The City is building a new Community Recreation Centre (CRC) in the Don Mills corridor communities, located at 844 Don Mills Rd., near the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road. This facility and the new park that will be developed beside the CRC, were secured by the City as part of the approval of the Celestica development proposal in June 2018.
The timeline is subject to change.
This project has been classified as a Collaborate project based on the International Association of Public Participation‘s Public Participation Spectrum. This means we aim to partner with the public, stakeholders and rightsholders in each aspect of the design process, including the development of design options and the identification of a preferred design.
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During this phase of the community engagement process, the City worked with residents and community stakeholders, including the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), to define an overall vision for the new Community Recreation Centre (CRC). This phase also included opportunities to collect feedback to shape the Design Principles and Big Moves for the CRC, which will guide the development of design options in Community Engagement Phase 2.
On March 22, 2023, an in-person public youth meeting took place for youth ages 15 to 24 to learn about the project and the opportunity to be a Youth Ambassador.
From March 10 to March 21, 2023, an online application was available for youth ages 15 to 24 interested in applying to be a Youth Ambassador for the community engagement and design process. Youth Ambassadors will represent the interests and needs of local residents within their respective neighbourhoods and communities.
On March 7, 2023, a meeting took place to share project information, create a shared community vision and gather feedback on the draft Design Principles and Big Moves from some of the City’s local Urban Indigenous community members.
On March 3, 2023, the CAC did a site tour at York Recreation Centre to learn about the successful programming and best practices that could be considered for the Don Mills CRC.
From December 15 to February 5, 2023, an online survey collected feedback on visioning questions and insights on preferred program options for the CRC.
On February 1, 2023, the first CAC meeting took place at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute to introduce the project to CAC members and obtain input on the draft Vision, Design Principles, and Big Moves.
On December 15, 2022, a meeting took place to share information about the project and an opportunity for community members to submit their application for the CAC.
From November 25 to December 18, 2022, an online form was available for those interested in applying to be on the Community Advisory Committee (CAC).
On July 6, 2022, the project team met with City recreation staff to share best practices from existing community recreation centres in the community and across the City.
On September 13, 2021, North York Community Council will consider the results of the Public and Community Needs Scan of the Broader Don Mills Catchment Area to support an exploration of alternative uses for the site at 966 Don Mills Rd.
On July 16, 2019, City Council approved the Preferred Facility CRC and directed the City to proceed with the development of a comprehensive community engagement process to design, plan and develop the new CRC.
During this phase of the community engagement process, the City and the design consultant will work off of the outcomes of Phase 1 to develop two design options (called concept options) for the Community Recreation Centre (CRC). These will be presented to the community for feedback, with the input collected used to develop a preferred design for the CRC.
Anticipated Community Engagement Activities in this phase:
Anticipated phase outcomes include the selection of a preferred design option.
During this phase of the community engagement process, the City will share the preferred design option with the community. Once the preferred design is confirmed, the project will move into the detail design phase, where the design team will finalize the preferred design by working through the technical details and developing detailed plans and drawings to be used by the construction contractor.
Anticipated Community Engagement Activities in this phase include:
Anticipated phase outcomes include a refined preferred design.
A new Community Recreation Centre (CRC) is coming to the Don Mills community, near the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road.
This large, integrated, and multi-component facility will offer the diverse and growing communities of the Don Mills Corridor and beyond a range of year-round programs and services. Located at the former Celestica Lands site at 844 Don Mills Rd., the new CRC will be next to a new large park and all within walking distance of a planned Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (ECLRT) station and is part of the ongoing implementation of the Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan.
The proposed CRC will include:
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In early 2019, community and stakeholder engagements were conducted to determine the CRC location that would best meet community needs. Two location options were presented to the community.
The results indicated that locating a large ‘one-stop’ community recreation centre with arena, aquatics facilities, full gymnasium and multipurpose room uses at the former Celestica Lands (844 Don Mills Road) was preferable to two separate facilities.
Based on the outcomes of the 2019 community engagement and recommendations by City staff, City Council directed the City to proceed with the Preferred Facility on the former Celestica Lands site.
The community engagement and design process for the Don Mills CRC will consider only the amenities, programs and services within the CRC located on the former Celestica Lands.
Separate community engagement processes will be held for the design and programming of the one-hectare park next to the Don Mills CRC.