Concerns raised over planned pathway through Kitchener’s Rockway Gardens

Kitchener residents are speaking out against a proposed plan to create a trail through Rockway Gardens. CTV’s Alexandra Holyk has more.

Community members are raising concerns about a proposed path through Rockway Gardens in Kitchener, Ont.

The trail is one part of the city’s Rockway Fairway Transportation Connections project, which aims to link the Iron Horse Trail to the TransCanada Trail.

“The city is looking to fill two very critical gaps in the trail network that would connect a route from downtown, through the Rockway neighbourhood into Fairway Station,” said Darren Kropf, the city’s manager of active transportation and development.

Once finished, a 2.4-metre to three-metre multi-use path would run through Rockway Gardens.

The exact route, however, has stirred up debate.

“We have a number of options and we’re trying to balance the important needs of this beloved community space,” Kropf said.

So far, the city’s preferred route would run along Floral Crescent between Preston Street and Doon Road.

But not everyone is on board with that option.

“In order for their proposed route to work, we would end up losing some key landscape elements of Rockway Gardens,” said Julie Aubie of the horticultural group GardenKitchener.

Those elements include historic stonework, memorial dedications to lost loved ones and a century-old oak tree.

GardenKitchener said it is also concerned about the potential safety hazards, as well as a loss of some parking spaces.

“Floral Crescent has on-street parking and that is our primary source of parking for the community,” explained Aubie.

GardenKitchener insisted it wasn’t against creating a multi-use path through the park. Instead, it is proposing its own route which they believe will cause the least amount of disruption.

“We want the trail to be rerouted alongside Charles Street, where there aren’t as many workers and volunteers out as often, where people are still out enjoying the grounds,” said Aubie.

The city is willing to explore other suggestions.

“Once we’ve heard from the community and we’ve heard all the different feedback, then we’ll be looking at one specific option,” explained Kropf. “We would bring that back to the community again to make sure that we’ve heard that feedback.”

For GardenKitchener, the decision will set a precedent.

“It’s not a generic space,” said Aubie. “It’s 100 per cent a unique space in Kitchener. And if we overlook that for things like the trail today, then we risk overlooking other things in the future.”

Community consultations will be held in-person at the Kingsdale Community Centre on Sept. 23, and again at the Rockway Centre on Sept. 25. An online forum and survey will also open up later this month.

“We want to hear feedback from all of the community,” Kropf said.