Connecting the lower Patricia Boulevard trail to the the rest of the city isn't a "right-now" priority, but one the city will study.
Coun. Garth Frizzell put forward a successful motion Monday night initiating an administration-led study of connecting the green way to the downtown core.
During the 2009 Smart Growth on the Ground process, participants in the four-day design session identified a desire to embrace the flood plain and bring river elements into the downtown by the year 2035.
The resulting concept plan included a park extending from the Civic Plaza into downtown and a water feature connecting the Patricia Boulevard greenway and the Fraser River.
"I know that we've done some initial discussions around it, but while that particular area, below Patricia Boulevard, is not specifically in the downtown, it is our path to the downtown from the river," said Frizzell. "And I've always agreed back then it was something we need to look in to."
"We are out of the Fourth Avenue [public works] yard - certainly that puts us in a position where that connection could be made," said operations superintendent Bill Gaal.
Initially, Frizzell wanted to the work to be done with the nearly $125,000 left over from the now dissolved Downtown Partnership's budget. But city manager Beth James said a feasibility study could cost in the neighbourhood of $100,000.
"I don't think that piece of vision around bringing the river closer to downtown using that corridor is something that's lost on anybody, I think it's just a much bigger-picture dollar amount," said Mayor Shari Green, who advocated for the money to be redirected to downtown improvement projects such as tree planting, public art and signage.
"I think we still need to focus on what Smart Growth on the Ground recommended," said Coun. Brian Skakun. "At some point we might have to put more into that area."
According to James, a study can be completely internally to determine high-level costs.
