the work. As you'll see as we move forward, recommendations are coming forward later this summer, but we wanted to get you oriented to what's going on and let the community know about the process.

3:51 So moving forward, we wanted to talk about the important initial activation. With the completion of the reuse study, the city has worked with community partners to begin using the building. The, you know, culture arts and heritage plan said we need space and we have space. So the approach is let's use it while we're doing the long-term planning as well. So through a competitive process, the arts centered was selected as a key partner to lead the initial activation. This began in early 2024. There are a number of benefits to this activation. Again, first and foremost, the city is making a meaningful impact by providing space that meets existing needs. A variety of groups and individuals are using the space, experiencing events, making connections. There's more in a minute about initial activation, but I think the key is let's do this now

4:49 and let's bring the community in. And with that process, the activation provides critical information about long-term facility planning process. We're learning more about what works, what people want, the real details about planning for space through real experience. And that's really critical to this project. And we're also seeing that the activation has increased community understanding and support for the project. You know, as you know, it's so important that we have well-informed community feedback that really helps us shape the project moving forward. And so that's been an amazing opportunity. Throughout this presentation, you'll see photos of groups that are currently using the Arts Hub and benefiting from that initial activation. And so a little bit more about the initial activation. This has been really successful and continues to grow. In 2025, over 60 groups used the building,

5:48 which resulted in over 2,000 hours of program use. This was in addition to monthly First Friday events that welcomed the community and made connections to culture and arts groups. And there were a variety of other public events, speakers, markets, et cetera. And the activation has grown steadily. More groups today in 2026 continue to sign up and use the space. The work that ArtCentered has done in managing the activation has focused on supporting a diversity of needs and minimizing barriers. That diversity is represented across a variety of cultural expressions, art forms, the size and types of the groups, ages of participants, ability to pay, and others. The activation is building trust to the community and strengthening relationships, having a real community benefit today. Again, this sets us up for an informed future planning process with strong partners that are definitely gonna be critical to growth.

6:48 We only wish we had more amenities, more strategic spaces, higher occupancy, and the list goes on. And that really leads into the next phase of how do we grow this amazing opportunity and what are the priorities that are needed? So with that, I'd like to hand it over to Kevin. - Well, awesome. Thank you, Dave. With the initial activation confirming the potential of the building, the city began the search for a team to help us develop the next steps for a permanent arts hub. We released an RFQ last year and we got a phenomenal amount of interest and we got three great proposals. The review panel selected a team led by Opsys Architecture. The Opsys team includes AMS planning and they're doing the business and operational planning work as well as frameworks is also on the team

7:45 and they're doing the stakeholder and community outreach. The city has contracted Opsys for the first two steps of this process, of the redevelopment process. And that first task is outreach and analysis, sort of reaching out to the community, finding out better about their needs and analyzing the financial details of how something like this can operate. And this is really to inform the second task, which is to develop a master plan for how we're gonna develop this building, but also a business plan and sort of the phased implementation of both.

8:33 And as part of that first phase, that first stage, that task includes community engagement and research as well as the business and operational analysis. For the community engagement, the team is reviewing and confirming those earlier studies. There've been a lot of them, as well as undertaking sort of an expanded community outreach that includes the current users of the interim activation as well as targeted outreach to the community. Using the research and community input, the team will develop the operating plan for the Arts Hub and build a budget forecast for its operations. And as the community engagement strategy, this includes interviews, targeted focus groups, open houses, as well as tabling and intercepts at community events. The team has already interviewed a wide range of folks, including almost everyone who is part

9:32 of the current activation. And we've held four focus groups, and we began open houses at the last Friday, the first Friday. And we've also begun the tabling, and this was at the farmer's market on Saturday. And with that, though it's still early in the process, we do have some early findings that Dave will share. - Yeah, I think that community voice is so important. So I'd like to take a minute to talk about what we're hearing. There's been a really strong alignment in the feedback, and I think that's all part of having the space in use and people experiencing it, and really having an ability to think about what it can be. We've highlighted some of those key themes that we're hearing throughout the current stakeholder feedback. Affordability, fees and rental rates are mentioned by almost every group we talk to. And people recognize that we need to balance revenue goals with a focus on ensuring that a wide variety of groups, small and emerging groups are still able to use the space and grow there.

