As a progressive new community within the District, Lions Gate Town Centre will feature a range of artworks that contribute to the neighbourhood’s unique sense of place.   The emerging Lions Gate Town Centre neighbourhood is located close to the Lions Gate Bridge and immediately north of the intersection of Marine Drive and Capilano Road. Set at the foot of the North Shore Mountains and beside the Capilano River, the area is rich with natural forest and river habitats, and views of both downtown and the North Shore mountains.  

Lions Gate Town Center is situated very near the mouth of the Capilano River, which begins its journey in the Coastal Mountains, collects behind the Cleveland Dam a few miles north of the Lions Gate Centre and then cuts through the Capilano Canyon before it winds its way more gently through the village and finally empties into the Burrard Inlet.  Both the Lions Gate Centre Public Realm Strategy and the Lower Capilano Marine Village Centre Public Art Plan have identified the river as the launch pad for creative expression in the neighbourhood. 

There are three neighbourhood parks within the Lions Gate Town Centre core however,  Belle Isle Park is the most significant as it is located within the Village Centre and has strong connections to both the pedestrian greenway and the community’s central plaza.  The park also creates pedestrian connections to the nearby Capilano River trail system.  The District of North Vancouver is working with a local design firm to finalize the park design layout based on the findings from the public consultation process.  The new park will include an open green space, sports court, dog park and a children’s play area with an interactive water component. The park’s design team is supportive of an integrated element (dog park fence, seating, play surface design) or a standalone artwork.