A privately built park is under construction in Fort Langley, as developer Eric Woodward revamps a vacant lot on a downtown corner.
Woodward announced plans Wednesday to turn about 12,000 square feet of vacant lot on the corner of Glover Road and Mary Avenue into a “pop-up park.”
“We will build it out fully over the next three years, finishing with a custom tower play structure, starting this year with an outdoor lounge area, picnic spots, play spots, outdoor ping pong, and anything else we can think of to add,” Woodward wrote on his Facebook page. “The first phase will be complete by the end of July.”
Woodward said the project will include a couple of play areas, and a schematic on the Facebook page shows some of the plans.
The grassy areas will be re-turfed, concrete barriers will be removed, and temporary fencing will be pulled back from the sidewalk.
Some of the items built for the park may be re-used in future development on the site, Woodward said.
“It’s kind of an investment,” he said.
Woodward said there is no requirement for a business license, or for a building permit because there will be no permanent structures. There will be an insurance policy for the pop-up park. No name for the park has been chosen, but ideas from the public are welcome, Woodward said.
The first phase will likely be open by the end of July.
Woodward said he’s paying for the project out of his own pocket, and there is no final budget.
The impetus for the park is the months-long dispute between Woodward and the Township over development on that and other sites he owns in Fort Langley.
Woodward has said the Township is being intransigent over his plans, which involved a boutique hotel, shops, and other amenities for two major sites, both on Glover Road.
“Given the lack of any response whatsoever from anyone at the Township of Langley on even major questions such as intersections, we expect the site will remain derelict as it is for many years,” Woodward wrote. “Given that, we definitely cannot, and will not, leave it as it is.”
Over the last few months, Woodward has boarded up several empty buildings, posted health notices on them saying the buildings were vermin-infested, and hosted a large public forum at which he answered questions about the dispute.
Township officials and politicians have said Woodward can come forward with proposals or ask to speak to the Township publicly, but has not.
Woodward has annother announcement coming up soon. He has had a number of requests to allow murals to be painted on the boards over some of his vacant buildings, to allow for beautification.
He told the Langley Advance he will probably allow that, but first he will be using the plywood surfaces for something in July and August. Woodward said he will announce what that is, most likely in June.
