Metro Vancouver’s plan to turn 97 hectares of land at Cape Roger Curtis into a regional park and campground took a step forward on Monday, with the rezoning plan sent off to committees and off-island groups for feedback.
Representatives from the organization were on Bowen for a site tour of the lands with council and staff in the morning, followed by a Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting in the afternoon. There, Mike Redpath, director of regional parks, and Jeff Fitzpatrick, division manager of regional parks design and development, presented Metro Vancouver’s vision to council and dozens of members of the public present in the Council Chambers and online.
“We’ve heard loud and clear, not just from the Bowen Island community, but from residents across the region, of great interest in preserving lands for regional parks. And we’ve also heard concerns about this specific park potential,” said Redpath.
“We believe that many of the community’s concerns are our concerns as well, and we’re trying to learn and listen as we go along through the process, and most importantly propose some opportunities to address those concerns,” he continued.
The presentation reiterated the messaging Metro Vancouver has employed since the idea was first publicly announced last August – that a regional park is the best way to protect the sensitive and unique ecosystem the land boasts. This includes a dry coastal bluff waterfront which is extremely rare in B.C., and at-risk species such as the Pacific Great Blue Heron and Northern Red-Legged Frog.
“Once these sensitive ecosystems are gone, they will be gone forever,” said Redpath, adding the park would also promote ecological resilience, community cohesion, and reconciliation efforts.
Campground Numbers
A major crux of the proposal – one which Metro Vancouver needs the support of Bowen council for, and certainly the most talked about angle online – is the campground component of the plan. More specifics on this were laid out during the meeting.
“The land acquisition is a significant investment, and the need to provide access to this landscape for regional residents who are not able to access the park on a day to day basis is important,” said Fitzpatrick. “This is a unique landscape with disturbed areas that provide an opportunity for overnight access without additional clearing or disturbance to sensitive ecosystems. The demand for camping is high, and it’s difficult to access camping close to home.”
The land is currently zoned Rural Residential 1, which allows for a park but not overnight camping. Metro Vancouver has submitted a rezoning application to the municipality to change this to Park zoning, which would allow for supervised overnight stays to go ahead.
Fitzpatrick says there would be no RV or trailer camping at the site, which would be staffed 24/7 by park rangers. Camp fires would not be allowed either.
Metro Vancouver’s proposal is currently for 100 campsites, which they explained would be phased in over time until the day the maximum is reached. At that time, an estimate for site breakdown stands at 40-50 walk/bike-in sites, 25-35 vehicle accessible sites, 10 tent cabins, and 3-5 group camping sites.
Fitzpatrick says with these numbers, they estimate 122-162 people and 29-39 vehicles visiting the campsite on weekdays, and 186-243 people and 32-43 vehicles on weekends. He says this is comparable to an alternative of potentially 24-48 dwellings on the lots, and offers a cheaper and lower-impact vacation experience to Bowen’s many Airbnb-style rental options.
Questions from Council
Mayor Andrew Leonard queried if the 100 campsites was a set number, which Redpath responded that “At this time our rezoning proposal includes 100 campsites.” When asked for clarification by Coun. Alex Jurgensen, Redpath reiterated “At this time we’re saying we’re submitting a proposal for 100 campsites as part of this rezoning application. Through the process that could be changed, but we’re starting that process now and we look forward to that dialogue.”
Coun. Tim Wake expressed hesitation over the dialogue process itself, echoing a well-voiced concern that the process is moving too fast. “Part of balancing connection and protection is going to be to make sure overnight use doesn’t overstep the protection side of things. You’ve acknowledged that there’s going to be a lot of questions, and you don’t have all the answers now. When will you have those answers?” said Wake.
He added that the engagement process runs through the end of the year, yet Metro Vancouver has asked for a rezoning decision ahead of that. “To me those two things are in conflict,” said Wake.
“Metro Vancouver needs to know that it’s securing property that it can ultimately have the land use on,” answered Redpath. “And then at that time through the fulsome engagement process we’ve detailed today, that level of balance of protection and connection can be determined.
We believe that process has been initiated. We’ve been talking to the municipality for almost a year now… and we are hearing the concerns as they come up, and we hope to address them over time,” Redpath continued.
One of these issues will need to be impacts on the Snug Cove – Horseshoe Bay ferry route, which was already full of overloads last summer. Leonard says when he mentioned the park proposal to BC Ferries they were “surprised” to hear about it.
Around a dozen members of the public spoke during the COW public comment section, and 100 letters were submitted in advance of the meeting. Speakers included former mayor Bob Turner, who plead the importance of maintaining small communities, and former councillor David Hocking, who was instrumental in working with Metro Vancouver on the park proposal during his time on council last year.
Other details to be worked out include possible reservation systems for campers and day-users, timed restriction of vehicles, and transport to the park including a shuttle system. A traffic study is currently being conducted on the route to the Cape.
Council voted during the COW to send Metro Vancouver’s rezoning application to Bowen’s many committees, along with outside organizations such as Islands Trust, BC Ferries, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Squamish Nation, for consideration. Staff were also instructed to bring the feedback to council at a later meeting, likely next month. Both motions were made official at a regular council meeting later on Monday night.
Metro Vancouver will be hosting a pair of open houses at Bowen Island Community School on March 4 (10 am) and 8 (4 pm), and two webinars on March 9 (5 pm) and 10 (10 am).
*Editor's Note: The paper version of this story said a first reading date had been set, but that date is still to be determined.
