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Cranbrook, BC (September 12, 2024) – Baker Park in Cranbrook has officially been increased in size and is now legally dedicated as a park after a lengthy registration process through the Province’s Land Titles Office.

This process, which wrapped up on August 12, 2024, also reduced the size of the RV Campground and separated both the Senior’s Centre and City’s Pressure Reducing Station (PRV) into individual lots.

Making this a dedicated park applies special consideration and protects the park and allows the City and community to seek funding for park specific improvements. With this legal plan registration Baker Park has formally been expanded, dedicated, and secured as legal dedicated park. By dedicating the park this section is secured as park in perpetuity unless a City Bylaw receives approval of the electors to change the status.

In addition to the park dedication, Council has approved $50,000 budget in the 2024 budget to create a Baker Park Master Plan that will bring strong public input into the future use and improvements on this land. This public process will involve community members and stakeholder organizations to create a vision and seek partnerships and opportunities to bring them life. The City hopes to see this project start in late 2024 or early 2025.

Additional Housing Considered for Adjacent Residential Area

On September 23, 2024, Council will consider the option of adding more urgently needed housing, through BC Builds, in the vacant land between the two Baker Gardens Senior Housing complexes, located at 1505 1st Street South, as indicated on the map below.

BC Builds is a housing program, delivered by BC Housing, to speed up the development of new homes for middle-income working people throughout BC. Learn more about BC Builds at https://www.bcbuildshomes.ca/.

This opportunity aims to reduce barriers to new housing, by introducing regulations to allow for more mixed-use medium-density housing on City-owned land. This housing is not within the park and does not impact the use or access to the newly increased dedicated Baker Park or the RV campground. The public and adjacent land owners will see notifications in the newspaper of this BC Builds initiative as a part of this proposed housing improvement. This initiative is consistent with the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing recommendations in creating new housing in Cranbrook.

These combined initiatives, preserving the park, increasing housing along with Council’s decision to re-activate the Baker RV Park operation, hope to address many strategic priorities within the community and represent a renewed desire to engage the public and greater community in building a vibrant Cranbrook for all.