The grand opening of the first of several expansions planned for Cottonwood Park in Coquitlam took place on Thursday, September 1, 2022.
With Mayor Richard Stewart and several City Councillors present, the ribbon cutting ceremony marked an important milestone in the partnership between Concert Properties and the City, which has made the expansion of the park possible.
A valued amenity for existing and future residents, Cottonwood Park is adjacent to Concert’s Whitgift Gardens property, the site of Concert’s second upcoming master-planned community in Coquitlam. The City secured the land for the 2.5-acre park expansion from Concert in 2019 when Concert dedicated this land to the City and, in exchange, obtained the Burquitlam Park land parcel, which now includes Coquitlam’s first YMCA community centre, a rental building with a variety of affordability options, and a condominium building that are all adjacent a new city park.
Concert also contributed $700,000 toward the design and construction of the park improvements. Once a tired playground, Cottonwood Park has now been transformed into a destination for local park lovers. The original 2.6-acre park was upgraded by the City in 2019 and now features a spray park, washrooms, playground and basketball court.
The second phase expansion added a dual-purpose softball and soccer field, a multi-sport court, an activity hub featuring built-in street hockey nets, outdoor exercise area with urban parkour elements and social space and outdoor games tables. The Grand Opening event featured an impressive parkour demonstration to highlight this innovative feature of the park.
“It is thanks to the support of and ongoing partnership with the City of Coquitlam that this unique park area, designed to accommodate all ages, has been made possible,” says Craig Watters, Senior Vice President, Development at Concert. “One of Concert’s founding principles is giving back to the communities where we work and live, and we’re pleased to see this realized through this expanded park.”
The future development site will span 5.5 acres and encompass approximately 2,000 homes, including nearly 700 rental homes, within walking distance of the Burquitlam SkyTrain station on the Evergreen Line. Six residential towers will centre around a series of shared indoor and outdoor amenities, including a 22,000-square-foot community amenity building adjacent Cottonwood Park.