Brow of the Hill residents are delighted the City of New Westminster has purchased a vacant property in their neighbourhood so it can be preserved as open space and developed into a park in the years ahead.
In May, residents petitioned city hall to buy the property at 1009 Cornwall St. after learning its owners may be putting the property up for sale. The site, which has been vacant for many years, has become an informal gathering space in the neighbourhood, and residents believe it’s the perfect spot for a pocket park.
Now, it’s official.
A report to council states that staff, as authorized by council, negotiated the purchase of the property for $1,150,000, and the city took ownership of the property on Oct. 25. The report says the site is of particular relevance for park use because of its central location in the neighbourhood and favourable site conditions, such as a relatively level lot, large mature trees, and accessibility from multiple points.
Brow of the Hill resident Katrine Ireland said council’s swift response to citizens requests shows it’s listening to citizens and considers the preservation of green space to be a high priority.
“I’m also especially pleased because a lot of young people, including my son, put time and effort into the case for this park, and the fact that our efforts actually resulted in something positive for the environment is a powerful reinforcement that fighting for what you believe in can actually make a positive difference,” she said in a statement to the Record. “This is so important especially now with the climate crisis. Seeing first-hand that organized community efforts can influence government provides much-needed hope when many young people are worried about the future of the planet. If every community takes steps like New Westminster just has, the world will indeed be a better place.”
According to the report, development of the site into a more formalized park is contemplated in the city’s 2020 to 2024 financial plan.
“The property is largely in an undeveloped state and contains several large trees and lawn area,” says the report. “While intended to be left largely in its natural state, in the coming weeks the site will be tidied up to ensure that it is safe for public use and maintained as part of the city’s inventory of park land.”
Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said the city will be considering some modest improvements, such as providing seating and a trash receptacle, to transition it from a vacant site to something that’s more accessible to neighbours and people in the area.
“Future work to develop the site beyond that, which might envision more permanent furnishings and equipment, is still something that would need to be contemplated as part of budget deliberations for coming years,” he said.
Gibson said a name for the site hasn’t been contemplated at this time, as development of the property isn’t anticipated for a few years.
“It might be more appropriate to consider a naming around that particular timeframe,” he said. “At the same time, council has been discussing its efforts in reconciliation efforts and how that might relate to naming policies that the city uses for its facilities and park spaces. It might be appropriate to dovetail all that into one initiative.”
