Local residents will be able to have their say next year on plans to expand Gellert Community Park in Georgetown South.
The Town bought a 2.8-acre parcel of land from Fernbrook Homes for the addition, just south of the Gellert Community Centre near the corner of Eighth Line and Danby Road.
At this stage, the municipality and the developer are ironing out zoning and Official Plan details to make the park extension possible.
"Detailed design for the park, including public consultation, will occur in 2023," said Director of Parks and Open Spaces Kevin Okimi.
He noted that "some park elements have been identified for the site through past studies, including a full-size multi-purpose court and a neighbourhood level tennis [and] pickleball feature."
The Town is aiming for a 2024 start date for the project and hopes to have it completed by the year after. But this is a moving target as "this timeline is subject to approval by Town Council," said Okimi. The project will be revisited each year at budget season as well. The current forecast puts the cost at $6 million.
Residential homes already exist to the south, east and northeast of the Gellert, and the Norval United Church directly to the south. Across the street is the future Vision Georgetown development, a mammoth plan to add low, mid and high-density homes for approximately 20,000 people on just over 1,000 acres of land.
However, Director of Development Review Jeff Markowiak said the park expansion “is meant to service existing Georgetown residents. It's not something that's been identified in anticipation of Vision Georgetown.”
