Official Community Plan - 13.0 Parks, Trails, and Recreation

13.0 Parks, Trails, and Recreation

13.1 CONTEXT

Parks, trails, and recreation spaces offer opportunities for play, exploration, exercise, and connection. For View Royal residents, access to green space and recreation is an essential part of daily life. The Town’s parks, green spaces, trails, and waterfront all contribute to the community’s appeal and are key features of the Town. These amenities encourage active lifestyles, support local ecosystems, and provide recreational options that benefit both locals and visitors.

The community boasts a wide range of regional parks and trails, including Thetis Lake Regional Park, Mill Hill Regional Park, the Galloping Goose Regional Trail, and E&N Trail. Furthermore, there are many local parks, such as View Royal Park, Portage Park, Helmcken Park, Centennial Park, Chilco Park, and Nursery Hill Park, to name a few. The Town provides recreation services to residents as one of the municipal members of the West Shore Parks & Recreation Society, which owns and operates the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre located in Colwood. Through partnerships, View Royal residents also enjoy access to other recreation facilities in the region. View Royal’s public schools also function as community programming spaces. These amenities are shown on Map 15.

The objectives and policies outlined in this section aim to further implement the vision established in the Parks Master Plan, as well as provide guidance for new priorities relating to parkland acquisition and improvements, trails, and recreation, with a forward-looking lens as the community grows over the lifespan of this Official Community Plan.

The following Official Community Plan Goals may be achieved through the objectives and policy direction provided in this section:

• Mobility & Connectivity
• Natural Amenities
• Community Well-Being
• Regional Partnerships
• Sustainable Service Delivery and Asset Management