Breaking News for Cypress Trails
West Vancouver and British Pacific Properties are positioned to move forward with authorized trails on Cypress. BPP recently appointed a new VP of Development, shedding new light on their plans for Cypress.
West Vancouver has slowly been moving forward with plans for land use in the Upper Lands. I know it's been slow because I've been a citizen volunteer on Upper Lands Working Group since it started in December 2012. The Working Group has been working to draft recommendations for policies and objectives for the future of the remaining undeveloped land in the Upper Lands.
British Pacific Properties changed the discussion recently when they appointed a new VP of Development. What stands out are two of his recent projects:
• Peak to Peak Gondola
• Kadenwood Gondola
There has not yet been an official announcement from BPP on their plans for Cypress, however it's easy to speculate that BPP would like to include a lift up Cypress as part of their next development. A likely location would be from around the first switchback to the knoll above the third switchback where a viewpoint/tourist centre would be a possibility. Continuing the speculation, a second lift from the third switchback across Cypress Creek all the way the Cypress ski resort might also be possible.
What this means for mountain biking has yet to be determined. BPP has said that they want mountain biking to add to the recreational vibe of Cypress Village. If you want to ask a BPP representative about their plans come out to the ULWG Open House on Thursday, April 16, 4-8 p.m. West Vancouver Community Centre, 2121 Marine Drive.
![ULWG Scope 1024]()
Study area for the Upper Lands Working Group
Where the ULWG Started From
The 2004 Official Community Plan gave little consideration for recreation. Not only was most of the land below the 1200 foot contour designated for residential development, it allowed for the option of a variation to the 1200 foot restriction on development that would impact most of the mountain bike trails on Cypress.
![OCP Designations]()
The 2004 OCP allowed consideration of a variation to allow residential development above 1200 feet. How many trails fall inside the 1200 foot contour variation?
ULWG Draft Recommendations
Through engaging the community, including presentations from the NSMBA, the ULWG identified 3 core community values for the Upper Lands:
1. The environmental features and systems of the Upper Lands
2. The outstanding recreation opportunities of the Upper Lands
3. A neighbourhood model that ‘works’ with nature, and is desirable, vibrant, inclusive, compact, and sustainable
As a result, the draft recommendations include:
• No residential development above 1200 feet, or west of Eagle Creek
• No further consideration of a 1200 foot variation
• A Trails Plan be prepared that balances recreational use with environmental values
• Trail Corridors be identified early in the next Area Development Plan
![Draft Recommendations for Designations]()
Draft recommendations concentrate development around the future Cypress Village. Less sprawl. More green.
Cypress Village
So how do the trails above 1200’ connect to to the first switchback on Cypress Bowl Road? That’s where plans for Cypress Village become important. Cypress Village is the next development for British Pacific Properties. It will be located somewhere around the first switchback, likely south of Cypress Bowl Road on the flat area with the awesome view. BPP wants it to have a strong recreational vibe, featuring a Whistler-style retail complex with a public square.
This is where plans for mountain biking and the Village start to mesh. Having the Village as a staging area for mountain biking has been part of the plan since 2007. BPP has seen what mountain biking has done for summer tourism in Whistler. They want mountain biking to contribute to making Cypress Village a vibrant, economically sustainable destination. A recent Globe and Mail article says they want “good restaurants and pubs for mountain bikers”.
![Cypress Trails]()
Renderings of Cypress Village show a Whistler-style retail complex with a public square.
What About The Trails?
Plans indicate that mountain biking has a strong future on Cypress, but what about the trails? What is the vision for the recreational trails? This is where things get considerably murkier.
The current plan is for public trails on public lands. This requires a balance between the needs of the landowner and the recreational users, all while respecting the area’s environmental values. This is to be done early in the Cypress Village ADP process. The goal is that West Vancouver continue to work with private landowners and seek public ownership of private lands with high potential for recreation.
