Proposed Bowen Island park being put to next test with residents
Metro Vancouver has secured a one-square-kilometre piece of land it needs to create the proposed Cape Roger Curtis regional park on Bowen Island, but it faces hurdles with a worried public.
How the park takes shape is still “a work in progress,” according to Andrew Leonard, mayor of the Bowen Island Municipality, a community divided over the prospect of a park making the island any more of a tourist destination than it already is.
“Ultimately, it comes down to, at its core, a conservation ethos that we’re protecting (Cape Roger Curtis),” Leonard said. “It’s not that we don’t want folks to use this land, but that we’re truly protecting it for the generations that are to come.”
In May, Metro Vancouver completed a $40-million purchase of the 24 parcels of property that will comprise Cape Roger Curtis Park and have submitted a park concept to the Bowen Island Municipality to consider for rezoning.
But that plan, which calls for the protection and restoration of sensitive habitats, allows for the development of up to 100 campsites, including 25 car-camping sites and five group camping spots that remain non-starters for a lot of residents.
