It may be a mucky mess right now, but the city expects the Fifth Street boulevard to be a blanket of green sometime this spring.
In January, the City of New Westminster began implementing its biodiversity and natural areas strategy on the Fifth Street boulevard between Third and Fourth avenues. After crews removed grass from the median, they planted trees and native plants, placed large logs throughout the area, and scattered leaves and debris to return nutrients to the soil.
While the city had planned to add more plants and replace the large logs with smaller logs this spring, it has now embarked on a different approach for the space.
“So, through this week, the large snags or logs that were placed in the median were removed. The native plants have been relocated to other areas of the city, and the leaf and mulch debris has been removed. … We're kind of back to soil,” said Erika Mashig, deputy director of parks, policy and planning. “And then the next step is, we're going to seed the area with a pollinator seed mix. So, it’s a mix of wildflowers and grasses that support pollinator foraging.”
Mashig said the new plan aims to provide a balance between the city’s biodiversity goals for the median and the Fifth Street corridor and residents’ feedback. She said the city received a mix of feedback from residents, but “admittedly missed some steps” before starting this project and is listening to what residents had to say about the initiative.
“We implemented a high level of biodiversity enhancement, I will say, on the boulevard. … There’s different degrees of enhancement,” she said. “And I think going from manicured lawn to the highest level of naturalization, we recognize it was a lot of change and in a short period of time. So, we're dialing it back to something more gradual.”
While the median may currently look like bit of a mud pit, it shouldn’t look that way for long.
“This seed will start to sprout this spring,” Mashig said. “I am not an expert on seed germination but just based on what we've seen with other mixes, I think we'll see good coverage by late spring.”
What will the space look like once the seeds germinate?
“It’ll be a green carpet of grass, clover and wildflowers,” she said. “This mix grows to about five, six inches tall. It's mowed typically once a season, but it can be mowed up to three times a season, if needed. So, it'll be a little more fuller look than a typical lawn, and we hope to see some pollinators.”
Adopted in 2022, the City of New Westminster’s biodiversity and natural areas strategy includes actions to protect species and enhance the quality of natural areas in the city. The Fifth Street median is one of the areas that’s been identified as a location for naturalization.
At the Jan. 27 council meeting, Mashig said one of the goals of the initiative is to reduce carbon emissions and maintenance related to the frequent mowing required of lawns on the boulevard and to provide wildlife and pollinator habitat.
Mashig later told the Record that diverse plantings of native plants, wildflowers, and grasses provide crucial food, shelter, and nesting habitat for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds. She said these naturalized areas help the soil retain moisture (beneficial for trees during droughts), reduce ground temperatures (helping to keep the community cooler), and create beautiful, natural spaces for everyone to enjoy.
In response to the latest work on the boulevard, some residents have voiced concerns about the cost of tearing up the lawn, planting the native shrubs and trees, and now, returning to the site and removing the previously planted materials.
Mashig told the Record that city staff are compiling that information at this time.
“There's costs to purchasing plants and seed, but then it's the staff time,” she said. “So, we haven't actually quantified that into a dollar value, but we have that information to compile.”
Mashig said the city’s gardeners were “very excited” to take the plants that were removed from the Fifth Street boulevard to gardens in other parts of the city.
“We are taking steps to correct the situation, to provide a more gradual and visually appealing naturalization that supports pollinators,” she said. “And I can speak on behalf of staff that you know, we've learned a lot of valuable lessons through the experience.”
Council motion
The March 24 city council agenda includes a motion from Coun. Paul Minhas recommending that the rewilding and naturalizing of the Second Street and Fifth Street boulevards be placed on hold until October 2026 (that’s when the next civic election takes place). Minhas’s motion also recommended that a neighbourhood consultation plan be developed and shared with council regarding any future naturalizing or rewilding of the boulevards in Queen’s Park or other neighbourhoods in the city.
The March 24 council agenda also includes 31 pieces of correspondence from residents about the naturalization efforts on the Fifth Street boulevard.
Some of the letters voiced opposition to the initiative for a variety of reasons, including concerns about the cost, lack of public input, potential for attracting rats and other wildlife, and fire and traffic safety issues. Many of those opposed to the initiative said the project is “unsightly” and is esthetically unappealing and unsuitable for a boulevard in a heritage conservation area.
The city, however, also received numerous letters from residents who support the Fifth Street naturalizing work, citing its environmental benefits, reduced maintenance costs for the city, and enhanced appearance compared to green grass. In addition, several Second Street residents supported the biodiversity initiative — and encouraged the city to implement similar changes to the wide boulevard in front of their homes.
