Restoring the Anderton Riverbank, Courtenay presents three design options to the public
A project sign from the City of Courtenay outlining the timeline of the project. Residents are welcome to submit feedback via survey before the deadline. (Jeannie Lin / CHLY 101.7 FM)
The City of Courtenay is seeking community feedback as it plans to address failing infrastructure along a section of the Courtenay River. The Anderton Riverbank Restoration Project plans to remove a failing retaining wall along Anderton Avenue and restore the riverbank along the Courtenay river shoreline. An online survey asks residents which of three designs they prefer.
Overlooking the Courtenay River, the project site is located between 5th Street and Riverside Park. (Jeannie Lin / CHLY 101.7 FM)
Chris Davidson is the City of Courtenay’s director of infrastructure and environmental engineering. He said that a goal of the project is to create a more natural riverbank that is better suited to resist erosion, while also creating a community space.
“The project will address structural issues with the Anderton Avenue retaining wall, which is experiencing movement as it reaches the end of its service life. Removing the retaining wall and restoring the riverbank is an affordable long-term solution that improves erosion protection and creates opportunities for ecological restoration and recreation,” said Davidson.
The project site is located between 5th street and Riverside Park. Since last year, the City has been developing conceptual design options for the riverbank. Davidson explained the three design options. The first option is called the Living Riverbank.
“So this envisions a riverbank that is focused on habitat restoration throughout the site. So this prioritizes naturalization of the riverbank and offers fewer recreation amenities,” said Davidson.
The second option is called the Connected Riverbank.
“This is a riverbank that balances habitat restoration with recreation. So this is a mix of naturalized shoreline and a few recreation amenities with limited water access,” said Davidson.
The third option is the Activated Riverbank that Davidson said prioritizes community recreational use.
“So this is a riverbank that has more areas for recreation, including picnic tables, viewing areas, and has more options for water access, including a larger access area and a secondary smaller access area as well,” said Davidson.
Davidson said that the three design options all have different priorities. While the first option prioritizes habitat restoration, the third option prioritizes river access. While the second option is a balance between the two.
“So the current project is currently in [the] preliminary design phase, this year, 2026. It'll be moving into detailed design and permitting in 2027, and then ideally construction in 2028, should budgets be approved,” said Davidson.
Davidson said that the retaining wall is a registered flood protection dyke. The City has completed assessments indicating that the riverbank can be restored without increasing flood risk to nearby properties, because the surrounding land sits higher than the wall.
“So the existing structure is a registered dike with the Province. And so, as we move through this project, one of the key priorities is that we have to maintain the exact same level of flood protection provided now. So whatever the final design ends up being, it will provide the same level of flood protection that's currently provided by the existing dike structure,” said Davidson.
Davidson also said that in the next phase in 2027, the City will be conducting environmental regulatory permitting to mitigate as much impact from construction as possible.
Courtenay residents are encouraged to vote in a survey for their preferred design option, which will help guide what ultimately gets developed. The survey is available on the City of Courtenay website and closes on August 10.
Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
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