Port of Vancouver to invest in improvements for Crab Park

Jul 5 2019, 4:37 am

Local port entities announced today a $2 million contribution towards new community and public space initiatives as part of the Port of Vancouver’s Centerm Expansion Project.

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In coordination with Centerm container terminal operator DP World, this includes $1 million on upgrades towards Crab Park next to Centerm, just north of the Downtown Eastside.

The specific park upgrades have yet to be established, but they will be determined in conjunction with the Vancouver Park Board and other local stakeholders, and after public consultation.

Crab Park in downtown Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Another $500,000 will be divided between local community groups that operate in the Downtown Eastside (DTES), directly benefiting the area’s homeless and low-income populations.

As well, organizations in the DTES, Chinatown, Strathcona, Hastings-Sunrise, and Grandview-Woodland areas can apply to receive project funding from a new $500,000 community grant.

“Our mandate is to enable Canada’s trade while protecting the environment and considering local communities,” said Robin Silvester, president and CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in a statement. “We recognize that Canada’s growing trade can impact local communities, and we are pleased to be able to contribute to programs, organizations, and community spaces that mean so much to residents who live near Centerm.”

Centerm is being expanded westwards, growing the terminal’s footprint by 15% and reconfiguring the terminal operations. When complete by the end of 2021, it will boost the terminal’s container handling capacity by about 60% — from 900,000 TEUs to 1.5 million TEUs.

Port of Vancouver

Planned expansion of the Port of Vancouver’s Centerm container terminal in Vancouver in Burrard Inlet. (Port of Vancouver)

Road connections to this terminal, which is closest to downtown, include a new overpass for Centennial Road and connecting Waterfront Road with Centennial Road to create a continuous port road along the south shore of Burrard Inlet.

The Port of Vancouver’s funding announcement is in response to some local opposition to the Centerm expansion, with critics stating it would reduce some of the park’s inlet and mountain views. Over separate occasions recently, both the park board and city council have also called on the port to improve and expand Crab Park’s green spaces.

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Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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