Hammocks, beach volleyball and ping pong: Coquitlam's new parklet opens for the summer near the mall

Coquitlam parks workers Sara Yastremski and Keegan Bennington relax on their break at the pop-up park by Coquitlam Centre.

Launched today (Tuesday), the parklet will be open until the end of October thanks to a lease with the mall managers, Morguard Investments, which is also loaning out its land — at no cost to the city — for another parklet near the Burquitlam SkyTrain station in July.

A third parklet is set to open along Austin Avenue later this month.

The City Centre park is the largest of the three, and includes a boardwalk (built by Coquitlam city staff) plus a sandy beach for volleyball and lounging, seating, hammocks and ping-pong tables.

Designed by Coquitlam’s asset and operation manager Doron Fishman, a landscape architect, the temporary parklets form part of the city’s green streets program, aimed to create social gathering spaces during the pandemic on empty lots.

“These are places that are safe and families can feel welcome,” Kathleen Reinheimer, Coquitlam’s manager of parks and facilities, told the Tri-City News.