People’s Park

PEOPLE’S PARK

“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.”

In June 2024, the City announced plans to build an Annex for Fire Hall #2 (located at Main and Cordova) on Gore Ave. near the intersection with Union St. The Annex would include a two-bay garage, a two-story building and a fenced asphalt parking lot. Click here for more details.

Sparked by the concerns of several residents, the SRA drafted this letter (here’s a link) to the mayor, city councillors, staff and other officials and later met with representatives from the CoV real estate and fire departments.

Our position was that this site, a rare piece of undeveloped public land in a neighbourhood with the least green space, least local-use parks, least tree canopy, highest heat index and the largest population of vulnerable people in the city, is far better suited as a public park, anchored by the city’s new public art commission and reflective of city policies toward environmental equity, Chinatown revitalization and the recognition of Hogan’s Alley. A fire hall at this location would cause considerable traffic, noise and safety problems along Union, Georgia, and Gore, especially once Gore is extended across Prior, becoming the gateway to the New St. Paul’s Hospital.

The Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service provided some clarity as to why the annex was needed. Fire Hall #2, located at Main and Powell, is too small and rundown to adequately accommodate the staff and vehicles needed to serve one of the busiest fire districts in Canada. In the short term, it needs more space; in the longer term, it needs a temporary replacement location while Fire Hall #2 is rebuilt, which means the Annex will be operational for at least 8-10 years.

The site is city-owned land that was reserved as an off-ramp for the freeway that was never built. A "People’s Park" sign at the site was the work of concerned citizen Dana Deschene and team, not the Park Board. It was later removed by the city.

Responding this growing pushback from the SRA and other local stakeholders, the city initially “paused the rezoning process to re-evaluate our location options” for the proposed Fire Hall #2 Annex at Gore and Union, broadening their search criteria to include sites not owned by the city. Subsequently, both the Park Board and City Council unanimously approved motions to make the site into an official park. It’s now up to city staff to recommend how best to do that.

The final outcome is still contingent on the city finding an alternative site (or solution) acceptable to the Vancouver Fire & Rescue Service. The SRA is sympathetic to the needs of the VFRS, but surely, with some imagination and flexibility, an alternate - and perhaps better - solution can be found that doesn’t require losing this rare opportunity to protect and preserve much-needed green space.