A Vancouver Art Gallery proposal to move to an expanded downtown site is a step closer to fruition, after city council voted to reserve two acres of land for cultural use at 688 Cambie Street for up to two years.

Council approved recommendations Tuesday (February 1) to work with gallery staff on developing a strategy for potential relocation and expansion for the facility.

A new purpose-built art museum on the city-owned block depends on the gallery meeting certain conditions, including presenting a business case to demonstrate the sustainability of a new gallery, developing a long-term operating plan and financial strategy, and proving public support for the new site.

The gallery will also have to raise an estimated $250 million to $300 million for the bigger site. The facility currently has $42 million in pledges from individuals in the community, and $50 million in provincial money that was allotted to the gallery in 2008, according to gallery director Kathleen Bartels.

Bartels said she’s happy with the recommendations that were approved by council.

“It’s a huge step forward for the art gallery in realizing our vision for a new purpose-built building,” she told the Straight Tuesday afternoon.

Bartels said challenges faced by the gallery in its current Hornby Street location, which was originally built as a courthouse, include a shortage of space that has forced the museum to turn away school groups, climate control issues, outdated mechanical systems and lack of theatre space for films or lectures.

She said some international artists and curators who visit the facility are disappointed in the gallery space.

“They want to see a gallery that really matches the ambitions and talents of artists that live and work in this community, and the great artists that we bring from other places,” she said.

Council heard from many speakers Tuesday morning and evening who supported the expansion of the gallery, while some spoke in favour of a purpose-built concert hall at the 688 Cambie Street site.

Paul Faoro of CUPE 15, whose union represents 70 workers at the gallery, supports potential relocation of the facility, but with certain conditions, including keeping admission costs affordable and requiring the VAG to comply with the B.C. Financial Information Act, which requires expenditures and salaries over $75,000 to be made public.

“We find it interesting that the gallery receives $4 million in funding, public dollars, yet there is no financial accountability that we can see,” he told councillors.

“We ask that you ensure that if we build a new art gallery, that the gallery can prove they can run it with properly paid staff, and most importantly that people across this city can afford to go to the gallery,” he told council.

The city will now seek input from the cultural community and the broader public on their views of the expansion and relocation options for the gallery, and on the potential cultural uses of the existing 750 Hornby Street site if the gallery does move.

Bartels estimated the process of completing a new art gallery could take six to seven years.