Dave Barrow Civic Square (DBCS) will create a new civic heart of the Richmond Hill community, centrally located at the Central Branch Library, and anchoring the City’s Historic Village Core neighbourhood. The Park Plan provides a road map for the future technical detailing and implementation of the project, set to open in 2027.

JRS worked closely with the City of Richmond Hill’s project team, technical advisory committee, and various focus groups to develop the DBCS Park Plan. Given the range of stakeholders each with varying project objectives, the conceptual design process was utilized to not only explore design options, but also to strike consensus in goals and vision. Concept options explored different approaches to program and user activations, opportunities to leverage the uniqueness of existing site conditions in design elements and layouts, varying cost investment strategies, and potentials to foster relationships with existing community and cultural organizations. Public feedback from the Richmond Hill community was instrumental to the process and guided the refinement of options into the final DBCS Park Plan.

The final DBCS Park Plan aims to serve a multitude of users, while reimagining new avenues for civic expression, gathering and pride. Proposed site elements include an amphitheater-like venue for large festivals and concerts; a dynamic plaza and activity node for food and beverage, games and events; a seasonally flexible lawn (designed to host winter conversions into a skating rink); a hill-top lookout; the beloved south-facing slope; an equally accessible, curvilinear path linking all activity areas, a new north-south axis route; an iconic illuminated Richmond Hill sign facing Yonge Street; an outdoor educational and gathering space (allowing Library programs to extend into the landscape); and a robust approach to ecological diversification and habitat expansion.

By establishing a framework for the future growth of the Park, the Park Plan proposes a place that will evolve in tandem with the community, creating a Dave Barrow Civic Square that will host the daily life of the community and its most important civic celebrations for years to come.

The DBCS Park Plan was approved by Council in March 2025 and can be accessed on the City of Richmond Hill’s Parks Projects website – we invite you to check it out!