Innovation Centre at Town Centre Park

The City is planning renovations and upgrades to the Innovation Centre to create a new community centre in Town Centre Park to address three key needs in the City Centre area: 

  • Reduce pressures on nearby civic facilities including the  reduction of waitlists for Pinetree Community Centre and Glen Pine Pavilion for recreation and culture programs including spring break and summer camps; 
  • Provide spaces to support park users, park events and volunteers (e.g. the winter lights); and
  • Provide opportunities for sample programs offered by arts and culture partners (e.g. Evergreen Cultural Centre, Place des Arts, Coquitlam Heritage Society).  

The new vision for the facility is an inclusive space for discovery, participation and celebration with a lakeside view of Town Centre Park. 

Potential Programs and Rentals

The revamped community centre will be used to provide additional community space until future City Centre facilities are built through the long-term build-out of the City Centre Area Plan. Proposed uses include: 

  • Meeting existing and anticipated demand for recreation programming;
  • Expanding out-of-school programs, camps and other offerings;
  • Providing an indoor casual gathering space for park visitors through a community living room / drop-in space (1 million lake loop pedestrian visits were counted in 2021);
  • Providing a concession with food and beverage offerings;
  • Supporting a range of events at Town Centre Park including Canada Day, Kaleidoscope and Winter Lights, as well as park programs such as Park Spark volunteers;
  • Acting as an extreme weather respite space, if needed.

A preliminary list of proposed programs includes children’s programs (nature play and learn, after school programs and camps), crafts, quilting, Mahjong, arts partner programs, artist in residence, artist demonstrations, singing, seminars, English language classes, talks and lectures, parties and meeting space, hiking and outdoor safety classes, biking and cycling classes, and STEM/STEAM classes. Community event rentals are also expected.

  1. Background
  2. Timing and Next Steps
  3. Reports and Documents

The Innovation Centre (1207 Pinetree Way) is an 11,250 square foot facility built in 1996 next to the Evergreen Cultural Centre.  Over the years, the facility has supported a variety of civic and commercial uses including offices for the Smart Choices Team and Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, the Peter Legge Library and short-term office spaces for local start ups and small businesses.

Since 2004 the City has operated the facility using it for office and meeting space for staff and to support events taking place at Town Centre Park and, more recently, converting it to a temporary fitness space during renovations at the City Centre Aquatic Complex.