Kyle Centre Redevelopment

Background

Kyle Centre, located at 125 Kyle Street, is an 11,000-square-foot community facility with activity and craft rooms, a lounge, and a hall that offers recreation programs, community activities, and rental opportunities for meetings or small-scale events. Built in 1977, it is an aging facility nearing its end of life that could only continue to be used in the long term if significant repairs were undertaken. Recreational needs and trends have changed over the years and, as Port Moody’s population grows and demographics evolve, it’s clear that a new, larger facility is needed in the Moody Centre neighbourhood.

The City has been exploring options for Kyle Centre for several years including through the recently updated Land Management Strategy Policy and the 2016 Kyle Centre Site Community Ideas Fair. In their 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, Council identified a goal to leverage public spaces with related objectives to determine strategic direction for existing and future civic facilities; determine direction for underutilized City lands; and enhance places where people naturally gather. The redevelopment of Kyle Centre and surrounding City-owned lands meets all three of these objectives. This also presents opportunities to coordinate with the adjacent Port Moody Arts Centre. Looking ahead to the potential redevelopment of this area, in fall 2024 the City strategically purchased two parcels of nearby land for the purpose of expanding Kyle Park. This purchase aligns with the Parkland Strategy (approved in June 2025), which notes that acquiring new parkland is a priority to meet future needs, ensure equitable access, and act before land becomes prohibitively expensive or scarce.

Most recently, in 2024, the City engaged with the community as part of its development of a Recreation Facilities Study. We shared the results of what we heard in an engagement summary presented to Council in January 2025. The Study, which is in the process of being finalized, will assist with future decision-making related to recreation facilities in Port Moody. Many respondents who participated in the Recreation Facilities Study engagement opportunities advocated for investment in Kyle Centre through renovation, expansion, or replacement. 

Through spring 2025, Council and staff have been carefully considering Council's strategic priorities, past and recent public engagement, potential uses for City-owned land around Kyle Centre, and the full range of past planning work for this area. This consideration has led to the understanding that now is the time to take steps to move forward and develop a plan for a replacement for Kyle Centre, a new and expanded Kyle Park, and a community plaza.

Project scope

The recommended site (see image below) is the general location of the existing Kyle Centre building, within the boundaries of St. Andrews, Kyle, St. George, and Queens streets, and includes the two recently purchased lots to the east. The new community centre would be located as far west as possible on the site, while still allowing for potential future affordable housing to be built at the west end of these City-owned lands. Should work on potential future housing be approved at a later time, that would be considered under a separate project.  

Project budget and funding sources

Staff’s preliminary recommendation for the funding strategy to finance the construction of the new community centre is a combination of City reserves and debt financing through the Municipal Finance Authority of B.C. A final funding strategy, which may also include grant opportunities as well as utilizing any applicable Development Cost Charges (DCCs) or Amenity Cost Charges (ACCs), will be brought forward to Council for their consideration when construction costs can be more accurately estimated. This funding approach aligns with the City’s Long Range Strategic Financial Framework and follows best practices around infrastructure financing and inter-generational equity. 

The impact on property taxes will depend on the cost of the project, the split between City reserves and debt financing, availability of DCCs or ACCs, and whether the City is able to secure any applicable grants.

Project timeline and phases

The project is planned over four phases, with conceptual design as Phase 1. Before proceeding with additional phases, the funding strategy will be carefully considered to make sure the project remains financially viable. Pending Council approval of subsequent phases and the proposed funding strategy, the redevelopment of the Kyle Centre area would progress through detailed design of the project site (Phase 2), construction of the community centre and plaza (Phase 3), and construction of the new/expanded Kyle Park (Phase 4).

Phase 1

Phase 1, currently underway, includes identification of functional space requirements, public engagement, site planning, and cost estimation for the remaining phases.

July 2025: Approval of capital project to start conceptual design

At the July 15, 2025 Strategic Priorities Committee Meeting (agenda item 4.3), Council approved a capital project for the conceptual design of a new 30,000-square-foot community centre, which pending future funding, would replace the existing Kyle Centre, as well as an expanded Kyle Park and plaza. Funding for the $515,000 conceptual design will come from the City’s Community Amenity Contribution Reserve.

Completing the conceptual design will allow staff to determine a more accurate estimation of construction costs so that funding strategies can be developed.

Fall 2025 to early 2026: public engagement and draft conceptual design

In fall 2025, staff will work with a consultant to identify the space needs of the new community centre, which will be informed by engagement with staff, interest holders and the broader public. Current Kyle Centre user groups will be asked for targeted input about space requests and best practices specific to their activities. Prospective future user groups and the community at large will be invited to learn more and provide input on current and potential new uses within the new space, including preferences and priorities for community activities.

In early 2026, a draft conceptual design will be shared for general public input. Following this, staff will present Council with a final recommended concept design, along with a proposed funding strategy to finance the construction of the community centre, plaza and Kyle Park. 

Past planning and engagement

The City has been exploring options for Kyle Centre for several years. Please see the resources below to learn about past planning and public engagement.

• Parkland Strategy (2025): Port Moody’s Parkland Strategy (PDF) provides a long-term framework to guide the planning, acquisition, enhancement, and connectivity of parkland through 2050. The Strategy includes a vision and guiding principles, a comprehensive assessment of parkland services, neighbourhood overviews, and city-wide strategies that will help the City meet the needs of current and future residents. 
• Recreation Facilities Study Public Engagement Summary (2025): agenda item 7.2, Regular Council Meeting, January 28, 2025. The Recreation Facilities Study, currently underway, will provide an assessment of the current state of recreation facilities in Port Moody, community needs, trends, and options for future recreation facilities. The public engagement provided important input into the identification of facility needs, viability options, long-term priorities for recreation and related infrastructure and services, and other related considerations.
• Land Management Strategy (2024): The Land Management Strategy Policy provides a framework to guide major land decisions to effectively manage City lands and optimize land value to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
•  Age-Friendly Recreation Study (2022): Port Moody’s Age-Friendly Recreation Study (PDF) reviewed current and future needs and desires of the community, and assessed the potential for an age-friendly recreation centre through site analysis, programming identification and concept designs. It explored the options of such a recreation centre as a standalone facility and as an addition to the Recreation Complex.
• Building Envelope Condition Assessment (2020): A Building Envelope Condition Assessment (PDF) was completed to evaluate the present condition of the various building envelope systems and outline recommendations for the long-term, continued operation of the building.
• Kyle Centre Site Community Ideas Fair (2016): Recognizing that Kyle Centre would be approaching the end of its useful life, the Kyle Centre Community Ideas Fair (PDF) provided an engagement opportunity to explore the community’s future needs for Kyle Centre, along with the surrounding City-owned lands, to provide expanded community benefits.
• Parks and Recreation Master Plan (2015): The Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PDF) provides a 10-year framework to guide the acquisition and development of parks and open spaces, recreation facilities and the delivery of services to best meet the needs of the community.
• Long Range Facilities Plan (2013): RDH Building Engineering Ltd. prepared a Long-Range Facilities Plan (PDF) for the base building components at 21 facilities, including Kyle Centre.