Wellesley council approves guiding principles for redevelopment or repurposing of old Wellesley arena and community centre

Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wellesley council has approved a set of 10 guiding principles that will help the township’s consultants move ahead with developing between two and three options for the future use of the property on which the old Village of Wellesley arena and community centre currently sit.

At its Oct. 14 committee of the whole meeting, councillors heard from GSP group president and senior planner Steve Wever, who presented the findings of recent public engagement around what residents would like to see the township do with the old arena and community centre now than that new Wellesley Recreation Complex is open and fully operational.

“The overall purpose of step 1 for this process is really to lay the foundation for coming up with some options in the next step,” Wever said. “Before we get into starting to draw things on the map or identifying some potential layout options or repurposing of the site or buildings, we really wanted to get back to the basics of what are the principles, what are the overall words and phrases people use for creating a vision for guiding the future use of the land.”

According to Wever, the planning consultants from GSP group conducted an exhaustive consultation that included feedback from an online survey with 406 responses, two open houses with a total of 80 attendees, 78 online comments and consultations with more than 10 local stakeholder organizations. Those who attended the Wellesley Backyard BBQ in June were also consulted.

The majority of the respondents to the online survey and attendees at the open houses, Wever later told council, live within the Village of Wellesley and in the neighbourhood adjacent to the community centre and arena.

Based on the results of the public-engagement process, Wever told councillors the majority of those who provided feedback were strongly opposed to the township selling the land and buildings, and strongly in support of public, recreation or community uses for the site. Locals also indicated they’d like to see the arena and community centre preserved as festival and event space, and they’d like to see year-round, community-focused mixed uses at the site with space for amenities like a library, child-care centre and seniors’ or youth programming among others.

Additionally, those who provided feedback said they wanted to see any new or existing buildings on the site designed or repurposed with accessibility in mind, that parking and operations onsite support use of the adjacent parkland and baseball diamonds, and that the site be operated sustainably and efficiently from a financial perspective.

From that feedback, Wever presented the following guiding principles for the site’s potential redevelopment, should council choose to move ahead:

• Public stewardship and recreation-led use: Keep the lands in public ownership and prioritize outdoor public, recreational and community uses; repurpose existing assets where feasible.

• Community-oriented, inclusive and safe: Design and program the site to reflect Wellesley’s community spirit; ensure it is welcoming and comfortable for all ages and abilities.

• Universal accessibility by design: Integrate accessibility from the outset, including continuous barrier-free paths, accessible entries, seating, washrooms and parking so all users can navigate and enjoy the site independently.

• Year-round activation and everyday use: Plan for four seasons and balance major events with daily, informal use. Provide durable surfaces, weather protection and amenities that support regular community activity.

• Distinct and complementary community amenities: Provide community and cultural amenities that add to, rather than duplicate, township recreation services centralized at the Wellesley Township Recreation Complex.

• Community-serving housing: Limit residential uses to small-scale, village-appropriate forms that address local needs and co-locate ground-floor community services where appropriate.

• Height, massing and village fit: Shape any new or retained buildings to reinforce Wellesley’s small-scale character and to respect adjacent parks and neighbours through sensitive height, massing and transitions.

• Access, parking and operations for events: Maintain sufficient onsite parking and efficient circulation to support adjacent ball diamonds, splash pad, playground and major events while improving walking and cycling access.

• Financial responsibility and operational realism: Advance options that are feasible to build, operate and maintain over their full lifecycle. Avoid duplicative capital or operating burdens and focus resources where they deliver the greatest public benefit.

• Community first partnerships and co-location: Where appropriate, co-locate community-serving uses (i.e. library, daycare, youth/seniors’ hubs) to activate the site and meet local needs, with clear agreements that protect public access and community-first programming.

With these guiding principles in mind, Wever said GSP group would begin developing two to three concepts for the future of the arena and community centre lands that would then be presented to the public and council for feedback and revised or combined if necessary. A preferred concept will likely be presented to council for a final decision by the end of summer or early fall next year, prior to the current council entering its “lame duck” period ahead of the township’s October municipal election.

Wever also noted that the proposed concepts for consideration would likely incorporate options for repurposing one or both of the existing buildings on this site, building new, or a combination of repurposing and building new.

“Based on your report, it seemed to me that there was not one item that really stood out that people absolutely had to have,” Mayor Joe Nowak said. “I mean, a lot of the percentages (of people in support or opposition) were in the 50 or 55 range for various options. Do you not think this is going to make it awfully difficult for this council to make a decision when the time comes?”

“That’s a good point; there wasn’t a lot of answers that were in the 80 or 90 per cent where everybody aligned in the same direction,” Wever responded. “There is a bit of a split in the community around the future opportunities and how the site should be reused in the future. So, we’re not going to please everybody with the plan that we ultimately come up with. Hopefully, though, we can narrow that down more specifically once we start to use images and plans and show them what the various options could look like.”