More pickleball courts, no new wading pools in city's recreation plans

The City of Ottawa has set targets for the new recreation facilities and parks it will need to build as the population grows, and it sees far more pickleball courts and splash pads, but no more lawn bowling greens or wading pools.

Many who addressed the community and protective services committee Thursday, however, were most concerned withhow the city would add green space and sports facilitiesin older urban areas under pressure from development, while also meeting the needsofkids in disadvantaged areas.

"The outer rings have both the best school facilities and the best city facilities," said Leo Doyle, pointing to the big, modern recreation facilities in Barrhaven, Kanata and Orlans.

Doyle works with youththrough theOttawa Shooting Stars basketball leagueand saidinner areas are sorely lacking city-owned, standard-sized gymnasiums and sports fields.

The Ontario government requiresthe city to map outthis first-ever master plan for its parks and recreation facilitiesand tie itto its big new official plan.Both final documentswill be voted on by city councillorsin September.

• Neighbourhoods await changes to key city-building plan
• City pools need to up their game, sport council says

Staff took an inventory of 22 types of recreational facilities, from recreation centres to artificial turf fields to skateboard parks, and calculated how many existper capita in various parts of the city.

39 new pickleball courts

The city has now set goals like havingone recreation centre for every 50,000 people, instead ofone for every 43,000.

It's also come up with a list of facilities it hopes to build over the next decade, including:

• a new 50-metre pool
• four community centres
• twoarena ice surfaces
• 36 outdoor ice rinks
• twocricket pitches
• 44 grass sports fields
• six skateboard parks

Staff also see building 39 more pickleball courts. WhileOttawa already far surpasses other Canadian cities when it comes to pickleball amenities, the number of local players is expected to double in the coming years and no other sport attracted as many comments during virtual public meetings.

Many of the targets could yet change, recreation general manager Dan Chenier cautioned, because the city iswaiting for updated population projections from colleagues working on the official plan.

Parkland per person

Some community associations argued the targets should be set at theneighbourhood level, not for vast sectors set out in the future official plan that combineareas as different as Alta Vista and Mechanicsville.

Residents of the City View areajust west of Merivale Road described their lack of parks. The Hintonburg Community Association, meanwhile, said it's nowhere close to meeting the city's goal oftwo hectares of city park per 1,000 residents,andwill end up with even less parkland as more infill development takes place.

"Parks, green space, open space is really vital when you have none of your ownor very little where you live," said Hintonburg's Cheryl Parrott.

Staff explained the city will eventually need to buy property in older areas to deal with their lack of city parks.

After the recreation facilities plan is approved this fall, staffwill come up with ways to acquireland, whetherfrom the city's surplus, real estate purchasesor the repurposing ofexisting facilities.

City staff will holdmore community consultation on its plans for new recreational facilities from now untilmid-June.