Buildings at future block-sized park site in Vancouver to be demolished

Site of the future Burrard Slopes Park. (Vancouver Park Board)

Four existing buildings on the future site of Burrard Slopes public park on the border of the Kitsilano and Fairview neighbourhoods will be demolished.

Next week, the commissioners of the Vancouver Park Board are expected to approve a contract to Scott Special Projects to demolish the existing buildings on the parcels of land owned by the City of Vancouver.

The future 2.5-acre park site spans an entire city block — framed by West 5th Avenue to the north, Fir Street to the east, West 6th Avenue to the south, and Pine Street to the west. It is located near the south end of the Granville Street Bridge.

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The contract will demolish all of the remaining structures on the block, except for the building on the northeast corner of the site, which remains privately owned as the property owner has refused to sell the site to the municipal government.

Scott Special Projects’ contract is worth $1.12 million plus taxes over a seven-month term or until the services are complete.

The existing buildings are older low-storey structures with commercial and light industrial uses.

burrard slopes park site demolition vancouver

The future Burrard Slopes Park site, with the demolition area highlighted. (Vancouver Park Board)

Site of the future Burrard Slopes Park. (Vancouver Park Board)

It is noted by park board staff that after the buildings are removed, temporary park features could potentially be added to the newly vacant parcels until the permanent park design is ready for construction. But this would be done under a separate contract.

Two of the City-owned parcels at the northwest and southwest corners of the block already have temporary park features, created in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The southeast interim park has a playground and open space that marks the current easternmost end of the Arbutus Greenway, which bisects the block, while the northwest interim park has a pollinator garden, seating area, and large murals.

The land assembly process on this specific block for the purpose of establishing a park first began in the late 1990s, after Vancouver City Council’s 1993 approval of the Burrard Slopes Plan that laid out how the area would transition from an industrial district to a residential neighbourhood.

The existing park space at the southeast corner of the Burrard Slopes Park site. (Google Maps)

The existing pop-up park space at the northwest corner of the Burrard Slopes Park site. (Google Maps)

Four parcels on the block acquired by the municipal government in 1982 were originally intended to be held for investment purposes by the City’s Property Endowment Fund (PEF). In 2021, the City transferred $41 million from the Vancouver Park Board’s 2021 capital budget for park land acquisitions to the PEF for the purpose of advancing Burrard Slopes Park. Most of the parcels were then transferred out of the City’s investment portfolio.

Three other parcels on the block were previously acquired by the Park Board’s capital fund in 1998, 2001, and 2014, including the parcels where there are already temporary parks.

Last month, the Park Board began a public consultation towards creating a permanent cohesive design for the future park, which is currently slated to be the single largest future additional public park within the City’s Broadway Plan area. An online survey is open until October 15, 2023.

This feedback will then lead to the creation of design concepts later in 2023 and early 2024, followed by more public consultation in Spring 2024 before a refined concept plan is created by Summer/Fall 2024. Park Board commissioners are expected to consider the final concept plan in late 2024 or early 2025.

This will be followed by detailed design and the bidding process in Spring 2025 and Summer 2026, and the start of construction in Fall 2026.

The City’s 2023-2026 Capital Plan sets aside $12 million towards the first phase of the Burrard Slopes Park project.

Separately, the City is also conducting a concurrent public consultation on the future new and improved public spaces to support the Broadway Plan area. Its online survey is open through October 22, 2023.

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