Vancouver has approved designs for the first phase of East Park, a new waterfront destination park on False Creek in Vancouver’s Olympic Village.

The concept for the 1.2-hectare park is shaped by the Guiding Principles for the design of parks in Northeast False Creek and by what we heard from the local First Nations and thousands of community members during two rounds of engagement, held in fall 2022 and spring 2024.

The park’s concept plan features:

• A songbird tree grove with a network of braided paths and shaded seating areas.
• A large level lawn at the heart of the park designed to provide space for small-scale community events and casual gatherings.
• A flexible active zone adjacent to the Creekside Community Centre for fitness and recreation programming opportunities.
• A variety of seating areas.
• Separated walking and cycling paths to provide routes along the water and throughout the park.

“The East Park Phase 1 concept plan represents an exciting new vision for this neighbourhood amenity and waterfront destination,” says Park Board chair Brennan Bastyovanszky. “The designs introduce access to natural areas and large open spaces to support events as well as a variety of casual uses. I can’t wait to see the first phase of the East Park project come to life and I hope that residents and visitors see their feedback and aspirations reflected in the final plan.”

The plan also includes opportunities for cultural recognition, education and visual representation, including Indigenous artwork to support inter-generational knowledge transfer, and hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and  Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim languages woven throughout the area through wayfinding, signs and place naming.

Construction of phase one is scheduled to begin on the south side of the project site in late 2026 and complete in late 2028. An official park name will be identified and announced through a separate naming process.

Phase two, which includes the creation of a habitat at the shoreline, will commence following the completion of ongoing engineering studies for the deck and foreshore area.

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