West Vancouver designates most of undeveloped mountainside as protected park space

On a clear day, look up at the mountain slopes of West Vancouver from afar, specifically the northernmost extent of the mountainside sprawl, from Burrard Inlet.

The upward creep of that mountainside sprawl is now curbed by the District of West Vancouver’s decision to designate its remaining undeveloped areas in the upper elevations as a municipal public park.

This spans most of the municipal government’s remaining undeveloped lands on the mountainside — the large area between British Properties’ growing Rodgers Creek/Cypress Village neighbourhoods within municipal jurisdiction and Cypress Provincial Park within provincial jurisdiction, where Cypress Mountain’s ski slopes are situated.

The new protected park in this vast area spans 1,932 acres or 7.8 sq km of sloped forest with habitats and streams — an area equivalent to nearly two times the size of Stanley Park or the entire downtown Vancouver peninsula including Stanley Park.

“This area will help preserve sensitive ecosystems and wildlife and store carbon to fight climate change. It will also ensure that old growth trees will continue to stand in our stunning municipality, which we know is very important to our residents and people across the globe,” said West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager in a statement on Monday.

“We also recognize that this new park dedication will maintain the beautiful view of the mountains, which is something that everyone in the metro region can enjoy.”

Map showing the neon green parcels on the West Vancouver mountainside now designated as a protected park. (District of West Vancouver)

Ecosystem map of the West Vancouver and Cypress Provincial Park mountainside. (BC Parks Foundation)

View of Metro Vancouver from the Uplands of West Vancouver. (BC Parks Foundation)

BC Parks Foundation is supporting the municipal government’s efforts by launching a Cypress Hollyburn Legacy Fund.

To launch the fund, the Wilson 5 Foundation — the environmental and conservancy philanthropic foundation of the family of Chip Wilson — will donate up to $3 million based on matching donations.

“We are thrilled to be able to help protect this iconic Vancouver landscape and all of its wonderful values. It’s the right thing to do at this moment in history — people coming together to do something tangible, positive, and lasting for the planet and people’s health,” said Andy Day, CEO of the BC Parks Foundation.

In a joint statement, Chip and Summer Wilson added, “I can’t think of any better and more lasting way of giving back to the whole community. Protecting and taking care of a place like this is good for people and other species now and far into the future.”

In the future, there will be a process to officially name the park, and the municipal government will collaborate with First Nations on stewardship.

Perspective of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Moreover, the new public park area begins just above the 1,200 ft contour line of the mountainside. For many decades, the municipal government has generally limited the uses above this contour line to recreation due to environmental considerations and the feasibility of servicing building developments with utilities within higher elevation areas.

Just below the contour line, within the developable urban area of the municipality, the Rodgers Creek neighbourhood of British Pacific Properties will see residential buildings reaching mid-rise heights.

The largest of these future higher-density neighbourhood developments on the mountainside will be Cypress Village at the first bend of Cypress Bowl Road — next to the municipal works yard. The contour line is located just above the first bend.

Cypress Village will be a mixed-use residential neighbourhood with a sizeable retail village, with building heights reaching up to 25 storeys. It could have 3,700 homes for as many as 7,000 people and 135,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant uses, including a grocery store and a small hotel.