Opinion: A downsized new Kitsilano Pool would be a big mistake | Daily Hive

Opinion: A downsized new replacement Kitsilano Pool would be a big mistake

Aerial of Kitsilano Pool at nighttime. (Stephen T. Y. Wong/Shutterstock)

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Vancouver resident and Kitsilano Pool swimmer David Margolis.

Like many, I’m alarmed at what seems a de facto decision to end Kitsilano Pool in its current form. What is being presented as a feasibility study for a rebuild has a clear direction: no to a big pool.

Vancouver’s municipal government’s — both the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Park Board — three-week online window for public comments was inadequate for an area that includes the whole park where the pool may be relocated elsewhere in a reduced size.

Yet, there is an opportunity for modernization and inclusivity, a reimagination, while still maintaining the distance of the pool using 21st-century technology that is being missed.

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First, we must appreciate what we have. Kits Pool is an iconic Vancouver landmark, as much as the Marine Building and the Lions Gate Bridge; its aesthetic is a triumph. Its length is lore, wild in imagination and a draw for Vancouverites, whether young, old, or new to the city.

For the occasional swimmer, at 137.5 metres, it is impossible to imagine completing a length without stopping, let alone two, or four, or twelve to complete the Kits Pool Mile. Doing so yields immense satisfaction.

There is freedom to swim a distance unencumbered and safely — a particular draw for those who are uncertain of open water swimming. Crucially, you can be any level of swimmer and do this without the pressure of formal lanes.

What lies at its heart is the brilliance of the pool’s design and overlooked and misunderstood functionality. The elimination of physical lane barriers was an inspired decision.

You can have 60 lane swimmers and not be troubled until you reach the end, where people are resting. It allows comfortable overtaking where there can be three or four swimmers in parallel, using much less space than in a traditional lane pool. And I have swum when there have been many more than sixty lane swimmers.

Kitsilano Pool on a sunny summer day with swimmers in the water and Vancouver’s skyline in the background. (Eric Buermeyer/Shutterstock)

Kitsilano Pool refilled on July 28, 2024, following interim repairs. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Study area for the replacement project for Kitsilano Outdoor Pool. (Vancouver Park Board)

This begs the question, is there a public pool on Earth that comes close?

To accommodate the same in a 50-metre pool, you would need at least 10 ultra-wide lanes, but it still would not replicate the Kits Pool experience because, despite lane speed guidance, there are huge variances within the slow, medium, and fast categories (in part because some are unaware of their swim speed). Throw in those doing drills, and it can become unpleasant and intimidating, allowing for more clashes. Kits Pool eliminates this problem while providing more distance and a more relaxing swim.

“They have already lost trust with the swimming community”

We are told Kits Pool is beyond repair from the January 2022 storm and structurally unsound. The municipal government is using the $4 million spent on repairs and sea-level change as a cudgel to shape public perception — this old, beat-up pool isn’t something we should return to.

They have already lost trust with the swimming community over the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, reducing the current 50-metre pool to 25 metres through the replacement project, with a de facto decision earlier this year — an act of world-class shrinkage. It was damaging to current and future generations of competitive swimmers and those of us who appreciate a lengthier swim.

The fear again is one of missed opportunity and tunnel vision being applied to a Kits Pool rebuild.

To this end, the municipal government presents Kits Pool in a negative light, while the glossy information board brochure acts to tranquillize opposition with its future promise.

Many of the ideas are copied and pasted from venues more suitable for indoor pools, such as taking the facilities at Hillcrest Centre and transplanting them outdoors. Off the bat, it exhibits a misunderstanding of how Kits Pool functions. While it might seem ambitious in one light, it is only in one direction, and this is drawing the ire of the community.

Skepticism abounds. Is the municipal government only using utilization data from the post-pandemic era?

With Kits Pool’s swim sessions limited to 2.5 hours during most periods of the day and fewer lifeguards, the maximum number of people able to use the pool in each of these periods is reduced compared to before the pandemic. This leads to a perception that a smaller pool can handle the current rate of swimmers. If the data up to 2019 is used, the outcome will be different.

As cost is a crucial component, the municipal government must be compelled to explore all options of maintaining the current footprint of Kits Pool, with modifications, before considering moving it elsewhere in the sloping park. It could significantly reduce the capital expenditure.

Whether the pool remains or is replaced by other structures, they face the commonality of sea-level rise and storms (as does Second Beach Pool).

The municipal government has presented additional issues with the pool, some of which are slight and even incorrect:

A swimming lane in the middle of the pool causes conflict between lane and leisure swimmers.
The very shallow depth at the west end of the swimming lane prevents swimmers from turning, causing congestion.
Water is too warm for lap swimmers.
Water is too cold for many leisure swimmers.
Large beach entry area is larger than average pools with this type of entry and is underutilized.
Optimal leisure water depth is 1.0 to 1.5 metres, with approximately 20 per cent of Kitsilano Pool currently at this depth.
The deepest pool depth is not deep enough to dive, but too deep for most people to stand.

