False Creek residents are illuminating the night sky to shed light on a broken promise.
Twenty-four years ago, a parking lot near Pacific and Quebec was promised as a park but the neighbourhood is still waiting. Residents are hoping that by placing green lights in their windows they will get the city’s attention — and their green space.
The space is being used by Concord Pacific, which continues to develop the former Expo 86 lands. It had promised to create the park if 7,000 units were sold in the neighbourhood; there are now more than 10,000 units.
Residents, such as Andrea Mackenzie, have had enough.
The entire community feels the need for green space, says Mackenzie, a member of the False Creek Residents’ Association’s park committee. Desperate and not willing to wait another 24 years, Mackenzie pitched the “green lights” idea to fellow park committee members.
They created a volunteer-run campaign that includes selling $5 green light bulbs to residents in buildings from False Creek north to BC Place.
“People consider green lights to be their daily email or daily letter to city hall,” she says. In just over a month, they have sold more than 500 light bulbs, and these green lights will continue to glow until residents get what they want.
“The green lights are on and no one can turn them off but us!”
