YMCA BC Named Operator of MCC’s leləm̓ Community Centre at UBC

Exterior of leləm̓ Community Centre at 5490 Shortcut Road, developed by Musqueam Capital Corporation within the University Endowment Lands, featuring a modern glass-and-wood design set within a forested landscape.
Image: Exterior of leləm̓ Community Centre at 5490 Shortcut Road, developed by Musqueam Capital Corporation within the University Endowment Lands, featuring a modern glass-and-wood design set within a forested landscape.

 

The operator of a community centre sets the tone for a neighbourhood long after construction is complete. For the leləm̓ Community Centre, Musqueam Capital Corporation has completed that decision. MCC has named YMCA BC as the operator of the 15,000 sq ft leləm̓ Community Centre, a two-storey, LEED Gold facility at 5490 Shortcut Road developed by MCC at the heart of leləm̓ village within the University Endowment Lands. Selected through a competitive process, YMCA BC will manage the Centre’s long-term operations, programming, and maintenance when the Centre opens later this year.

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A partnership grounded in shared values

The operator selection completes a governance structure that brings four parties to the table: the Musqueam Indian Band, Musqueam Capital Corporation, the University Endowment Lands administered by the Province of British Columbia, and YMCA BC. MCC led the competitive selection process. YMCA BC emerged from a qualified field, and will take responsibility for the Centre’s long-term operations, programming, and maintenance under terms agreed with MCC and the Musqueam Indian Band.

“We’re excited to bring our health expertise, incredible service, and commitment to building vibrant, inclusive and healthy communities, to the leləm̓ YMCA Community Centre.”

— Heidi Worthington, YMCA BC President & CEO

Why YMCA BC

MCC’s selection criteria went beyond operating scale. YMCA BC’s operating model — health, well-being, belonging, and equitable access — maps directly to Musqueam’s guiding principle for leləm̓: a welcoming, walkable community grounded in culture and land.

Capacity mattered too. YMCA BC serves more than 225,000 people across 58 communities in British Columbia, with an operational track record across municipalities and First Nations that gave MCC confidence the Centre would deliver programming aligned with the Nation’s expectations for leləm̓.

A strategic location within the University Endowment Lands

The Centre sits at 5490 Shortcut Road, embedded in the leləm̓ village master plan and immediately adjacent to UBC. The siting decision aligns three planning priorities for MCC: integration with the surrounding UBC campus and its adjacent residential districts, walkable access to the leləm̓ ground-floor retail and community amenities, and connection to Pacific Spirit Regional Park’s 2,000-acre trail network to the west.

Within the leləm̓ village boundary, residents and visitors have access to a grocery store, a dental clinic, cafés, restaurants, a daycare, and eight acres of publicly accessible green space. The Community Centre joins this mix as the social anchor — a building MCC designed to reduce reliance on private vehicles for daily needs, consistent with the master plan’s walkability mandate.

Transit and access

  • Bus stops on University Boulevard with peak-hour service intervals of 15 minutes or less.
  • Connected walking and cycling paths linking leləm̓ village with Pacific Spirit Park’s trail network.
  • Two EV charging stations on site, with session limits of up to two hours.
  • Approximately 25 minutes from downtown Vancouver by car in free-flow traffic.

leləm̓ Community Centre
5490 Shortcut Road, Vancouver, BC
View on Google Maps

A 15,000 sq ft facility designed for accessibility and longevity

The two-storey, 15,000 sq ft building was designed by Francl Architecture, developed by Musqueam Capital Corporation, and built to LEED Gold standards. MCC’s brief called for a barrier-free facility capable of supporting a full range of community, health, and cultural uses across a multi-decade lifespan. Our commitment to sustainable, inclusive design has been recognized with the 2024 Land Awards in the Real Estate category by the Real Estate Foundation of BC.

The building organizes around a double-height entry atrium and feature stair — the social core of the floor plan. A generous roof overhang at the main entrance creates a sheltered outdoor gathering area for programming, events, or informal use.

Building highlights

  • Mass timber roof with narrow tapered glulam beams, giving the gymnasium a wide, column-free span.
  • Hybrid structural system engineered by Fast + Epp, combining mass timber, steel, and concrete.
  • Nail-laminated timber NLT ceiling panels produced in part from reclaimed wood logs owned by the Musqueam Indian Band — material drawn from Musqueam lands, returned to place as part of the Centre’s structure.
  • A district energy system powered by wastewater, geothermal, and reclaimed refrigeration energy — a 2024 Clean50 Top Project recipient and tied for Top Project of the Year — delivering sustainable energy across all residential and commercial tenants at leləm̓ Village.