10:32 Accessible and equitable. Interviewees stress the need to improve physical access. And growing environment is welcoming to the entire community, particularly to traditionally underserved groups. Creating flexible spaces. Again, very common theme. Interviewees express a preference for spaces that can be flexible and easily reconfigured over dedicated purpose-built spaces. They really recognize that so many things can occur there. Let's plan for a variety, and let's make sure that the Arts Hub can change and grow and adapt to the opportunities that exist. Integration into the existing arts ecosystem. Interviewees also regularly raise the need for the Arts Hub to carefully consider where to fit in, understanding that there's a lot of exciting and successful things going on. How to fill the gaps and promote the success that's already occurring in Vancouver. And then be a public gathering space.

11:31 The Arts Hub should prioritize activation through public access and interaction. People mentioned continuation and growth of many of the events and exhibitions that are happening now that bring people in, that create new connections, that get people involved. I also wanted to share a couple more comments from the engagement process to date, since we have a few minutes. And I think these examples show that in addition to the specific project feedback we're seeking, we're also gaining an understanding of the impact of the Arts Hub and developing really a better understanding of opportunities for continued collaboration. During a focus group with downtown arts-focused businesses, we heard specific feedback on how the Arts Hub can fill a role that is complementary to what's going on and serve as a resource for these businesses, helping fill gaps for certain types of activities in public spaces. And we're incorporating that in the planning effort. But we also heard that people simply appreciated

12:30 the opportunity to meet with other arts business owners and share experiences and find new opportunities for collaboration. We will maintain that dialogue through the Arts Hub planning process and really need to plan for ways to continue it beyond this planning project as well. In talking to groups that have been using the Arts Hub during the initial activation, we heard ideas about the building use and design opportunities. Another theme we're hearing from these groups is that the Arts Hub has allowed their organizations to grow and become stronger. With consistent, affordable access to space like the Arts Hub, they can pursue their mission more effectively and at a greater scale than they had been able to previously. Really, we've already seen that catalytic nature of the Arts Hub. And so again, we wanna continue that collaboration, continue the communication, and continue to discover and learn how that process can continue to grow into the future.

13:26 This feedback is critical as we formulate strategies. And again, it's near-term planning project, but it's long-term as well. - Awesome. And you can see how this feedback can lead directly to some design. And that's kind of what the team is doing now. They're sort of taking that task one, which was reaching out to the community, listening to that feedback, and figuring out how to turn that into strategies for the implementation of both the renovation of the building, strategic renovation, as well as the development of the business plan and its implementation long-term, understanding that each are multi-phase processes. What you have on the slide here is a simplified project schedule, starting in April with the kickoff and ending with the end of this phase of the project in September.

14:24 As I mentioned in parallel with that phase one is phase two. And what we're trying to make sure that we're doing is here kicking off the process with you to hear your feedback and bring you up to speed on where we are on the project. And you can see at the end in August, we'll be coming back to you again with the draft report with the intent of being able to incorporate your feedback in the final report in September. And that's in time, hopefully, to be a meaningful part of the conversation for the biannual budget. And between now and August, when we come again, we're gonna continue the community outreach, and we'll be developing that business plan and continue to work on the building and site master plan. Much of the upcoming community engagement

15:20 is gonna be the open houses and the tabling at the big community events. And we've already had, as I mentioned, the first open house. We'll be having other open houses at the Arts Hub in July and August, also on those first Fridays. And we don't have the full schedule for our tabling, but as I mentioned, we've already started and we'll be continuing this throughout the summer. In those on the schedule, even as the consultants work on their scopes of work, of course, the activation continues at the Arts Hub. And there's a real dialogue between that team and the team that's working and operating the Arts Hub to make sure that there's dynamic feedback so that we can benefit from the experience of operating the Arts Hub. And really, here's a list of next steps.

