Civic Precinct Project

On September 7, 2016 Richmond Hill Council voted to move forward with the Civic Precinct Project, to build a new civic centre and community amenities in the centre of Town. This decision means the Town-owned land at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive will be turned into an all-season community space with new municipal offices, an expanded Central Library and public gathering areas for the community.

The Civic Precinct Project, also known as People Place Richmond Hill, 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 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, and is within a larger area identified as the Civic Precinct in land use planning documents.  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.

Through research, planning and consultation with the residents of Richmond Hill, a vision and concept plan for the Civic Precinct Project was developed and represents the community's priorities for this important site, reflected in the 2013 Concept Plan. The Civic Precinct Project has since been adjusted to focus on the block that contains the Central Library, at the south west corner of Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive.

The project includes 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.

What's happening now?

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.

In January 2018, Richmond Hill completed a procurement process to hire Colliers International to manage all aspects of the project. Colliers will now proceed with hiring an architect for the project. Design and planning approvals are expected to be completed by May 2022. The construction phase of the Civic Precinct project is expected to take 36 months and is projected to be completed in 2026. 

Background

Considered to be an important central site in the Town of 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 in the downtown 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 disbanded and 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