Today, Victoria city council revisited the question of whether to move forward with the Centennial Square Revitalization Project or put it on hold indefinitely.
This matter stems from a motion penned by Councillors Stephen Hammond, Marg Gardiner and Chris Coleman.
That motion initially came before council on November 6th, but because new designs were being presented on November 27th, the motion to cancel the project was referred to today’s meeting.
These new designs have reduced the scale of the initiative, thereby cutting the project’s cost from $12.1 million to $9.6 million.
Dialog Design handled the redesign, which includes a civic plaza, expanded green area and a reimagined heart of the square as its three key features.
One contentious part of this plan included the monoliths in the fountain being removed and stored for a future phase of the project; however, the sequoia tree will be retained in these most recent plans.
According to Councillor Hammond, this project needs to be cut in order to help council reach their goal of keeping property tax increases below a 10% increase.
“With the exception of the very rich in Victoria, residents, businesses can’t have everything they want,” said Hammond.
“They have to spend on what they need, and even that’s not a certainty these days. I see this redesign as a want, but one that we just can’t afford.”
Councillor Gardiner spoke mostly to the fact she does not want to see the fountain removed from the council.
“I am asking that we keep what is there, but redo the plumbing,” she said.
Related:
- Revised design for Centennial Square presented to Victoria city council (PHOTOS)
- Local group offers to donate landmark ‘VICTORIA’ sign for revamped Centennial Square
- Victoria saves more services from cuts in 2026 financial plan
Mayor Marianne Alto suggested an amendment before talks went any further, suggesting that the funds that were allocated to the Centennial Square project be reallocated to the Crystal Pool Replacement project and the Royal Athletic Park upgrades.
This amendment passed, and conversation turned again to whether the project as a whole should be halted.
After speaking to how she likes the project and would like to see it one day come to fruition, Mayor Alto thinks the costs outweigh the benefits.
“I don’t think it’s ready at this time,” said Mayor Alto.
She added that she thinks this matter should be left in the hands of future councils.
Councillor Jeremy Caradonna pointed out that this project would have no impact on the 2026 budget, which councillors have been grappling with for the past few weeks.
Furthermore, in the 2027 budget, it would only result in a 0.2% property tax increase to homeowners.
He also noted that over $700,000 in City funds have been spent on this project so far, so he believes that council owes it to Victorians to see the project through.
Councillor Krista Loughton spoke in support of halting the project, saying “This is not the right time. This is not the right design.”
Ultimately, council voted 8–1 in favour of the motion to halt the project indefinitely. Caradonna was the only councillor who voted against the motion.
The endeavour to revitalize the square, which first began in 2016, will now be put on the backburner until a future council picks the project back up.
