Some tall trees, city-owned houses and a community garden would have to make way for a $310.6-million Newton Community Centre, now planned on a different site in the neighbourhood.

The original location was on King George Boulevard, south of 70A Avenue, where a 鈥済roundbreaking鈥� event was held in September 2022 on the former Rona store site.

But plans changed with the current 性视界传媒 council, and now all eyes are on city-owned land south of Newton Arena off 136B Street, to 70 Avenue, west of Newton Seniors Centre.

It鈥檚 where the community centre 鈥渞epresents a significant milestone鈥� for 性视界传媒 as 鈥渢he largest capital project ever undertaken in terms of both funding and scope,鈥� Mayor Brenda Locke stated after the 2024 Operating and Capital Budget was approved Monday, April 22.

鈥� RELATED: A year after 鈥榞roundbreaking,鈥� still no sign of life on Newton Community Centre site.

Video shows new future site of Newton Community Centre where houses and community garden would have to go.
The original site was on King George, and not everyone is happy about the move.

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鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)

By 2028, the facility in Newton would include a 50-metre swimming pool, gymnasium, fitness centre, child care services and an 鈥渆xpansive鈥� library.

But not everyone is convinced the new site is a good one, including Safe 性视界传媒 Coalition councillors who back the King George location first envisioned for the project.

鈥淚t鈥檚 shovel-ready, ready to go right now,鈥� said Coun. Doug Elford. 鈥淭hat road (70B Avenue) was built and the fence is up, the design has been done, and we鈥檝e invested in that. We were going to build it in stages initially, a proposal to ease the pain of the budget. But Locke鈥檚 group got in and it seems like anything done by the previous council, she just opposes.鈥�

Questions remain about the new site, Elford charged.

鈥淗ow long is that going to take? I doubt they get this going next year like they plan, and they鈥檒l have to evict all those people in the houses. They want to build a library, but there鈥檚 already a library there, what are they going to do with that? We haven鈥檛 seen the design. To me that鈥檚 a perfect site for affordable housing. We could have an excavator in there today on the old Rona site.鈥�

The new site fits well with existing civic facilities in Newton, noted Jeff Arason, 性视界传媒鈥檚 director of strategic initiatives and investments, on the board of .

鈥淚 think council saw the merits of establishing a campus of civic amenities,鈥� Arason told the Now-Leader.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all status quo (for the existing facilities). All the services that are being provided in the area at those facilities will continue to be available during construction and post-construction.

鈥淚 think questions will come up about the future of the wave pool and such, but no decision has been made on that. I think once the new community centre is opened, that will open discussions about what鈥檚 the best future for that facility.鈥�

Arason said the community centre will look different than the one proposed for the site on King George Boulevard, where development plans are now up in the air.

鈥淓xactly what it will look like will be known in the next couple of months,鈥� Arason said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be going to obtain a construction and design team to help deliver that facility. Our goal is to get the design and building team in the coming months, and the goal is to break ground in 2025 and have that facility completed in 2028. I think if we went with the existing land, or the originally proposed land on the west side (of King George), we鈥檇 be looking at a similar completion period. I wouldn鈥檛 say there鈥漵 much of a delay, if any, with changing sites.鈥�

The new site is home to eight city-owned houses, Arason said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a handful of homes on the property that the city owns and has been in month-to-month leases with the tenants for years,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭hese were month-to-month leases recognizing that one day the city would have development plans for the parcels. So we鈥檝e now reached that, and now we鈥檒l be working with those tenants to bring about the end of their tenancy pursuant to the lease agreements that we鈥檝e had.鈥�

South of Newton Arena stands , where Mike Lewis dug in with a shovel on Tuesday (April 23). He鈥檚 been gardening and attending events there for close to nine years, and would be sad to see it go.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a real good amount of community engagement that has made this place happen, volunteer work,鈥� said Lewis, who lives in a nearby co-op.

鈥淭his place has always been an invitation to community, and the idea behind it fit with my values which is, yeah, people can grow food that they can take themselves, but it鈥檚 available for anybody who wants to take it, too. That鈥檚 worked quite well, I think.鈥�

The PLOT includes a medicine wheel, where ceremonies celebrate the changing of seasons. Currently grown are vegetables including kale, different lettuces, spinach, beans and more.

Kelleigh Wright said she works the soil almost daily right now, after getting involved less than a year ago. The garden 鈥渉as amazing soil,鈥� she said, where 鈥測ou could plant a rubber boot and it鈥檇 grow.鈥�

Wright said she鈥檇 also be sad to see the garden go, but remains philosophical.

鈥淐ity spaces change, and everything has a cycle,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t may end here but maybe it picks up somewhere else. If people and the city are willing to be creative together, who knows what could come. My understanding is that the city has been very open and welcoming of this being here in this space, and has helped nurture this along, so I can鈥檛 see those relationships changing. I鈥檇 be surprised.鈥