Downtown Victoria could be heading for a makeover, and the city wants to “paint it black.”

From grey garbage cans, to blue and red lamp posts, to black benches – there’s no shortage of colours in the downtown core.

But the city says it’s time that changes and is proposing unifying the mismatched colours by painting them with a coat of gloss black.

“The idea is that Victoria is such a vibrant place that the public realm itself should be a quiet canvas, and black is part of that quiet canvas,” said Mayor Lisa Helps.

The changes would be made gradually as part of routine maintenance, instead of recoating every surface at once – meaning if a bench needs painting, it will now be black.

It’s not just for aesthetics, either. The city says switching to a unified colour scheme will actually save money in the long run.

“It’s a huge cost saving for the city. We don’t need to have as many paint colours, we don’t need to have as many people worrying about what colours of paint,” said Helps.

“It’s ease, you just grab the paint off the shelf and you go and paint.”

Victoria residents who spoke to CTV News about the plan Wednesday were split, with some saying black is a good choice because it goes with everything, while others said it will magnify any bird droppings its bombarded with.

The only thing that would stay the same colour in the city’s design plan is Chinatown, which will remain its distinct heritage red.

Fresh paint is just one of the many plants the city is proposing over the next 25 years.

Master plans are underway for Centennial Square, Ships Point and Douglas Street, which Helps said will be remodelled as a transit-oriented street long-term.

“The whole idea is to make downtown a place for people first,” she said.

A revised public realm plan will return to council soon. The entire plan in its current form can be read here.