Oak Bay is a step closer to revamping one of its most popular parks.
At the April 28 council meeting, the district awarded $1,041,057 to an architecture firm hired to prepare public engagement materials and detailed designs and specifications for the revamp of Carnarvon Park.
Plans to upgrade the 9.8-acre green space, which offers tennis and pickleball courts, soccer and rugby fields, two baseball diamonds, a score-keeping and concession building, a splash pad and change rooms, began in 2018.
“The public has been asking for upgrades for years, and reasonably so,” Mayor Kevin Murdoch said in an email to The Oak Bay News. “The existing cinder-block building that acted as a washroom, a change room and previously a daycare is well beyond its lifespan, and the concrete facilities like the splash park and tennis courts are also well-worn.”
Upgrades include an off-leash dog park, a refreshed concession and new tennis and pickleball courts with acoustic panels. EV charging stations, a half-size basketball court and a playground are also part of the planned improvements.
Vancouver-based Shape Architecture has been hired to produce eight tender-ready packages by summer 2026, each of which will outline the requirements and conditions necessary for contractors to create competitive and accurate proposals for the upgrades. Each package will lay out work to be completed over two years. Oak Bay has planned to spread all of the changes out over six years.
“We designed the program this way to cause as little disruption to the operations of the park as possible, although we do acknowledge at some points during the construction there will be some areas that will have to be temporarily closed,” Oak Bay's facilities and asset management program manager David Graham said at the April 28 meeting.
Coun. Carrie Smart asked Graham if any of the park’s existing assets will be out of service for a prolonged period when construction eventually takes place.
“The only ones in our project planning so far are the tennis and pickleball courts,” said Graham. “We do have tennis courts elsewhere in the district, so we’re well covered on those. But pickleball – we may have to make some arrangements elsewhere.”
He added that pickleball players tend to frequent courts most when the weather is nice, so Oak Bay is working to schedule those upgrades during the months when folks play the least.
Though the district engaged the public about the upgrades in 2019 and 2024, Murdoch stressed that there is still an opportunity for locals to have a say in the look and feel of the park.
“There is a design aspect of this where there will be some additional consultation on some of the specifics of these pieces,” he said. “For those who live in the area or who don’t but have an interest in Carnarvon Park, you will get an opportunity to provide some additional feedback in terms of some of the specifics as they get finalized.”
