East Park

We are inviting those who live, work and play in Vancouver to help shape the vision for an exciting new waterfront park in Olympic Village. Cyclists, pedestrians, and paddlers move through and rest in this active waterfront corridor. Locals and tourists use this space, and the skytrain provides access from areas further east and south. Thousands gather here for events, including North America's largest annual Dragon Boat Festival. Many communities share this space, and we invite you to share your stories and hopes for this place, to help shape the design and future of East Park.

Connecting Northeast False Creek and Southeast False Creek, this area of the city has been the focus of much study and discussion, informing the Southeast False Creek Official Development Plan (2007, ODP). The planning and design process for East Park will draw from community input and learnings gained through these and other current and ongoing Park Board and City initiatives including the Northeast False Creek park design process, the False Creek Coastal Adaptation Plan, and VanPlay, the master plan for Vancouver’s park and recreation services. See ‘Documents' in the side panel for these resource links.

Listening to input from the community, and supported by the Northeast False Creek park design guiding principles and belonging statement, the planning and design of East Park will center Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh cultures and values to nurture a place of belonging and connection to nature.

Three rounds of public engagement are proposed as follows:

• Round 1 - Daylighting: The stories and ideas gathered in this round of engagement will deepen our collective understanding of this place. Together with input and feedback heard during the Northeast False Creek park design process, your stories and ideas will help us develop one to two concept plan options for East Park.
• Round 2 - Weaving: We will share a summary of engagement input received in round 1 along with two concept plans with you. Your review and feedback will help us develop a recommended concept plan.
• Round 3 - Reflecting: We will share a summary of engagement input received in round 2 along with a recommended concept plan which will then be presented to the Park Board for decision.

We value the opportunity to learn the true history of Vancouver and acknowledge the unjust treatment of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples whose lands we occupy, and we encourage others in their work on the path of decolonization. The following resources are offered to support this work:

MUSQUEAM, SQUAMISH, AND TSLEIL-WAUTUTH HOST NATIONS

• xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation Website
• Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) Nation Website
• səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation Website

PARK BOARD + CITY OF VANCOUVER

• Vancouver Park Board: Why Reconciliation?
• City of Vancouver: City of Reconciliation
• First People - A guide for newcomers

The East Park project area includes a portion of the False Creek waterfront between Creekside Community Centre and Science World. The waterfront here is paved with a deck structure that covers the shoreline. This deck was originally provided as a temporary structure in preparation for the Expo ‘86 World’s Fair. Built in the early 1980s, the deck is nearly 40 years old and the underlying timber piles and cross beams that support the concrete deck have begun to degrade. The City is managing and maintaining the deck to ensure it continues to be safe for public use; weight restrictions have been introduced and vehicle access to the deck surface is limited.

The necessity of the deck removal in the future provides an opportunity to envision a new shoreline condition for this portion of the False Creek waterfront.

False Creek, is in the shared, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Shoreline area of False Creek Flats, Vancouver Archives, circa 1904

The False Creek floodplain between present-day Main Street and Clark Drive were once shallow tidal mud flats supporting a rich and diverse ecosystem.

When flooded at high tide, mudflats attract numerous species including juvenile salmon, seals, herons and ducks. These foraging shorebirds, fish and mammals feed on the thin nutritious “biofilm” layer that the mudflats provide.

Forage fish such as Pacific herring continue to play a key role in the ecology of False Creek. These small fish are preyed upon by larger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals, and their role is critical in the food web that sustains life on the Pacific Coast. Cormorants are seabirds that nest and feed in the False Creek area, diving underwater for small fish. Their presence in False Creek indicates there are forage fish in these waters.

By 1918, these tidal flats were paved over and the railway terminal was built here. The False Creek shoreline was increasingly paved as development in the area grew. In 1968 the industrial designation of False Creek was removed.

This project presents an opportunity to support the long-term work of enhancing the ecological health of this area.

East Park includes a portion of the False Creek shoreline and is entirely within the False Creek floodplain. As such, it is important to plan for sea level rise. Land in the East Park area is low and flat, and is therefore at greater risk of flooding relative to higher elevations in the city. Current projections estimate that one metre of sea level rise will be experienced in 2100 and an additional two metres of sea level rise by 2200 [source: False Creek Coastal Adaptation Plan]. The planning process for East Park will build on the City’s current initiatives related to sea level rise adaptation, including the False Creek Coastal Adaptation Plan (see ‘Documents’ in the side panel).