Following Vancouver City Council’s controversial May 2024 decision to reject the Vancouver Park Board’s West End Waterfront master plan concept, the Park Board is now hoping to advance a relatively minor component that was originally envisioned as the first phase of the overall master plan.
The entire master plan of overhauling the West End’s entire English Bay waterfront — the entire areas of English Bay Beach Park, Sunset Beach Park, and Morton Park, and the adjacent segments of Beach Avenue — was deemed to be a “fantasyland” dream by the ABC-led City Council, given its unfunded cost of $300 million over 30 years. It was also asserted at the time of the rejection that its funding requirements would compete with the growing need to renovate or replace numerous aging and outdated community and recreational centres across the city.
The first phase now being contemplated for advancement is the only component that was partly endorsed by City Council, which called for the reinstatement of two-way vehicle traffic along the segment of Beach Avenue between Stanley Park and Denman Street. Since the pandemic, this segment of Beach Avenue has been reconfigured to westbound-only vehicle traffic to enable its previous eastbound vehicle lane to be used as a temporary protected bike lane.
For the first phase, there would be a complete overhaul of Morton Park — the small grassy space made popular by being the location of the iconic “A-maze-ing Laughter” (Laughing Men) sculptures. The existing minor roadway north of Morton Park and the short segment of Davie Street on the south side of Morton Park would be permanently closed and converted into park space.
Instead of having three east-west roadways cut through this small area, there would be just one roadway from the relocation of Beach Avenue to tie in with the existing intersection of Denman Street and Davie Street.
Existing configuration of Beach Avenue through Morton Park. (Vancouver Park Board)
Potential future configuration of Beach Avenue through Morton Park. (Vancouver Park Board)
“A-maze-ing Laughter” (Laughing Men) sculptures at Morton Park. (Daily Hive)
Preliminary artistic rendering of the new Morton Park. (Vancouver Park Board)
The resulting new reconfiguration of Morton Park to the north and south of Beach Avenue would double the park’s size to just over one acre, including the conversion of the existing Beach Avenue roadway footprint into park space. The new Morton Park would feature a larger plaza space, more seating, new plantings and trees, and the retention of the existing sculptures.
According to Park Board staff, the Morton Park overhaul would serve to improve the busy pedestrian “gateway” into English Bay Beach, and offer safer and unobstructed connections for pedestrians to the beach by simplifying the intersections and removing unsignalled mid-block crossings.
Moreover, following City Council’s direction, Beach Avenue would return to two-way vehicle traffic between Stanley Park and Denman Street. The existing pandemic-time temporary protected bike lane on this segment of Beach Avenue would revert to its original use as the eastbound vehicle traffic lane, and the existing pedestrian sidewalk on the south side of the street would be converted and widened into a new permanent protected bike lane. A new replacement pedestrian sidewalk pathway would be built immediately to the south of the adjacent tree line — following the route of an existing worn dirt pedestrian path.
Before the pandemic — Beach Avenue west of Denman Street:
The pre-pandemic configuration of Beach Avenue near Gilford Street looking west towards Park Lane/Stanley Park. (Google Maps)
Current condition — Beach Avenue west of Denman Street:
The existing configuration of Beach Avenue near Gilford Street looking west towards Park Lane/Stanley Park with a protected bike lane. (Google Maps)
It is noted that the City of Vancouver has the authority to return two-way vehicle traffic along Beach Avenue between Stanley Park and Denman Street without the need to carry out this Park Board-led project, as long as the work does not encroach on Morton Park, English Bay Beach Park, or Stanley Park.
Currently, within this first phase project area, the Park Board has jurisdiction over the areas of Morton Park and English Bay Beach Park, while the City has jurisdiction over the streets including Beach Avenue, Denman Street, and Morton Avenue. This means Park Board staff’s envisioned upgrade for Morton Park requires both the approval of the Park Board’s elected commissioners and City Council.
If the commissioners approve the strategy in a public meeting on Monday, July 8, 2024, the plan is expected to be sent to City Council for final review and approval at a later date. Moreover, all Park Board procurement contracts with a value of more than $2 million also require City Council’s final review and approval. After detailed design and planning work and the procurement of a contractor, construction could begin as early as the end of 2026.
It is estimated the total project cost for these changes is $16 million, including $10 million for the Park Board’s components, with $2.1 million for site preparation and utilities, $3.2 million for plaza paving and pathways, $1.7 million for landscaping and furnishings, and $3 million as a contingency fund for unexpected costs. At least $8.6 million of the Park Board’s costs would be funded by cash community amenity contributions (CACs) funded by building developments in the West End. The remaining $6 million in project costs would come from the City for the changes related to Beach Avenue.
During the same public meeting, the commissioners will consider whether Stanley Park Drive’s eastbound vehicle traffic should be enabled to exit onto the City’s future two-way restored Beach Avenue configuration, providing an additional way to exit Stanley Park.
In September 2023, the Park Board created a second exit out of Stanley Park by allowing eastbound vehicles to continue along Stanley Park Drive past North Lagoon Drive to ultimately reach Park Lane for an alternative exit through the West End’s local streets. This resulted in a relatively minor increase of a combined total average of 600 vehicles per day during the weekend going through Bayclay, Nelson, and Robson streets — an increase of 0% to 22% per street.
Prior to the September 2023 change, throughout much of the pandemic as a measure to accommodate Stanley Park Drive’s previous temporary pandemic-time bike lane, the only exit for vehicles out of Stanley Park was through North Lagoon Drive, which led vehicles onto the gridlocked West Georgia Street.
If the commissioners are to pursue the option of restoring Stanley Park Drive’s eastbound vehicle traffic continuity onto Beach Avenue, there would be two vehicle traffic pattern options to consider for implementation.
The first option would restore eastbound vehicle traffic onto Beach Avenue by changing the design of the intersection of Beach Avenue and Park Lane. The existing westbound vehicle traffic detour pattern into Stanley Park from Beach Avenue via Park Lane and South Lagoon Drive would remain. Stanley Park Drive would remain eastbound-only for vehicle traffic between North Lagoon Drive and Park Lane to retain the existing short segment of temporary protected bike lane in the Second Beach area.
The second option would fully restore direct two-way vehicle access between Beach Avenue and Stanley Park Drive in the Second Beach area, but it would carry a higher cost from the need to widen the adjacent pathway for the permanent relocation of the temporary bike lane. Park Board note that this pathway widening to better accommodate cyclists was previously outlined in the 2016 Cycling Plan.
Option 1a of intersection-only changes to enable Stanley Park Drive eastbound vehicle traffic onto Beach Avenue. (Vancouver Park Board)
Option 1b of new bike lane spatial needs to enable direct two-way vehicle traffic between Stanley Park Drive and Beach Avenue. (Vancouver Park Board)