Grimsby Parks Master Plan.

The Town of Grimsby Parks Master Plan identifies where parks and park facilities should be located, when they will be needed and how they will be funded. It gives Council and staff clear, action-oriented recommendations to 2035, and is meant to be a living document reviewed each year.

The Town is expected to grow by about 5,600 people over the next decade, mostly through intensification in the urban area and around the new GO station. Without new land, parkland provision would fall from 3.05 to 2.59 hectares per 1,000 residents. The Plan sets a target of 17 hectares of new parkland by 2035 and recommends at least one larger parcel for grouped sports fields.

Grimsby's vision is a community connected through vibrant park spaces. The Plan builds on it with an updated parkland classification, including a new urban square type for downtown, and recommends Southward, Centennial, Forty Creek and Casablanca Waterfront parks as candidates for regional parks. It covers environmentally centred park planning, accessibility, park activation, scheduled sport facilities, casual-use amenities such as splash pads, courts, pump tracks and disc golf, and a dog park strategy.

Site-specific recommendations are set out for about 48 parks, with costs phased over short, mid and long term. The Plan also includes a draft parkland dedication by-law that responds to Bill 23.

thinc design led the Plan with Mehak, Kelly & Associates, RFA Planning Consultant and Oraclepoll Research, from spring 2024 to February 2026.