Carrville Community Centre

The City’s Active Together Master Plan is a long-range planning study for parks, recreation and library facilities. Through the study that created the plan, current needs and future facility provision strategies were identified. Consistent with Vaughan’s commitment to providing safe, accessible, and community-responsive parks and facilities that appeal to a wide range of interests and abilities, a need for a community gathering space like this was identified and further planning and research began.

In May 2019, a Functional Programming and Planning Study for the project was completed, and, combined with survey responses and feedback from a public engagement session held in 2017, the Functional Program for a community centre, library and district park was developed.

The Carrville/Block 11 project site, purchased by the City of Vaughan in 2010, is a 7.53-hectare parcel of land located within Block 11 on Vaughan’s eastern border.  The boundaries for Block 11 are Major Mackenzie Drive (north), Rutherford Road (south), Bathurst Street (east), and Dufferin Street (west).  The project site is defined by Major Mackenzie Drive (north), Valley Vista Drive (south), Thomas Cook Avenue (west) and TRCA-regulated valley lands and associated watercourse (east).

A Request for Proposal (RFP) for Design and Contract Administration Services for a new Community Centre, Library, and District Park closed in September 2019 and the award of contract occurred in December 2019.  The architectural firm of Perkins & Will were awarded the contract and lead a group of sub-consultants to form the overall Design Consulting Team.  The landscape architectural firm is MBTW

We see the following as measures of success for the project:

• Welcoming to All – inclusive of all generations, genders and cultures
• Strong Placemaking – common spaces that support community activities
• A Vibrant Park – a range of park experiences
• Higher Sustainability – strive for a better relationship with the environment
• Best Value – provide an enduring civic investment
• A Healthy Community - support pursuit of well-being in a post COVID-19 world 

The total building gross floor area (GFA) of the community centre and library will be approximately 92,000 sq.ft.

The overall area of the district park will be approximately 4.1 hectares.

The proposed building program components include:

• Branch Neighbourhood Library
• Aquatics and Change Rooms
• Fitness
• Gymnasium
• Track
• Multi-purpose Rooms
• Support and Administration
• Partner spaces
• Exterior Ice and Park Change Rooms

The proposed district park program components include:

• Open Space
• Tennis Courts
• Basketball Court
• Playground
• Water Play
• Skate Trail
• Active Zone
• Trails / Shade/ Seating areas
• Fitness and Activity area

The Archdiocese of Toronto owns a 2.22-hectare parcel of land which adjoins the project site in the north-west corner.  Plans for a new Roman Catholic parish on this land are underway. 

The City’s corporate green building policy supports a minimum LEED Gold Certification for this Project. The Project will explore strategies and certifications beyond this level of performance to reflect the latest in climate science and demonstrate the City’s commitment to sustainable leadership. The Project will be designed to some of the following sustainability highlights: energy efficiency; higher indoor air quality, options for travelling to the site that are environmentally friendly, water conservation, on-site renewable energy (solar panels), low-impact design (L.I.D) site design.

The Project will look to exceed the minimum accessibility requirements as set forth in applicable codes and regulations to demonstrate the City’s commitment to accessibility leadership.  The project will aim to achieve the Gold Certification Level with the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) program.

The community centre, library & district park will provide an intergenerational environment that allows patrons of all ages the opportunity to remain active participants in the community.  Building and park components will be zoned for multi-generational use through flexibility and adjacencies.

There will be good pedestrian and transit connectivity to the project site.  On-site parking lots will be provided for cars.  Bicycle racks will be located near main entrances.

Trails will be provided within the district park and provide opportunities for connectivity through Block 11 and north to Block 12 to connect to existing trails.  The trails within the district park will not only serve the park but be future proofed for opportunities to connect west, south and north across the valley or major streets.  The trail locations will follow recommendations found in both the 2019 Pedestrian Master Plan and Block Plans.

In response to the current pandemic, the building will be designed to accommodate changing perceptions of social distance and expectations of hygiene in public spaces. Although access to a completed building is expected in about three years, the City believes that it should be designed to accommodate a post pandemic society. This will involve striving to address the following design guidelines:

• Design room occupancy to accommodate increased social distancing
• Ensure pathways and exits provide ample space for passage and protection of personal space
• Outfit the building with touchless fixtures and door operators wherever possible
• Investigate options for improved mechanical and electrical systems  
• Create a range of seating options that support social distancing.

The overall project is being designed simultaneously and the intent is to have the community centre, library & district park all constructed simultaneously.

The current projection for completion of design and construction is 2024.

As with any major construction project which abuts municipal streets, there will be some level of disruption along both Thomas Cook Avenue and Valley Vista Drive at select times during the construction period.  All efforts to minimize disruption to the community and to ensure that peak traffic times are minimally affected will be undertaken.

The floor area of the library is approximately 8,500 square feet.

The location and layout of parking areas on the park site have been established at primary building entrances, to provide safe, continuous, direct, and efficient pedestrian pathways to the main entrance of the Community Centre, Library and District Park amenity areas. Pedestrian access routes and circulation has been designed to minimise pedestrian and bicycle interactions with vehicles, thereby reducing potential instances of conflict. Pedestrian routes to parking area are barrier-free, paved, well marked and well lit. Landscape planting has been incorporated into the parking lot design in order to define pedestrian routes and provide buffer to vehicular routes, without obstructing sightlines for pedestrians or motorists. The parking lots and associated pedestrian routes will be maintained in the wintertime to reduce risk associated with winter driving conditions or slips, trips, and falls.

