Reimagining the Wellesley Arena and Community Centre Lands

The former Wellesley Arena and Community Centre land is approximately sixteen (16) acres in size and includes the arena, community centre, old Wellesley Fire Hall, ball diamonds, playground, splash pad, skateboard park and soccer fields. In 2019, Council passed a resolution requiring the land south of the potential Maple Leaf Street extension to remain as recreation land, leaving the approximately three (3) acres of land to the north to be considered for other uses.

In early 2024, staff undertook an initial public survey to solicit ideas and gauge interest from the public on the future of the former Wellesley Arena and Community Centre lands and results were presented to Council in June 2024.

Reimagining the former Wellesley Arena and Community Centre lands will be a multi-phase process, which must include a robust public engagement program moving forward given the importance of this property to the community. In January 2025, Council authorized staff to retain consulting services to assist with next steps in the process. At this time, in accordance with Council direction, staff will proceed to undertake Step 1 below in early 2025.

Step 1 - Principles and Objectives

This step consists first of establishing the overall direction and intent for the land, which may be expressed as objectives, guiding principles or similar statements. Existing information sources and consultation results should be used to build and document an understanding of Township Council’s and community objectives, local concerns, community needs and ideal outcomes for the land. This provides the foundational lens through which to develop concepts and to consider potential land disposition options, if applicable. In addition, site opportunities and constraints should be mapped and/or illustrated. This step would also serve to identify any unknowns and other critical information pieces. Consideration should be given to an opportunity for public input and feedback on the proposed objectives and principles.

Step 2 - Concepts and Options

Before proceeding to Step 2 of the process, staff will seek endorsement and/or direction from Council to proceed. This step involves development of concept plans to present a range of potential options (within the overall guiding parameters defined above) to illustrate different layout, scale, built forms, mix, height, density, and parking impacts. Precedent images can also be used to show building/site design and scale options and generate feedback on consistent visuals. Digital 3D models can also be created (if budget allows). Concepts would be refined based on Township feedback prior to public release.

The objective of Step 2 is to obtain public feedback on the options working towards defining a preliminary preferred option. This can be done through online surveys, open houses, public meetings or a combination of these approaches. Disposition and ownership options should also be identified and summarized in this step. Key results should be summarized in a report, including an outline of approximate costs and process considerations for further work. Ideally, a market and financial analysis of the concepts and disposition/ownership options should be completed to assesses viability and direct the Township’s efforts and investments cost-effectively towards achieving a realistic and successful outcome. This could be done as part of the process above or as a later step that follows.

Join Us at a Public Open House