Update on land at Cape Roger Curtis
On October 25, Metro Vancouver concluded a sale of 65 hectares of land at Cape Roger Curtis to the Bowen Island Conservancy. A legal conservation covenant has been established to protect the land, including habitats, vulnerable species, and ecosystems, in perpetuity.
Metro Vancouver had applied to Bowen Island Municipality for rezoning and a change to the Official Community Plan to allow for overnight tent camping. The rezoning application remains at first reading, and with the sale Metro Vancouver will withdraw its application.
No public access
The land is not open to the public for day or overnight use (no camping). Municipal trails remain open and available for public use.
About the land
Metro Vancouver is growing the regional parks system into a connected network of parks and greenways that protect regionally important natural areas and connect them to residents.
In spring 2023, Metro Vancouver acquired 24 lots totaling 97 hectares of land that had previously been slated for housing development at Cape Roger Curtis to create a new regional park. The land at Cape Roger Curtis presented a unique opportunity to protect valuable habitat, and connect with nature through trails, education, stewardship, and ocean viewing.
On October 25, Metro Vancouver concluded a sale of 65 hectares of land at Cape Roger Curtis to the Bowen Island Conservancy. A legal conservation covenant has been established to protect the land, including habitats, vulnerable species, and ecosystems, in perpetuity, while respecting what we heard as a priority for residents across the region during two phases engagement about the potential for the land.
Metro Vancouver will be exploring options for the remaining 32 hectares.
Metro Vancouver had applied to Bowen Island Municipality for rezoning and a change to the Official Community Plan to allow for overnight tent camping. The rezoning application remains at first reading, and with the sale Metro Vancouver will withdraw its application.
Cape Roger Curtis is eight kilometres from Snug Cove on Bowen Island. The property encompasses a large ecologically diverse dry coastal bluff waterfront, a landscape rare in the Metro Vancouver region and makes up less than one per cent of BC’s land base. It contains 15 plant communities listed as provincially threatened or endangered. The land encompasses about 900 metres of waterfront ranging from high bluffs to low bank and access to water’s edge. Along the shore, the coastal bluff plant communities are dominated by arbutus, shore pine, Douglas fir, and some 400-year-old maritime juniper. Huszar Creek flows through the site. In recent years, there have been frequent sightings of both orcas and humpback whales from this site.
The land is adjacent to Crown land that includes the headwaters of Huszar Creek and Fairy Fen Nature Reserve, and the Wild Coast Nature Refuge. The land is within the Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Public engagement
Metro Vancouver conducted two phases of engagement in 2023 that drew feedback from people across the region. Metro Vancouver engaged with the public and incorporated their feedback at each step in the proposed park development process and the Bowen Island Municipality rezoning process. The park planning process included background research, inventory, and analysis. Each project phase included engagement with First Nations, the public, stakeholders, and Bowen Island Municipality.
With the withdrawal of the rezoning application, the engagement process is now closed. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback. Details on the engagement process and what we heard is available in the engagement summary reports below.