City of Guelph and GRCA partnering on future of 126.16 acres along Niska Road

The City of Guelph and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) are working on an agreement for the transfer of 126.16 acres of land along Niska Road. Today, the GRCA Board gave direction to proceed with working towards an agreement for the City to purchase the land for $756,960. The City intends to use the parkland reserve fund to make the purchase, furthering the objectives in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Park Plan and Future Guelph Strategic Plan.

In working towards the land transfer agreement, the City asked the GRCA to commit a portion of the land sale funds to trail development, in recognition of the City’s historical financial contribution to the land assembly. The GRCA Board has approved the contribution of up to $350,000 from the GRCA’s Master Plans reserve fund to be used for trail construction and restoration work as a demonstration of its resolve to honour the commitments in the Niska Landholdings Management Plan and conserving the environmental features on these lands.

The expected land purchase includes:

• 101.41 acres north of Niska Road, including the site of the former Frank Kortright Waterfowl Management Area and extending City-owned land from Crane Park down to Niska Road; and
• 24.75 acres of Natural Heritage System south of Niska Road.

The purchase does not include the agricultural field zoned for residential development south of Niska Road.

As part of the GRCA’s $350,000 contribution towards trail and improvement work, the GRCA and the City intend to enter into an agreement, which will include the establishment of a joint working group involving members of the public.

This group will build on the community interest and history of great advocacy work, guiding the implementation of recreational trails and restoration projects.

Figure 1: Proposed land acquisition outlined in yellow. Shaded areas indicate other City-owned property.

“This planned land acquisition is very exciting for the City,” says Gene Matthews, General Manager of Parks. “As our community grows, we need to increase the amount of park space available so there’s room for everyone to enjoy the outdoors and reap the many benefits of spending time outside and in nature. The Niska lands are a great space because they bring Natural Heritage System land, trail network expansion and space for a future community park into our parkland system. That’s great news for the community, no matter how you like to enjoy the outdoors.”

“We’re looking forward to working through the acquisition with our partners at the Grand River Conservation Authority. Thank you to the GRCA for their world-class environmental stewardship and their perpetual support of the Guelph community and our outdoor spaces.”

“The transfer of most of the GRCA’s Niska Landholdings to the City of Guelph is an important step in realizing the main objectives behind the recommendations in the Niska Landholdings Management Plan,” says Joel Doherty, GRCA Director of Conservation Lands. “We applaud the City for valuing the benefits of spending time outdoors for its residents and for its commitment to conserving these natural lands.”

“We look forward to working collaboratively with the City and the community to plan the implementation of trails and to help ensure that the key natural features and habitat at Niska are conserved.”

“Today’s announcement is wonderful news for Guelph,” says Mayor Cam Guthrie. “This is a significant amount of parkland that we need for our growing city. The land transfer agreement is a product of the great work done by the GRCA, the City and our passionate community. I also wish to thank Council who has taken this opportunity seriously for quite some time, which has led us to today’s announcement. I look forward to the partnerships continuing to shape this park space into a key community feature for all to enjoy.”

"Our Board's decision to move forward with this agreement, reflects our commitment to the collaborative relationship with the City of Guelph and the conservation of the natural features and habitat on these lands," says John Challinor II, GRCA Chair. "We look forward to working with our partners at the City and the Guelph community to help ensure these lands are enhanced and reopened to the public, serving the City's residents for generations to come."

More parkland for a growing Guelph

The expanding Guelph community means a need for more parkland. The City is currently working through the creation of a Parkland Acquisition Strategy and an update to the Parkland Dedication Bylaw to make sure reasonable parkland targets are in place. The strategy and bylaw also identify the tools the City has for acquiring new parkland. The planned purchase of the Niska land using the City’s parkland reserve fund is possible because of cash-in-lieu contributions to the fund, given during development when the developers are unable to give parkland directly.

Parkland plans and timelines

The completion of the land purchase will take place over the next few months and is just the beginning of potential future development of the park space. No specific budget or timelines are associated with park creation on the property currently, but the land coming into City ownership is the first step in planning for that goal. The City anticipates:

• quickly starting work on partnering with the GRCA and community groups to restore access to former trails through the property, in line with the City’s Official Plan,
• future budget planning for:

• community engagement,
• park space development and amenity design and construction

While the final form of the new park is years away, there will be plenty of opportunities for the Guelph community to guide what takes shape. The latest project information can be found on the City’s website.

Resources

• Niska parkland (City of Guelph)
• Parkland Acquisition Strategy and Parkland Dedication Bylaw update Have Your Say page
• Parks and Recreation Master Plan (City of Guelph)
• Park Plan (City of Guelph)
• Official Plan (City of Guelph)
• Future Guelph Strategic Plan (City of Guelph)
• Niska Landholdings (GRCA)
• Niska Landholdings Management Plan (GRCA)

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Media contacts:

Strategic Communications 
communications@guelph.ca 
City of Guelph

Strategic Communications
communications@grandriver.ca
Grand River Conservation Authority