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Thank you to everyone who completed the survey and shared feedback on the draft concept plan for Deer Ridge Park between July 18 and August 26, 2025. Your input will help shape the final design of the park to ensure it reflects community needs and values.
Below is a summary of what we heard:
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Overall support: Most survey participants felt positive about the draft concept plan, with many saying it “looks great.” A smaller number were unsure or had concerns.
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Favourite features: The top features people are excited about are garden beds with big trees, benches and shaded seating areas, the “Team House” sun shelter and a senior child’s play area. Other features, including a lit pathway, also received strong support, showing that interest was spread across many elements of the design.
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Common suggestions: Open lawn or flexible space for play, gatherings, and community events. People also asked for natural play features (like logs and climbing stumps), more shade and tree coverage, dog-friendly amenities, and additional seating or picnic areas.
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Other ideas: Residents suggested adding a tennis or pickleball court, bocce ball space, a drinking fountain with a dog trough, outdoor ping pong, and dedicated space for older youth and seniors. There were also calls for more wildlife-friendly planting, better trail connections to nearby parks, and improvements to accessibility such as wheelchair swings, ramps, and rubberized play surfaces.
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Identity and design details: Some residents raised concerns about the decorative deer features and suggested choosing a different park name to avoid confusion with another “Deer Ridge Park.” Others asked for softer fence colours and more natural planting to help the park blend with the neighbourhood.
Review the complete Survey Responses Report.
We heard your feedback and want to let you know how we plan to incorporate it:
- Additional larger shade trees will be added – this includes planting larger stock, so users reap the benefits of shade sooner
- Any unprogrammed space will remain open lawn for flexible use
- A seating nook for adults and seniors can be separated from the Bankshot play element.
- Native and wildlife-friendly plantings will be incorporated into all planned garden beds.
- The colour scheme for the park will include natural colours such as tan, blue, and green, representing grasses, water, and trees
Staff would like to reiterate that this is a small neighbourhood park approximately 0.75 acres in size which typically serves those within a 400m walking radius. With the park being bound on either side by residential lots and of irregular shape, the site has limitations to what types of amenities it can accommodate (i.e., not conducive to typical sport courts, etc.). The pathway dissecting this park connects users to both a future high-density residential block and to Barker’s Bush – a forested natural area with a trail network and a connection to Paris Lion’s Park. Budget considerations will also guide the selection and scale of amenities to ensure that investment aligns with the park’s intended neighbourhood function and available resources.
Nearby Paris Lion’s Park offers nearby residents sport fields, larger gathering spaces and rentable shade structures, and a play area with a rubberized play surface. A new park planned for the south end of Paris will also be home to a ball diamond, basketball court, playground, and splashpad.
Your feedback has provided clear direction on what features are most important and where the draft plan can be improved. These insights will guide the next steps in the park’s design, with construction planned for spring 2026.
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We invite you to review the proposed concept and share your feedback. Your input will help shape the final design of Deer Ridge Park.
- Complete the online survey by Tuesday, August 26 at 4:30 pm.
- You can also complete the survey over the phone by calling 519.44BRANT (519.442.7268) or 1.855.44BRANT (1.855.442.7268).
- Have a comment or question about the draft concept for Deer Ridge Park? Let us know.
Engagement closes on Tuesday, August 26 at 4:30 pm.
Thank you for helping us create a new, welcoming park space!
Level of Engagement
For more information, please read the County of Brant's Community Engagement Framework.
This new park is being constructed with funds collected through development charges.
