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City divvies up new recreation complex and schools land

Of the 25.56 acres of developable land, the school boards will share 11.40 acres and Cambridge will use 14.16 acres, while a remainder of 6.90 acres that contains wetland and future road allowances will remain untouched
Mehreen Shahid
Mehreen Shahid
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A view from the end of Wesley Boulevard in southeast Cambridge toward the 32.46 acres of land the city will share with the two local school boards for a future recreation complex.Doug Coxson/CambridgeToday.ca

Council recently approved how the future recreation complex lands will be shared with the two local school boards.

An updated memorandum of understanding, included in a council meeting agenda, outlined land ownership and financial commitments between all three parties with respect to the Cambridge Joint Use Campus lands, planned to be the future home of a new recreation complex and schools.

The 32.46-acre site is in the southeast of the city and a feasibility study identified a total of 25.56 acres of the entire property that is considered developable. The remainder, which includes a wetland and future road allowances, is labelled as not developable.

Given the reduction in developable area, school boards will get 50.16 per cent or 12.82 acres of the land. Out of that, 22.50 per cent or 5.75 acres will go to the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), whereas the Waterloo Regional District School Board (WRDSB) will receive 27.66 per cent or 7.07 acres. The city retains 49.84 per cent or 12.74 acres to build on.

The acreage for the school boards is up from a previously presented percentage of 44.6 or 11.4 acres of which the WCDSB was to receive 20 per cent or 5.11 acres and the WRDSB was to receive 24.6 per cent or 6.29 acres. However, the city's share of the land is now down from 14.16 acres. However, the staff report says the changes will not adversely impact the operation of the recreation complex and IDEA Exchange branch planned for the lands.

The memorandum explains that the boards are prepared to pay for the additional acreage of land and for the additional shares of feasibility study, land development costs and other related costs.

The memorandum also explains each participants' responsibility in terms costs for the feasibility study and land and development costs, environmental investigations and other studies, and any other expenses related to adjoining or adjacent lands that may be affected by the project.