Vancouver city council has voted unanimously to move forward with a plan to lease Larwill Park to accommodate a new art gallery.

"We are elated by today's vote and thank the mayor and city council for this tremendous show of support," Vancouver Art Gallery director Kathleen Bartels said in a statement. "This is a great day for Vancouver and the province, and we're looking forward to working together to make the vision of a new gallery a reality."

More than a dozen speakers made presentations Tuesday afternoon on the project before council's vote, many of them artists and gallery owners.

Brian Jackson, Vancouver chief planner, took to the microphone first to answer a question from council on the potential impact on the city's downtown core should the gallery site shift east to city-owned Larwill Park at Cambie and Georgia from its current home at the former court house.

Jackson sees the shift as "an opportunity to not move the cultural heart of the city, but expand the cultural heart alone the Georgia corridor."

The city says there is potential in creating a pedestrian space along the corridor downtown with weather protection and interesting stops along the way. Jackson said details of what that plan might look like will be sorted out by staff over the coming year.

Here's what other speakers had to say:

Shengtian Zheng , artist and curator of the Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art:

"I believe our city really needs to have a much larger platform to introduce the art from Asia and other parts of the world."

Ace Fipke, CEO and founder of Nerd Corps Entertainment, a Vancouver-based animation company:

A new gallery "will stand as a testament to the world that Vancouver is a creative centre ... It will help attract and nurture more creative talent overall in Vancouver. Creative people will want to come here and that will future our collective endeavour to be a creative force on the world stage."

Paul Wong, artist:

Called the city's proposal "a bold vision."

"As an outsider who didn't really belong, engaging art through the VAG has changed my life. Art and culture do mean something."

Paul Vallee, executive vice-president of Tourism Vancouver:

This project can trigger Vancouver's "rightful place as a world-class destination."

Michael Audain, collector:

"The fastest growing sector of tourism today is cultural tourism. People go to the great cities of the world to participate in cultural experiences."

James Hart, artist from Haida Gwaii:

"I am really so happy to see this (plan) happen for myself, being a native, indigenous to this province ... The involvement now with native folks at the art gallery is really a step up for the native component ... It is a real feather in our bonnets to be recognized in the outside world."

Hank Bull:

"Thousands and millions of people for generations to come will thank you for this decision."

Susan Sirovyak, in charge of VAG art collections:

One of "rare group of individuals" who gets to see firsthand the VAG's collection of more than 10,500 art works, much of which is stored in an underground vault.

"But I would gladly exchange this exclusivity to take this wonderful collection out of the vault and into the world."

Makiko Hara, curator, Centre A: Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art:

Of fundraising the estimated $300 million capital costs: "It is very challenging; however, with this report, the VAG is keen and confident it can be done. Let's believe them and then make it happen because it is a really important opportunity for us."