This is where the vision for trails becomes critical. With BPP wanting to make Cypress Village a recreation destination for the region and the way mountain biking could draw people to Cypress the way it does to Whistler, the potential is enormous. However if West Van Parks ends up with the responsibility for maintenance of the trails, their vision could be much smaller.
What’s Next?
Making authorized trails on Cypress a reality requires work by three groups;
• BPP is starting a public envisioning process for Cypress Village. They want to find out what the public will support on Cypress before they can proceed with planning.
• West Van Parks Department will develop a Trail Plan for the area. Discussion is expected to start this year, but the Trail Plan will not be developed until 2016.
• West Van Planning Department will commence planning for the Cypress Village ADP. The draft recommendations state that this should commence on completion of the ULWG and that it be a District priority.
Shaping the Vision
The time to start shaping the vision for recreational trails on Cypress is now! The ULWG is holding Open Houses to collect public input on the draft recommendations. There will be representatives from BPP and Parks at the Open House on Thursday, April 16, 4-8 p.m. West Vancouver Community Centre, 2121 Marine Drive. This is the best opportunity to talk to the representatives, ask them what their vision is for the trails and tell them what you want and what will work.
![Cypress Trails]()
If you can’t make it on April 16, you can still fill in the online survey on westvancouverITE before April 19. There are also Open Houses on Saturday, April 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at West Vancouver Community Centre, 2121 Marine Drive and on Tuesday, April 14, 4-8 p.m. at Gleneagles Golf Club Great Hall, 6190 Marine Drive.
For more information go to westvancouver.ca/upperlands and download the draft recommendations and background report.
Come out on April 16 and have your voice heard! What would you like to see at Cypress?
West Vancouver has slowly been moving forward with plans for land use in the Upper Lands. I know it's been slow because I've been a citizen volunteer on Upper Lands Working Group since it started in December 2012. The Working Group has been working to draft recommendations for policies and objectives for the future of the remaining undeveloped land in the Upper Lands.
British Pacific Properties changed the discussion recently when they appointed a new VP of Development. What stands out are two of his recent projects:
• Peak to Peak Gondola
• Kadenwood Gondola
There has not yet been an official announcement from BPP on their plans for Cypress, however it's easy to speculate that BPP would like to include a lift up Cypress as part of their next development. A likely location would be from around the first switchback to the knoll above the third switchback where a viewpoint/tourist centre would be a possibility. Continuing the speculation, a second lift from the third switchback across Cypress Creek all the way the Cypress ski resort might also be possible.
What this means for mountain biking has yet to be determined. BPP has said that they want mountain biking to add to the recreational vibe of Cypress Village. If you want to ask a BPP representative about their plans come out to the ULWG Open House on Thursday, April 16, 4-8 p.m. West Vancouver Community Centre, 2121 Marine Drive.
Where the ULWG Started From
The 2004 Official Community Plan gave little consideration for recreation. Not only was most of the land below the 1200 foot contour designated for residential development, it allowed for the option of a variation to the 1200 foot restriction on development that would impact most of the mountain bike trails on Cypress.
ULWG Draft Recommendations
Through engaging the community, including presentations from the NSMBA, the ULWG identified 3 core community values for the Upper Lands:
1. The environmental features and systems of the Upper Lands
2. The outstanding recreation opportunities of the Upper Lands
3. A neighbourhood model that ‘works’ with nature, and is desirable, vibrant, inclusive, compact, and sustainable
As a result, the draft recommendations include:
• No residential development above 1200 feet, or west of Eagle Creek
• No further consideration of a 1200 foot variation
• A Trails Plan be prepared that balances recreational use with environmental values
• Trail Corridors be identified early in the next Area Development Plan
Cypress Village
So how do the trails above 1200’ connect to to the first switchback on Cypress Bowl Road? That’s where plans for Cypress Village become important. Cypress Village is the next development for British Pacific Properties. It will be located somewhere around the first switchback, likely south of Cypress Bowl Road on the flat area with the awesome view. BPP wants it to have a strong recreational vibe, featuring a Whistler-style retail complex with a public square.