The water for the splash pad will not be heated.

There will not be an indoor skating rink. There will be an outdoor skating trail with a proposed length of approximately 200 linear metres.

The indoor pool space will include two pool tanks in order to properly accommodate the wide range of aquatic experiences. There will be a 6-lane x 25m lane pool with ramp access and range in depth from 1m to 3m. This pool will allow the City to program lessons, aquarobics, competitive training and open pubic swims.

The lane tank will be complimented by a leisure/therapy tank which is at shallower levels ranging from 750mm to 1.5m. The tank will be designed to encourage access into the water through broad teaching steps and an accessible ramp. Within the tank there will be a bench with therapy jets for relaxing prior to and after lessons. The open body of water can accommodate of activities including learn to swim lessons, therapy sessions and open public swims. This pool will be kept at warmer temperature than the lane pool.

Yes - There will be a shade structure in the active area of the park as well as benches near shade trees.

For the stretch of Major Mackenzie Drive West, between Bathurst St and Dufferin St and there is currently no proposed roadwork scheduled between 2019 and 2028. Widening of the roadway would be needed to accommodate any type of pedestrian facility in the vicinity of Major Mackenzie Drive where space over top of the creek crossing is limited (between Via Romano Blvd/Ilan Ramon Blvd and Thomas Cook Ave). In addition, when sidewalk is constructed on a Regional road, streetlighting is also required.

Local Off-Leash Dog parks are currently not a standard level of service offered by the City at this time and therefore has not been identified at this location.

The City is currently working on developing a Local Off-Leash Dog Area Strategy which started in September 2019. Through the study, the City collected feedback from residents through various engagement activities including workshops, pop-ups, surveys as well as direct feedback from residents. The City reviewed several pilot locations and narrowed these down to the top eight sites based on site-specific features to the ones that best matched criteria and what residents said was important to them. A report to Council with recommendations will be presented in in Q1 of 2021 during which staff will highlight feedback heard from the community. A key requirement to advance any proposed pilot location is to maintain local off-leash dog area stewards, adopting pilot sites in their community. If City Council approves the recommendation of the pilot sites, the next step is to develop the Stewardship Program, develop detailed designs and begin implementation. Through this pilot program if additional sites that meet the criteria are identified with a strong community support and commitment, these sites will be reviewed against the selection criteria developed for local off leash dog areas.

The community centre will offer facilities and amenities for all ages and abilities. Facilities will include two indoor pools, Fitness studios, Indoor Walking Track with Strength Training stations, Gymnasium and Youth space, Meeting Rooms, Branch neighbourhood library and a future Daycare space. Outdoor facilities will include a Splash Pad, Outdoor skating trail, walking trails around the perimeter of the park, tennis courts, a basketball court, a pump track, change facilities with washrooms, hard surface pads for outdoor fitness and a large green space for outdoor events.

Trails within the District Park are designed to connect between destinations within the park site, as well as to connect between the park site and the adjacent neighborhood. The primary consideration for the design and construction of park trails has been the safety, comfort, and security of trail users. A hierarchy of trails has been established to respond to the context of each route including the location within the park, the anticipated volume of trail users, modes of travel (i.e. pedal bikes, walking, wheelchair, scooter, etc.), and amenities along each route.

The proposed length of the Skating Trail is approximately 200 linear metres.

One of the three tennis courts will be lined for Pickleball courts. The City is currently working on developing a Pilot Pickleball program with the intention to engage residents in 2021 to gain insights regarding general interest and demand to play pickleball in the City of Vaughan and to better understand the required and desired facility specifications. The pilot program will help inform future programming and management of pickleball facilities introduced across the City.

There will be an ice-skating trail and associated change room included. Park pathways (where mechanical plows are permissible) will be plowed for winter use.

Table Tennis will be accommodated either through a room set up and based on demand with consideration given to a set up in the Gymnasium.

Existing YRT transit services operate along Major Mackenzie Drive in the vicinity of the project site. Future YRT transit services are planned to operate along Thomas Cook Avenue in the vicinity of the North-East corner of the Thomas Cook Avenue and Valley Vista Drive intersection.

Yes - The tennis courts will be lit to allow for nighttime tennis.

Small groups of 4 to 5 people are allowed.  Any group picnics will require a permit, and there is no barbequing allowed.  

Yes - There will be a shade structure in the active area of the park as well as benches near shade trees.

Older Adult programming will be planned and delivered based on community needs. Some possible examples include pickle ball, group walking club, and outdoor fitness classes.

Soccer field and baseball diamond are not included.

Wi-Fi will be available inside the building.

The project is being designed to achieve LEED Gold Certification but there is a serious intent to achieve more than LEED certification levels. This may require incorporation of renewable energy sources such as Photovoltaic panels.

There is a very small portion of the site (North-East corner) that fronts onto Major Mackenzie Drive.  The combination of site topography in this area, existing vegetation and physical dimension, does not allow for any vehicular access onto the project site from Major Mackenzie Drive.

The plan has been designed to allow for future community garden plots be developed should there be an interest in the community and a possible Garden Coordinator before a garden is established. For more information please visit Community Gardens

The presentation is available for viewing at the following location: vaughan.ca/CarrvilleCC

Please continue to visit the project website – vaughan.ca/CarrvilleCC - on a frequent basis for project updates.