A design rendering shows the south side view of the planned pickleball courts and “street-style’ skateboard area at Gleneagles Adventure Park. The project is slated to finish in spring 2027. | District of West VancouverDWV

A trio of planned pickleball courts and a skateboard park in Gleneagles are one step closer to construction following a West Vancouver council vote.

Last week District of West Vancouver council unanimously approved construction agreements with New Line Skateparks Inc. to build three pickleball courts and a “street-style” skateboard area near Gleneagles Community Centre. The agreement also OKs repainting the skateboard bowl at Gleneagles Adventure Park.

After community engagement in June, designers made slight tweaks to the project, including a 10-foot-high fence around the pickleball courts with two entry points, a separation fence between the courts and adjacent skateboard park, and a gathering space with picnic tables.

West Vancouver staff estimate they will spend more than $1.5 million for the project, with an expected completion date of spring 2027.

Staff broke down the costs, including $42,000 already spent on design, $16,100 for noise and geotechnical studies, and an estimated $1.4 million for demolition and construction.

On Feb. 9, council gave the green light for staff to issue a request for proposal in designing the three pickleball courts and skateboard zone.

In that meeting, staff said $527,710 had been allocated to the project. If additional funding was required, staff would come back to council requesting to use money from the Community Amenity Contribution – Community Serving Reserve.

In the latest vote July 20, staff suggested using just over $432,000 from the community reserve, $309,000 from the Community Works Fund, and reallocating $230,000 from the parks capital budget where other projects were completed, deferred or under budget.

Removal and disposal of existing fill from the site is a large cost driver for the project, the staff report said. The revised 10-foot-high separation fence between the pickleball courts and skateboard park, fully enclosed courts and multiple gated access points are also increasing costs.

During the design phase, a partial or full roof and lighting at the site were looked at, but last week staff advised against those options due to high costs and the complexity of building on site.

The municipality also OK’d entering into an agreement with New Line to design a pump track on the BC Hydro lands across the street from the Gleneagles Community Centre.

Council approved an additional $35,000 to go towards designing the pump track, using funds from the Neighbourhood Serving Reserve for site survey and design.

Many West Van residents and members of the pickleball community spoke highly of the project to council, saying it’ll benefit the community for the years to come.

“These courts are more than pickleball, they create friendship, they have play for all ages and strengthen the community,” said resident Ed Pielak, adding that he appreciated council hearing their input early on in the project.

Pielak, however, asked council if the tennis courts at Normanby Park could be switched to pickleball courts until the project is complete.

West Vancouver resident and skateboarder Stefan Ruckert also shared strong support for the recent proposal, adding that the revamped skate park will be usable for people of all skill levels.

Council also echoed support for the project.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Coun. Christine Cassidy said. “So I’m very happy for all entities.”

Construction is expected to begin later this summer, staff said.

Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Original Published on Jul 30, 2026 at 19:35

This item reprinted with permission from   North Shore News   North Vancouver, British Columbia
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