This is where plans for mountain biking and the Village start to mesh. Having the Village as a staging area for mountain biking has been part of the plan since 2007. BPP has seen what mountain biking has done for summer tourism in Whistler. They want mountain biking to contribute to making Cypress Village a vibrant, economically sustainable destination. A recent Globe and Mail article says they want “good restaurants and pubs for mountain bikers”.
What About The Trails?
Plans indicate that mountain biking has a strong future on Cypress, but what about the trails? What is the vision for the recreational trails? This is where things get considerably murkier.
The current plan is for public trails on public lands. This requires a balance between the needs of the landowner and the recreational users, all while respecting the area’s environmental values. This is to be done early in the Cypress Village ADP process. The goal is that West Vancouver continue to work with private landowners and seek public ownership of private lands with high potential for recreation.
This is where the vision for trails becomes critical. With BPP wanting to make Cypress Village a recreation destination for the region and the way mountain biking could draw people to Cypress the way it does to Whistler, the potential is enormous. However if West Van Parks ends up with the responsibility for maintenance of the trails, their vision could be much smaller.
What’s Next?
Making authorized trails on Cypress a reality requires work by three groups;
• BPP is starting a public envisioning process for Cypress Village. They want to find out what the public will support on Cypress before they can proceed with planning.
• West Van Parks Department will develop a Trail Plan for the area. Discussion is expected to start this year, but the Trail Plan will not be developed until 2016.
• West Van Planning Department will commence planning for the Cypress Village ADP. The draft recommendations state that this should commence on completion of the ULWG and that it be a District priority.
Shaping the Vision
The time to start shaping the vision for recreational trails on Cypress is now! The ULWG is holding Open Houses to collect public input on the draft recommendations. There will be representatives from BPP and Parks at the Open House on Thursday, April 16, 4-8 p.m. West Vancouver Community Centre, 2121 Marine Drive. This is the best opportunity to talk to the representatives, ask them what their vision is for the trails and tell them what you want and what will work.
For more information go to westvancouver.ca/upperlands and download the draft recommendations and background report.
Come out on April 16 and have your voice heard! What would you like to see at Cypress?
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They want to establish a little village type thing at the bottom, which could be very civilized. Come down from shredding 5th and have a cappuccino before heading home? Could be nice.
I'll be at the meeting but I have to admit, personally I don't think this is going to go well.
You advocacy prigs looking down your noses at unsanctioned trails are mindblowing. Slightly more than half the trails in the North Shore are sanctioned. I'll advocate for all trails - the legal, sanctioned and unsanctioned trails if you don't mind.
I most definitely won't apologize for being positive and expressing my support for the article, though. Although it has a great community and bike scene, I'm not in PG either.
I'll assume that you are referring directly to me here, and clarify that I'm not at all thumbing my nose at "unsanctioned" trails, and in fact ride and work on them often. My comments have only been in support of the article itself, and the movement to keep trails alive. It seems to me like you have an underlying issue with the language and approach to the advocacy efforts on the north shore, and despite my attachment to the place I'll stay the heck out of it. My biggest issue with the mountain biking community is the lack of positivity and the ongoing battle with naysayers, and I'll always aim to keep it positive and productive.
Certainly didn't expect to get pushback for supporting an initiative in an area that I ride once every 6 years.
@ldhbaker yes I was referring to you. If you're not one of the people bleating something along the lines of .... unsanctioned trails are the tool of Satan and endanger everything .... then I withdraw my comment.
95% of Cypress trails are unsanctioned. All of the Grouse private land trails on Fromme are unsanctioned (that's a good 20% of trails including a good chunk of Executioner, the top section of Expresso, a good third of Seventh); and probably 20% of Seymour (all of Severed Dick, Shorn Scrotum, Adonis, and a good chunk of C-Buster).
We stop fighting for unsanctioned trails, we lose a lot of what makes this trail system special. That IMO should be the long term view.