Artist Concept / Toronto 2015

The University of Toronto's (U of T's) Scarborough campus will be home to a new $171-million athletics and recreation complex for the 2015 Pan Am games.

Plans to build a swimming complex at the University of Toronto's (U of T's) Scarborough campus for the 2015 Pan Am Games will proceed after the student body voted 62 per cent in favour of the aquatic centre.

A report in the Toronto Sun says 1,454 students were in support of the plan, which will see the campus' 10,000 students pay an extra $40 per semester to fund the project, starting in September. Fees will increase to $140 per semester once the facility opens. A total of 748 ballots were cast opposing the idea.

The $171-million athletics and recreation complex will feature two Olympic-sized pools, a 10-m (33-ft) diving tank and a multi-sport field house.

All but $38 million of the facility costs are being covered by senior levels of government, while the university is contributing $8 million. U of T offcials say the campus could not cover the project's costs without assistance from students.

Mayor David Miller was pleased with the outcome, calling the centre "an important part of the legacy of the 2015 Pan Am Games."

"The students and the community in Scarborough have been vastly underserved in athletic facilities for too long and that is going to change," Miller said.