A Parkhill Community Association representative attended a Q&A session with the City of Calgary team focused on developing a multi-year strategy for our Parks. There have been some troubling trends in recent land use applications that reduce our green space and tree canopy, so this session was well attended by many establish communities. The most obvious example was the City’s approval of the Viscount Bennett site redevelopment that will reduce park land in Richmond from 8 acres to 1.
The City would like to move to larger parks in communities however, in a neighbourhood like Parkhill, there would be no additional available green space if the City determined they had a “better use” for our parks. One of the questions we asked is what will happen with our “natural” green spaces that the City no longer maintains. Lyndsay’s Folly is the best example of our decaying natural space as the railway tie stairs that connect the community to the secondary path are crumbling and we all know that the grass becomes overgrown on our hills during the summer months.
This plan went before the Infrastructure and Planning Committee in early May without providing answers to the FAQs that were asked during the session with Communities. Our parks help define and enhance the livability of Parkhill. Let’s ensure the City doesn’t decide there is a better use for them.
