Town wants your feedback on new draft Parks Plan

The Town of Oakville’s draft Parks Plan – 2031, a strategic document that will provide direction for new parkland throughout the town, particularly in urban centres and corridors, is now available for public review and comment on oakville.ca. Comments received by July 15, 2022 will be provided to Council in the August 9, 2022 report. Residents can also provide feedback up until the Planning and Development Council meeting for adoption of the Plan and the Parkland Dedication By-law on September 6, 2022. 

Over the next decade, Oakville will be seeing growth within urban centres identified as Strategic Growth Areas (SGAs). Some examples of these urban centres include Midtown, Uptown Core, Bronte and Palermo. Development within these SGAs will require parkland to serve the needs of residents. The town has created a draft Parks Plan - 2031 that will provide direction for the acquisition of new parkland throughout the town, and particularly in our SGA urban centres and corridors, with a unique range of urban parkland types such as urban squares, pocket parks, courtyards and pedestrian connections.

As part of the Parks Plan - 2031, a proposed new parkland dedication by-law will be presented to Council on August 9, 2022. Municipalities are not permitted to use Development Charges (DCs) for the purchase of land for parks. Instead, provisions in the Planning Act enable municipalities to require land, or cash-in-lieu of land, from developers for parks as a condition of development through a parkland dedication by-law. Once land is dedicated, or acquired by the town, new parks are constructed using DCs or Community Benefits Charges (CBCs).

To date, Oakville has developed a wonderful suburban parks system that is characterized by large public parks, with substantive green leisure space and numerous sports fields. 

As Oakville expands with the development of urban centres (SGAs) it requires leisure space that has an array of park spaces with both green and hard design components and includes important connectivity elements such as public sidewalks and roads. Park spaces in an urban setting require a unique range of  parkland types and sizes that can be integrated as part of a pedestrian network, and flexible enough to accommodate different users and events at different times of the day.

At the June 14, 2022 Special Council meeting, Council received the Parks and Open Space report. Residents can provide input through the online form as well as share their feedback by registering as a delegate to speak at the August 9 Council Meeting.

“Residents tell us that the most commonly stated qualities that make Oakville livable are our parks, our community centres and trails. Creating and preserving park space is a priority for Council and we welcome feedback on the new draft Parks Plan. As the town grows with a variety of housing options for everyone, parks and greenspaces have to be reimagined and integrated with our living spaces to create a more livable future for Oakville.”

Mayor Rob Burton