New Westminster, BC – The City of New Westminster has recently acquired the property at 1009 Cornwall Street for the purposes of preserving open space and developing a future park. The purchase of this property comes in response to the desire to improve community livability, specifically related to the supply of parkland, open space and trees in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood. Staff negotiated the purchase of 1009 Cornwall Street at the price of $1,150,000 and the City took possession of the property on October 25, 2019.

“As our city continues to grow and densify, the availability and pressure on existing parks and open spaces increases,” said Mayor Jonathan Coté. “We recognize the need and importance of greenspace for our community and I am pleased that we were able to acquire this property, particularly in the Brow of the Hill area.”

The 2008 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan identified the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood as being particularly underserved for park space both in quantity of park lands and proximity to park space. The new park site at 1009 Cornwall Street will service the largest area of the neighbourhood that is currently without park or greenspace access within 250m of homes. 

“This site on Cornwall Street was ideal for park use due to its central location in the neighbourhood and its site characteristics which features large mature trees and open lawn space,” said Dean Gibson, Director of Parks and Recreation. “This new neighbourhood park is a much needed addition to the City’s inventory of parks and helps us move towards the goal of ensuring that every household is within a five minute walk of a local park.”

While the site will be left largely in its natural state, in the coming weeks the site will undergo some maintenance to ensure that it is ready for public use. Development of the site into a more formalized park is contemplated in the City of New Westminster’s 2020-2024 Financial Plan and area residents will be engaged as part of the planning process for the site’s future development.

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Contact:
Dean Gibson
Director, Parks and Recreation
City of New Westminster
604-527-4628 or