COQUITLAM, B.C., April 5, 2023 – Following extensive public engagement and technical work, the Master Plan that will guide the future of Blue Mountain Park is starting to take shape.
The Blue Mountain Park Master Plan will provide a long-term vision for the park to guide future improvements, programs and events. The planning process was initiated prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The early work separated the park into three distinct zones:
- The Grove: the east side of the park including the trees, trails, tennis courts, picnic spaces, Scout Hall and the Cenotaph
- The Core: the active heart of the park home to the most widely used amenities including the playground, spray park, wading pool, washroom and concession
- The Field: the western portion of the park including a natural grass baseball diamond that is home to the senior division of the Coquitlam Little League Club
Public Feedback Highlights Importance of Connection
In late 2021, a variety of audiences and key park user groups participated in public engagement. This included Council Advisory Committees, the Coquitlam Youth Council, the Royal Canadian Legion branch 263, focus groups through the Tri-Cities Local Immigrant Partnership, a public survey, and virtual and in-person sessions with park users.
What emerged from the feedback is that Blue Mountain Park is an important social space that facilitates strong connections in the community, with over 43 per cent of survey respondents saying that this is their primary reason for visiting the park (followed by sports and recreation amenities at 40 per cent, and children’s play facilities at 35 per cent).
In addition to highlighting some of the barriers to visiting the park more frequently such as overcrowding, lack of dedicated tennis and pickleball courts, and limited parking, other themes also emerged including:
- A desire to relocate the cenotaph to a more prominent location in the park.
- Both concerns and support for decommissioning the wading pool and how to consider including new water play elements.
- A desire for a community-oriented facility that would accommodate arts and cultural programming, as well as covered outdoor space.
- A desire to replace the existing (and deteriorating) Scout Hall with a similar multi-purpose building.
As part of the public engagement, participants were asked to evaluate proposed future amenities in each of the three zones of the park. There were distinct needs and preferences in the top amenities from user groups and park users compared to visitors via the Let’s Talk Coquitlam project page. However, there were many common needs including new washrooms, an enhanced playground, more picnicking opportunities and safety improvements.
A detailed public engagement breakdown is available at letstalkcoquitlam.ca/BlueMountainPark, as well as a short infographic summarizing the feedback.
Next Steps
This feedback has been used to create a draft vision and guiding principles for the Master Plan. The next steps for the project team in summer and fall 2023 will include balancing these varying needs in order to create a park concept and land use plan, as well as determining the order for implementation.
There will be future opportunities for the public, park users and user groups to learn more and provide feedback, which will be advertised through the project page as well as the City’s social media channels and the local newspaper.
Planning for the Future of Blue Mountain Park
As one of Coquitlam’s oldest and most popular community parks, the 8-hectare (19.9-acre) Blue Mountain Park provides a wide range of recreational services and amenities including civic buildings, a baseball diamond, playground, wading pool, water spray area, picnic shelters, tennis courts, a memorial cenotaph, a variety of trails, mature evergreen and specimen trees, horticultural displays and public art installations.
Many of the amenities currently in Blue Mountain Park were built in the 1960s, and some as early as the 1930s, with additions, changes and improvements over time. With the growth happening in the Austin Heights and nearby Burquitlam-Lougheed neighbourhoods, it is time to create a new master plan for the park with a phased implementation plan to ensure it can continue to support the community into the future.
With the guidance of other key strategy documents including the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan, the Aquatic Service and Infrastructure Strategy, the Tennis and Pickleball Services and Facilities Strategy, as well as through public engagement, budget, technical constraints and community need, staff will develop a Master Plan for Blue Mountain Park with an accompanying 20-year implementation strategy.
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Media contact:
Doron Fishman
Park Planning and Design Manager
604-927-3541
dfishman@coquitlam.ca