Granville Island plans to thrive despite loss of university
Departure of Emily Carr is a big change and opportunity for area, official says
The bike racks are empty and there’s not a book left in the library. The doors are all locked and the sign on the front says: “The Emily Carr University Campus is now permanently closed at this location.”
Emily Carr University of Art + Design, located on Granville Island since 1980, has moved into its new campus on Great Northern Way. On Monday, when classes begin, about 5,000 full and sessional students along with faculty and support staff will be making their way to the $122.6-million campus east of Main.
The assumption by many people is that businesses on Granville Island will suffer a considerable drop in revenue because of the departure of the university. But while there may be short-term impacts, Granville Island expects to adapt and thrive.
“Some people have said: ‘So are you closing up shop and moving?’ Not a chance in hell,” said Scott Cronshaw, vice-president of Opus Art Supplies.
“Granville Island is a great location — it still is the art centre for Vancouver.”
The Opus store on Granville Island is located directly across from the university’s old North Building and beside the South Building. It predates both the university and the Public Market on Granville Island. The Granville Island outlet is the flagship of Opus’ seven stores in B.C.
To educate students about what Opus has to offer at its other locations, the art supply company is operating a pop-up shop in the new Emily Carr campus building for the next three weeks.
The vast majority of its sales on Granville Island, Cronshaw said, are to recreational and professional artists.
Cronshaw thinks customers may have avoided going to the Granville Island store because of the lack of parking. On Wednesday morning, there were plenty of parking spots all around Opus — including right in front of the store.
“We’re trying to educate our regular customers about the advantages of Emily Carr not being there,” he said.
“‘Hey, there’s a reason to come back to Granville Island — the parking has never been better.”
The 14-hectare Granville Island is managed by the federal government’s Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Lisa Ono, manager of public affairs and programming for CMHC-Granville Island, said the departure of Emily Carr University is both a big change and an opportunity for Granville Island.
Although Granville Island has a reputation as a tourist mecca, she said, the split between local shoppers and tourists is 60/40 during the summer.
“The public market is really supported by local residents who live nearby,” Ono said.
“We have a lot of regular, repeat customers who live in the neighbourhood. We don’t anticipate any detriment to our businesses by the departure of Emily Carr.”
Earlier this year a report on the island’s future recommended different arts-related uses for the university’s old North and South Buildings.
Granville Island 2040: Bridging Past & Future designated the North Building as an arts and innovation hub for art, design, and technology and a performance and installation space.
The South Building, because it was purpose-built for the university and can’t easily be adapted for multiple tenants, would be reserved for a single institutional arts user.
Ono said CMHC is waiting for the provincial Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training to recommend which arts educational institution should occupy the South Building.
CMHC doesn’t take over the North Building until January 2018. It will first have to do an assessment to determine what’s needed to adapt the building. She’s hoping that by late next year, CMHC will be able have the ground floor cordoned off for performances and art exhibits.
“There is a lot of opportunities to develop the east end of the island to create an arts and cultural hub in the Emily Carr North Building that is open to the public, vibrant day and evening, and attracts younger people,” Ono said.
Other recommendations in the report called for improving access by building an elevator to bring people up and down from a proposed cycle and pedestrian greenway on the Granville Street Bridge and a pedestrian and cycling bridge in Alder Bay connecting the island to the south shore of False Creek.
Jessica Schauteet, president of the Granville Island Business and Community Association, said the repurposing of the two university buildings should reflect the existing dynamic mixed uses on the island.
She said that while CMHC has a commitment to make Granville Island economically self-sustaining, the landlord isn’t “looking for profits.
“Where else in the city can you find that? We want to strengthen the virtuous cycle that exists down here.”
Schauteet has worked on Granville Island for nearly a decade making acrylic paints at Kroma Artist’s Acrylics.
“We need to unlock Granville Island as a creative cultural resource (and) cultivate connections, especially with young people who are doing things that are exciting and help enable them to do it on the island.”