ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

SUBJECT: Bosa Neighbourhood Funded Developments

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve the expenditure of $250,000 from the Bosa CityGate Development Park Payment-In-Lieu Fund to upgrade Thornton Park.

COUNCIL POLICY

Expenditure of the Bosa Funds for park improvements requires Council approval.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council's approval to use $250,000 from the Bosa Fund to provide design and construction implementation for the proposed upgrade at Thornton Park.

BACKGROUND

The CityGate Development rezoning approval (September 1989) required that Bosa agree to a pay-in-lieu arrangement for parks and community facilities. The total amount received from Bosa Development was $6,166,266.

The acquisition of a portion of land at 8th and Fraser Street park site used $177,800 and $5.3 million was expended on the BNR Park site, also known as Trillium Park site. The playground installation at Creekside of $62,000 was requested and approved on October 21, 1998. There is a remaining unallocated balance of $548,838 and the request for $250,000 for Thornton would result in a remainder of $298,838 in the account.

The Park Board specified that the money could be allocated only when neighbourhood consensus occurred.

DISCUSSION

In October 1999, CityGate Intertowers held a Townhall meeting to discuss how the remaining money could be spent. Recommendations included a Greenway connection from Creekside to Strathcona Park; and Upgrade of Thornton Park and lighting the north side of False Creek going westward from Creekside Park to the Plaza of Nations.

The consensus was that the remainder be used to upgrade Thornton Park. As other funds have been identified for improvements for the Strathcona and Mount Pleasant projects, Park Board invited the CityGate Intertower Committees to make recommendations about expenditure of the remaining funds.

The $250,000 upgrade of Thornton Park would include design consultation, staff time to implement a public process, construction, contingency and GST. Early design ideas include a hard surface pedestrian area adjacent to the SkyTrain; improvements to the pedestrian circulation system, i.e. clearly identifying desired walking routes as well as improvements of surface materials with the use of pavers. The lighting system would be replaced with a pedestrian height standard in an up-to-date style. The planted areas will be enhanced and drainage and irrigation will be added. A general "face-lift" will be given to the overall image of the park to compliment the stature of the CNR station. Park Board staff attended a CityGate Intertower meeting on June 14th where the use of $250,000 to upgrade Thornton Park from the Bosa Development Park Payment-In-Lieu Fund was unanimously approved.

CONCLUSION

The area neighbourhood representatives have requested using $250,000 of the remaining $548,838 to upgrade Thornton Park.

Release of $250,000 from the Bosa Development Fund will allow the upgrade of Thornton Park to be carried out beginning this Autumn.

Prepared by:

Planning and Operations
Board of Parks & Recreation
Vancouver, BC

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