16:20 It really reinforces what Kevin just said. So I don't need to really go into a lot of detail. But again, we're continuing that community engagement process to inform the consultant's work. Again, we wanna inform a biennial budget request. And as stated, we're developing a draft recommendation that comes back to city council. We'll review that with the Colchurch and Heritage Commission as well before that meeting. And hope to have a final report in the fall to really guide next steps in the project. So with that, we are here for discussion. - Councillors? Councillor Perez, go ahead. - Thank you. I'm thinking about third spaces and how that relates to this Arts Hub and if that is part of the vision as well.

17:20 Especially when you talk about affordability and gathering places for community that it's essentially third spaces, which first place is home and second place is at work. And so this third place is just a place to be and experience and to feel like you belong there. Is that the vision that's being put in here? And would that be programmed in, especially as you look into operational funding and how that can be sustainable? - Yeah, I'll take a first shot at that. I think I'll say this probably several times. We're not yet at the point of recommendations, but I do really appreciate the question. And it is definitely part of the planning process. And in fact, Friday night, we were gathering feedback from folks and a cafe or a place to be as part of one of those spaces that we're trying to gather feedback from the community on. So we're thinking about that.

18:18 And we know that the building can serve that purpose either through planned and intended events that are open to the public or just having space available for people. We don't know what the exact mix will be, but it is on the list, so to speak. - Yeah, and I think just to add is one of those questions that we have been going to the public with is what kinds of spaces are you looking for? And it's come up pretty consistently that people really want the ones that are actually not programmed. They've come up much higher than I expected, the lobby, the cafes. And it just sort of shows a demand for what you're speaking of. But to Dave's point is that we're not ready with a recommendation from our team, but we have been hearing that feedback and that feedback will be going into the design process. - Great, I look forward to hearing more about it. Thank you. - Councilor Sarah Fox. - One of the slides that I had kind of some questions on

19:16 was slide six and it was just the project team slide. And it's my question as I listened to your presentation today and still kind of thinking on it is it feels like there's a missing team member there and maybe it's not, but it feels like we might be missing kind of a group that is actually very much involved with these type of facilities, you know, being a national leader or a group of similar minded facilities across the United States. So it feels like we're missing the, maybe the future users of the building versus just looking at what the community right now is interested in, if that makes sense. - Oh, I think it does. Thank you for bringing that up. The team, this is the shorthand of the team. There's actually other members that aren't here. You can imagine there's engineers and others,

20:14 as well as people who do represent some of what you're speaking of. So this team includes the folks that have been involved with Multnomah Art Center and that group and that person who is consulting with this team is on the board of kind of the association of art centers. And so we hope that both will get the feedback from him on day-to-day operations to help us just make sure that we're benefiting from the experience of the Multnomah Art Center, which has been operating by the city of Portland for, I did know the dates, but it's at least 30 years. And so getting the benefit of that, as well as his association with the association. And I've also joined that association and been going to the meetings just to make sure that I can benefit and learn from what's happening in the field. There's a lot of disruption happening in the field is the short answer,

21:13 but we're trying to understand the patterns of that disruption. - Okay, all right, thank you. - Any other comments? Councilor Stauber. - Thank you, mayor. Council Member Ty Stauber. I'm just excited that we're moving, right? I've been worried that this project was getting lost through this, through all the things happening in the city. It's an extremely important, it will in some form be that third space. We don't know what that form will be, but we want this, I want this to be a place where the entire community feels comfortable to come and explore, not just sit back and watch,

