Developing the Master Plan

Public meetings were held so members of the public could learn about different options for the future of East and South Vancouver Barracks and provide their thoughts.

NPS Photo

The Post-to-Park transfer of the East and South Barracks to the National Park Service didn’t take place overnight – planning began over a decade earlier with thorough public involvement and community input. In 2012, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site released its Draft Master Plan for the site, with the goal of establishing a vision for public use and providing guidance for park managers for the next 20 years.

The Draft Master Plan included four options for governance of the new property:

• To incorporate the new buildings into the Fort’s existing management practices, primarily using them for administrative and maintenance functions and storage.
• To create a contemporary urban district focused on retail, offices, and residences – essentially an extension of Downtown Vancouver.
• To create a historical, educational campus with buildings for nonprofit and community use.
• And what became the preferred option: To create a sustainable, historic campus for public service where the multi-layered history of the barracks would be preserved and interpreted, and offer buildings for adaptive reuse, including offices for public agencies, museums, businesses, shops, restaurants, and community functions.

What is adaptive reuse?

Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than that for which it was built or designed. In addition to social and economic benefits, adaptive reuse is a great environmental practice. As architect Carl Elefante once said, “The greenest building is one that’s already built.”

Comments from the public were recorded during public meetings and incorporated into the final Master Plan for reuse of the site.

NPS Photo

The NPS invited the public to review the draft – sharing it online for comment and holding two public meetings. As public land, it was important to have the American people shape the future of these historically significant buildings. With this input, and significant review of environmental and social impacts of the options, the NPS signed the Finding of No Significant Impact in December 2012, allowing Fort Vancouver NHS to move forward with the preferred option of a campus for public service.

One important piece of the plan was the preservation of the Hudson’s Bay Company Cemetery, the resting place of employees of Fort Vancouver and their families, including Native Americans and Native Hawaiians, soldiers, civilians, prisoners of war, and others. In all four of the options, no new buildings would be constructed within the boundaries of the cemetery. For any projects having potential effects on this area, the NPS first consults with associated tribes and other cultural groups to discuss how historic resources will be protected and the area treated with respect.

Overall, the plan guides Fort Vancouver NHS to actively pursue opportunities to reduce resource consumption and improve the efficiency of building and landscape systems; accommodate all people and abilities through universal accessibility; and increase and improve public access to the land, buildings, and archaeology of the area. See how the plan is coming to life for residents of and visitors to Vancouver.