Residents help shape community vision at master plans public open house

April 23, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Brittany Grenci

King Township residents came together April 15, for a Public Open House that encouraged community input on updated master plans for the Township’s facilities, parks, trails, and transportation.
The event, held at the Zancor Centre in King City, drew hundreds of engaged residents, eager to contribute to the future of their community.
The open house was designed as a drop-in format, allowing residents to arrive at their convenience, view draft proposals, ask questions, and provide feedback. Township staff, consultants, and representatives from York Region were available to discuss the key elements of each plan, gather input, and explain how public suggestions could shape future improvements.
The Facilities, Parks, and Trails Master Plan focused on ensuring that King Township continues to offer high-quality outdoor and recreational spaces that serve residents of all ages and interests. With over 222 acres of parkland and an extensive trail system, the township has built a strong foundation, but the community’s evolving needs require thoughtful updates. Residents shared their perspectives on everything from playground improvements and splash pad expansions to increased sports field access and new walking trail connections.
At the same time, the Transportation Master Plan update addressed the need for a more connected, multi-modal transportation network across King Township. The plan aims to improve road safety, enhance active transportation options like cycling and walking, and explore better access to public transit.
Many attendees emphasized the importance of safe routes for children and seniors, as well as reduced congestion in growing neighbourhoods.
The York Region and Township of King Official Plans have forecasted population and employment growth towards the year 2051. The Town’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is being updated (previously approved in 2020) to determine how this growth will impact the transportation network, and what can be done to support the current and future residents/workers across the Township. The updated TMP is intended to reassess the function of the transportation network, public transit network, and active transportation network to support multi-modal mobility, traffic calming, effective land use planning, and community-building.
The updated TMP considers all modes of travel, and is focused primarily on roads within the Township’s jurisdiction.
Attendees also shared their preferences towards widening major arterial roads across the Township (specifically King Road and King-Vaughan Road), and highlighted missing gaps in the Township’s sidewalk and cycling network. It was also conveyed that many residents felt that speeding is a widespread problem, and contributes to a feeling of being unsafe at some intersections (either as a pedestrian or a driver). Residents also shared a desire to continue to stay involved as the project continues, so that they can better understand the process.
Residents who were unable to attend the Public Open House are invited to share their thoughts in developing the alternative solutions for the future transportation network via an online survey at speaking.king.ca. Have your say on whether there are solutions that address your challenges with getting around King Township, or if there are still gaps that need to be filled. The survey closes on May 15.
Following this event, Town staff and the consultant project team will be documenting and summarizing the feedback received, and working towards the development of an alternative scenario. This alternative scenario will be used to compare the impacts of various infrastructure improvements across a variety of criteria (quality of life, environment, transportation, cost). The process and results of this evaluation process will be presented back to the public at a third PIC event later this Summer, at which point, more feedback will be gathered for consideration. The updated TMP will be drafted at this stage and presented to Council for deliberation (expected in Fall 2025). The project team welcome feedback during this time, and encourage interested persons to register for future project updates through the speaking.ca project webpage.
Any project recommendations from the TMP will still require follow-up studies over the course of an Environmental Assessment before they can be constructed, and long-term recommendations will continue to be reassessed every time the Town updates their TMP (every five years or so).
For more information about this project, visit speaking.king.ca.
These types of public events are critical to effective municipal planning. They provide a forum for residents to voice their concerns and share ideas directly with decision-makers. The feedback collected ensures that future development aligns with the values and priorities of the people who live and work in King. More than just a consultation, the open house was a collaboration – between community members and township leadership – built on transparency and shared goals.