Pottery Road Park

The Making of a New Park in East Hill

At the corner of Pottery Road and 15th St. is a 9.5 acre plot of land. Running though the grassy field is Pottery Ravine. This land is one of the last large plots of undeveloped land in East Hill.

Click here to view an aerial panorama of the field at Pottery Road and the surrounding area.  Isn't it beautiful? (note: to navigate around the panorama, left click and hold the mouse button, and drag the panorama)

The land is presently in the Agricultrual Land Reserve (ALR), a provincial zone in which agriculture is recognized as the priority use. Farming is encouraged and non-agricultural uses are restricted. And releasing the land from the ALR, such as to develop housing, is something that has been attempted multiple times by previous owners but rejected by the Agricultural Land Commission.

However, using the land as a park is one of the permitted non-farm uses in the ALR. The land could be used as a park by the city

Converting a Field into a Park

In order for the Pottery Rd acreage to become a park, the City would need to incorporate the lot into the Parks Master Plan.

This is an incredible opportunity for the City to establish a park. The owner of the land has tentatively reserved it for future use as a park. The owner is graciously willing to donate it to Vernon and its residents provided the City comes up with a viable and timely plan to develop the park.

Highest and Best Use

The Friends of East Hill Parks believe that a new park at Pottery Road and 15th St. will provide the greatest community benefits and considering the shortage of parkland in East Hill, that it is the highest and best use of the land.