Dig deeper for solutions

All City and Park Board staff, municipally elected officials, and contractors should be required to experience both Kits Pool and the 50-metre pool at Second Beach firsthand. Seeing their differences in person will quickly demonstrate that the Kits Pool experience cannot be replicated in a smaller 50-metre facility—an insight that should inspire more creative, tailored solutions.

Here are some specific technical design suggestions.

One promising path forward is to explore the use of cement enhanced with graphene to improve structural reliability. Although graphene is a relatively new technology, it can increase concrete strength by up to 2.5 times and reduce permeability by fourfold. Even a 25 to 50 per cent improvement in strength could open new possibilities for pool and seawall renewal, while reducing cement use — and in turn lowering carbon dioxide emissions by up to 446 kg per tonne.

To pursue this, the City could partner with companies such as Bio Graphene Solutions, a Canadian firm whose involvement in a high-profile project like Kits Pool would be both prestigious and groundbreaking. This provides the City with leverage in negotiations and even opens the door to equity participation. Given the current structural impasse, graphene may offer the most viable solution.

Kits Pool on August 27, 2019. (David Margolis/Submitted)

Kits Pool on August 14, 2019. (David Margolis/Submitted)

If local expertise proves insufficient, the City should not hesitate to seek external specialists. Drawing on outside knowledge is an opportunity to learn and innovate, and there is no shame in doing so — especially for a city of just 762,000 people within a metropolitan area of three million residents.

This openness to new thinking will also be essential when addressing long-term climate resilience. Options should include using infill to extend the coastline outward, enabling construction of a higher seawall or installation of wave breakers.

Raising the seawall’s height and replacing vulnerable pool fencing with a solid barrier in key areas would add further protection.

Building on this, raising the pool deck and fencing could provide both climate resilience and functional improvements. Adding a 0.5 to 1.0-metre solid barrier beneath the fencing would allow for deeper water in certain areas without additional excavation, addressing depth-related concerns.

Beyond protection, there are also opportunities to reimagine the pool’s layout. Extending the pool area eastward into the rarely used 20- to 25-metre zone beyond the current fence could create space for a separate leisure pool with slides. Similarly, deepening the southwest section could support leisure swimming, lessons, and “aquacise” classes — helping to separate these uses from length swimming lanes.

Relocating the Showboat performance stage further south, with a smaller footprint or entirely new location, would free up prime space for leisure swimmers and connect the currently divided southern sections. This change, combined with shifting swim lane markings three metres south, would ease congestion — particularly in the narrower west side — while maintaining turning capability for lane swimmers. Improved signage, both in and outside the pool, to clearly mark lane-swimming areas and directions would also reduce friction between different user groups — an overdue step that could have been implemented decades ago.

The pool’s size could also be enhanced by reducing the grassy knoll and extending the eastern edge by 12.5 metres, with a possible western extension as well — creating a logical 150-metre length.

Selectively deepening a portion of the southeast beach entry could accommodate more leisure users and an additional slide. Studying the pool’s water dynamics would also be worthwhile. Despite its multiple uses, Kits Pool’s water feels stable for lane swimming — possibly more so than Second Beach Pool. Understanding why the deepest section is too shallow for diving yet too deep for standing could inform smarter depth adjustments.

Reducing overall water volume would lower structural stress and heating costs, with summer sunlight providing free thermal support.

As for “comfortable” water temperature, it will always be a compromise. While 25°C may feel slightly cool for leisure use, it is warmer than ocean swimming and comfortable enough for most, especially distance swimmers. Operationally, a return to pre-pandemic admission policies would restore flexibility for users, even if some have grown accustomed to reduced crowding.

Kits Pool on August 6, 2019. (David Margolis/Submitted)

Kits Pool on July 21, 2019. (David Margolis/Submitted)

Finally, the amenities should preserve the pool’s unique social character. The municipal government deserves credit for allowing the Batch pop-up in the concession area, which has created a vibrant, beer-garden-style space that feels authentic to Vancouver. This atmosphere should be nurtured and expanded, rather than replaced with a sterile, generic commercial venue.

The approach taken to date might be welcome for crumbling infrastructure such as an old community centre, but the uniqueness and iconic nature of Kits Pool demands more than a set of copy-and-paste ideas. Which is to say, the municipal government must stop viewing Kits Pool as archaic and understand its brilliance.

There’s an obsession with utilization percentages but not experience. Hillcrest Centre is at 83 per cent utilization, but it is the most horrible swimming experience I’ve had in Vancouver.

I urge the City and the Park Board to dig deeper for solutions — this is a legacy project. We have an opportunity to preserve and improve on what is Vancouver’s Wonder and expand its use and longevity for future generations.

There was a vision in the 1930s and again in the 1970s. In 2025, with the technology at our disposal, we can meet the structural standards required, deepen the pool where
needed, and with an expansion of the site eastward, accommodate improved aquatic
experiences.

This opinion-editorial article was adapted for Daily Hive Urbanized from an open letter.

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