A pair of Port Moody councillors is proposing a new super park be created to serve the city’s south shore neighbourhoods.
But rather than acquiring expensive private property, the super park would assemble land the city already owns by linking the 31.8-acre Westhill Park in the Glenayre neighbourhood with the Alfred Howe Greenway that connects to the waterfront at Reed Point and a portion of the old 27.6-acre landfill site along the Barnet Highway.
Councillors Diana Dilworth and Meghan Lahti are scheduled to present their idea at tonight’s meeting of committee of the whole.
In a report, Dilworth and Lahti said the new 60-acre super park would address the growing need for park space in the city while taking some of the heat off Rocky Point Park in Port Moody’s downtown and Bert Flinn Park on the north shore near Heritage Woods secondary school, which are becoming increasingly crowded.
Moreover, by connecting and enhancing property the city already owns, that park space could be created at a fraction of the cost of purchasing private land.
“The vision of the assembly of public lands for parks space is to provide for an inclusive, welcoming space that contributes to the health and wellness of our community,” said the report. “This new space can be planned and designed to include features that we do not necessarily have in our other parks.”
Some of those amenities could include:
- youth park, including a skateboard park or trials riding obstacles
- sports courts for pickleball, tennis and basketball
- community gardens
- off-leash dog areas
- outdoor theatre and concert space
- columbarium and memorial space
- playground equipment accessible to all ages and abilities
- outdoor games like chess and ping pong tables
- food and beverage opportunities through restaurants or concessions
While the report doesn’t include specific costs for creating the super park, Dilworth and Lahti said the money could come for development cost charges the city levies against developers to help pay for the provision of utilities as well as park acquisitions and improvements.
