The Waterloo Park Master Plan (WPMP) Special Project Task Force (Task Force) was established by Council with the mandate to develop a vision for the 48.5 hectare Waterloo Park (Park) situated in the intensifying heart of Uptown Waterloo. A planning process was developed in collaboration with the University of Waterloo School of Urban and Rural Planning (UW) to establish a community-based planning approach. The 14-member Task Force with the assistance of City staff and the UW have compiled and synthesized an array of background information and community input to make informed decisions about the future of Waterloo Park.
The Task Force has fulfilled their mandate and completed the WPMP. On October 26, Council was presented with the Final Report for the Waterloo Park Master Plan – 2009 (Final Report) that outlines the vision for the long term development of Waterloo Park - a people oriented gathering place for the entire community with venues that offer a variety of unstructured recreational and cultural experiences. Council unanimously endorsed Master Plan and staff are now preparing to move forward with the staged implementation of the proposed design initiatives. An outline of the content of the Final Report is outlined below. If you wish to view the complete report, please go to the Documents Tab.
Key Components of Final Report for the Waterloo Park Master Plan – 2009
1. A summary of the planning process and public consultation efforts undertaken in the delivery of the WPMP with a focus on the feedback received on the Preferred Concept Plan and associated Implementation Strategy.
2. A vision statement and supporting guiding principles and objectives were generated to focus the development of the WPMP. The Preferred Concept Plan and Implementation Strategy was ultimately derived from the application of these focused directives.
3. A design brief that:
4. An Implementation Strategy that allows Council and staff to plan, fund and execute individual project initiatives over an extended period of time that collectively work toward the vision identified for Waterloo Park. The Implementation Strategy allocates specific project initiatives in a comprehensive and fiscally responsible manner within the following three streams.
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Stream 1 is a list of proposed project initiatives to be implemented within the existing 10-year Council endorsed Approved Capital Budget (2008-2010) and Capital Forecast (2011-2017). A capital budget of $1,013,000 is allocated to the Implementation of the Master Plan between 2008 and 2017. Stream 1 involves project initiatives with the highest priority that have a scope and scale that fits within the available capital funding.
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Stream 2 is a list of project initiatives related to broad-based linked projects that may occur within the City/Region before 2017 that impact the Park but do not have any or sufficient capital funding allocated within the current 10-year Capital Budget/Forecast. (i.e. Region of Waterloo Rapid Transit Initiative Light Rail Train system proposed through the Park and initiatives derived from the Recreation and Leisure Services Master Plan skate park, splash pads or trail improvements)
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Stream 3 is a list of project initiatives to be implemented as future capital funds come available beyond the current 10-year capital budget/forecast window or if additional funding can be secured.
The Task Force is recommending a staged increase of the capital budget for the Implementation of the Waterloo Park Master Plan by $50,000 annually for five consecutive years starting in 2011. The Task Force is targeting an annual capital budget of $350,000 by the year 2015.
5. A revised Waterloo Park Committee (WPC) mandate that includes 2 additional members to bring the number of WPC members up to 7.
The figure located below in the document library illustrates the design context of the Preferred Concept Plan. |
