New 4-acre public park next to Aberdeen Centre in Richmond now open (PHOTOS)

Aberdeen Park in Richmond. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Richmond’s emerging City Centre area has a new public park.

Dubbed Aberdeen Park, the municipality’s newest park occupies four acres on an entire city block at 8331 Cambie Road – located immediately east of Yaohan Centre and diagonally across from Aberdeen Centre.

It is the first of four parks planned for the new Capstan Village district on the No. 3 Road corridor in North Richmond, and this particular park is partially funded local developer Polygon as part of its agreement with the City for its major developments in the area.

Aberdeen Park in Richmond. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

“Aberdeen Park will help serve the needs of residents and workers in the emerging Capstan Village neighbourhood,” Ted Townsend, spokesperson for the City of Richmond, told Daily Hive.

“It showcases the importance of green space and the continued commitment from the City to provide a well-planned community, with areas where community members can congregate and get to know each other and also participate in activities that support health and wellness.”

Aberdeen Park in Richmond. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Along the Cambie Road frontage, the park features a large plaza that will be used as a neighbourhood event and gathering space. It also doubles as a play space as there is a basketball net on the western end of the plaza.

On the southeast corner of the park, there is a winding water feature that represents Richmond’s connection to the river. It leads to a boardwalk that crosses over a rain garden, which absorbs rain water and helps alleviate pressure on the storm sewer system.

Aberdeen Park in Richmond. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

A large open grassy area with a knoll and a fenced off-leash dog park occupy the northern half of the park.

Other features include numerous benches, six picnic tables, and embedded light installations into the pathways that activate when the sun goes down.

Aberdeen Park in Richmond. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Further major additions will be added to the park in 2019, including a large canopy over the plaza to provide weather protection for year-round events, a children’s playground, and a Zheng Zhou exchange garden as a space for meditation, yoga, and quiet contemplation.

Aberdeen Park’s grand opening is Thursday, July 19, which culminates with the free outdoor movie screening of Disney’s Moana at the park’s plaza. The event kicks off at 7 pm, and the movie is slated to begin at 8:30 pm.

Once fully complete, Capstan Village’s developments, built by several developers, will provide housing for about 16,000 people. This area will also be served by a new developer-funded Canada Line station at Capstan Way.

Aberdeen Park in Richmond. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

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