In progress City project

South Common Community Centre and Library renovation

The City is redeveloping the South Common Community Centre and Library in 2024 to meet the needs of the community.

Overview

The City of Mississauga is redeveloping South Common Community Centre and Library to meet the needs of the community as well as improving infrastructure to address population growth and changing demographics in the area. The project will aim to serve the community through improving the quality of recreational services and implementing higher accessibility and green building standards.

Project objectives

Improve the quality of recreational services provided to the residents of Mississauga to achieve the City’s goal of providing access to quality recreational facilities in order to maintain healthy lifestyles
Modernize and increase the size of the library to address the community need for welcoming, creative, collaborative, fun spaces
Address the aging state of municipal infrastructure and implement lifecycle upgrades
Design with an environmentally responsible approach, improve energy efficiency and meet the City’s Corporate Green Building Standard
Develop a site that meets Mississauga’s Accessibility Design Standards and improve building circulation through enhanced accessibility, wayfinding and connectivity between program spaces
Alleviate pressure on existing recreational infrastructure by addressing population growth, changing demographics and cultural diversity
Create strong linkages between indoor and outdoor activity spaces and introduce daylight throughout the building
Establish a clear, strong entrance identity and convenient location for pedestrians and motorists accessing the building
Meet the increasing demand for aquatics and fitness programming in the area
Improve site safety to meet the City’s Vision Zero objectives – eliminate all traffic fatalities and injuries while increasing mobility and safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Benefits and new amenities

Once the redevelopment is completed, residents will enjoy the benefits of:

New equipment-based fitness centre
- Cardio machines, weights, and fitness studio with wood sprung floor
- Walking track and 2 squash courts
- Sauna
New change room facilities
New aquatics centre
- 25 meter six lane pool
- Warm water therapy pool
- New change room facilities
New gymnasium
Updated library
- Larger children’s area
- New makerspace with a recording booth, design computers, digital photography tools, robotics equipment and more
- Larger programming space
- Increased access to computers
- Refreshed collections and display areas
- Quiet and group study spaces
- Bookable small meeting rooms
- Comfortable lounge seating and reading areas
- Automated returns system
New multi-purpose program spaces
New outdoor spray pad and outdoor picnic shade structure
New tennis courts
Open, bright common areas and lobby space
Improved sustainable and accessible design standards
Improved connection to South Common Centre bus terminal
Improved facility design and improved accessibility throughout the building
Improved site circulation, parking, and green space

South Common Community Centre is scheduled to close in the spring of 2024. Construction is estimated to take approximately two and a half years, with the facility planned to re-open in Winter 2027.

Milestones

1

Spring 2022

Community Survey circulated. Feedback received and consolidated .
2

Summer 2022

Consultant team engaged to lead the new facility design. Design phase begins.
3

Spring 2023

Community engagement on schematic design, including presentation to the Library Board on April 19 and public information sessions on April 25 and 28.
4

Late Spring 2024

Anticipated facility closure.
5

Summer 2024

Anticipated construction begins.
6

Summer 2027

Anticipated facility re-opening of South Common Community Centre and Library.

Public engagement

The redevelopment plan for the South Common Community Centre and Library was informed by several community engagement exercises, including Recreation’s Future Directions Master Plan (2019), Youth Plan and Older Adult Plan consultations.

Past events

Review the post it notes summary report from the Public Open House held in April 2023.
Review the public engagement summary from the Virtual Information Session held in April 2023.
Review the summary report
Review the public engagement survey results from the online survey held from March 21 to April 18, 2022, where residents provided feedback on the proposed facility design, layout, accessibility and programming.
Check out the presentation deck from the public virtual information session that was held on April 25, 2023.

Gallery

Overall floor plan of both Level 1 and Level 2 of the South Common Community Centre and Library — Detailed design (January 2024)

The exterior of a new recreation centre with people walking towards it, and children playing in a splash pad. — Artist rendering of exterior of recreation centre with people walking towards it, and children playing in a splash pad.

Artist rendering of the exterior of the renovated South Common Community Centre. — Artist rendering of South Common Community Centre’s renovated exterior.

People seated and standing in a new library. — Artist rendering of the new facility from South Millway.

People walking toward the entrance of a new recreation centre. — Artist rendering of entrance walk way and parking lot.

People interacting and seated in a common space on the exterior of a new recreation centre. — Artist rendering of the facility’s new plaza.

Artist rendering of customer service desk

People walking around the lobby of a new recreation centre. — Artist rendering of lobby.

Adults and children interacting in a new children’s area of a library — Artist rendering of the children’s area in the renovated library.

Artists rendering of the library circulation desk

Artist rendering of the renovated library at South Common Community Centre. — Artist rendering of the renovated library.

Artists rendering of view outside Library

Adults and children taking part in soccer and basketball activities in a new gym. — Artist rendering of renovated gym.

Artists rendering of the new aquatics centre

Women working out on treadmills overlooking a view of a pool through glass windows. — Artist rendering of fitness area.

Floor plan outlining the amenities that are planned for the first floor of the new recreation centre. — Schematic design (spring 2023) of level 1

Floor plan outlining the amenities that are planned for the second floor of the new recreation centre. — Schematic design (spring 2023) of level 2

Aerial view of the South Common Community Centre site.

Chairs lined up in a multi-purpose room — Pre-construction: Existing multi purpose room.

