Studies and Master Plan Projects
View our Greenspace studies, Trail Network studies and past projects below.
Greenspace Studies
Block 18 District Park Master Plan
The City of Vaughan is developing a new seven-hectare community park at the northwest corner of Peter Rupert Avenue and Rutherford Road, directly south of the Cook Woodlot. This park will be a community destination and is proposed to include playground structures, water play features, new trail connections and places to gather and connect with family and friends. For more information, visit vaughan.ca/MartinTavaresParkFormerlyPeterRupertPark.
Local Off-Leash Dog Area Strategy
The City of Vaughan recognizes the value off-leash dog parks bring to dogs and their families. To ensure the City clearly understands and responds to the needs of residents, a review of off-leash dog areas throughout Vaughan is underway. The City is continuing to explore additional spaces for pets to roam free. What does your ideal local off-leash dog area look like? What location, features and amenities would you and your pup like? For more information, visit vaughan.ca/DogPark.
Pickleball Study
The City of Vaughan is conducting a study to evaluate the feasibility of retrofitting some existing tennis courts to make them compatible for pickleball play (for shared pickleball-tennis spaces). As part of the Pickleball Study, the City will evaluate the demand for court space and will determine the appropriate implementation tools and opportunities for official pickleball facilities throughout the city. There are a number of ways to get involved and join the conversation. For more information visit, vaughan.ca/PickleBall.
MacMillan Farm
The vision for the MacMillan Farm revolves around six themes: nature, food, agriculture, heritage, tourism and education. Fulfilling this vision will establish a site for near-urban agriculture, community engagement, educational opportunities, and local recreational trail network providing a unique destination point within the City of Vaughan. Once complete, the expanded area of the MacMillan Farm property open for public use is estimated to be approximately 69 Ha (170 acres) of greenspace which includes City of Vaughan lands comprising 10 Ha (24.7 acres), with access to NCC lands totaling 49 Ha(120 acres) and TRCA lands totaling 10 Ha(24.8). These publicly owned lands planned and designed through collaboration and partnership will allow for safe and sustainable public access.
More information regarding this project can be found in the March 24, 2015 council meeting minutes extract.
Crestlawn Park Facility Needs Assessment
On March 7, 2019, the Crestlawn Community Needs Assessment open house was held with the Crestlawn Community (northeast Martin Grove/Langstaff area) to discuss the recreational facility needs related to Crestlawn Park (31 Crestlawn Gate). We are currently working on Crestlawn Community Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan building on the findings of the Open House and suplemental studies. For more information on the Crestlawn Community Needs Assessment Open House, download open house panels here.
Parkland Dedication Guideline Study (PDGS)
This study will provide a framework for modernizing parkland dedication, inform the upcoming Community Benefit Charge Strategy and By-law and will have policy implications with respect to the City's upcoming Official Plan Review. This guiding document will provide a review and update of the City’s current By-Laws for parkland dedication, land conveyance, and payment-in-lieu of parkland. The recommendation from the guidelines will assist and guide the City in developing policies for parkland dedication and acquisition process. For more information, visit vaughan.ca/ParklandDedication.
Greenspace Strategic Plan (GSP)
The Greenspace Strategic Plan is a broad and comprehensive document which will identify and prioritize strategic initiatives, defining the future direction, philosophy, policies, by-laws, guidelines and recommended actions for the provision of City-wide local greenspaces. Greenspaces include areas such as:
- Public parkland, both active and passive
- Pedestrian pathways (open space trails and greenways)
- Natural Heritage Network (tableland, woodland, valleylands, wetlands and open spaces)
The Greenspace Strategic Plan will document the goals and strategies that will shape and guide the planning, design, implementation and management of an integrated greenspace network over the next ten years. It will provide value to natural capital and foster parks and open space synergies through inter-departmental collaboration.
Trail Network Studies
Humber Trail Feasibility Study
This Feasibility Study of the Vaughan Super Trail proposes to complete a critical 7 kilometer gap on the Humber River Trail between Boyd Conservation Area (south) and Steeles Avenue.
For more information, visit vaughan.ca/HumberTrail.
Bartley Smith Greenway Feasibility Study
This Feasibility Study of the Vaughan Super Trail proposes to complete a 3 kilometer critical gap along the Bartley Smith Greenway between Keele Street and McNaughton Road utilizing the recently completed Major Mackenzie Drive underpass.
For more information, visit vaughan.ca/BartleySmith.
Past Projects
2018 Parks Redevelopment Strategy (PRS)
This Parks Redevelopment Strategy (PRS) contains a decision-making framework to establish priorities and ensure that resources are targeted where they are needed most. The Strategy is flexible and locally responsive. It addresses the City’s need to keep pace with its changing demographics and intensifying urban structure by identifying park redevelopment considerations at a neighbourhood and community level. It is the first such study of this type for the City of Vaughan.
The PRS provides guidance for managing the renewal and redevelopment of municipal parks and open space facilities over a 10-year period (2019-2028), and is supported by a fluid implementation plan. The goals of the Strategy are:
- To ensure that the City’s parks and open space facilities continue to be responsive to the current and future needs of Vaughan communities in a responsible and cost effective manner.
- To provide a comprehensive strategy for making investments into the renewal of parks and open space facilities that support an appropriate level of service provision and the City’s commitment to Service Excellence.
Support for the PRS emerged from the 2013 Active Together Master Plan (ATMP), which identified the need to undertake a comprehensive study to guide the renewal and redevelopment of parks and open space facilities. The Strategy is a companion study to the 2018 ATMP Update and aligns with the City’s Service Excellence Plan.
The focus of this strategy is on active parkland that is owned by the City or under long-term agreement for public access. Parkland dedication policies, acquisition strategies, facility needs, maintenance practices and park-specific designs are beyond the scope of the PRS.
The 2018 Parks Redevelopment Strategy (PRS) is downloadable here