Wellesley unveils five concepts for future of old arena and community centre lands

By Galen Simmons

Wellesley Township residents will soon have an opportunity to weigh in on five possible futures for the old Village of Wellesley arena and community centre lands as the township moves into the next phase of its long-term reimagining process.

At its May 12 meeting, Wellesley council received a presentation from GSP Group senior planner and president Steve Wever and senior urban planner Evelyn Thomas outlining five concepts for the former arena lands ranging from a simple open-event space to a large, four-storey mixed-use development with housing, commercial space and community amenities. Council then directed township staff and the consulting team to begin a public-engagement process to gather feedback on each option before a preferred concept is selected.

“There were a number of consistent themes that helped inform the concept-development process,” Wever said, referring to what the planners and township staff heard from area residents as part of the project’s first-phase public engagement process. “There was strong support for maintaining a public and community-oriented focus for the land while preserving flexibility for recreation, events and gathering spaces.

“Residents also emphasized accessibility, site functionality – maintaining adequate parking and circulation – (and) ensuring future development remains compatible with Wellesley’s low-density village character and the surrounding context.”

The concept options are the result of a planning process that began last year after council approved a set of guiding principles informed by extensive public consultation.

Option 1A represents the lowest-intensity redevelopment scenario. Under that concept, the existing arena building would be demolished while the community hall and storage building would remain. The former arena footprint would be converted into a roughly 27,600-square-foot open-event space intended for uses like festivals, markets and seasonal programming. Existing parking and park amenities would largely remain unchanged.

Township staff noted this option would involve the lowest capital investment, though it would also generate limited revenue outside of event rentals and programming.

Option 1B builds on that idea by adding new community-oriented amenities including a 4,000-square-foot library and a 4,800-square-foot daycare while still maintaining a large outdoor-event space and retaining the community hall. Under this option, both the arena and storage building would be removed and parking would be reduced from roughly 232 spaces to about 175 spaces to accommodate the new facilities.

Option 2 would see the complete redevelopment of the site into a municipally led, civic-focused community hub. All existing structures would be demolished and replaced with a new 17,800-square-foot multi-use building housing a cultural centre, library and daycare alongside a large outdoor-event space. The concept would also realign and extend Maple Leaf Street through the site to connect with Catherine Street while incorporating traffic-calming measures. Parking would be reduced to approximately 161 spaces.

The final two concepts introduce mixed-use developments incorporating housing and commercial space alongside community amenities.

Option 3 proposes a three-storey, 57,053-square-foot mixed-use building containing a cultural centre, library, daycare, commercial space and approximately 30 residential units. The concept would maintain many of the site’s community functions while introducing new housing opportunities and additional revenue-generating uses. Parking would be reconfigured and expanded to provide approximately 213 spaces, and access to the site would be available from Maple Leaf Street, Brown Street and Catherine Street.

Option 4 represents the highest-intensity redevelopment proposal with a four-storey, 85,265-square-foot mixed-use building containing the same community amenities as Option 3, reduced commercial space and approximately 60 residential units. Parking would increase to approximately 281 spaces through a reconfiguration and expansion of the existing parking areas.

According to the report, this option offers the greatest long-term revenue potential and financial sustainability.

A comparison summary included with the report notes Options 1A and 1B would remain fully township owned and operated while Options 3 and 4 would likely require partnerships with private developers.

“As we move from a variety of options to trying to determine a preferred direction, it may borrow bits and pieces from each of these, or it may look like a short-term plan evolving to a long-term plan,” Wever said. “Certainly (you could) do some of the things in Options 3 and 4, for example, in a longer-term context, while only doing Option 1 or 2 at the beginning.

“So, these can build on each other, recognizing Option 4 would take a lot more planning and capital and partnership and agreement and those kinds of things to come together, versus there are some quick wins – taking the arena building down, opening the site up for more open space, those kinds of things.

Public engagement on the concepts began online May 13 through the township’s Engage WR platform at www.engagewr.ca/reimaging-wellesley-arena-and-community-centre-lands.

Two public open houses are also scheduled for May 19 at the Bill Gies Recreation Centre and May 21 at the St. Clements Community Centre, both beginning at 6:30 p.m. Feedback gathered through those sessions and online will be used to refine the concepts before a preferred option is brought back to council at a later date along with recommendations on implementation and financial feasibility.

“We’re planning for the future with this,” Mayor Joe Nowak said. “ … We are expanding and I think it’s important that somehow that’s reflected and we’re not just planning for today, we’re planning for the future as well. I think that’s really important.”

“I’ve been excited to see this one coming forward and I think we’re on a good path,” Coun. Derek Brick added. “ … I really to do hope that the public picks it up. I like the concepts in that they’re simple, they’re understandable and they’re a really good start.”