A gap in Vancouver’s seawall between Kitsilano and Jericho beaches may soon be filled thanks to an anonymous donor who has stepped up to help finance the project.

The Vancouver Park Board has already started working on preliminary plans for the new stretch, which would add about 2.5 kilometres to the 22-kilometre seawall and pass by roughly 80 of the city’s priciest waterfront properties.

The project’s estimated price tag is in the tens of millions of dollars, but board chair Sarah Blyth, who will be introducing a motion to further explore the expansion later this month, said it will still be subject to public consultations before moving forward.           

“It’s the last part of the seawall that hasn’t been expanded and we just want to see if it’s something that the community wants,” Blyth said.

Taxpayers won’t be on the hook for the entire project, Blyth added, because a donor has already approached Mayor Gregor Robertson’s office with an offer to chip in.

“With a donor you can leverage other money with the federal government, the provincial government… we’re just grateful someone has come forward,” she said.

Few details about the donor are known, except that the individual is a philanthropist with a great appreciation for the city’s iconic pedestrian walkway and bike path. It’s also unclear how much the donor has offered to pay.

City Councillor George Affleck will be bringing his own motion about the seawall expansion to City Hall next week that proposes incorporating the project into Vancouver’s municipal transit plan.

The Non-Partisan Association councillor said the project could replace a proposed separated bike lane that would run through Kitsilano and Point Grey.

“A lot of neighbours are concerned about Point Grey Road and… having a separated bike lane along it and being a one-way street,” he said.

Affleck says his motion, which will also ask staff to report back on costs and possible funding partners, will be seconded by Green Party Councillor Adriane Carr.

Even with the support of the community and municipal officials, Ottawa would ultimately need to give the seawall expansion the green light since it has jurisdiction on the coastline.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Penny Daflos

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