COQUITLAM (NEWS1130) – It’s a quarter of the size of Stanley Park, it includes 80 buildings, and features 2,000 trees from around the world.

The first of several open houses was held Thursday night, as the public gets a chance to shape the future of the Riverview Lands in Coquitlam.

Its role as a major psychiatric centre has been slowly phased out over the past few decades. The hospital was closed a few years ago, but care lodges still operate.

Ludy Moysiuk with the Riverview Preservation Society believes its pristine setting is ideal for mental health patients.

“They can maintain that world-class collection of trees. They should keep the green spaces and the landscaped setting. We’d like to see that as a haven for people with mental illness.”

She’d like some of its mental health care services expanded.

“All that natural habitat would be good to be preserved. It would be good to see health care training brought back to the site, like they used to do, and maybe even have a horticultural school where the patients themselves could be involved.”

She says everyone in the Lower Mainland should get involved in the consultation process since the property is in the middle of the region.

The second open house during this “ideas collecting” phase will be held on Saturday.