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The Vancouver Park Board is expected to award a construction contract for a new downtown park at its final meeting of 2019 on Monday. The design process to develop a new park at the corner of Smithe and Richards Streets began in 2015, with the approval of the concept in 2016.
Filling in a void in the cityscape currently represented by a surface parking lot, the new park will feature a number of embellishments. Making use of the five-metre slope of the site, an overhead walkway will be built to allow multiple vantage points and improve security.
Imagined as three unique experiences, the park will include a multi-use public plaza with a seasonal water feature, a small cafe at the corner of Smithe and Richards, a playground area, a community table to host various programming, seating terraces for sun lounging, and a variety of plantings. A network of "sky-frames" will also provide shelter, overhead lighting, and support art installations and banners.
Smith Bros. and Wilson was retained as the construction manager following a request for proposals process. The park was initially estimated to cost $8 million, which was to be fully covered by community amenity contributions collected from the Telus Garden development. The cost has since ballooned to $13.8 million. City Council is the ultimate approval authority for contract awards greater than $2 million in value. Council's vote is expected to come Tuesday.
Park construction will begin in early 2020 and take approximately 12 months to complete.
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