Community Works Yard Updates

Construction is ready to begin in September...

Visit our Get Involved page to learn more about this project

Project Update - August 2026

- Site preparation is underway for construction to begin early September.

- A temporary operations space has been created at Beban Park that will be used during building construction and will allow the project team to work together.

- A building permit for the foundation of the Fleet Maintenance Building has been applied for, with anticipation of starting the foundation work in September 2026.

- The Fleet Maintenance Building, shown below, will be manufactured by a family owned, BC based company, using Canadian steel. The building will be 'post-disaster' operational and created with safety and functionality at the forefront.

- Rendering of the Crew & Administration Building (below) will be 'post-disaster' operational and will include rooftop solar, meet BC Energy Step Code Level 3 and have space that can be used by the community.

As part of the foundation and site preparation, some trees need to be removed. The trees being removed are in areas needed for construction of new operational buildings, site access, and supporting infrastructure. Environmental reviews, including bird nesting surveys, were completed before the work proceeded. The project will help ensure the City can continue delivering essential services such as: water, roads, parks, sanitation, fleet maintenance, and emergency response, and a tree replacement plan are included as part of the project.

Nanaimo’s Public Works Yard is getting some much-needed changes.

Nanaimo’s Public Works Yard houses staff and services that are key to City operations. From the water coming out of your tap to the roads, sidewalks, trails and bike lanes that get you where you need to go, to acting as a back up Emergency Operations Centre and countless things in between, the Public Works Yard is fundamental to keeping the community running.

A new name for a new era.

Once the project is complete, the Yard will house not only Public Works staff but also staff from Parks Operations, Facility Operations, Supply Chain Management and IT. With all these departments serving the community under one roof, it is only fitting to rename it to the Community Works Yard.

As part of this update, Parks Operations and Facility crews will be relocating from the Parks Operations Yard on Prideaux Street, the Nanaimo Lakes Road Parks Satellite Yard, and the Bowen Park Social Centre. This will bring the majority of the City’s operational staff together to the updated buildings to collaboratively deliver the essential services our community requires.

To learn more about this project visit our Get Involved Nanaimo site. You can also review more technical information and Council reports below. Some of these reports and technical plans are based on older configurations of the plans to update the Yard, but they provide a history of this project and how it has developed over the last five years.

Background

Our current Public Works and Parks yards are well past their usable lifespan, and no longer suitable to serve our growing community. The original Public Works buildings were constructed in the 1960's and evolved as the population of the City reached 45,000 by 1980. The City of Nanaimo is now 100,000 people strong and growing quickly. Much of the additional space to accommodate the growing services required by the community was added using modular temporary facilities, not intended for permanent use and now long past their 'best before' date.

Public Works Yard 1960's:

Approximate Community Population 30,000
Approximate City Population 14,135

Public Works Yard 2024:

Approximate Community Population 107,000

With the population of Nanaimo expected to be in the range of 126,000-141,000 in 25 years, there will continue to be a substantial increase in the demand for services and the people that deliver those services will need adequate facilities to complete their jobs.

Contact Information

By email: EngineeringInfo@nanaimo.ca
By mail: City of Nanaimo, Engineering Department, 455 Wallace Street, Nanaimo BC, V9R 5J6
By phone: 250-754-4251, Ext 4230