The proposed school is designed to meet both current and projected enrolment needs in the Southeast False Creek area and to provide seismically safe learning space for families.The Southeast False Creek Official Development Plan was approved in 2005. Since then, the city has changed significantly with increased residential density, creating the need for a larger school.

The Olympic Village school will serve a walkable catchment that includes parts of the current Fraser Elementary and portions of other adjacent school catchments. This will help relieve enrolment pressure at existing schools while keeping catchments walkable in size.

A catchment review will take place well in advance of the school opening. This process will consider growth projections and development trends to effectively create a new catchment out of the current catchments in the surrounding area. The school is being designed with a 40- to 50-year horizon to ensure it can serve the community over the long term.

VSB engaged a traffic engineering consultant to assess future transportation impacts related to the new school and the consultant prepared a Transportation Assessment and Management Study. This study evaluates how students, staff and families are expected to travel to and from the site and identifies the number of pick-up and drop-off spaces needed to manage traffic safely. 

The study identified a curbside pick-up and drop-off area along the west side of Columbia Street. There will be five dedicated parking spaces along Columbia for families to temporary park during pick-up and drop off-times.  

Like all schools, traffic activity is highest during arrival and dismissal times. With a school start time around 9 a.m. and dismissal around 3 p.m., traffic activity is expected to be concentrated in short peak periods, typically 15 to 20 minutes at the beginning and end of the school day. The proposed pick-up and drop-off spaces are designed to accommodate these peak periods.

Schools use a range of site-specific strategies to support traffic flow and pedestrian safety, which may include:

• Encouraging families to walk, cycle, roll to school
• For families who need to drive to park or stop a few blocks away on quieter streets and walk the remainder of the trip
• Organize walking “school buses” where a group of students walk to school together under adult supervision. 
• Use parent or student volunteer safety patrols at crosswalks (similar to a crossing guard)

Based on this planning and VSB’s experience operating schools in other high-density neighbourhoods, the proposed traffic management measures will support safe and efficient access to the school while minimizing impacts on the surrounding community.

There will be very limited staff parking on site. The school will include five parking stalls and will not have underground parking.

Building underground parking at this location would be incredibly costly and was not feasible within the available funding to create this new school. Providing underground parking would have increased the overall project budget and jeopardized the ability to fund this projects and others.

Given that the site is highly walkable and has easy access to transit and cycling routes, VSB will encourage staff to walk, bike or take transit to work. Staff accepting positions at this school will be aware that on-site parking is limited and that driving to work may not be possible. This approach aligns with other urban school sites in Vancouver, where limited parking is provided and active transportation is common.

The school’s central location and access to public transportation support these travel choices while helping to minimize traffic and parking impacts in the surrounding neighbourhood.

The Southeast False Creek Official Development Plan, approved in 2005, specifically designates the current site for an elementary school. In May 2022, the City of Vancouver and VSB signed a ground lease confirming the site’s use for a school. No other site was identified or designated for a school. 

In April 2024, the Province of B.C. approved funding for a new elementary school in Olympic Village based the location, enrolment capacity of 630 students, a four-level school building and a rooftop play area. The school has long been, and continues to be, a key part of the vision for a complete and well-serviced Southeast False Creek community.

The school site was identified when the Southeast False Creek Official Development Plan was approved in 2005. Existing park and playground areas in Hinge Park, including those south and west of the grassy field, will remain available for public use.

VSB and the City are also exploring opportunities for the area north of the school to function as school play space during school hours and as publicly accessible space after school hours. Additional park space to the west is planned as part of the broader Southeast False Creek vision.

Similar to any school sites, noise from student activity will occur during regular school hours, typically between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., from September to June. 

The design team is exploring reasonable sound-mitigation measures to help reduce noise impacts to the neighbouring residents and businesses.

This site has a unique opportunity to build a public school for students, staff and community use. All people using this community facility will be able to appreciate the views of False Creek and the North Shore mountains.  The new school will be centrally located and is within walking distance to the False Creek community center. The school will provide the community with public spaces on the ground level that can be rented out by the community during and after school hours.

Yes. The City of Vancouver will hold a public hearing as part of the rezoning process. It is anticipated the City’s public hearing will take place in early 2026. The City will notify nearby residents and the public in advance with details about the date, time and how to participate.