If all goes as planned, White Rock will soon be flush with cash, and that's sparked a discussion about upgrading the popular waterfront promenade.

The city expects to collect millions of dollars in amenity fees from developers and council would like to use that money to revitalize East Beach.

"When you think of White Rock, you think of the waterfront, right?" says Mayor Wayne Baldwin. "It's pretty important to us."

White Rock council is looking at revitalising the waterfront. (Jesse Johnston/CBC)

The Marine Drive strip is always packed on summer days but Baldwin says the area could use some upgrades.

He wants to dredge near the marina and use the dirt that is removed to widen the promenade.

"The sailboats that come in there now are actually scraping bottom," he says.

The city plans to widen the promenade along East Beach. (Jesse Johnston/CBC)

How will it look?

There are drawings circulating in White Rock that show a major transformation of the strip that includes a large recreation area, a much wider promenade and a massive humpback whale sculpture.

The artist, however, was never hired by the city.

Lance King is a White Rock resident who presented his ideas to council to spark a conversation about how the waterfront could be improved.

He says his plans for the whale sculpture were shelved.

This artist's rendering was made to spark a conversation about how the promenade could be improved. (Lance King/City of White Rock)

Expensive idea

It would cost an estimated $30 million to bring the artist's renderings to life, but Baldwin says the city has no plans to spend that much.

"I think some numbers were just thrown out there to account for some of the money that will be coming in from developers," Baldwin says.

"Spirit Square is going to cost about a million and dredging is going to cost about a million and a half. Where the other $27 million is going to go?"

Instead Baldwin hopes to start work soon on the city's own plans for the waterfront.

"We would think we should be able to get the engineering done by the end of this year and once we have that done we could go to the public with a plan and get some feedback on it," he says.

Suzanne Williams, who works at 55-55 on Marine on the Marine Drive strip, would like to see better signage near the U.S. border to attract American tourists. (Jesse Johnston/CBC)

Business support

The council believes a revitalized waterfront could bring bigger crowds to businesses on the strip. Business leaders are backing that vision too.

"Envision a waterfront where there is all kinds of activity and space to do things that really offers something to the entire family that is really appealing," says White Rock Business Improvement Association Executive Director Douglas Smith.

Smith would like to see the railway moved away from the ocean but he knows that is a long and expensive process.

Suzanne Williams, who works at 55-55 Marine Drive on the strip, says there are cheaper ways to bring in customers.

"Large signage to clearly indicate how you can come from over the border into White Rock," she says.

Moge Unlu says the best way to bring tourists to the strip is to lower the cost of parking. (Jesse Johnston/CBC)

Muge Unlu, who runs a jewellery shop called Grand Bazaar, would like to see parking improved.

"Pay parking is killing everybody because $3 an hour in the summer is too much," she says.

"My customers say that's why they don't come here very often, to this area."