The Comox Municipal Marina is a hub of activity for commercial fishing, the Indigenous shellfish industry, recreational boaters and other related services. The adjacent park is also a site for various festivals during the summer months. Despite this level of activity, the site lacked an indoor amenity to draw additional events in the offseason and encourage tourism specifically related to the marine sector.
The Comox Marina Centre Meeting Place project includes 2 uniquely designed “sail buildings”, which provide recreational space for boater meetups and gatherings, as well as meeting space for up to 70 people for training and other uses. The facilities also support festivals and markets with “plug and play” capabilities and can house temporary seasonal vendors. The project also includes improvements to the wharfinger and washroom facilities, as well as a waterfront boardwalk extension.
The site is now the main waterfront meeting place and gateway destination to Comox, generating new economic activity through increased visitor attraction and resident usage. The completed buildings have added increased vitality to the downtown waterpark location, including food trucks, established on a seasonal basis. The buildings have also successfully been used during festivals, expanding capacity for shoulder and winter season events.
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in 2018 through the Capital and Innovation program.
We work in reciprocal relationships with coastal communities across the ancestral territories of the Kwak̓wala, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda'xw, Pəntl'áč, She shashishalhem, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.