Hancock Woodlands is a new public park on the site of the former Hancock Woodlands Nursery, a cultural heritage landscape. The association with the Hancock family, and culturally-significant buildings such as the family residences, the nursery office, and the maintenance building which once served to house displaced Japanese-Canadians during World War II who worked on site, all serve to define the site. The property is listed on the City’s heritage register as a cultural landscape, and the design for the park requires sensitivity to its character defining features while balancing current and future users of the site. The remnant nursery elements have left visible traces of the site’s history on the landscape, and conserving them for future generations is an important component of the work. The woodlot contains many mature native and ornamental species, specifically rhododendrons cultivated by the Hancock family. The design includes active and passive spaces, trails, a community garden and custom shelter.

Cindi worked with the design team to finalize the detailed design, and led the construction administration phase including design refinements to address the sensitive site conditions and bring in additional green infrastructure and natural stormwater management.