Town Centre Park Community Centre

The City is renovating and upgrading the Innovation Centre into Town Centre Park Community Centre. The new vision for the facility is an inclusive space for discovery, participation and celebration with panoramic views of the park's floral landscape and Lafarge Lake.

The new facility will relieve pressures on nearby civic facilities (in particular Pinetree Community Centre and Glen Pine Pavilion ) in a much more cost-effective way than building a whole new community centre elsewhere in the City Centre neighbourhood.

What to Expect

Upper Level - large open space that will function as a community living room that allows for drop in visits, events, community arts, heritage and culture displays, guest lectures and more; concession area (services provided by Praguery Food Limited); multi-purpose rooms and flex space; covered deck to allow for exterior programming with lakeside views.

Lower Level - studio/maker's space located next to the exterior plaza to allow for indoor/outdoor programming; lounge space; cosmetic upgrades to existing meeting rooms and multi-purpose spaces.

Other Improvements - improvements to existing plaza on east side of the building; large-scale mural on south and west walls (call for artists to come in early 2023).

Potential Programs and Rentals

The revamped community centre will be used to provide additional community space until future City Centre facilities are built through the long-term build-out of the City Centre Area Plan. Proposed uses include: 

  • Meeting existing and anticipated demand for recreation programming
  • Expanding out-of-school programs, camps and other offerings
  • Providing an indoor casual gathering space for park visitors through a community living room / drop-in space (1 million lake loop pedestrian visits were counted in 2021)
  • Providing a concession with food and beverage offerings provided by Praguery Food Limited
  • Supporting a range of events at Town Centre Park including Canada Day, Kaleidoscope and Winter Lights, as well as park programs such as Park Spark volunteers
  • Acting as an extreme weather respite space, if needed

Proposed activities could include programs that take advantage of the natural setting such as: children’s nature play and learn, after school programs, camps, and outdoor recreation opportunities; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and arts programming (both City-delivered and in partnership with the City’s cultural partner organizations); and lifelong learning opportunities, including talks and lectures, demonstrations and language classes. Community event rentals are also expected.

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  1. Background
  2. Timing and Next Steps
  3. Reports and Documents

The Innovation Centre (1207 Pinetree Way) is an 11,250 square foot facility built in 1996 next to the Evergreen Cultural Centre.  Over the years, the facility has supported a variety of civic and commercial uses including offices for the Smart Choices Team and Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, the Peter Legge Library and short-term office spaces for local start ups and small businesses.

Since 2004 the City has operated the facility using it for office and meeting space for staff and to support events taking place at Town Centre Park and, more recently, converting it to a temporary fitness space during renovations at the City Centre Aquatic Complex.