Something significant is taking shape along Ladner's waterfront. After years of plans, consultations and individual projects, Delta City News begins a new series asking a simple question: What exactly is happening — and where is it all leading?
By Robert Skinner | Delta City News | August 27, 2026
Something significant is happening along the Ladner waterfront.
I know that statement may hardly be news to residents who have followed every City of Delta report, public consultation and Council decision over the past several years.
But, I haven't.
I've lived in Ladner for more than 30 years. I've followed community affairs, attended meetings from time to time and watched countless ideas for Ladner Village come and go. But somewhere along the way, I lost the thread on the waterfront development because it has been years in the making. as bad as the Tunnel!
Then I walked down Chisholm Street.
And what I saw made me realize it was time to catch up.
There is substantial work underway along the waterfront.
The Chisholm Street Wharf project is transforming a section of the riverfront with new public space, walkways, landscaping, seating and improved access to the water as seen above in the feature image.
A short distance away, Elliott Street Wharf has also undergone improvements, including a floating kayak docking system, ramp upgrades and changes intended to accommodate activities such as fish sales, kayak rentals, boat tours and food trucks.
Then there is Chisholm Street itself.
The City has been considering a more people-oriented configuration that could include one-way westbound traffic, angled parking and a multi-use pathway connecting waterfront amenities.
Individually, each project is fairly easy to understand.
Stand back, however, and a much bigger picture begins to emerge.
Walking the area today, I came across another piece of the puzzle.
At Chisholm and Delta Streets is an attractive Pop-Up Park. People were using it. It works remarkably well as a casual public gathering place beside the waterfront.
But this isn't just another piece of parkland.
It is located on City-owned property that forms part of a roughly 1.2-acre site assembled for a potentially much more ambitious redevelopment.
The City has been pursuing a mixed-use tourism accommodation project there.
In 2025, five proponents that had responded to an earlier Expression of Interest were involved in the development process. Ultimately, the City says the process did not result in a viable proposal.
The property hasn't disappeared from the City's plans. Work continues to position the land for possible future redevelopment.
In the meantime, it has become a Pop-Up Park.
That is quite a transition: land considered important enough for a hotel, restaurant, shops and other tourism-related development is currently serving as a waterfront gathering place.
And people appear to be enjoying it.
The City has actually identified a number of Ladner Village revitalization initiatives over the past several years.
They have included the Chisholm Street Wharf, Elliott Street Wharf, changes to Chisholm Street, public gathering spaces, redevelopment of the City-owned property, improvements at Spot-on-the-Water Park, and new branding, signage and wayfinding.
The City has also conducted numerous public engagement exercises along the way.
So this isn't a case of nothing being planned.
Quite the opposite.
There is a lot going on.
The difficulty, at least for this longtime resident, is understanding how all those individual projects ultimately fit together.
That's the question that brought me back to the waterfront today.
What does Ladner's waterfront look like five, ten or twenty years from now?
How much development is contemplated?
What happens to the City-owned property if a hotel or another major mixed-use development eventually proceeds?
How does new private development nearby fit into the picture?
What happens to the businesses and marine activities that already make this a working waterfront?
And perhaps most importantly: is there one long-term vision tying all of these decisions together?
There may well be.
If there is, I want to understand it.
Rather than trying to answer all of those questions in one article, Delta City News is going to follow the pieces.
We'll look at what has already been completed, what is under construction, what Council has approved, what residents have been consulted about and what remains only a proposal.
We'll take a closer look at the City-owned redevelopment property and what happened to the proposed tourism accommodation.
We'll examine the future of Chisholm Street and the implications of increasing building heights and redevelopment elsewhere in Ladner Village.
And we'll go back through the plans and Council decisions to see whether they add up to a clear picture of where the waterfront is ultimately headed.
This isn't intended as criticism of the City.
In fact, walking the waterfront today, there is plenty to like.
The point is simpler.
After decades of talking about the potential of Ladner's waterfront, physical change is now clearly underway.
And if you're like me and have somehow missed a few chapters along the way, this seems like a very good time to find out exactly what is going on.
Robert Skinner - Publisher
Delta City News — Licensed Partner of the WBN News Network
Robert is a Ladner-based business systems developer and Publisher of Delta City News. Connect with Robert on: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rlskinner/
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Tags: #Delta City News #Ladner #Ladner Village #Ladner Waterfront #Chisholm Street #City of Delta #Community Planning #Local Development