It sounds like this idea has been dismissed, but why not create an alternate non-PVP world for those who like the crafting/building aspects of the game, but not the PVP. I would subscribe and pay to play on such an alternate world, but have no interest in continuing to play on the main.
Doing so would allow those who like the PVP aspect to continue playing the main world. Based on other games, I suspect the alternate world would have a larger user base than the main one.