Tennis nets in a gymnasium — Pre-construction: Existing auditorium/gym.

The floors and stairs in a community centre lobby — Pre-construction: Existing main lobby

Table and chairs in a community centre lobby — Pre-construction: Existing main lobby with view of sitting area.

Entrance ramp into a community centre — Pre-construction: Existing entrance ramp to community centre.

A swimming pool in a community centre — Pre-construction: Existing aquatics centre.

A hot tub in an aquatics centre — Pre-construction: Existing hot tub facility.

A children's area in a library — Pre-construction: Existing library with view of children’s area.

Books, tables, chairs and computers in a library — Pre-construction: Existing library.

Rows of books in bookshelf in a library — Pre-construction: Existing library and bookshelves.

Exercise balls in a mirrored fitness studio — Pre-construction: Existing fitness studio.

Exercise equipment in a fitness centre — Pre-construction: Existing fitness centre and exercise equipment.

A row of dumbbells and benches in a fitness centre — Pre-construction: Existing fitness centre and weights.

Background

The South Common Community Centre and Library was built in 1981 and has been in operation for over 40 years. Over the past decade, the City has invested millions of dollars into maintaining, replacing and updating life-cycle components. The last major construction project was completed in 1999 to add a library branch to the community centre.

In accordance with the City of Mississauga’s Strategic Plan, this renovation will provide improved infrastructure for Mississauga’s citizens for generations to come and follow the City’s design principles to integrate sound, functional, accessible and attractive buildings, facilities, public and open spaces to build a City for the 21st century. This redevelopment was recommended and approved as part of the City’s 2019 Recreation Master plan and the City’s 2019 Library Master plan, which were informed through extensive community consultation.

In 2021, the Province of Ontario announced it would invest over $45 million to support the Redevelopment of the South Common Community Centre and Library in Mississauga as part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).

Frequently asked questions

Why is the City adding another therapy pool at South Common Community Centre?

With aging demographics, the new warm water therapeutic pool will provide additional benefits to the community, providing opportunities for rehabilitation and physical activity to promote well-being for the aging population.

Will there be space for pickleball once the new facility opens?

The new facility will feature a full-sized double gymnasium that will allow for various sports to be played, including pickleball.

Will any amenities at the Community Centre or Library remain open during construction?

The facility is going to be completely demolished, relocated on the property and rebuilt. As a result, all indoor and outdoor amenities, with the exception of the tennis courts, will be closed for the duration of the project.

What will happen with the existing programs and rentals at South Common Community Centre while the facility is under construction?

While the South Common Community Centre is closed, programming will be relocated where possible to nearby community centres, such as Clarkson and Huron Park. Visit Active Mississauga to find programs in your area.

Facility rental groups will be relocated to other locations where space is available. The Customer Service Centre will work with user groups to find the best rental options for those looking to continue renting space while the facility is closed.

What environmental considerations were taken for this project?

South Common Community Centre and Library will be the City’s first capital project to target Level 2 of Mississauga’s Corporate Green Building Standards (CGBS). The CGBS goes above and beyond the Ontario Building Code and sets the standard for a Building’s environmental performance.

Some of the green features the project are exploring include:

Low-embodied carbon building materials
High performance building envelope
Clean fuel and energy efficient equipment
Solar photovoltaic arrays on the roof
Air source heat pump system to heat and cool the building
Sensor-controlled LED lighting

Will the Library have a temporary location while the building is closed?

The Library is currently investigating options to support South Common area residents during the closure. More information will be shared when it is available.

I currently enjoy using the hot tub at South Common CC. Will there be a hot tub in the new facility when it re-opens?

No, due to site constraints in the aquatic centre and accessibility requirements for each pool, including a hot tub would result in a therapy pool that was too small and not functional for programming. Plus, the hot tub design would be less than ideal due to the ramp requirements.

The operational and environmental costs to maintain a hot tub are significant, including higher energy costs, GHG emissions and more chemicals to maintain safe water. And a separate, dedicated hot tub is costly to build.

The inclusion of a hot tub would also duplicate many of the features of the therapeutic pool, such as the warm water, seating, and hydrotherapy jets.

In accordance with Ontario Regulation 565, which establishes rules for Public Pools, use of a hot tub comes with several precautions including the risk of overexposure to heat from prolonged use and serves a limited population (excludes use by children or individuals with some medical conditions) The therapy pool has been designed with a “hot tub feel”, with opportunities to maintain the social elements and provides expanded views of the woodlot (maintained at 92 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to a hot tub at 104 degrees Fahrenheit). The proposed design allows for flexibility of programming and maximizes the utilization of the space. As we are seeing continued growth in the need for therapeutic programming across the City, this large warm water tank will help support the needs in the Ward 8 community and beyond.

What are the benefits of adding universal changerooms to the community centre?

A universal changeroom is an accessible, welcome space for everyone. The space is accessible to people with reduced mobility, and allows people of all gender identities, parents, and caregivers to be together in the same space. There will be a variety of change stall sizes (individual, family, universal), and these stalls will be completely private, with nearly floor to ceiling partitions.

The City team has visited and discussed this changeroom design with many of our neighbouring municipalities who have moved to this model in recent years. They have stated that this design works very well for participants, are much more operationally efficient from a cleaning and maintenance perspective, and allows for complete flexibility in how they are used based on pool programming.