Park Board to vote on year-round pay parking at several Vancouver community centres

Year-round pay parking could soon be introduced at several busy Vancouver community centres and attractions.

The Vancouver Park Board commissioners are set to vote on Monday, Oct. 20, on recommendations outlined in the Park Board Parking Strategy — Report Back.

The report outlines several recommendations, including that the Park Board proceed with a 12-month pilot project introducing pay parking to three community centres, a popular golf course, and a holiday event located in Vancouver.

According to the report, the Park Board Parking Strategy serves as policy guidelines to support an improved user experience at parking lots under its purview, and helps the City with its goal of financial sustainability.

City of Vancouver

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“Good parking management is one of the most significant opportunities to increase revenue for the Park Board to address the growing maintenance and renewal needs of parks and recreation assets in Vancouver,” said the report dated Wednesday, Oct. 8.

The new implementation plan calls for a 12-month paid parking pilot at Hillcrest, Kerrisdale, and Trout Lake Community Centres, as well as in lots located in Riley Park, Kerrisdale Park, and John Hendry Park.

The report recommends a rate of $3.50 per hour between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., as well as three hours of free parking for community centre patrons.

Park Board and full-time Community Centre Association staff would be exempt from the parking fees, and subsidized monthly parking passes would be made available to volunteers and program contractors.

Kerrisdale Community Centre

Park Board commissioners are also asked to approve the implementation plan for a 12-month paid parking pilot at Langara Golf Course. The parking rate would be $4.25 an hour between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and golf patrons would be offered complimentary parking.

Fans of VanDusen Botanical Garden’s annual Festival of Lights may also encounter a one-month paid parking pilot for the 2026 edition, with a $25 event rate between 4 and 10 p.m.

The five proposed paid-parking pilot locations are fewer than the original eight locations identified when Park Board commissioners approved the recommendations made by their staff to initiate the planning and consultation process.

Parking lot at Trout Lake Community Centre. (Google Maps)

“Since the April 2025 presentation of the Strategy to the Board, minor changes were made to paid parking pilot site selection based on further analysis and refined focus on those most highly impacted by parking challenges,” said the report. “Hastings Community Centre, New Brighton Pool and Fraserview Golf Course are no longer proposed for the paid parking pilot.”

The report estimates that the revised pilot project spanning the five expansion locations could result in net additional parking revenue of up to $1.5 million across the year.

However, it also identifies several user groups that may be negatively affected by the implementation of paid parking, including seniors, low-income individuals, families with children, and persons with disabilities.

Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation

“Considering the impacts to these user groups is critical to successful development and implementation of paid parking policies at parks, community centres, and other facilities,” the report explained.

According to the Park Board, it operates 180 parking lots across Vancouver, including just over a dozen lots with pay parking, such as at Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, and the western beaches. The most recent expansion was pay parking for the lots at Spanish Banks Beach starting in the summer of 2024.