News release

City Acquires More Parkland in the Downtown

City building | August 6, 2020

The City of Mississauga is moving forward with acquiring much-needed parkland in Cooksville (Ward 7) and increasing the total parkland in the Downtown Growth Area.

“Parks and open spaces are an important part of building healthy complete communities, places where people choose to be. As a city, we are urbanizing and experiencing unprecedented growth in our downtown and along the Hurontario corridor. This important investment will bring more park space to our downtown and add to the future livability of the area,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Access to green space promotes physical activity and is essential to building a healthy world-class City. This is an exciting time for Mississauga’s downtown. The addition of an extensive, central park will bring many social, economic and environmental benefits to the Cooksville area.”

The City has identified a goal of 12 per cent of the total land area within the Downtown Growth Area be parkland. Currently, the Downtown Growth Area is approximately 6 per cent parkland. The City is looking to acquire 31 properties of interest to purchase, between King Street E. and Hancock Woodlands, totalling approximately 10 ha (25 acres). The properties chosen for purchase complement existing trail systems and add to parkland in the Cooksville Creek area while removing some residential properties from the Cooksville Creek floodplain.

“This is much-needed parkland for the residents of Cooksville. As the city grows and as Cooksville grows, green space will become more and more valuable, so I am very pleased we are able to add this green space to Cooksville,” said Ward 7 Councillor Dipika Damerla. “Adding in this green space will help this area of Cooksville transform into a walkable and vibrant place that residents can enjoy. The land acquired for parkland purposes will be developed for public open space, tree plantings and a network of community trails.”

In 2017, City staff were given the authority to negotiate with property owners who were willing to sell their property to the City based on fair market value as determined by an accredited, independent appraiser.

“As a result of negotiations, we have already successfully purchased eleven properties and entered into agreements to purchase an additional four properties, totaling approximately 4.61 hectares (11.391 acres),” said Jodi Robillos, Director, Parks, Forestry and Environment. “The newly acquired land will be used as parkland only. The City will undertake plans to design and develop the new parkland pending further acquisitions and budget approvals. Acquired properties were purchased using funds from the Cash-in-lieu of Parkland Reserve – money that we collect from builders and developers for the specific purpose of acquiring parkland.”

Over the next few months, demolition (taking down homes on the land) on these City-acquired properties will be taking place. A formal notice will be sent throughout the neighbourhood before any demolition begins.

For more information about this project, visit mississauga.ca/portal/residents/parks-cooksville-parkland-acquisition.

BACKGROUND

The 2019 Parks & Forestry Master Plan recommends that the City continue to identify strategic land acquisitions, prioritizing lands that protect and enhance natural areas and support completion of a continuous trail system, population growth, and sustainable community design. A parkland target of 12 per cent of the total land area in the Downtown Growth Area is recommended.

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Media Contact:
City of Mississauga Media Relations
media@mississauga.ca
905-615-3200, ext. 5232
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