Civic Precinct Project

The Civic Precinct Project has been a community engagement and corporate planning initiative designed to explore what the community wants on the Town owned lands at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive. The project will turn Downtown Richmond Hill into an all-season community space with a public square, a reflecting pool/skating rink, amphitheatre, pedestrian promenade and pedestrian plazas. Once built, this will be a place where people gather to celebrate and have fun as a community. Through numerous public consultations including the visioning process conducted in 2012, the residents of Richmond Hill made it clear that a central gathering space is needed for the community.

On June 26, 2018 Richmond Hill Council voted to investigate other options for office space and remove the new municipal offices from the project. As well, the Civic Precinct underground parking was removed from the project.  

The Civic Precinct is an area in Downtown Richmond Hill that has been recognized for its potential to be an important symbolic and functional space in the centre of Town. 

View our frequently asked questions about the Civic Precinct Project.

About the site

The Civic Precinct Project is located on Town-owned land at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive. The boundaries of the Civic Precinct include:

• Major Mackenzie Drive to the north
• Church Street to the east
• Hopkins Street to the south
• Arnold Crescent to the west

The Civic Precinct currently contains a mix of public and privately-owned lands, including a number of Town facilities and other civic uses, such as the Lois Hancey Aquatic Centre, the Central Library and Mount Pleasant Park.

What's happening now?

At a Special Council meeting on June 26, 2018, Richmond Hill Council Council voted confirming the inclusion of park space and other public amenities such as an amphitheatre, reflecting pond/skating rink, public promenade and gardens at the Civic Precinct. The Civic Building and underground parking were removed from the project by Council. Plans are still under consideration for expanding the Central library. Staff will report back to Council in 2019 with updated financials and alternate options for additional office space, as well as options for parking at the Civic Precinct.

In January 2018, Richmond Hill completed a procurement process to hire Colliers Project Leaders to manage all aspects of the project. The construction phase of the Civic Precinct project was expected to take 36 months and be completed in 2026. Timelines will shift due to the change in scope of the project. 

On February 22, 2017, Council approved the financial plan, governance structure and staffing requirements, as outlined in the Staff Report: Civic Precinct - Timing, Governance, Structure, Staffing and Resources Business Case and Financial Plan.

Background

Considered to be an important central site in Richmond Hill, the Town has intermittently considered building new municipal offices at the intersection of Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive since the late 1970s.

In the mid-2000s, through several corporate initiatives including the People Plan Richmond Hill consultation process, the community indicated a renewed interest in the area. In response, a Town Hall Relocation Feasibility Study was completed in 2008. The study concluded and recommended that it was feasible to build a new Town Hall at the site. In addition, the public indicated that they would like to see additional public space opportunities explored at the site. As a result, the Civic Precinct Project was undertaken to define the vision and purpose of this location.

The Civic Precinct Project represents an opportunity to create a community-focused area with a unique identity and sense of place. It will also serve as a demonstration site reflecting goals and principles of the Town's Strategic Plan, Official Plan, Downtown Secondary Plan, Economic Development Strategy and Cultural Plan.

The vision, concept and implementation strategies were identified in the draft Civic Precinct Plan. The vision for the Civic Precinct and how it can become a "people place" was determined along with the community through the People Place Richmond Hill community engagement process.

Civic Precinct Project Governance

The Civic Precinct Task Force was created to assist with and make recommendations to Council on the vision, purpose and future use of the Civic Precinct, which was made a priority by the Mayor in the fall of 2010. The Task Force was supported by representatives from all of Richmond Hill's departments.

In 2017, following Council's approval of the Civic Precinct financial plan, governance structure and staffing requirements, the Task Force was replaced with a Steering Committee to oversee the project. The Steering Committee's first meeting was February 21, 2018. 

The Steering Committee includes: 

• Mayor Barrow
• Regional and Local Councillor Spatafora
• Regional and Local Councillor Hogg
• Councillor Cilevitz, Ward 5
• Councillor Muench, Ward 2
• Councillor West, Ward 4
• Chair of Richmond Hill Library Board, David Bishop
• Two citizen representatives: Wilhelm Bleek and Mustafa Master