Vancouver Park Board's proposed design for English Bay Beach includes new islands

Vancouver Park Board outlines three major redesign options for West End beach park areas

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The sprawling sandy areas of English Bay Beach would be raised and extended to help address the future rise in sea levels.

Existing condition:

Proposed future condition:

There would be a new, larger plaza-like pedestrian pathway, with a meandering design that wraps around the inner edge of the beach — replacing the existing narrow strip of asphalt pathway.

This includes providing English Bay with a new bathhouse building with a welcome centre, cafe, washrooms, changerooms, and a splash pad, with the existing bathhouse converted into a garden with more change rooms, washrooms, and lifeguard space.

At the foot of Cardero Street, a salt marsh and intertidal habitat will be created, with the existing seawall pathway rerouted slightly away from the water’s edge. Other features include elevated boardwalks over intertidal areas, as well as platforms and terraced seating.

Over at Sunset Beach Park, the new design calls for an amphitheatre with seating areas, a festival lawn, and a cafe, along with a children’s play area with a new public washroom, a covered skate park, a roller plaza, flexible hard surfaces for a range of sports such as roller hockey, and an expanded dog park at water’s edge.

Within the eastern half of Sunset Beach Park, a new segment of the Seaside Greenway would be created, creating a meandering pathway for pedestrians and cyclists over green space and possibly an elevated looping pathway over water. There could also be a new boat house in front of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre for boat storage, food and beverage, and a ferry dock for Aquabus and False Creek Ferries.

The existing parking lot under the north end of Burrard Street Bridge would be redesigned to create more space for food and culture gardens, but without reducing parking capacity.

As for changes to Beach Avenue, there would be relatively minimal changes to the design of the perimeter roadway for the downtown Vancouver peninsula — apart from the permanent closure of the short segment of Morton Avenue between Beach Avenue and Denman Street to enable an expansion of Morton Park (home of the A-maze-ing Laughter statues), and the re-establishment of Beach Avenue into a two-way street west of Denman Street.

The transportation plan also contemplates rerouting TransLink’s No. 23 bus route onto Pacific Street east of Jervis Street in both directions, and the extension of the bus route deeper into the West End neighbourhood west of Denman Street along Beach Avenue.

An online survey on the proposed draft design is now open through November 26, 2023. In Spring 2024, Park Board commissioners and City Council will review the draft West End Waterfront Plan for approval.

Currently, there is no funding in existing capital budgets that is specifically set aside for the construction required to implement the various major changes.

In September 2020, the Park Board approved a contract award to Vancouver-based landscape architectural firm PFS Studio and Oslo-based Snohetta to perform master planning and design work.

Last month, City Council approved a $13 million contract to Acton Ostry Architects to conduct design and planning work and manage the construction project for the $140 million new replacement and expanded Vancouver Aquatic Centre. Construction on the redevelopment at the eastern end of Sunset Beach Park is expected to begin in 2026.

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