5 ideas to complete Holland Park
I love Holland Park. I’ve gushed about it on this blog – and others. It’s a truly beautiful space being used exactly as it was designed for, a gathering place at the heart of the community. Now that I live next door though, I’ve noticed that a few additions could really take the park to the next level. Here’s five ideas to improve Holland Park:
Residents with their dogs in a cage during Fusion Festival
1. Add an off-leash dog area. Urban living is synonymous with dog ownership and right now, there’s no off-leash space for canines in the downtown. With an abundance of unused lawn, the City could easily add a fenced area to the park. It doesn’t even need to be that big, as the re-designed Nelson Park in Vancouver demonstrates. The eastern area under the SkyTrain would be my choice.
Community garden at Nelson Park in Downtown Vancouver
2. Add a community garden. Technically, the City Centre doesn’t even have a community garden, which is rather odd as it’s the one place in Surrey that most likely needs it. High density living usually removes the chance for gardening, but the blooming community garden movement in Vancouver has shown that needn’t be the case. Community gardens foster a greater appreciation for both food and inedible plants, while providing a space to create connections in the neighbourhood. As a new resident in a downtown condo, having a place to grow some vegetables and meet my neighbours would be quite valuable to livability.
Residents using the fountains to cool off during the Pride Festival
3. Open the fountains to people. Holland Park’s fountains are one of its most under-utilized elements. For whatever reason – depth, chlorination, legal issues – people are not allowed to wade in the water. It does a real disservice to the space as kids and families playing in the water on hot days would add a lot of vibrancy and energy. One of Edmonton’s best features are its public fountains that are filled with people in the summer, both at City Hall and the Legislature – Surrey could follow its lead.
One of the themed gardens in Bear Creek Park
4. Develop the gardens. From the looks of it, you wouldn’t know that Holland Park purportedly has gardens! Maybe it’s due to a lack of age or a lack of theme, but the supposed gardens need some work. My suggestion: utilize some of the hidden lawn space to develop a “global garden” – themed planted areas representing some of diverse cultures of Surrey. This theme could also include partnerships with local ethnic organizations, as well as our existing sister cities in Asia.
Yoga in Memorial Park in Downtown Winnipeg
5. Bring some activity to the park. Holland Park is of course the site of the annual Fusion Festival. And yes, it has some outdoor movies nights courtesy of the Downtown BIA. But other than that, events in the park have lagged. The park is the natural site for free yoga or zumba, evening concerts, art walks, or special performances of the Surrey Civic Orchestra. Events do take some money, but more than that, they take community organizing.
-
The Cedar Hills Caledonian Pipe Band has been toying with the idea of moving our band practices to the park through out the summer weather permitting on Thursday evenings. It may not happen this year since we do not know what is required for permission but we had a great reception when we played the Chevron Community Stage at Fusion Fest so watch for us at Holland Park. You can let us know if your interested in hearing bagpipes in the park by leaving comments on our facebook page.
-
In fact the pipe band has just been given permission from the City to try this out on Thursday evenings and they will be starting there this week at 7pm in front of the fountain. Be sure and check them out, if you saw them at Fusion Fest on the Chevron Community Stage then you know what to expect.
-
-
These are all great ideas. I imagine that there might be some health concerns with a community garden, since Holland Park is right next to King George, but if the garden was placed far enough into the park it could work.
Also, I definitely agree about having more activities in the park. I was really glad to see that there’s going to be a ticketed concert events there this summer, as I always thought it would make a great venue (especially considering that it would be the only large outdoor concert venue in Metro Vancouver that would be easily accessible by public transit). I imagine that there might be some issues with noise, though, seeing as how there’s a residential area right next to the park. Does anyone know what the laws are regarding noise in Surrey? During the Olympics, I remember some concerts going on until at least 11 at night, but that might have just been an isolated incident.
-
City events can go as late as they want as they make the rules. It all comes down to community support and how far they are willing to push. Private events require a permit. The noise bylaw in Surrey is fairly broad. It is basically all hours of the day you may make no noise at all that disurbs the “rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of any person or persons in the neighbourhood or vicinity.” Even your birds can’t chirp enough to do the above under the bylaw.
-
-
I have to agree while great there is a few things that could make it better by adding things
I myself have thought of a few things the park can use1. A out door pool or water park area like in hawthorn park
Something like this could bring more activity and people to the park on a hot day.2. A permanent stage built.
If done right it could be made to look decorative. Like the one in douglas(i think thats the name) in Langley city centre. -
1) Add an off leash dog area
I never uynderstood why urban living is synonymous with dog ownership. Is it a status symbol? Personally, I hate dog owners in the urban area. Don’t ever walk in the grass near Park Place. It’s in essence giant dog toilet no amount of ($200 fine) signs will change.
As for off-leash dog areas, I’d be fine with that simply for the fact of getting the dog owners and their pooping dogs away from where I walk. And it’s better for the dogs anyway since it’s borderline cruel to own one in an appartment in my opinion so at least they will have some space to run around in and be dogs.
2) Add a community garden
Not a bad idea. I think urban environment all around the world need to remember the grass roots so to speak and that small community feel that something like a community garden can bring. If done right it can provide a nice social environment and bring a country feel to the area.
3) Open the fountains to people
Why not? Just means a bit more maintenance on the part of the city to clean out the band-aids and floating cigarette butts that inevitably are thrown in by disrespectful pigs.
4) Develop the gardens
I also thought the same thing when I first read this. Gardens? Where? I agree for sure. The one thing that strikes me in many European cities is how many of them develop outstanding garden scapes.
5) Bring some activity to the park
I worry about this a bit since while the Fusion Festival is there, I’d hedge bets that when the new civic square is completed, they’ll try to move it there meaning we lose something in Holland Park. I’d like them to find a niche of events that are just for Holland Park and focus on that site.
-
I don’t think that the new civic square will be nearly large enough to hold Fusion Festival. I imagine that the events currently held in front of SFU will move there, but an event that sees 100,000 people over two days will probably be far too big.
Personally, I think that we should move all of the larger-scale City events to Holland Park. Fusion Festival is one of them, and i’d say that Canada Day should go there too. I also agree with Erik in that there should be a more permanent stage there, though I imagine that any stage large enough to hold stuff like the Fusion Festival concerts would be a bit of an eyesore. Maybe they could install permanent structures that would allow a stage to be more easily set up whenever needed?
-
Surrey bylaw for not cleaning up after your dog is $2000 not the $200 you have indicated.
-
Strata fine not bylaw fine. Our strata fine is $200 on strata property. People let their dogs pee in the elevators sometimes and even dedicate in the underground. Cameras everywhere so surprises me since I know they get ticketted. But still. Maybe should be $2000 like the city.
-
-
-
How about bringing food carts into Holland Park? Vancouver’s iconic Stanley Park and Queen Elizabeth Park have them so why not Surrey?
-
Dog Area)
I love the Dog Park idea. While I think it’s wonderful that most of the (new) buildings here in the city centre are pet friendly, I HATE the amount of animal waste that sits in my building’s courtyard. The grass area is essentially useless since you can’t walk on it without stepping in something.
The strata put notices up warning about fines to owners who don’t clean up after their dogs, but who’s enforcing that? In short; I strongly support an effort that would lead dog owners off the building’s property for the “morning walk”.
Community Garden)
Yes Please! There only so many potted plants I can grow on my little balcony. I’d be in favour of seeing a community garden by the Chuck Bailey rec centre as well. Perhaps near that new bike way the city just put in?Everything Else)
All good ideas!
Comments