A new washroom, larger festival lawns for events and picnicking and an upgraded lake loop with a boardwalk are just some of the improvements coming to Coquitlam's Town Centre Park over the next five years.

Council voted in favour of a master plan implementation strategy last week, which will guide the development of the park over the next 20 years and allot $5 million for shorter-term improvements.

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The money will be used for a new festival hub washroom and a public washroom by the Evergreen Cultural Centre. New forest plantings and improved lakefront access, including a colourful garden walk on the east side of the lake, are also included in the short-term plan.

According to a press release from the city, all of the improvements are subject to council approval once budgets and designs are completed.

The 42-hectare green space opened on the site of a former quarry in 1989 and has become a destination park in Coquitlam's City Centre neighbourhood. Last year it received recognition as Canada's Greatest Public Space by the Canadian Institute of Planners.

For more information about the Town Centre Park master plan, go to www.coquitlam.ca.

gmckenna@tricitynews.com

@gmckennaTC