A century-old golf course in Metro Vancouver is poised to be transformed into a major new public park with sports fields and recreational amenities, as part of a broader plan to build a new large aquatic and community centre in Maple Ridge.
Last month, Maple Ridge City Council approved preliminary concepts prepared by Vancouver-based architectural firm HCMA and City of Maple Ridge staff for a series of new community and recreational facilities. City staff have now been directed to advance the projects into detailed design and planning.
The existing 13-acre Hammond Community Park currently includes two baseball fields, a small community centre, a seasonal outdoor swimming pool, a playground, informal open green spaces, and a small surface vehicle parking lot.
Under the plan, Hammond Community Park will be completely reconfigured. The largest baseball field on the east side of the park will be redeveloped into a new 122,000 sq. ft., two-storey community centre, anchored by a 65,000 sq. ft. aquatic centre.
Existing condition of Hammond Community Park (centre) and Maple Ridge Golf Course (right) in Maple Ridge. (Google Maps)
The aquatic centre will feature a 37.5-metre, eight-lane lap swimming pool, with the pool divided by a movable bulkhead to create 25-metre and 12.5-metre sections, allowing for flexible programming. This main tank will also include a climbing wall along one edge and recreational diving platforms at the deep end.
A secondary tank will house a large leisure pool, featuring two 15-metre swim lanes, an open water area, a lazy river, interactive play and spray features, and a large flume-style waterslide.
Additional amenities will include two hot pools — a large family hot pool and a separate adults-only hot pool — as well as a cold plunge pool, steam room, and sauna facilities.
Existing condition of Hammond Community Park:
Existing condition of Hammond Community Park in Maple Ridge. (Google Maps)
Future condition of Hammond Community Park with the new aquatic and community centre:
2025 preliminary concept for the new aquatic and community centre at Hammond Community Park. (HCMA/City of Maple Ridge)
2025 preliminary concept for the new aquatic and community centre at Hammond Community Park. (HCMA/City of Maple Ridge)
2025 preliminary concept for the new aquatic and community centre at Hammond Community Park. (HCMA/City of Maple Ridge)
The community centre portion of the building will include a fitness gym, cardio and weight-training areas, fitness studios, multi-purpose rooms, a full-sized gymnasium, a children’s play area, and a cafe.
Elsewhere in Hammond Community Park, the existing baseball field on the west side will be reconfigured. The current small community centre and outdoor pool at the south end of the park will be demolished, with future uses for that site to be determined at a later date.
To support the transportation needs of the new aquatic and community centre, approximately 270 vehicle parking stalls will be provided through new surface parking lots constructed in the middle of the park, framing the edges of the retained downsized baseball field.
Nearby golf course turned into replacement baseball fields and new public park and recreational uses
Before construction begins at Hammond Community Park, the City will permanently close Maple Ridge Golf Course and begin converting it into a new public park.
The first phase of this transformation will include the construction of two new large baseball fields — Hammond Stadium Diamond and Larry Walker Diamond — which will replace the large baseball fields currently located at Hammond Community Park. Overall, the two sites combined will result in a net gain of one baseball field, with Hammond Community Park retaining a smaller diamond.
The golf course is located along the northern shoreline of the Fraser River, approximately one city block southwest of Hammond Community Park.
Existing condition of Hammond Community Park (left) and Maple Ridge Golf Course (right). (HCMA/City of Maple Ridge)
The City selected Hammond Community Park as the site for the new aquatic and community centre over the golf course and other locations due to favourable geotechnical conditions, its larger size, better proximity to public transit, and its location within the Lougheed Highway Transit corridor, an area targeted for current and future densification ahead of the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services.
By contrast, portions of the golf course fall within the Fraser River Escarpment area, which restricts permitted land uses. While the site is unsuitable for major buildings, it is well-suited for public parkland and outdoor recreational facilities.
Existing condition of Maple Ridge Golf Course. (Google Maps)
Existing condition of Maple Ridge Golf Course. (Google Maps)
Existing condition of Maple Ridge Golf Course. (Google Maps)
Once the first phase of the golf course’s redevelopment — featuring baseball fields and a surface parking lot with approximately 300 stalls — is complete, construction will begin on the new aquatic and community centre at Hammond Community Park.
Originally opened in 1925, Maple Ridge Golf Course was among the earliest golf courses developed in the general area of the eastern Metro Vancouver and the western Fraser Valley. The City purchased the land in 1971 to preserve its long-term potential for public park use, leasing it back to golf course operators in the interim. The course occupies 40 acres and operates as a nine-hole executive course.
As part of the first phase of the golf course’s conversion, remaining areas not used for baseball fields will be opened for interim recreational uses, including walking trails and open green spaces.
In the longer term, the City plans a second phase of park development that would introduce a wide range of amenities, including basketball courts, approximately a dozen pickleball courts, a playground, a splash pad, cricket and soccer fields, a skatepark, a pump track, a dirt jump park, a disc golf course, a toboggan hill, an off-leash dog area, a community garden, picnic areas, and enhanced walking trails and landscaped open spaces.
Existing condition of Maple Ridge Golf Course:
Existing condition of Maple Ridge Golf Course. (Google Maps)
First phase of Maple Ridge Golf Course’s conversion into a public park:
2025 preliminary concept for Phase 1 of Maple Ridge Golf Course’s transformation into a public park. (HCMA/City of Maple Ridge)
Second phase of Maple Ridge Golf Course’s conversion into a public park:
2025 preliminary concept for Phase 2 of Maple Ridge Golf Course’s transformation into a public park. (HCMA/City of Maple Ridge)
According to the municipal government, new major aquatic, community, and recreational facilities are required to meet the needs of Maple Ridge’s rapidly growing population. The city’s population of approximately 106,000 residents is projected to increase by about 40 per cent over the next 20 years.
As part of its broader recreation strategy, the City is also planning to add two NHL-sized ice rinks at the Albion Fairgrounds.
HCMA created the preliminary design concepts for the planned developments at Hammond Community Park, Maple Ridge Golf Course, and the Albion Fairgrounds.
HCMA’s previous work includes Rosemary Brown Recreation Centre in Burnaby, Minoru Centre for Active Living in Richmond, the new aquatic and community centre replacing Canada Games Pool in New Westminster, West Vancouver Aquatic Centre, Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre in North Vancouver, and Clayton Community Centre and Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre in Surrey, as well as Hillcrest Centre (Vancouver Olympic Centre), Killarney Pool, and River District Community Centre in Vancouver.
“This will be the City’s largest investment ever in recreation infrastructure — a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build facilities with equity and inclusion in mind,” said Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy, adding that his community is “currently lagging behind regional averages for aquatics and arena facilities.”