Southwest Community Centre and Park

The City of Brantford is proceeding with the new Southwest Community Centre and Park (formerly known as the Southwest Sports Complex Project). There are two components to this development which will be built in conjunction - a joint build facility between the City of Brantford and the Grand Erie District School Board (GEDSB) and the construction of a new City of Brantford Community Park.  

The Joint Build portion of this project is located on 7.2 acres at the intersection of Shellard Lane and Strickland Avenue and will include a community centre, a library, a gymnasium and multi-purpose rooms for shared use with a new elementary school. 

The park site, which will also be accessible from Shellard Lane and Strickland Avenue, will be developed as a 24-acre community park. This new park, will be the largest in the southwestern part of the city.

New community park elements will include: 

• Internal access roads and parking
• On-site storm water management
• A quality regulation sized tournament cricket pitch
• A regulation sized artificial turf soccer field
• A fully serviced cricket field house and soccer field house with change rooms, washrooms, and a concession stand
• Five pickleball courts (two accessible courts)
• Skate park
• Disk golf
• A paved refrigerated multi-use court for all season use (basketball and skating)
• A network of paved walking trails that provide a variety of experiences, and neighbourhood connections
• Boardwalk connection to the eastern side of the park from McGuiness Drive
• A splash pad with shade structure
• Accessible playground with rubberized surfacing
• Park user amenities such as seating, bike parking, signage, lighting etc.
• Picnic and shade shelters
• Open lawn areas for unstructured play
• Enhanced planting in specific areas with interpretive opportunities
• A fully serviced Parks Department maintenance facility and yard
• Trail connection to the CN Rail Trail

An overview of the Southwest Community Park Concept Plan is shown in the image below.

Number legend for photo shown above

internal drive lane vehicle parking including accessible parking stalls and provisions for future electrical vehicle charging stations maintenance building and yard activity hub and soccer field house building cricket field house building spectator bleachers artificial turf soccer field cricket field splash pad accessible playground basketball court and skating rink pickleball courts with shade shelter and bench seating opportunities shade sails and picnic pavilion skatepark future disk golf course boardwalk connection future trail connection flexible open space park name sign cricket batting cages

Colour legend for photo shown above

dark grey zones indicate Asphalt paving light grey zones indicate concrete paving light green zones indicate lawn/sod orange zones indicate accessible playground blue zig zag zones indicated splash pad area pink spotted zones indicate feature treatment kite zone indicate shade sails blue rectangle zones indicate shade shelter brown dotted line indicate boardwalk connection larger dark dotted lines indicate future trail connection black small dotted line indicates a black vinyl chain link fence

Site design

The City of Brantford’s Parks Design and Development Team are leading this project. In March of 2023, Landscape Architects Landscape Planning Limited were retained to lead a multi-disciplinary team to provide the conceptual and detailed design for the park and work is now getting underway. A Public Information Centre was held on September 27, 2023 to present the design ideas and obtain feedback from residents.  

Activity Hub Concept Plan

 An overview of the following image is a concept drawing of the Southwest Community Park activity hub which includes a splash pad, an accessible playground, shade structures, a ‘sun deck’ with lounge chairs, raised plant beds, paved concrete pathway with new tree plantings, and a parking lot with accessible stalls.

Number legend for photo shown above

Accessible playground Splash pad Shade sails 'Sun Deck' with lounge chairs Parking lot with accessible parking stalls Raised plant beds

Colour legend for photo shown above

dark grey zones indicate Asphalt paving light grey zones indicate concrete paving light green zones indicate lawn/sod orange zones indicate accessible playground blue zig zag zones indicated splash pad area beige zones indicate unit paving purple brick-like zones indicate stamped concrete paving black small dotted line indicates a black vinyl chain link fence

Pickleball and multi-use courts

The photo shown below reflects an overview of the pickleball and multi-use court. This includes three tournament play pickleball courts and two accessible pickleball courts, spectator bleachers, shade shelters and a multi-use court (basketball and ice-skating).  There will also be paved concrete pathways with new tree plantings connecting each feature, and a paved asphalt pathway connection to the Activity Hub and soccer field house and the cricket pitch.

Number legend for photo shown above

Tournament play pickleball courts accessible play pickleball courts spectator bleachers shade shelter multi-use court (basketball and skating rink)

Colour legend for photo shown above

dark grey zones indicate Asphalt paving light grey zones indicate concrete paving light green zones indicate lawn/sod

Building renderings

The photos below is of an overview of two buildings included in the Southwest Community Park Concept Plan.

Building #1 is the Activity Hub and Soccer Field House. This building is located as a central feature between the multi-use court, the accessible playground, parking lot, and soccer field. Features of the building include a concession stand, washroom facilities, team change rooms, and a referee change room.

Building #2 is the Cricket Field house, located on the southeast edge of the cricket field. This building includes washroom facilities, an officials change room and team change rooms.

Aerial video

Completed and on-going work

Much has been accomplished. Most of the following work may not visible, but is required before construction can begin.

• Detailed surveys and geotechnical investigations have been completed
• An Environmental Impact Study (EIS) researching flora and fauna as well as documenting water levels and quality of water on the site has been completed and has been reviewed by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and the COB Engineering Department
• A preliminary Stormwater Management Plan has been completed and has been reviewed by both the GRCA and the COB Engineering Department to ensure that storm water capture can be accommodated in the most efficient and environmentally effective manner
• The 2016 Traffic Impact Study has being updated
• Meetings and communications with other internal departments, and the Joint Build Development Team continues to be done to review project objectives and discuss site servicing, roads and integration of the park site into the overall property continue

Archaeological investigations

An archaeological investigation was completed on the site prior to any construction work beginning.

Timeline of next steps 

• Tendering of the final design early 2024
• Construction scheduled to begin in Spring of 2024
• Construction scheduled to be completed in Fall of 2026

How to get involved

If you would like to participate in this exciting project, or have questions and would like further information, please feel free to contact the following project team members.

Dave Zimmer
Designated Project Manager
Parks Design and Development, City of Brantford
226-287-2009 | dzimmer@brantford.ca

Trevvor Whitehead
Coordinator of Parks Design and Development
Engineering Services, City of Brantford
519-761-8168 | twhitehead@brantford.ca

Accessible format request

Accessible formats and communication supports can be made available upon request. For more information about accessible formats please contact, the City of Brantford Accessibility Coordinator at accessibility@brantford.ca.