Bylaw No. 2182 – Amendment to City Centre Park Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1203 (Staff Report)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The City Centre Park Fees and Charges Bylaw was last reviewed and updated in 2016, and as such, proposed amendments are explored within this report. The proposed amendments update the schedules of the bylaw to reflect the current fees for Eagle Ridge Community Centre, PlayZone, Mini Golf, Westhills Arena, and community room rentals and to remove reference to the now defunct Splash Park.

The proposed amendments also include updated rental fees for Starlight Stadium and Goudy Field, which have not been revised since the significant expansion in 2019. As well, the changes include the School District 62 fields for which the City manages the rentals under joint use agreements, North Langford Elementary and Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School.

Finally, with respect to sports fields, there is the addition of a schedule for event rentals of the Stadium where a user is looking for a full day or multiple days at the venue.

To provide further clarity, staff have attached a redline copy of the existing bylaw with the proposed amendments.

BACKGROUND:

City Centre Park is a City-owned recreational facility that opened in 2009 and encompasses Eagle Ridge Community Centre, PlayZone, Mini Golf, Westhills Arena, Starlight Stadium (“the Stadium”) and Goudy Field. In Schedule A of the City Centre Park Fees Bylaw, Starlight Stadium and Goudy Field are referred to as “Artificial Field #1” and “Artificial Field #2” respectively.

In 2019, the stadium underwent a significant expansion, including the addition of three new grandstands and VIP suites which increased the seating capacity from 1,600 to approximately 6,000.

Currently, Starlight Stadium is home to major sports teams such as Rugby Canada, Pacific FC Soccer Club, West Shore Rebels Jr. Football Team, and hosts numerous large annual events such as outdoor concerts, and culinary events. The artificial turf fields are also rented by numerous community sports teams.

As this bylaw has not been updated since 2016, fees for the stadium must be updated to reflect the expansion as well as increased operational and maintenance costs. The bylaw also needs updating to include the recently completed turf fields at North Langford Elementary and Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School, which the City programs for community use.

COMMENTARY:

Under the current bylaw, the fees shown in the 2016 version when the bylaw was last amended automatically increase by the annual tax increase percentage. Therefore, the fees for all facilities have been adjusted in the bylaw schedule to reflect current pricing. Staff are recommending that going forward the fees be adjusted by CPI with a maximum cap of 3% per year.

The primary intent of this bylaw amendment is to update the categories and pricing for public use of the stadium and turf fields, including through the addition of a schedule for event rentals.

In addition to the Starlight Stadium and Goudy Field rentals, the City also handles community rentals of the North Langford Elementary and Centre Mountain Lellum turf fields through the joint-use agreements with SD62 for building the fields. The fees to rent the SD62 fields are the same as the fees to rent the Goudy Field.

To provide consistency across turf rentals in the West Shore, staff suggest modifying the field rental categories and rates so that they more closely align with those charged by West Shore Parks and Recreation (WSP&R) for the Juan de Fuca fields and the SD62 Royal Bay artificial turf fields.

Staff are proposing a fee increase for use of the Starlight Stadium (Artificial Field # 1) to help offset the higher operational and maintenance costs associated with the facility.

While commercial groups will see a modest increase for field fees, non-profit and community youth teams will see a decrease in their hourly rates.

The chart below shows the proposed fee changes in comparison with those charged by West Shore Parks and Recreation for the JDF and Royal Bay artificial turf fields:

“Non-profit” rates apply to non-profit organizations, community groups, minor sports organizations, etc.

“Commercial” rates apply to for-profit organizations, i.e. private coaching or leagues intended to generate revenue.

In order to avoid a large increase in fees across all groups, staff recommend keeping the hourly rates for lights lower than those charged by WSPR.

New fees for events, including an all-inclusive rental of Starlight Stadium as well as events that use only the plaza and washrooms, are being proposed. Fees will depend on whether the event is a “Commercial Use Event”, which is a publicly accessible event (festival, celebration, or special event) that is organized by a commercial group, or if the event is a “Community Use Event”, which is a publicly accessible event (festival, celebration, or special event) that is organized by a not-for-profit organization. Set-up days will be charged at 25% of the daily rate (per day) and a damage deposit will be collected that reflects 50% of the daily rental fee. These fees have been set with the intention of recovering the costs for the event, including such items as custodial fees, field preparation and staff time.

While these fees are new to the Bylaw, they are consistent with the rates charged under contracts for events since 2021.

STADIUM – EVENT RENTALS

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

Booking revenues generated as a result of this bylaw are collected by the Operator of City Centre Park as hired by the City, with the exception of the full stadium rental fees which are collected directly by the City. The City’s revenue collection is as per the agreements with the Operator. The fees are used to offset the operating and maintenance costs associated with City Centre Park. The All-Items Consumer Price Index for Greater Victoria fee increase model will be used to account for annual inflation. It is intended that these fee charges will offset the costs of the operating the facilities, while keeping the facilities financially accessible to youth and not for profit groups.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS:

Pursuant to the Community Charter, Council may, by bylaw, impose a fee payable in respect of the use of municipal property, including the use of the stadium and fields at City Centre Park.

STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:

5 – Good Governance

OPTIONS:

Option 1
THAT the Committee recommend that Council give first, second, and third reading to City Centre Park Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1203, Amendment #2 Bylaw No. 2182, 2025 as presented.

OR Option 2
THAT the Committee recommend that Council give first, second, and third reading to City Centre Park Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1203, Amendment #2 Bylaw No. 2182, 2025 with the following amendments:

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

OR Option 3
THAT the Committee recommend that Council take no action with respect to City Centre Park Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1203, Amendment #2 Bylaw No. 2182, 2025 at this time.

SUBMITTED BY:

Megan Treleaven, Parks Administrative Coordinator

Concurrence:
Yari Nielsen, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
Melisa Miles, Manager of Legislative Services
Donna Petrie, Senior Manager of Communications & Economic Development
Matthew Baldwin, RPP, MCIP, Director of Development Services
Leah Stohmann, RPP, MCIP, Director of Community Planning and Climate Change
Katelyn Balzer, P.Eng., Director of Engineering and Public Works
Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
Marie Watmough, Director of Legislative & Protective Services
Braden Hutchins, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer

Attachments:

• Attachment 1: Redline copy of Schedule A of the City Centre Park Fees Bylaw
• Attachment 2: Bylaw 2182