Newly released closed council excerpts shed light on the discussion timeline between the previous Bowen Council and Metro Vancouver over a potential park and campground at Cape Roger Curtis, which have been ongoing since early this year.
The current council unanimously voted Nov. 28 to release the previously curtailed information, with the motion stating “it is in the public interest for Bowen Island residents to be actively engaged on the Cape Roger Curtis Regional Park project on equitable terms with a fulsome knowledge of implications to our community.”
The public announcement of the potential park and campground, approximately 100 hectares in size, was made in early August. Metro Vancouver included plans for nearly 100 campsites, more trails, beach access, and picnic areas, as among new features the park would boast.
“This new regional park initiative is incredible news, not just for Bowen Island, but for the entire region,” said then-mayor Gary Ander at the time. “The municipality looks forward to working with Metro Vancouver on this exciting initiative.”
This work first started in February, when then-councillors David Hocking and Maureen Nicholson, along with chief administrative officer Liam Edwards, spoke to council on Feb. 28 about talks between the Cape on Bowen, the municipality, and Metro Vancouver about expanding the Metro Parks system by purchasing lots at Cape Roger Curtis. Hocking and Nicholson had conducted a site visit to the lands in question with staff from Metro Vancouver about a week earlier.
Metro Vancouver returned to council two weeks later and expressed their desire to acquire more than 90 hectares to develop a new regional park. Council raised several questions, including topics of increased vehicle and ferry traffic, the effects of camping, as well as the potential to expand transit service to the site, and eventually expand the park itself. They concluded the meeting by expressing “overwhelming support for the project”.
The project accelerated from the discussion to decision making phase in early May, when council voted on their first motion regarding the plan. After Metro Vancouver included the Cape Roger Curtis land as “high priority” in their organization’s acquisition strategy, they asked council to signal their support to find bordering land they could use to one day expand the park, and to push for increased transit to where the new park would be.
Council unanimously agreed, identifying municipal-run Cape Roger Curtis land, Pebble Beach, and several trails stretching across the land – including the waterfront trail from Collingwood Lane to the Lighthouse – as places which would fit the expansion criteria.
Later in May, more lands were proposed by the municipality as suitable fits for expansion, including the provincially owned Huszar Creek and Islands Trust managed Fairy Fen Nature Reserve. Metro Vancouver would have to reach agreements with both parties to acquire them.
The May 24 closed session is also the first time rezoning was officially discussed, as the current RR-1 (Rural Residential) designation of the area would have to be changed to Park to allow for camping and camping-related activities.
Along with resolving to prioritize finishing the Multi-Use Path to reach the other side of the island as quickly as possible, council again voted unanimously in favour of all parts of the motion.
An update from Hocking at the end of June showed Metro Vancouver was intent on moving the project along at haste, hoping to complete the rezoning process both before the purchase deal with the Cape on Bowen was completed, and before Bowen’s October municipal election ushered in a new council.
In the final released excerpt from July 11, Hocking said both the rezoning and how to craft the release to the public would be discussed by Metro Vancouver at their July 29 meeting. Twelve days later plans for the proposed Cape Roger Curtis park and campground were officially announced.
“The Bowen Island community has been clear in their ask for transparency and the municipality’s commitments around the Cape Roger Curtis Regional Park project,” said mayor Andrew Leonard in a press release accompanying the closed council notes. “With Metro Vancouver seeking to engage in a robust and equitable engagement process with our residents in the new year, Council felt it essential to release this information into public hands.”
“Beginning with this release, we can begin the process of getting our various committees providing their input and expertise. From climate to economic development to tourism, we need to be sourcing the thought leadership on the island in relation to this project,” added Leonard.
