With a snowstorm pommelling southern Ontario and a near-empty council chamber, Innisfil council heard a presentation of the proposed master plan for a revamped Innisfil Beach Park.
The master plan calls for more trees and fewer parking lots, but also for more built infrastructure, floating docks, restaurants, skatepark and BMX track, leash-free dog park and commercial development within the approximately 70 acre park on Lake Simcoe.
Residents have been asked to provide their input in the next two to three weeks, even though the final document isn't expected back before council until the end of April.
“I would urge people to go through it. It’s going to be the document that’s going to guide us for many years,” said Mayor Lynn Dollin, addressing the empty chamber. “Tell us what you don’t like, but tell us what you do like.”
The meeting was being streamed live on YouTube. Monitoring showed that 17 people were watching the proceedings as they aired.
Ward Councillor Donna Orsatti, who chairs the Innisfil Beach Park ad hoc committee, expressed concern with the document.
“Looking at this report, a lot went through my mind,” said the councillor.
While she acknowledged the amount of work that has gone into the report, Orsatti suggested that the comments she had heard from constituents, residents and the public, at open houses and meetings, “got lost in translation” and were ignored.
“Our residents have told us consistently that they want this park to be for residents,” Orsatti said.
While she supported the proposal to plant more trees, create new natural buffers, gardens and seating, Orsatti called the vision as presented “an Innisfil theme park.”
The report, prepared by 'vision maker' and policy planner Gaelen Pierce, seeks to present “a bold, long-term vision for the revitalization of Innisfil’s largest urban park,” addressing congestion, over-crowding, and the “underutilization of large swaths of land,” to create a more accessible and pedestrian-oriented space.
The report talks of creating “a mixture of naturalized and urbanized open space landscapes,” of planting up to 1,000 new trees over the next 20 years, and introducing public art in open spaces.
The master plan also proposes dividing Innisfil Beach Park into five distinct areas:
Beaches Place: This is defined as the lakeshore, north of Bonsecours Creek, where the majority of the park’s popular beaches are located. The plan proposes a new plaza area, with seating and food options, including food trucks and kiosks, and an enlarged and accessible washroom with change rooms and rinsing showers. The report also calls for extension of the beaches by an additional 15 to 30 metres, building the beaches back into the park, and requiring the current walkway to be relocated. A large floating pier is proposed at one end of the new plaza.
Youth Place: The existing Operations Centre would be transformed into an indoor youth centre, for youth-oriented programs. A skatepark and BMX pumptrack are also proposed, within 200 metres of existing homes. The plan calls for a new Operations Centre to be built adjacent to the water treatment plant, requiring new internal road connections. A road exiting onto 25 Sideroad, just north of the treatment plant, is also proposed.
Neighbourhood Place: Currently the interior of the park, where soccer pitches and tennis courts are located, the area is far from the waterfront. Proposals include a pavilion for special events and weddings, a landscaped area with seating, firepits and outdoor gathering space. The area is described as providing amenities “particularly for residents of Innisfil.” A fenced off-leash dog area is also proposed, along with a community garden, and an outdoor kitchen.
Gateway Place and Gateway Hills Place: The southern portion of the park, south of Bonsecours Creek and west of the entrance. The eastern half, Gateway Hills, would be developed as a family area, with artificial toboggan hills, splash pad and picnic areas – and a central plaza, where food trucks and kiosks would be located. Gateway Place, at the corner of Innisfil Beach Road and 25 Sideroad would be the site of two to six storey low-rise mixed-use Residential/Institutional and possible commercial use.
Event Place: Also called “The Port of Innisfil.” Plans for the area, in the vicinity of the current boat launch, include a large open square for cultural events, concerts and festivals, and a floating dock to accommodate 100 slips. Plans have been scaled back from the huge dock area originally proposed, that would have blocked off the beaches; instead the slips are located entirely on the south side of the point – close to the intake for the Lakeshore Water Treatment Plant.
A long-term plan calls for decommissioning of the boat launch at Innisfil Beach Park, once a suitable alternate location has been found. The Port of Innisfil would also include at least two permanent restaurants “double fronted to take advantage of the shoreline views," a marketplace and water-based equipment rentals, providing new “revenue streams” for the town.
The existing concrete pier would be removed, and replaced with a “colorful, wide floating dock structure.”
The report also calls for the creation of “an iconic structure” equivalent to the grain terminals of the Collingwood shoreline, proposing a lookout tower or replica lighthouse, that would “help define Innisfil as a destination.”
“I’m just gobsmacked,” said Orsatti of the master plan.
“I have many concerns, on the commercial, the amenities, quite a few concerns,” she said, noting that the draft report was only posted as part of the agenda for Feb. 26 and not on the “Get Involved Innisfil” website that most residents were told to check.
She also expressed concern that residents have only two weeks to respond.
Deputy Mayor Dan Davidson called the plan a “Taj Mahal,” and opposed pouring millions of dollars into a single park. “We have other parks that need to be worked on,” Davidson said. “Why are we building a Taj Mahal and focusing all on one area?”
He noted that the town has purchased land at the 10th Line for a new waterfront park, and has plans for a multi-million dollar town square adjacent to the Lakeshore Library. He suggested proceeding with those projects “before we spend tens of millions of dollars” on Innisfil Beach Park.
“We’re reaching for the moon – or we’ve shot past the moon,” Davidson said.
“This plan is a long-term plan,” responded Mayor Lynn Dollin, suggesting the funding for the projects won’t be in next year’s budget.
Although price tags were not provided for individual components of the master plan, the draft report did give some financial information: In 2019, the town budgeted $318,000 for a docking system at the park; in 2020, the budget included $1.09 million for a docking system and $536,800 for trails and fitness equipment; and in 2021, the multi-year budget proposed another $1.13 for docks, $610,000 for a pavilion, and an additional $2.48 million for a skating rink or path.
Dollin defended the focus on Innisfil Beach Park, calling it “our signature park.”
Council voted to receive the draft report and welcome input from residents. The draft master plan has now been posted at www.GetInvolvedInnisfil.ca.
