St. John's Municipal Plan Review 2012 ... - City of St. John's

13 St. John’s Municipal Plan Review 2012: Background ReportPlanning Issues in St. John’sRecreation and LeisureResidents of St. John’s enjoy a varietyof parks at the neighbourhood, city, andregional level. In addition to the historicBannerman, Victoria, and Bowring Parks andQuidi Vidi Lake Park which are owned bythe City, there is the provincial C. A. PippyPark and federal facilities at Signal Hilland Cape Spear National Historic Sites. Inaddition, there is the Grand Concourse – alinear park system developed by the JohnsonFamily Foundation and maintained by theCity and the Grand Concourse Authority –that connects different parts of St. John’s andextends into Mount Pearl and Paradise.In 2009 the City of St. John’s Recreation andParks Master Plan was adopted by Council(located at: http://www.stjohns.ca/pdfs/Recreation_And_Parks_Master_Plan.pdf). It takes into account long-termdemographic and leisure trends andthe demands for open space, parks andrecreation services and programming. Its 31recommendations included redevelopmentof Victoria and Bannerman Parks,rehabilitation or replacement of agingrecreation centres, phasing out ‘tot lots’, andhaving an integrated approach to includeneighbourhood parks and play areas in allnew developments.In 2008 the St. John’s Cycling Master Planwas prepared and adopted (located at: http://www.stjohns.ca/csj/cycling/FinalReport_Revised_February_10_2009.pdf). It setsout a plan for developing 226 kilometresof cycling lanes and trails connecting allareas of the city. This will provide increasedopportunities for alternative transportation,recreation, and reduction in the amount ofgreenhouse gases. The system will be builtout over the next 20 years.