City Of Victoria Wants Lawn Bowling Club Gone From Prime Downtown Location

The scene of white-clad lawn bowlers playing amid highrises, long an icon of downtown Victoria, will soon vanish, as the city plans to turn a long-established club's greens into underground parking and a hard-surfaced urban plaza.

1 minute read

November 19, 2007, 11:00 AM PST

By Scott Ewart


"Mayor Alan Lowe said the greens the Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling Club has leased behind the Crystal Garden for 77 years at $1 a year are 'very valuable to the city.'"

"He wants the area as open space with underground parking for the Victoria Conference Centre across the street, which is expanding into the Crystal Garden, leased by the city from the Provincial Capital Commission."

"Club president Ray Turner is resigned to leaving the greens, but said it's tough. 'You get used to the club and like the area.' If players liked the area, tourists liked the bowlers, frequently stopping to photograph the unexpected activity in the middle of the city."

"Robert Randall, president of the Downtown Residents Association, and an advocate of more development downtown, said he likes having the bowlers in the city's core. 'Here's this kind of crazy random idea of a bunch of old folks rolling a ball along the field. It's not contrived. And it's what we want to see: genuine experiences. If they replace one vibrant green space with a dead green space, what are we accomplishing here except to evict people with a healthy pastime?'"

Monday, November 19, 2007 in Victoria Times Colonist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of full beer glass with purple train-themed design sitting on bar between two frosty tall cans.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?

TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

June 30 - Cities Today

Vintage red Toronto streetcar passing in front of Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events

Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

June 30 - blogTO

Map of Berlin with ring roads in green and red.

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan

The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.

June 30 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.