Did the Vancouver mayor’s office fast-track a public plaza to benefit a staffer?

There are questions about how a public plaza next to an East Vancouver restaurant was approved.

A newly constructed temporary plaza built next to an East Vancouver restaurant is raising questions as to whether it was accelerated due to the business’ connection to the mayor’s office.

In May, a pop-up plaza was built adjacent to Bells & Whistles on 17th Avenue and Fraser Street.

Bells & Whistles is owned by Gooseneck Hospitality, and one of its partners is Ogi Radoicic, who is Mayor Ken Sim’s director of communications.

‘That’s the problem’

Pete Fry, a Green city councillor and mayoral candidate, said he questions what went into choosing this particular location.

“Did we do all the appropriate checks and balances and was the mayor’s office directly involved in moving this forward in a more expeditious way?” he said.

Fry added he doesn’t want to make assumptions around the motives of this decision, and said he would have liked to have seen greater transparency.

“What I can say is that when we don’t do things above board, totally transparently and by the book, then it gives the perception that there may be something untoward and that’s the problem,” he said.

“I hate to think that this is some kind of backroom dealing that is delivering favors for certain people and not others.”

Decision independent of mayor’s office

In a statement, Radoicic said pilot plazas are approved and managed by the City of Vancouver’s engineering department and are independent of the mayor’s office.

“For reference, I started my role with the mayor’s office in mid-March of this year and have fully stepped away from my day-to-day responsibilities at Gooseneck,” he said.

The mayor’s office confirmed Radoicic made the request to city staff for the pilot plaza while in his previous role, and added he’s presently on a leave of absence from Gooseneck Hospitality to serve as the director of communications.

“The approval for the 17th and Fraser pilot plaza followed all standard city processes,” a spokesperson said.

CTV News asked Radoicic to confirm he is part-owner of Bells & Whistles given his connection to Gooseneck Hospitality, but he did not respond.

CTV News also repeatedly asked the mayor’s office to speak with Sim and Radoicic but they declined.

City confirms plaza ‘moved more quickly’

The City of Vancouver said Bells & Whistles inquired about the plaza in January, and added these spaces can bring more foot traffic to businesses.

The city said this location moved more quickly than a typical pilot plaza.

“A typical pilot plaza process from initial inquiry to implementation is approximately 6 to 10 months,” a city spokesperson said.

This plaza took only four months.

The city added it will cost about $25,000 to $30,000 of capital funding to install, and that requests for this year’s plazas have come from a mix of community partners, including businesses, business improvement associations and local residents.

“If the feedback is positive, the plaza will remain and be upgraded over time,” they said.

The city confirmed there is no public drinking at any pilot plaza.

Stewart Prest, a lecturer in political science at the University of British Columbia, said this is an instance where the director of communications could potentially be financially benefiting from the decision.

“That’s the kind of issue where it’s really important to get way in front of those issues and, and not just address the substantive impact on the decision itself, but also the perception of the city playing favorites,” he said.

Gooseneck Hospitality response

James Iranzad, a partner with Gooseneck Hospitality, said the team initially conceived of the idea to apply for the temporary plaza last year.

“I like public gathering spaces and thought that having a parklet on 17th would provide that while also beautifying what is objectively an ugly and unappealing strip due to the gravel shoulder and the lack of trees,” he said.

Iranzad added they had hoped the space could be used as an extension of the restaurant during the FIFA World Cup, but after conversations with various officials, they learned table service would not be permitted, nor would there be an opportunity to display matches or extend their liquor license.

“We did consider cancelling, particularly due to the loss of very limited and valuable parking spaces a plaza would cause, but we had already developed some sort of romantic attachment to the idea and decided to see it through as a pilot, especially after putting some thought and energy into the colour palette and landscaping,” he added.

As for questions about traffic and safety concerns, Iranzad said he thinks the plaza would reduce the likelihood of a crash by blocking eastwards turns onto 17th Avnenue.

Business, resident reaction

On a recent visit to the plaza, CTV News spoke with residents about the space. One said he was looking forward to using it on the weekends.

“I’m a fan,” he said.

Ben Kingstone lives in a building near the plaza and contacted city council to express some of his concerns, which include blocking residents’ access and pedestrian safety.

“There’s no crosswalk even though people cross there all the time,” he said. “There’s almost daily accidents.”

Kingstone added while he’s in support of spaces such as this for those in the hospitality sector, he questions the process.

“I want this to happen all over the city, but it can’t be at the expense of safety, and it can’t be at the expense of the people living in the city,” he said.

“It has to be done the right way, and everyone needs to have a fair opportunity to be able to expand their business.”

Michael Sirota, the owner of Sirota’s Alchymy Martial Arts, which is located next to the plaza, said the lack of parking has made it challenging for parents to drop off their children to his classes.

“I think it’s just more dangerous for the families, for the kids,” he said.