In 2007 The City of Maple Ridge was awarded Spirit Square Grant from the Provincial Government. The city used the grant to launch the revitalization of their downtown core.

Determined to re-establish the commercial centre as a pedestrian friendly destination, the city embarked on an ambitious project to redesign their main street of 224th St. The project focused around the removal of the centre median effectively eliminating any barriers to pedestrian movement crossing the street. The next step was to better integrate the hugely successful public park into the commercial community by 'pulling' the park across the street. As such, the decision was made to raise the surface of the road to be flush with the opposite sidewalk, thus creating a public plaza that could be shut down to vehicle traffic to accommodate community festivals. The project involved extensive public participation and was a direct result of a successful collaboration by the local government, the business community and the public working together to overcome the challenges a streetscape project such as this presents. Enhancements to Memorial Peace Park and 224th Street has given the community of Maple Ridge a celebratory place for community functions. The downtown core has been redesigned with wider sidewalks, a raised central plaza that incorporates non traditional street paving, new street trees, seasonal plantings, tree lights, hanging baskets, banners, contemporary street furniture, all of which work together to transform the commercial core into a destination.