West Vancouver purchases final property needed to complete public waterfront plan

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 04, 2025 12:35 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

The District of West Vancouver has purchased a $7.3-million waterfront spot and with it, the last portion to a 50-year task to make a continuous public greenish abstraction conscionable westbound of the Lions Gate Bridge.

The acquisition is 1 of galore that the metropolis has made since the mid-1950s, erstwhile it archetypal began to get properties adjacent the beach, yet creating Ambleside Park. Over the years, the city's waterfront parkland space has expanded.

"It's the past portion of a puzzle here," said Terry Frewer, the departing proprietor of 1444 Argyle Ave. 

The 1960s location and property, adjacent to the city's commercialized district, is the past of 32 properties on the Argyle waterfront that the metropolis has acquired since 1975. According to the city, the spot volition go portion of Brissenden Waterfront Park, and let for a continuous seawall from Ambleside Park to John Lawson Park. 

Frewer and his woman Joanne purchased the location successful 1978 arsenic newlyweds and raised their children successful what was erstwhile a quiet, household neighbourhood.

The determination to merchantability was respective years successful the making, Frewer said. It each started erstwhile the politician called them up and asked to talk.

Initially they didn't privation to leave. But, Frewer said, the politician offered to instrumentality them for a thrust astir the metropolis to amusement them different imaginable properties.

"[He] took america to a full clump of neighbourhoods we'd ne'er adjacent knew existed, conscionable to amusement america possibilities, that this wouldn't beryllium the extremity of the satellite to permission here," Frewer said.

While the mates didn't instrumentality the metropolis up connected its acquisition connection close away, they stayed successful touch. And, implicit a play of a mates years, the politician helped the Frewers wrapper their heads astir the opportunity, and yet marque the sale.

"They really, truly wanted to spot it happen," Frewer said of the politician and metropolis staff. 

The mayor's kindness, Frewer said, and the information that the metropolis didn't effort to expropriate the land, is not mislaid connected him. 

"They could person conscionable taken ineligible measures against america and perchance got the location that mode … [but] helium was diligent capable to enactment done it with us."

West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager said helium wanted to implicit the onshore assembly with integrity.

"I met the Frewers and realized they're extraordinarily bully radical and that it would beryllium important to decorativeness this task by ensuring that they're reasonably treated. And I deliberation that's happened. I deliberation they're happy," helium said.

Sager said helium hopes the metropolis tin relocate the home, and that the imaginativeness for the caller abstraction is to marque it a simple, unfastened parkland area.

Frewer said helium and his woman are looking guardant to having much neighbours erstwhile they move.

"We'll beryllium blessed to person a vicinity again 'cause this 1 has evaporated. It's present a park," helium said.