Musqueam art integrated throughout the Centre

MCC’s design brief for the Centre required Musqueam artistic leadership throughout the façade and interior, not as applied decoration but as load-bearing cultural content. Two major commissioned works anchor the interior.

What Once Was Will Always Be — Robyn Sparrow

What Once Was Will Always Be, by Musqueam artist Robyn Sparrow, is a reflection on culture and identity. In the artist’s own words, the piece carries a hope “for the people and visitors of this space to find comfort in viewing my art and hopefully see the reflection of us as a xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Musqueam people in this piece.” The work positions contemporary users of the Centre within a cultural continuum that long predates leləm̓ and is intended to continue well beyond it.

Interior view of the leləm̓ Community Centre showing the facility design. Architectural detail of the leləm̓ Community Centre.

Image: “What Once Was Will Always Be” by Musqueam artist Robyn Sparrow, installed inside the leləm̓ Community Centre, reflecting cultural continuity and identity.

Circular Traditional Musqueam Weaving Installation & Painted Traditional Design Elements — Debra Sparrow & Gabriel Hall

Debra Sparrow and Gabriel Hall’s installation wraps the ceiling and railings in a blend of traditional and contemporary design that holds true to Salish weaving technique. The repeating pattern and cohesive palette are intended, in the artists’ own framing, to reflect how creativity connects people to their immediate and extended community — specifically the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Musqueam community.

What Once Was Will Always Be by Musqueam artist Robyn Sparrow, installed inside the leləm̓ Community Centre, reflecting cultural continuity and identity. Ceiling and railing installation by Musqueam artists Debra Sparrow and Gabriel Hall at the leləm̓ Community Centre, blending Salish weaving with contemporary design.

Image: Ceiling and railing installation by Musqueam artists Debra Sparrow and Gabriel Hall at the leləm̓ Community Centre, blending Salish weaving with contemporary design.

Opening later in 2026

The Centre is scheduled to open later this year. When it does, it will complete a core amenity within the leləm̓ master plan — the social and programming hub that MCC has carried from planning through construction and, with YMCA BC’s selection, into long-term operation. For more than a decade, that kind of integrated decision-making has been the through-line of MCC’s work: build, partner, and operate in a way that keeps the long-term value with the Nation.

Partnership inquiries related to MCC’s real estate portfolio and community development work can be directed to the MCC team.

Frequently asked questions

Who operates the leləm̓ Community Centre and why was YMCA BC selected?

YMCA BC has been selected as the operator through a competitive process led by Musqueam Capital Corporation. YMCA BC serves more than 225,000 people across 58 communities in British Columbia, and its focus on health, well-being, belonging, and equitable access aligned with MCC’s selection criteria and Musqueam’s vision for leləm̓.

Who developed the leləm̓ Community Centre?

Musqueam Capital Corporation developed the leləm̓ Community Centre as part of the leləm̓ village master plan. MCC is the economic development arm of the Musqueam Indian Band and acts as asset manager for the Nation’s real estate holdings, including the 21.44-acre leləm̓ village site within the University Endowment Lands at the entrance to UBC.

Where is the leləm̓ Community Centre located?

The Centre is at 5490 Shortcut Road in the University Endowment Lands, at the entrance to UBC. It sits at the heart of leləm̓ village, a master-planned community on Vancouver’s Westside, and is within walking distance of Pacific Spirit Regional Park and the UBC campus.

Who designed and built the leləm̓ Community Centre?

The 15,000 sq ft, two-storey building was designed by Francl Architecture with structural engineering by Fast + Epp. It was developed by Musqueam Capital Corporation and built to LEED Gold standards. The hybrid structural system uses mass timber for the roof, steel for columns and lateral loads, and concrete for the foundation.

Is the leləm̓ Community Centre open to the wider public?

Yes. The Centre serves both leləm̓ residents and the wider Westside Vancouver community through YMCA BC’s membership and drop-in programs, with financial assistance available for members who qualify.

When does the leləm̓ Community Centre open?

The Centre is scheduled to open later in 2026. YMCA BC will confirm the opening date, membership rates, and the program schedule closer to opening.