One message Abbotsford City Council has heard consistently from residents, families and local sports organizations is that our community needs more sports and recreation amenities.
Demand continues to grow across soccer, fastball, baseball, slo-pitch, cricket, football, rugby, athletics and other field sports across all age ranges. Local organizations have raised concerns about limited field availability, aging infrastructure, waitlists, restricted tournament opportunities and teams having to travel outside Abbotsford to play.
Abbotsford City Council recognizes the frustration residents have expressed about the pace of recreation infrastructure development. We agree that additional sports fields and recreation amenities are needed, which is precisely why we have been focused this term on advancing opportunities that can realistically move forward in a timely manner.
Last week, Council directed staff to proceed with the next phase of site and design work for future sports and recreation amenities at the City-owned property at 1010 Lefeuvre Rd. This decision is about adding significant capacity to Abbotsford’s overall sport and recreation field system and continuing to make tangible progress toward meeting the needs of a growing community. A need that we know will become even more important in the years ahead.
Indeed, Abbotsford's recently adopted Official Community Plan anticipates a future population of approximately 250,000 residents by 2050 and directs 75 per cent of this new growth to existing neighbourhoods. We know that, as more people live in these areas, demand for accessible parks, playing fields, recreation facilities and community gathering spaces will only continue to increase. Planning responsibly for that future means expanding capacity before existing pressures become even more severe.
However, finding land for a large-scale sports and recreation park is not as simple as identifying an open parcel. A suitable property must meet several important development considerations, including being:
- not part of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR);
- approximately 40 acres in size;
- relatively flat; and
- free of major physical or environmental constraints, such as steep slopes, significant watercourses or other encumbrances that could prevent or substantially limit development.
The size of the site is particularly important. Council’s vision is not simply to add a couple of playing fields or a small neighbourhood park. A property of approximately 40 acres creates the potential for a large-format sports park consisting primarily of multiple playing fields, together with the required supporting amenities.
Many residents have commented on the City’s initial efforts to establish a future sports and recreation park at King and McKenzie Roads. Council pursued that opportunity because the property offered a rare combination of size, central location and accessibility, close to existing neighbourhoods, transportation corridors, the University District and other community amenities.
However, the King Road property is located within the ALR, which is why in April 2025 the City submitted joint applications to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) to exclude approximately 46 acres of this property from the ALR and concurrently include approximately 49 acres at Lefeuvre Road into the ALR.
These applications were intentionally submitted together as a coordinated proposal to demonstrate the careful consideration Abbotsford City Council gives to the City’s amenity needs while simultaneously prioritizing a net benefit to agriculture. Council chose to proceed with the application because King Road was particularly well suited to the intended use and there were no other suitable or available properties in central Abbotsford that met the necessary criteria.
It is important to clarify, however, that the King Road property was, and is not owned by the City.
At the time of the ALC application, the City had entered into a purchase agreement that was conditional upon receiving exclusion approval from the ALC. When the ALC denied the City’s application in August 2026, the condition to complete the purchase of King Road was not met. As a result, the City did not acquire the property because it could not be used for the proposed sports and recreation park. Furthermore, an appeal of decision to the ALC could not be pursued under the existing purchase agreement.
While Council was disappointed with that outcome, the need for additional sports and recreational amenities remained.
Over the past several weeks, Council and staff once again carefully reviewed all other available options across the community and determined that the parcel of land at 1010 Lefeuvre Rd. represents the best immediate path forward.
This 39-acre property is already owned by the City, meets site requirements and is not situated within the ALR. This means the City can begin advancing site analysis, technical investigations and design work without first having to acquire the property or obtain approval from the ALC.
Bringing several playing fields together at this new location will also add meaningful capacity to Abbotsford’s broader sports-field system, supporting multiple sports and user groups, and improving Abbotsford’s ability to host high-level games, tournaments and larger events. In turn, this increased system capacity will enable existing park spaces to be reimagined to best serve our community for local practices and games. This is the scale of investment required to make a lasting difference rather than addressing only a small portion of current demand.
Council understands that residents may ask whether another, more central location could be pursued. The reality is that another immediately available singular property that meets the combination of size, terrain, land-use status and development potential required for a project of this scale is not currently available. Other locations may be too small, privately owned, physically constrained or within the ALR. For example, Delair Park and the surrounding properties are contained within the ALR and would face similar ALC regulatory considerations as King Road.
For Council, the decision to advance 1010 Lefeuvre Rd. was ultimately about addressing a pressing community need with an opportunity that is available today.
The Lefeuvre Road property was not the first location Council explored, but it allows the strategic work set out in the early stages of the Sport Field and Sport Court Strategy to continue without returning to the beginning of a land search that may not produce a viable alternative. Moving ahead now maintains momentum and creates a practical opportunity to add substantial sports-field capacity to Abbotsford’s parks and recreation system.
Council has heard the community’s concerns about sports-field capacity and recreation infrastructure. We know the need is significant, and we know it is growing. Moving forward with 1010 Lefeuvre Rd. is a concrete step toward addressing that need and creating more opportunities for Abbotsford residents, local sports organizations and future generations.
We look forward to sharing more information as this work progresses.
Abbotsford City Council