Vancouver Park Board

John Hendry Park - Master Plan

The Park Board will preopare a master plan for John Hendry Park, a 27.3 hectare (67.5 acre) park in the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood, located east of Victoria Drive between 14th and 19th Avenues. The park was created in the 1920s and expanded over the next 40 years, with Trout Lake as its central feature. The park is very popular, attracting in the order of 750,000 visitors per year.

A master plan is a long-term plan to guide how the park is managed and how/where changes are to be made. The master plan will be prepared by Park Board staff and consultants, in consultation with the Grandview Community Association, park users and nearby residents. The first phase of the master plan, which addressed the rebuild of the ice rink and community centre was completed in 2006. The second phase, which will address park issues, has yet to begin.

aerial view

The Master Plan:
Why a Master Plan? | Issues | Staff and Consultants

The Park:
Park Features and Neighbourhood Context | Aerial Photographs | Photographs

The Master Plan

A) Why a Master Plan?

There are two key reasons that a master plan was developed for John Hendry Park:

The facilities on the park were in need of renewal. The Trout Lake Ice Rink needed to be rebuilt in time for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Trout Lake Community Centre was rated as a high priority in the Community Centre Renewal Plan.
A number of outstanding park issues need resolution, including possibilities for increased naturalization of the park, improvements to the park's walkway system, design changes to reduce conflicts between dogs and park users at/near the dog off-leash area, and responses to new and/or expanded park uses.

Phase 1 of the Master Plan is complete. The Trout Lake Ice Rink Rebuild will be completed in 2009. The renewal of the Trout Lake Community Centre has received funding in the 2009-11 Capital Plan.

B) Issues (Phase 2 - Park Redesign)

Issues associated with existing uses in the park:

The dog off-leash area at the north end of the lake is one of Vancouver's most popular dog off-leash areas, however the layout of the dog off-leash area and its interface with the perimeter walking path result in ongoing conflicts between dogs and park users.
There is a desire by the operators of the existing Farmers' Market, Your Local Farmers Market Society, to expand its size. This involves understanding the operational requirements of the market as well as potential parking/traffic impacts.
John Hendry Park hosts a handful of major festivals, as well as a number of smaller events, including picnics. The master plan will advise on how both large and small events and festivals can be better hosted in the park.

Issues associated with new uses in the park:

Over the years, there have been proposals for increased naturalization of the park, including the planting of indigenous vegetation and the daylighting of culverted streams.
In the last couple of years, two additional recreational uses have been suggested for John Hendry Park: a set of sand volleyball courts and a skateboarding facility. The master plan process will explore these and other suggestions and make recommendations.

Additional issues are likely to be identified in the public process.

C) Staff and Consultants

Park Board staff involved in the project include:

Name	Position	Telephone	Email
Michel Desrochers	Park Planner	604-257-8529	michel.desrochers@vancouver.ca
Debra Barnes	Landscape Designer	604-718-5852	debra.barnes@vancouver.ca
Harry Rumley	Trout Lake Community Recreation Coordinator	604-257-6960	harry.rumley@vancouver.ca

Consultants hired by the Park Board are:

Name	Profession	Firm
Chris Phillips	Landscape Architect	Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg
Marta Farevaag	Urban Planner	Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg

The Park

A) Park Features and Neighbourhood Context

The park currently includes the following features:

Trout Lake (about 4 hectares or 10 acres) with a bathing beach at its south end and naturalized edges on its east and west banks;
A perimeter walking path around the lake, and the BC Parkway bicycle route;
Large grassy areas, some with panoramic views of North Shore mountains, especially in the southern portion of the park;
Trout Lake Community Centre and Ice Rink, both completed in 1964, located near Victoria Drive and 19th Avenue;
One fieldhouse at the south end of the lake with washrooms, change rooms, a food concession and a caretaker suite;
One picnic shelter at the southeast end of the lake;
Two children's playgrounds, one east of the community centre and one east of the fieldhouse;
Three tennis courts, two basketball courts and one rollerhockey rink, all located in the southwest corner of the park;
Three playfields and six ball diamonds, plus the clubhouse for the Trout Lake Little League;
A dog off-leash area located at the north end of the lake; and
Four parking lots located at the periphery of the park, with a total of about 350 spaces.

There is a partnership between the Park Board and the Grandview Community Association, detailed in a Joint Operating Agreement, which specifies that the community centre and ice rink are jointly operated, and that the Association is advised of changes to parks in the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood, including John Hendry Park. Park Board practice is to consult closely with Community Associations with respect to planning that affects recreational facilities and parks.

The park is surrounded by mostly single-family houses and duplexes. Medium density housing already exists northwest of the park, near the Broadway-Commercial SkyTrain station. New medium density housing is being built southwest of the park in the Commercial-Welwyn area.

B) Aerial photographs of John Hendry Park

1961 photo: