City of Vancouver hosts open house on Blood Alley Square redesign

A quiet alleyway in Vancouver is at the heart of an ongoing battle between some residents of the city's Downtown Eastside. 

Blood Alley is a cobblestone laneway nestled between Abbott and Carrall streets. It's lined with tall trees, brick facades, and historic streetlights.

High-heeled hipsters walking through dip into trendy new taco restaurants and chic boutiques along the graffiti-lined walls. 

But the square is also a gathering place for drug users, dealers, and low-income residents of the neighbourhood. 

The city is proposing to redesign the square, with the goal to "update the space for neighbourhood gatherings," yet retain its heritage characteristics. 

Groups like the Carnegie Community Action Plan say they worry the redesign will come at the expense of the area's marginalized residents.

Late Saturday afternoon, the city hosted an open house to gather more feedback from residents and businesses in the area, following early sessions in August and September. 

Only a couple of dozen people attended the event, but the clash between some of them made it clear the project is symbolic of continuing concerns about the changing nature of one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods.

One protester wore a mask and ripped up the city's welcome signs but left before police showed up.

"They're going to totally redesign this area so that it raises up the value of people's condos and all the housing around here so it further displaces the people of the Downtown Eastside," one protester explained to a local resident at the event.

Many homeless people in the area use the balconies of an empty building flanking the square to sleep in, she said, concerned those people would get pushed out. 

And then there were people like Steve Demelt, who has lived in the neighbourhood for the past 10 years. 

"I think preserving it's more the way I would describe it. And I don't think what they're proposing is a really radical move," he said. 

"It seems to me it's kind of a minimal approach. Just sort of upgrading it but not really changing the character, I don't think."

Some of the changes he's happy about include removing parking from the area. He's also glad the city is no longer proposing to cut down some of the trees. 

But Demelt isn't advocating for a complete revitalization of the area. He says what he likes the most about the square is that it's not as posh and touristy as nearby Water Street, where cruise ship passengers buy Canadian souvenirs

"I moved here because I liked the edge. I like the alley the way it is," he said. 

The redesign is expected to be completed by March 2017. 

The city says the process will be guided by the Downtown Eastside Community Plan and will include a report on the social impact of the changes. 

With files from Catherine Rolfsen