The firm behind one of the most unique green spaces in Manhattan has been selected to reshape acres of the northeast False Creek waterfront, once the Georgia viaducts are removed.

James Corner Field Operations (JCFO) is the landscape architectural firm that turned 23 blocks of disused New York elevated section or railroad track into a public park that twists its way between the towers of that city's West Side.

The High Line is a park in Manhattan converted from disused, elevated subway track. The firm that designed it has been chosen to bring a park to Vancouver. (Iwan Bann)

JCFO was chosen by the park board to help shape all of the approximately 21 acres of green space set to be included in the northeast False Creek redevelopment.

"This will add vital green spaces and gathering places to the emerging neighbourhoods of northeast False Creek," said Park Board Chair Sarah Kirby-Yung in a statement.

"This project is a legacy to the people of Vancouver for generations to come."

The firm's primary responsibility will be a new park in the area labeled on the map beneath as Creekside Park extension.

A new park is planned for the Creekside Park extension area of this map. (City of Vancouver)

"Our design will weave layers of history, community and ecology into a rich fabric that will be unique to northeast False Creek," said JCFO founder James Corner in a statement.

But according to park board director of planning and research Dave Hutch, JCFO will have to weave those 21 acres of green space in with several new towers that will be part of the greater redevelopment of northeast False Creek.

Complex negotiations ahead

Before shovels break ground, complex negotiations over the exact makeup and zoning of that space need to be resolved.

At the table are stakeholders like the province, the park board, the city, and Concord Pacific, which owns a portion of the land.

They're collaborating on a revision of the existing development plan, which was agreed upon in the early 90s and did not anticipate the removal of the Georgia viaducts.

Depending on the length and result of those negotiations, and on concerns like soil remediation and the dismantling of the Georgia Viaducts, Hutch says the park could be completed anywhere between 2018 and 2024.