What is the Ambleside Waterfront Park Implementation Project?
The Ambleside Waterfront Park Implementation Project will implement changes outlined in the Ambleside Waterfront Concept Plan, in phases, over the next several years.
The implementation project will be built in sections and will likely take several years to realize. We're excited to share the next phase of what's to come on the waterfront in the Ambleside area.
Update: March 31, 2025
At their regular Council meeting on Monday, March 31, 2025, Mayor Sager and Council announced that the final home on the Ambleside waterfront at 1444 Argyle Avenue has been acquired, allowing for the creation of additional waterfront park space for the community to enjoy. This marks the last of 32 lots that the District has acquired on the Ambleside waterfront since 1975 and will be removed in early fall 2025.
History
The Ambleside waterfront has been used as a public park for more than 70 years. Cottages and houses were removed to create Ambleside Park in the mid-1950s, to accommodate the Hollyburn Sailing Club in the mid-1960s, and to develop John Lawson Park from the mid-1950s to the late-1960s.
From 1975 to 1977, Council passed several resolutions to approve the purchase of and affirm the District’s general policy to acquire all private property from 18th Street to Ambleside Park—the Argyle Acquisition Policy. The District began buying properties along Argyle Avenue in the mid-1970s.
In 2013, Council adopted the Waterfront Guiding Principles, an Official Community Plan policy, which state that public ownership of the waterfront from 13th to 18th Streets is a community value, and the District should continue to acquire the remaining privately-owned waterfront lots for public use as opportunities become available.
The public’s support for a continuous public walkway and increased waterfront park was further reinforced through the 2016 public consultation on the Ambleside Waterfront Concept Plan. After Council endorsed the plan, they directed staff to acquire the remaining two houses on Argyle Avenue—1444 and 1448 Argyle Avenue. 1448 Argyle Avenue was acquired by the District in December 2023, deconstructed in early 2024 and opened as public park space in summer 2024.
1444 Argyle Avenue is the last of 32 houses on the Argyle waterfront to be acquired by the District since 1975 for public park use, and will form part of Brissenden Waterfront Park, connecting the waterfront from Ambleside Park to John Lawson Park.
Ambleside Waterfront Concept Plan
After an extensive community consultation process, and building on four decades of work from the community, previous Councils and staff, the Ambleside Waterfront Concept Plan was endorsed by Council on Monday, June 13, 2016. Learn about the Ambleside Waterfront Concept Plan here.
The acquisition and removal of the last remaining house on Argyle Avenue marks a significant milestone toward completing the Ambleside Waterfront Concept Plan and creates more waterfront park space for everyone to enjoy.
The plan features connected green spaces: John Lawson Park, Millennium Park, Brissenden Waterfront Park, and Ambleside Green. New park features will allow for active and passive recreation. The plan builds on the success of 40 years of acquiring, planning, and improving the publicly-owned waterfront. While keeping the essentials of what makes it special, the plan proposes more public open space, improvements to community facilities, and new ways to experience the waterfront.
The removal of the last remaining home will complete the connection of John Lawson Park with Ambleside Green.