The owner of a long-vacant downtown Peterborough property says he’s “very interested” in having talks with the City of Peterborough regarding its availability as the location of a 16-court pickleball complex, but the city doesn’t appear to share that interest.
Developer Don MacPherson owns the former Baskin-Robbins property at Simcoe and Aylmer Streets that has been proposed by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce as a viable alternative location for the courts now planned for Bonnerworth Park.
Chamber CEO and president Sarah Budd emailed a 12-page proposal to city council on Thursday (June 27). She noted locating the pickleball courts there would not only give new life to a long-vacant property but also provide the core with a much-need shot in the arm in the form of increased activity and spending at area businesses.
“Sarah gave me a call in regards to a possible proposal and, as I indicated to her at the time, I am receptive to doing anything with the chamber or the city if they have an appetite for that,” MacPherson tells kawarthaNOW. “I’m interested in exploring it further with them. I’m open to further conversation.”
“Personally, I don’t feel Bonnerworth is the right place for it (the 16-court pickleball complex). I do feel there’s a need for pickleball courts in the city. Where is another question for another day.”
MacPherson adds he’s open to selling the property to the city “for the purpose of pickleball courts, and for that purpose, I would sell it well below market value. Market value would be determined by what the city and I think it is.”
But a brief statement from City Hall on the Chamber proposal emailed to kawarthaNOW makes it very clear there’s no willingness to enter into any negotiation with MacPherson for his property as a location of the pickleball courts.
“Purchasing and preparing a former industrial site that’s downtown to be used for pickleball courts would potentially add millions of dollars to the project cost,” it reads. “The project to expand the skateboard park, build a bike pump track and build pickleball courts does not contemplate buying property.”
“The other consideration is the former Baskin-Robbins site is a prime location for redevelopment for residential or potentially a mixed commercial-residential building to add much needed residential units to the community and the downtown.”
Following all this with great interest is Town Ward councillor Joy Lachica.
Lachica first tabled a motion at city council’s April 2nd general committee meeting to delay the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment plan for further consideration and consultation, in response to concerns expressed by neighbouring residents about the impact of noise from the proposed pickleball courts and the loss of greenspace, as well as a lack of consultation on the part of the city.
The motion lost in an 8-3 vote, with only councillors Lachica, Alex Bierk, and Keith Riel voting in favour of delaying the project. The motion was defeated a second time, by the same 8-3 vote, when it came before the regular city council meeting on April 8th — clearing the way for the project to proceed in the hands of city staff with no further council oversight.
Then, at council’s May 13th general committee meeting, Lachica attempted to introduce a new motion that proposed council be granted final approval authority over the redevelopment’s site plan and associated reports. That motion was not tabled for discussion or a vote after councillor and committee chair Andrew Beamer ruled it out of order and six of the 11 committee members supported his ruling.
“I think it’s brilliant that the chamber cares so much to contribute ideas for a solution that will rally the community together in a positive way,” Lachica tells kawarthaNOW, adding “All of this struggle is not about pickleball. It’s about community decision making.”
“We’ve all been looking at that piece of land (MacPherson’s property) for a very long time and thinking ‘What a shame. That could be something really important in the nucleus of our city.’ It (the proposal) is worth a look. Our downtown needs a facelift. We need to look at the missing teeth and this is a missing tooth that needs addressing.”
Lachica points to the possibility of a public-private partnership as being the springboard for a deal that would see the pickleball courts developed on what has been a long-vacant property.
“I think we’re being shortsighted to not consider that (a public-private partnership,” she says. “That land could be purchased. The bill wouldn’t have to be funded by the city entirely. A private partner could participate in the purchase of the land. There are many ways that we could look at this.”
“It’s very important that each of us who have been elected by the community look at options that come forward, whether it’s at the table when a motion comes forward or afterwards. We need to be open to changing our minds. It happens all the time and I think this is one of those moments.”
Asked if she would be willing to put forward a motion calling for the city to explore an arrangement with MacPherson regarding the property, Lachica says “certain limitations to a councillor bringing something forward” would make doing so difficult, if not impossible.
“For a motion to reconsider, you need a two-thirds majority, so there are some obvious issues around bringing a motion forward. It would need to be someone (a councillor) from the prevailing side bringing forth a motion to reconsider. Then we need to be all in and all together on a decision moving forward.”
Meanwhile, MacPherson’s offer stands — no doubt music to the ears of Save Bonnerworth Park, a large and well-organized group of residents that has actively protested the paving over of the greenspace for the development of pickleball courts, an expanded skate park and a bike pump track.
Saying he’s “very familiar with any kind of development,” MacPherson notes “You have to have different studies done for anything that you’re proposing.”
Referencing the Bonnerworth Park site, he says “I’m not aware of any noise studies that the city has done. I’m not aware of any traffic studies having been done. There seem to be some pieces of the puzzle that are missing.”
“As we all know, the Bonnerworth site is all green grass, which means it would have to undergo a significant stormwater study,” MacPherson explains. “My opinion is (the city) would incur significant stormwater retention facility costs because it’s all greenbelt now and what they’re proposing would be all pavement.”
“So you’ve got one of two avenues. You either put a pond on the property to control the water going in and going out, or you put in a storm chamber underground to control the water. It’s a huge cost.”
As for the potential noise levels produced by pickleball being played on multiple courts, MacPherson says that wouldn’t be nearly the same concern downtown as it would be in the Bonnerworth Park area, which is close to residential properties.
“I’m open to sitting down with (the city) at any time; all they have to do is give me a phone call,” MacPherson says.
“I’ve got the studies done (for the former Baskin-Robbins site) and I’ve got the stormwater management done. I’m sure, because they would be paving over the site, that would have some benefit. I’m more than glad to provide that information to the city and I’m more than glad to have Engage Engineering pursue it further if need be.”
MacPherson’s property has sat vacant since the former Baskin-Robbins’ plant was demolished in 2020, with the property rezoned from industrial to commercial-residential in 2023 after several years of delays.
“I would like to see something happen (with the property),” MacPherson says. “That’s why I’m all for it. And below market value to help things. We’ll see what the city does.”
PDF: Chamber Pickleball Proposal
Chamber Pickleball Proposal
