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The site of the former Regent Park Par 3 Golf Course in Coronation Park will soon be home to a new recreational space with no residential development.
On Monday night, council passed Ward 7 Coun. Sharron Bryce’s motion that the city go ahead with the administration’s Concept 1 redevelopment plan — which includes a sports field, multi-use pathways, playground, spray pad and picnic areas — with the addition of disc golf baskets, seasonal washrooms, an off-leash dog park and a toboggan hill. The estimated cost (before the additions) is $2,460,000.
While Bryce’s motion was voted down by councillors Lori Bresciani, Jason Mancinelli and Jerry Flegel, the majority of people in Henry Baker Hall, including Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins, were in support.
“The point here is that park lands are precious lands; they are making no more of it and we should preserve it for the quality of life of all our citizens,” Hawkins said, noting the parallel between this situation and the recent outcry around Maple Leaf Pool.
“The community has come in, they’ve said, ‘Our community is not greatly advantaged, don’t take away the precious things that we have for our seniors and for our children and for the development of our community.’ And I respect their point of view.”
City administration’s other three redevelopment concepts included recreational space along with either an assisted living seniors’ complex, townhouses or a mixture of both. By having housing on the land, the city would have been able to create some revenue.
However, after hearing from more than a dozen delegations Monday night, Bryce said she knew that kind of development wasn’t an option.
“I really felt that having to sell a piece of park land to put housing on was the wrong way to go — it would set a precedent,” she said. “I don’t want to pay for park land to be redeveloped by actually selling off part of it — I just don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Regina resident Nelson Bryksa holds up a sketch of his concept plan for the decommissioned Regent Park Par 3 Golf Course: Regent Family Park and Walking Trails on June 24, 2019. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)
Those feelings were echoed by all delegations — including Nelson Bryksa, a former City of Regina zone co-ordinator — who brought forth his own concept: Regent Family Park and Walking Trails.
Before literally drawing his concept up for council, Bryksa said he consulted roughly a dozen residents in the Coronation Park neighbourhood to see what they’d like done with the decommissioned golf course site. That’s what led to his creation of a “recreation space for all people in the area.”
Under Bryksa’s plan — which would retain the park’s urban forest — a playground, spray pool, 500-plus metres of multi-use pathways and around 12 picnic and barbecue sites would be added to the area. It would also include two dog parks, one each for small and large dogs.
“(The Regent Family Park and Walking Trails) provides recreational opportunities for everyone — not just for a select few or an interest group,” he explained. “It provides families to take ownership of that area to be able to utilize it as a family.”
When forming her motion to move ahead with Concept 1, Bryce said she considered Bryksa’s plan.
Seeing council move forward with no development on the park land pleased Bryksa’s daughter, Nicole Bryksa. As the person who tapped her dad on the shoulder to create the Regent Family Park and Walking Trails plan and a Coronation Park resident herself, she said she’s feeling good about the outcome.
“I’m so excited and happy for the community,” she said. “It’s going to change everybody’s lifestyle.”
As a dog owner, Nicole said living a block away and passing the now-vacant green space on her daily walks had her daydreaming about an off-leash park — and now, that’s a reality.
“We have to walk down McKinley (Avenue) with the train tracks on one side and the fenced-off park on the other side, and it’s a little bit cruel when you walk a dog past there, but (now) it’s going to be so fun,” she explained.
Connie Buchan, chair of Regina’s Off-Leash Dog Park User Group, had an ear-to-ear smile on her face when she heard Bryce ask city administration to add in at least one off-leash park to the space.
“I’m thrilled,” she said. “(Council) heard the people; they’ve been listening and now they’re doing what the people what them to do.”
Buchan noted moving forward with building a permanent off-leash park is a symbol of what’s to come for dog owners in the city.
“There is definitely a better future for our dogs and our people who love dogs,” she said. “We’re making progress; Regina’s moving up in the world.”
City administration’s next step is to create a financing plan for this project and bring it before council for consideration in the 2020 budget process.