At first glance, Ash is a small, mostly unassuming park next to the Marine Canada Line station. But there’s a lot of things, both loud and quiet, that make it quite lovely.

First: Marpole is filled with large, flat parks with little tree cover. But at Ash, there are several big trees giving ample amounts of shade.

There’s also a slow but meandering slope down the length of the park, providing opportunities for bocce. An adjacent school gives more options for a soccer or baseball game if desired. And the park fits quietly within the neighbourhood, even with a Canada Line stop a half block away.

And at the middle of it is a unique, space-themed playground, with little climbing walls and areas for kids 3-8 to squirm through. It’s not a big playground but it encourages creative play in a great way, and a nice bit of diversity from the standard slide/swings/climbing structure starter pack seen in most south Van parks.

With such a growing population in the area, there’s a need for an excellent community gathering space, and we think Ash stands a good chance of filling that need.