Residents in a growing District of North Vancouver neighbourhood have a new place to play following the expansion and reopening of an urban park.
The construction fences around Belle Isle Park in the Lions Gate Village neighbourhood were taken down last month, and the park is now open to the public. The 1,500-square-metre park has now been expanded to approximately three times its original size.
“The original park was a pretty small grassy area with some trees,” said Adam Vasilevich, the district’s section manager for parks planning, design, and development. “After purchasing two houses, the park has been enlarged. It has been changed and adapted to meet the needs of the new growing Lions Gate neighbourhood community…. We wanted to give the community a space that can serve as a shared backyard.”
The new park has many attractive and novel features. A new playground with swings, climbing structures, and fitness equipment has been set up. In an attempt to design the park for everybody, accessible features such as a ramp for stroller and wheelchair users have been added. A carousel intended for wheelchair users is another add-on.
Play equipment designed for children aged three to five and for older children aims to provide a joyful play experience for a diverse range of kids. Additionally, the park features a rolling slide for neurodivergent kids.
There is a communication board for nonverbal children to use for communication.
“This is the first we’ve had in any district park,” said Vasilevich. “There are pictures on the board which the non-verbal children can point at back and forth, and they can have a conversation that way.”
Sustainable materials were also used in construction of the park. The underlayer of the safety rubber surfacing used in the park is made from recycled tires, and the play structures are made of wood.
Vasilevich said a nearby lot will soon be added to the park, featuring a pollinator meadow designed to attract pollinators such as birds, bees, and butterflies to the park.
The new playground also features some realistic art pieces that look like half-melted ice cream cones.
“They’re pretty fun,” said Vasilevich.
A new green space with picnic tables has been created, providing a perfect spot for picnicking. Belle Isle Park also now features a new off-leash area for dogs.
“This permanent dog area is more durable than the previous temporary one because it has an artificial turf where dogs can run around,” said Vasilevich.
The idea of expanding the park with new features was proposed in 2015. The pandemic had a dampening effect on the project, and once the budget was approved in 2024, construction of the new park began last summer.
Shobana Shanmugasamy is a student intern reporting for the North Shore News. She can be reached at [email protected].
