Alexandra Miners Village and Riverside Park Trust member Rory Mclellan in the public forum said the trust had developed a staged plan and just needed to get going so people could see some progress after the past 12 years of talk.
The trust had been working with iwi to come up with a final design.
The costing had come back more than anticipated and so the trust proposed doing it in stages, as funds allowed.
Access to the river and public toilets in place were the first priority, Mr Mclellan said.
"We need in a way to have a staged process to get it going and for people to see something for all the talk for the last 10, 11, 12 years on it," he said.
The $1.4million cost would be met by a combination of the VCB, the tourism infrastructure fund and community funders.
All members of the VCB approved the staged developed design for the project, subject to the available budget.
The VCB would fund $650,000 through the Long Term Plan 2021-31 and the government-funded tourism infrastructure fund would put in $325,000.
The balance would be made up from community trusts and grants.
In 2017, the trust was formed to rejuvenate lower Tarbert St at the junction of the Clutha/Mata-au and
Manuherikia rivers.
The trust went to the VCB the following year to fund a business case assessment for the project.
The planned park was intended to be a destination for walkers and cyclists as well as a family-friendly space for recreation and community events, and a building block for further growth.
All necessary resource consents were granted by December 2022.
