The City of Airdrie looks to welcome more recreation opportunities with the addition of a new recreation centre. Airdrie's population has seen a 20 per cent growth over the past five years, and current recreation facilties are often operating at capacity during prime-time hours. In response, a quarter section of land was purchased in 2018 in partnership with Mattamy Homes and Rocky View School Division. The City acquired a 20.85 per cent share of the land for a new multi-purpose recreation centre to be located at the corner of Southwinds Boulevard and Southwinds Drive.

2017 - Council identifies priority for a new recreation facility.

2018 - Land is acquired in partnership with Mattamy Homes and Rocky View School Division at Southwinds Boulevard and Southwinds Drive.

2021/2022 - The City of Airdrie commissions GEC Architecture and HarGroup Management Consultants Inc. to conduct the Indoor and Outdoor Recreation Needs Assessment Study.

View the indoor and outdoor recreation needs assessment study (PDF)

The Community Services Advisory Board is reviewing amenity options in preparation for Airdrie City Council's review. As part of this review Administration will present the Recreation Facility Planning - Analysis of Facility Thematic Options and Amenities report. This report examines the findings of the previously conducted Indoor and Outdoor Recreation Needs Assessment Study, utilization trends in current recreation facilities and feedback from stakeholder groups for cost analysis. These amenity options examine focus areas such as resident lifestyle, sports tourism and stakeholder use.

The Southwest Recreation Facility - Thematic Options for Facility Components and Amenities Summary Report will be presented to Airdrie City Council along with the Community Services Advisory Board's recommendation. Amenity mix options may be selected for further in-depth analysis of potential revenues, costs and taxpayer support.

Once an overall amenity focus is selected by Council, the City will work to perform a detailed site assessment, undertake further operating and capital financial projections, examine public and private funding streams, and engage deeper with key stakeholders on utilization. The City will then return to Council with the aforementioned reports prior to entering a concept design phase.

In 2021, GEC Architecture and HarGroup Management Consultants Inc. were commissioned by the City to conduct the Indoor and Outdoor Recreation Needs Assessment Study as part of the initial planning for a new multi-purpose recreation facility and regional park within the community. Information gathered for the study involved input from residents and stakeholders to understand the community's use of current recreation facilties. This information will be used to determine amenity interests and community expectations.

The Indoor and Outdoor Recreation Needs Assessment Study involved gathering input and information from a wide range of sources to assess gaps within the community.

Resident Engagement

• Surveys conducted with Airdrie residents
• Random invite survey and open engage survey

Service Provider Engagement

• Survey of participant organizations
• Input from school divisions, Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, and 36 local service provider organizations

Comparative Review

• Review of comparative infrastructure conducted with six communities representating a range of populations (2016 Federal Census)

Other Input

• Review of key City of Airdrie planning documents such as AirdrieOne Sustainability Plan, Airdrie City Plan, Airdrie Youth Needs Assessment, Great Places Plan, Airdrie Sports Field Management Plan and the Artificial Turf Sportsfield Feasibility Study 

Internal Input

• Meetings held with Recreation and Parks staff
• Review of user, utilization and finance statistics from City of Airdrie recreation and parks facilities

Highlights of the Indoor and Outdoor Recreation Facility Needs Assessment Study.

• 97 per cent of residents state that "recreation is important to quality of life in Airdrie"
• 89 per cent of households indicated that they would be more active if more recreation facilities were available
• Households allocated $68 out of $100 towards indoor recreation
• 89 per cent of households indicated new recreation facilities are important to their own households or for the community at large
• 80 per cent of households agreed with the concept of constructing a new recreation facility in southwest Airdrie