More than 700 people have signed petitions urging the City of New Westminster to purchase a property in the Brow of the Hill.
After learning the owner of the property at 1009 Cornwall St. may be listing the property for sale, Brow of the Hill residents launched a petition to urge the city to buy the land for use as a neighbourhood-serving park. Ten area residents appeared at council’s June 10 meeting to support the proposal.
“Council isn’t going to be able to delve into a discussion about this specific property,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote. “I can let folks know, part of our parks plan has recognized the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood as an underserved area and. We are certainly interested in looking for opportunities.”
Dean Gibson, director of parks and recreation, said the parks and recreation comprehensive plan recognizes there are some challenges in the Brow of the Hill in terms of park space, compared to other neighbourhoods.
“Land issues are one of those delicate issues that cities deal with, where sometimes things are dealt with both in private sessions as well as in public discourse such as this,” he said. “At this stage of the game, I can certainly say that land acquisition and park development across the whole city is on our radar. It does present some financial challenges which also need to be addressed as part of annual budgeting concerns.”
Several residents told council that acquiring the site would be a good step in addressing the lack of greenspace and trees in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood. Residents noted the vacant site is already being tended to be neighbours and used as a defacto park.
While he had a big back yard where he could play when growing up in the neighbourhood, Matheson George said residents of apartments in the area don’t have that luxury. He said neighbourhood kids would benefit by having space to play, exercise and socialize with other kids.
Katrine Ireland said the site is home to several large trees that are more than 100 years old. She noted the site provides essential habitat for wildlife, including raccoons, squirrels, hawks, bald eagles and bats.
“One of the things I found out about was bats have a homing instinct, where they return to the same place every year to roost and nest,” she said. “Once lost this habitat, those creatures lose their home.”
According to Ireland, the petition has been endorsed by New Westminster Environmental Partners, New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society, the Brow of the Hill Residents’ Association, Community Bat Programs of B.C. and the environmental committee at New Westminster Secondary School.
Rick Vugteveen, a director with the Brow of the Hill Residents’ Association, said the concept of providing a neighbourhood-serving park on the site aligns with many city plans, including the parks and recreation comprehensive plan, the city’s official community plan, the Brow of the Hill Action Plan and the urban forest management strategy. Because of its proximity to rental apartments and condos in the Brow of the Hill, he said it would serve a very large population.
