City buys Arbutus Greenway from CP for $55-million

Greenway to be used as “transportation corridor” for pedestrians and cyclists

A “historic agreement” was reached between the Canadian Pacific Railway and the City of Vancouver when they settled on the purchase of the Arbutus Corridor.

The corridor was a long-unused railway which will now be converted into a pedestrian and cyclist passage connecting False Creek and Marpole. CPR sold the nine kilometre route to the City for $55-million on March 7, after years of negotiation.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, not unlike New York’s High Line and other international examples,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson in a public statement.Like the High Line, the Arbutus Greenway will be decorated with plant life and public art near the pedestrian walkway. The City is also leaving space for a potential light rail train in the future, although details have not been disclosed.

Negotiations between CPR and the City began in 1995 with the approval of the Greenways Plan, which included the Arbutus corridor as a future passage. Five years later, it was designated as a public thoroughfare for transportation but closed to the public until 2005, when it was used illegally as a walkway and garden space. The Transportation 2040 plan was launched in 2012 and 2013, which re-established the goal of developing the corridor.

The City offered to buy a portion of the corridor for $20-million in 2014. To their displeasure, CPR wouldn’t settle for less than $100-million, and the price of the land was hotly debated over the following years. When the $55-million settlement was agreed upon this year, the revenues gathered from the sale of any “excess lands” were also discussed. Any monies made will be shared between the City and CPR, thereby ensuring the satisfaction of the rail company and its shareholders.

Because the corridor had previously been the site of several community gardens, there was public concern regarding what would be done with the plants during construction. In response, the Park Board saved as many trees in their path as possible before CPR began removing rails and ties. Trees were relocated “in good condition to existing parks and new homes,” as well as along the McCleery Golf Course Greenway.

A project office is being launched “to oversee the design process and solicit public input on the final design of the transportation corridor and greenway.” Its anticipated completion date is by the end of 2018, but portions of it will be open to the public by the end of 2017.