Published: June 25, 2015
Marpole Online met with Marpole resident and greenspace activist, Don Larson, today to discuss the proposed 10 acre riverfront park at the foot of Cambie that he has been fighting to make happen for the past four years. He is helped in his efforts by environmentalist and Dunbar resident, Terry Slack, and former Banyen Books owner and Marpole resident, Elliott McLaughlin who assists Larson with communications.
While the park has been approved in the recent Marpole Community Plan, a deed has not been signed transferring ownership from Translink to the City of Vancouver and Larson says it has to happen within four years of the Marpole Plan in order to use the Community Amenity Contributions (CAC).
Larson says that the City’s CAC from the highrise rezoning near Marine Drive Canada Line Station has $20 million set aside to buy the land for this park. The Marpole Plan was approved November 2014 which means the City would need to use the money by November 2018.
Larson and Slack had a walkabout with two City of Vancouver staff over the last week, Susan Haid, Assistant Director, Vancouver-South Planning and Development Services and Catherine Sinasac, Community Planner at City of Vancouver.
Concrete Wasteland
According to Larson, McLaughlin calls the current site a “concrete wasteland”. Larson says “It has been brought up to one level of cleaning. It was once a mill site, Silvertree Mill.”
He says that the Canada Line is now the entrance to Vancouver adding “the cement wasteland along the riverfront isn’t welcoming, it’s not world class, and we’re not the greenest city in the world.” Larson doesn’t think the park will happen if the three men don’t keep pushing the Mayor, City Council, and Vancouver Park’s Board, but is grateful for the Canada Line Pedestrian and Cyclist Bridge which draws attention to the neglected industrial site. During our interview today we saw a steady flow of cyclists crossing the bridge. When asked what Marpole residents can do he said that emails to the Mayor don’t hurt.
“The $20 million may go to save the gardens up on the [Arbutus] tracks; the [Marpole Oakridge] Community Centre needs revitalization up at 59th and Oak; but if you’re one of the four to five thousand people that, within a year and half, will be living at Cambie and Marine, wouldn’t you seriously want a park down by the river? Wouldn’t that be your big priority? But they have no voice.” says Larson.
Larson is adamant against sports fields. “We need walkways along the river so people can access parks. I think City Hall has to show some leadership on an issue like that and form a single-focused committee.” He says that Vancouver’s Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood is “on the ball” and that “Marpole really never did form into a proper committee.”
“We’re getting the density, we’re getting all the social impact, the question is are we getting the amenities and benefits. At the moment I would say ‘No'”, says Larson. “I’m trying to get a park and I’m very focused on that out of this density mess.”
Along with the creation of at least a 10 acre park they’d like to daylight at least one of three buried streams. “There’s about a dozen of them on the Fraser River north arm from New Westminster down to the mouth of the Fraser” says Larson. “I think all of them have been buried with no intention of daylighting. There’s three down here and they geiser up. These aren’t streams that come from way up the hill and down. They’re springs and were likely once chum salmon bearing streams.” He continues, “Buzzards Bay Coalition in New Bedford, Massachusetts is doing what we’re talking about, they have a lot of money. It was a mill site and they’re restoring streams. This is being done so we can do it. Burnaby and Richmond are way ahead of us with riverfront trails, etc.”