Welcome to A Crystal Pool For All.

This site is a space to hold a citizen-led, solutions-focused discussion about the Crystal Pool Replacement Project.

The City of Victoria’s redevelopment of Crystal Pool has the potential to be transformative in our community like no other municipal facility over the next 50 years. We think that this central piece of public land should be developed in a manner that serves a variety of our citizens’ needs and we want you to join in the conversation.

The Time is Now

Time is of the essence – the project is currently slated for final design and beginning of construction at the end of 2018.  There are a few upcoming opportunities for you to provide feedback to City staff and Mayor and Council, and to show support for the recommendations contained  on this site:

  • Mayor’s Motion to Add Community Services and Housing – Committee of the Whole, June 7th afternoon.  Last item on agenda (see pages 313 onwards for report and letters of support)
  • Mayor and Council Vote on Mayor’s Motion – Council, June 14th evening (agenda pending).
  • Feedback on Refined Designs – June 19th 3-5pm or 6-8pm, Crystal Gardens. RSVP here

Follow Us for Updates

If you’re in, follow us on twitter @crystalpool4all. We will send out tweets to notify you of updates to this site and to keep you apprised of major milestones and engagement events regarding the Crystal Pool project. If you aren’t on Twitter and prefer to receive email updates, you can join our mailing list here.

Let’s dive in…

We have three recommendations for improvement and three corresponding actions for Victoria’s Mayor and Council.

Each recommendation has its own page for a deeper dive into the rationale for it.

Swimming pool

Three Recommendations for Improvement to Crystal Pool and Central Park Redevelopment:

  1. Diverse Recreation for All.
    • More diverse, inclusive and in-demand recreation (art centre, gymnasium).
  2. Community Benefits for All.
    • Addition of critical community infrastructure (affordable housing and child care, and a community centre prioritizing services for the nearby neighbourhoods’ diverse cultures).
  3. Leadership in Sustainability for All.
    • A commitment to exemplary leadership in climate, energy, and environment through sustainable development, mobility, and park preservation.

Three Corresponding Immediate Actions:

  1. To increase the diversity of recreation choices in the Crystal Pool, Council directs staff to
    • Include a minimum of one full-sized gymnasium in the new recreation centre to accommodate the high demand by children, youth, and adults for both racquet and court sports.
    • Pursue a partnership with the Vancouver Island School of Art to provide them with stable, long term tenancy in exchange for recreational art programming.
  1. To include critical housing and social infrastructure for the community, Council directs staff to develop and enter into one or more Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) between the City, operating partners and neighbouring community. These CBAs will be used to plan and design:
    • Park improvements and develop both a Park disruption plan for 2018-2021, and a Park master plan, inclusive of budget and timeline for improvements.
    • A Community Centre with affordable housing and childcare to be situated next to the new Crystal Pool in the footprint currently allocated for a surface parking lot.
  1. Council makes a commitment to showing exemplary leadership in climate, energy, and environment through sustainable development and mobility and park preservation by:
    • Committing to building a net zero energy and 100% renewable energy building.
    • Directing Facilities and Sustainable Asset Management staff to commission professional energy modeling of the facility design in order to optimize its energy efficiency through thermal performance of the building envelope including placement of glazing, and through mechanical system design incorporating renewable heat and cooling technologies and solar, if appropriate.
    • Directing Parking Services and Transportation staff to recommend a new parking solution that places a priority on park preservation and encourages sustainable mobility choices (discourages personal vehicle use).