With celebrations around BC Place before and after major events like the recent Grey Cup and the upcoming Taylor Swift Eras Tour shows, Coun. Peter Meiszner thinks it's time for Vancouver to have a designated fan zone on Robson Street.
"We deserve something better, and I want to make that happen," Meiszner tells V.I.A.
Similar plazas exist elsewhere, including Jurassic Park in Toronto. While the area west of BC Place is often used as a fan zone, it's an informal situation.
Meiszner's behind a motion in front council on Nov. 27, asking the city to formally recognize the 100 block of Robson Street as a "dedicated fan zone."
"This is taking that block that's often used for fan celebrations on Robson between Beatty and Cambie and designating it as a permanent fan zone," says Meiszner.
Along with that, he wants city staff to look into improving the block on BC Place's westside, creating a space that can be temporarily turned into a pedestrian plaza of sorts. It could then be activated for anything from global sporting events to local farmers' markets.
That could include enhanced road surface and sidewalk treatments, as well as street furniture, lighting, electrical outlets, and retractable bollards. It may even include realigning the road height with the front of BC Place, Meiszner adds.
"This will make it much nicer for celebrations," he explains.
Right now it's usually separated with blue fencing or city vehicles, and everything needs to be trucked in and set up to turn it into an informal fan zone.
He notes that the zone would only be activated during events, and normal traffic patterns would be in place the majority of the time.
"That's the great thing about this block; it's already used as a fan zone, so we have an idea of the traffic impacts," Meiszner says.
If approved, the improvements are still a ways off and won't be in place for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour shows in early December.
Unfortunately, Meiszner doesn't think they'd be in place for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Vancouver, either.
The idea is in its earliest stages right now. If the motion is approved at council, staff will return with a report in the second quarter of 2025.
No budget has been suggested yet, though Meiszner notes the proposed "fan zone" could be partially funded by projects underway in the area and wants staff to talk to PavCo, which owns BC Place, about potential funding.
