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Parkland Dedication Bylaw Update and Parkland Acquisition Strategy

Guelph’s total population is forecast to grow to approximately 208,000 by 2051. As the community grows, we need more parkland to support the recreational needs of all residents.

The Parkland Dedication Bylaw sets out how much land or cash in lieu of land the City requires as part of new development or redevelopment projects. Land received creates new parks, and cash in lieu of land is used to buy land to expand our parks network.

Don’t know where to start with understanding the current Parkland Dedication Bylaw and its implications? We have a webpage for that.

How can I participate right now?

We need diverse perspectives from the community, including developers, home builders, those who may need to work through the parkland dedication process, and community members who need access to parkland.

Thank you to everyone who attended our open houses, took the survey, or tried the parks budget prioritization activity.

More information

Phases

Phases overview
Phase 1: Background and Legislative Impacts
Background and Legislative Impacts
Phase 2: Community Perspectives
Community Perspectives
Phase 3: Exploring how we get new park land
Exploring how we get new park land
Phase 4: Reviewing what we heard
Reviewing what we heard
Phase 5: Drafting the bylaw and strategy
Drafting the bylaw and strategy
Phase 6: Reporting to Council
Reporting to Council

Background and Legislative Impacts

September 1, 2025 4:00 AM - November 1, 2025 4:00 AM

Our most recent review to the Parkland dedication bylaw came in 2022. However, since that time a number of legislative and policy changes have occurred that are driving a need to update and adapt the Bylaw, including:

In December 2024, Council approved new rules allowing homeowners to build up to three additional dwelling units (ADUs) on their property. Adding ADUs to a property means adding more people to existing neighbourhoods and increasing residential population density. More population density means more parkland may be needed to support the population.

In practice, we have learned that this fee is proportionally higher for renovations and re-builds on single lots, than it is for new dwellings in multiple-unit developments.

All of these changes together, have highlighted the need to review our Parkland Dedication Bylaw now and develop a Parkland Acquisition Strategy.

Events

Past events