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Public Open Space Map

The open spaces have been planned as coordinated and connected themes. These will reinforce the vision and provide the residents and public with quality outdoor space that serves a multitude of uses and purposes.

The open spaces have been planned with a cohesive and legible connection between them. These locations support a variety of interesting, animated, and green walking routes and provide a strategic environmental connection to surrounding parks and open spaces.

  • Watershed Plaza
  • Neighbourhood Park
  • Mountain View Plaza
  • Solstice Park
  • Ridge Promenade and Plaza
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  • 1 Events
  • 2 Food Trucks
  • 3 Planting
  • 4 Grade Transition
  • 5 Watershed Character
  • 6 Tree Canopy
  • 7 Seating
  • 8 Public Art Feature
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Watershed Plaza

The Watershed Plaza is seen as the large public open space for the community and area. Strategically connected to the proposed Live Arts Centre, SkyTrain Station, and Central Boulevard, the Watershed Plaza has a wonderful south facing aspect. Framed by buildings on all sides except the south, the plaza will become a sun-filled space with its own unique micro-climate.

Like many successful civic urban plazas, the connection to an adjacent road, Central Boulevard, allows for the plaza to expand if the road is temporarily closed for special events and celebrations. To accommodate the three commercial towers and upper Live Arts Terrace Entry, the plaza will be a series of terraces that step down to Central Boulevard providing a variety of uses and activities. The design should allow for a variety of flexible uses in the plaza along with the ability to connect to green space and gardens. 

The new Watershed Plaza will be the location of a significant Public Art Feature that is intended to be a major focal point and place maker, and that can be viewed by the thousands of people from the SkyTrain and Central Boulevard. The art feature and plaza will also serve as the gateway from the SkyTrain Station to the Metropolis Downtown.

  • 1 Waterplay Element
  • 2 Watershed Character
  • 3 Garden Rooms
  • 4 Play
  • 5 Movable Seating
  • 6 Retail 
Spillout
  • 7 Flexible Lawn
  • 8 Tree Canopy
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Neighbourhood Park

The new Neighbourhood Park at Metrotown will serve the new residents of the community along with the existing local residents in the growing surrounding neighbourhoods. The park will be a place for neighbors to meet, gather, play, and recreate in a casual and informal manner. 

Programming elements should vary in character and scale and ensure all age groups and abilities are served. The intent of the park is to connect people to nature, so a more informal character is intended. With southern exposure, the park will have good sun exposure that has been considered with the placement of buildings and towers. The character and expression of the park is to extend across the surrounding three roads to the adjacent building faces, so the sense of park area is expanded.

Programming

  • Open Flexible Lawn
  • Tree Canopy
  • Garden Spaces
  • Children’s Water Play
  • Informal and Formal Children’s Play
  • Retail Spill Out
  • Picnic Areas
  • Berry Picking
  • Outdoor Reading Area
  • Walking Circuit
  • 1 Food Trucks
  • 2 Retail Spillout
  • 3 Watershed Element
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Mountain View Plaza

Mountain View Plaza is located at the eastern edge of the intersection of Connection Way and Sussex Avenue. As the buildings pull away from the end of Sussex at the corner and where the plaza starts, there is an amazing view towards the North Shore Mountains. The plaza extends across Connection Way and encompasses the southeast corner of the Mall as well, engaging the important corners. 

The plaza should express green infrastructure, particularly with stormwater collection and cleansing. 

Programming

  • Green Infrastructure
  • Tree Canopy
  • Retail Spill Out
  • Flexible Gathering Space
  • Seating/Hanging Out/Informal Integrated Children’s Play
  • Public Art
  • 1 Garden Room
  • 2 Lawn Area
  • 3 Play
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Solstice Park

Solstice Park is a small parklet on the east side of the development site in the Metropolis Masterplan. The intention of the park is to provide a green oasis in the downtown urban fabric and provide a natural soft relief to the hard-dense urban environment. It provides an important connection to the green mews to the north that aligns and connects with a major Mall entrance.

Programming

  • Seating/Hanging Out/Informal Integrated Children’s Play
  • Tree Canopy
  • Garden Rooms
  • Informal Lawn
  • 1 Green Infrastructure
  • 2 Tree Canopy
  • 3 Retail Spillout
  • 4 Flexible Gathering Space
  • 5 Seating / Hanging Out
  • 6 Urban Garden Rooms
  • 7 Public Art
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Ridge Promenade and Plaza

The Ridge Promenade is an important internal garden mews that aligns with one of the main mall entries off Kingsborough. The plaza on Central Boulevard that connects to the promenade will be one of the major gateways on the eastern portion of the site. The plaza will extend across McMurray and have various amenities and features on both sides of the street. The plaza and promenade on the west side of McMurray open up views to the promenade, which will have animated retail edges from retailers within the McMurray Avenue podiums that will be encouraged to open up to both the street and the internal promenade. 

Programming

  • Green Infrastructure
  • Tree Canopy
  • Retail Spill Out
  • Flexible Gathering Space
  • Seating/Hanging Out
  • Urban Garden Rooms
  • Public Art

Design Influences

  • Gateway Plaza
  • Watershed Ridge Line Feature
  • Urban Views from SkyTrain
  • Historic Central Trail Element