22:09 but really can put their hands in and make a difference here. So excited for this next step in the summer and seeing where we're going next. Thank you. - Yes, Councilor Eric Paulson. - Thank you, mayor. Thanks for the presentation. I share the enthusiasm of my colleagues. I wonder if you could go to slide number nine. Thank you. I want to underscore the point that the mayor Pro Tem made earlier about the opportunity that we have to integrate these two concepts, because oftentimes design and operation are separate and we have one group of individuals, typically architects who like to build shiny things and they go and they make cool things. And then the operators aren't necessarily included in that dialogue. And then when it comes time to operate the shiny thing, it doesn't really work the way the architects intended

23:08 for it to work. And history is filled with buildings, right? Including the Portland building that looks cool, but doesn't really work that well. And so I think I really want to underscore that point that the mayor Pro Tem made about getting the operator and the users involved all throughout so that what we design works. And then if you'd go to slide number eight, please. We started a conversation about this and then we pushed the pause button. And then the interim we've activated this space and we've learned a ton through that activation, but a lot has changed in that time. And so it's good to go back and revisit that work, but I hope that we're not anchoring too heavily in that prior work because we should be leveraging more about what we've learned in the interim. And so some examples of things that have changed that I'm aware of.

24:05 Prior feedback specifically around performing arts had centered around concerns that this would compete with a potential additional facility. The work that has subsequently been done around performing arts stresses the importance of having this compliment of potential performing arts facility. So for example, the previous work said, hey, don't put a black box and performance space here because you want to do that over there. And now we're saying actually a black box isn't going to work over here. We need it over there, right? And so those are a couple of really specific examples of the kinds of things that have changed at a very tactical level. Since we began this conversation until now, and I think it's really important that we incorporate those updated views of the ecosystem, if you will, into this conversation so that again, we aren't anchored in some of the prior input that had been given. I think flexibility is really important.

25:04 I'm glad to see it here. The previous vision was really anchored around maker space and really structured spaces that were not at all flexible. And what we've learned through this interim activation is that having essentially a wide open floor plan offers tremendous flexibility and that has shown its advantages. And we also have a second floor that's basically not being utilized at all that could be used in lots of different ways as well. And so like really leveraging that learning and emphasizing that flexibility because a couple of things come to mind. Number one, we've learned that flexibility in the present time has advantages, but we've also learned that just in a few short years, our view of how this facility needs to work and what the uses are has changed a lot and it will continue to change. And so having that flexibility I think is super important. And then the last thing I wanna say is around affordability. And so I've thought about this idea of affordability

26:01 and I've thought a lot about how artists tend to be innovators in space making. And here's what I mean by that. If you look around major urban areas, there oftentimes is underutilized space and this is an example of that. And what happens is either on a sanctioned or unsanctioned basis, artists occupy those spaces. And in doing so, they make that formerly downtrodden sort of unattractive place a very vibrant and attractive place, which subsequently then attracts other uses, ultimately displacing the artists, rinse repeat. And so this idea of affordability is really important because we have an existing ecosystem. We've built relationships and trust with a community and we need to maintain and build upon that community rather than build something that's shiny, that's no longer accessible to the folks who have built it. And so I really wanna underscore that importance of affordability.

27:01 Thank you. - Thank you, Councilor Hanson. - Thank you, mayor. Council member Bart Hanson, I really like the idea of having a cafe in there as well and reaching out to the youth in the community. When you look at our Furstenberg or our Marshall or our recreation that we have there, that's really opening up the door to sports but it's not adding a third sort of recreational for the youth in our community as well. So we'd like to see that sort of idea develop as well. I think you're on the right track. - Okay, any other council? Okay, well, Dave, in looking at that last photo, it says Operation Center for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. It's time to take those letters down and put up a banner over the top of that. We're excited about the change that is happening. We're looking forward to an update. Thank you so very much.

27:56 - Councilors, we are done with our afternoon workshop. We will head over and grab a quick bite of dinner. We'll be back at 6.30 for our regular council meeting. Thank you.