On Monday, representatives from Metro Parks presented the two options they’ve deemed appropriate for moving forward with the Davies Orchard area, to Bowen Island councilors. The organization completed its public consultation on the area in June, and this meeting was held to give councilors the opportunity to provide their feedback on the plans. There was no vote or motion taken, but a majority of councilors expressed their preference for Option Two, known as the Heritage Option, which would leave four cottages standing and upgrade two more.
Jeffrey Fitzpatrick, Metro Parks’ division manager for West Area Parks, told council that the 2.3km area site known as Davies Orchard has a First Nation, agricultural, recrational, orchard and cottage history. Out of ten remaining cottages in the area, six are currently vacant.
“The deteriorating condition of the unused cottages, the lack of a clearly defined program, limited open space and relative seclusion from the rest of Snug Cove and the park have led to under-use of the site over time,” said Fitzpatrick. “The project goals are to improve public access and use of the Orchard Area, to better integrate Davies Orchard into Crippen Regional Park and to celebrate the unique heritage of the site.”
Fitzpatrick added that making the site more accessible to families is also a priority, and a “nature discovery area” is proposed for both options. This amenity would encourage kids to climb, explore and play, but would be made of all natural materials.
Councillor Melanie Mason suggested that Metro consider some kind of option to make the area use-able during the wetter months, perhaps by creating some kind of shelter structure. She also expressed her preference for Option Two.
“I will say, I have been approached by a lot of people who will be quite sad to see a loss of Heritage Cottages,” said Mason. “In a perfect world, I think more cottages could be spared. I understand your budget constraints and everything on that one, but... if there’s any way of saving more heritage, I would also be in favour of that.”
Councilor Sue Ellen Fast echoed the preference for Option Two, as did councilors Gary Ander and Michael Kaile.
Councilor Alison Morse asked about the costs of the plans and the amount of revenue generated in holding on to cottages. Fitzpatrick told responded that Option Two was the more expensive of the two plans, and that other parks that have spaces bookable to the public generate roughly $6000 per year at a cost of $17 per hour.
Mayor Skeels suggested that perhaps some kind of compromise could be reached about Cottage 17, which is slated for demolition. He suggested maybe holding on to the skeleton of the cottage, to create a shelter as Councilor Mason suggested.
“It would be really nice if that could be massaged in their somewhere, without keeping it as a $160,000 full restoration to be a rentable useable space,” said Skeels. “The only other point was, in the fullness of time, those cottages could get an awful lot of public use. To get $6000 a year for $17 an hour you only have to lease a cottage for 7 hours a week for it to break even with what it is as a short term rental. The amount of life that can be brought to that area with emphasis on the day to day rental, could ad an awful lot to the area.”
Metro Parks is expected to release its final proposal on the cottages later in the fall, and council’s feedback will be included.
