Wilmot Park Improvements Plan

The Wilmot Park Improvements Plan (2017) provides a long-term vision for one of Fredericton’s most historic public spaces. The Plan seeks to preserve and strengthen Wilmot Park’s original role as a Victorian-era common ground while adapting the park to meet contemporary recreational, accessibility, and community needs. Central to the Plan is the restoration of the park’s historic landscape framework, enhancement of pedestrian connections, creation of welcoming activity nodes, and reinforcement of connections to surrounding community assets such as Government House, the Stepping Stone Seniors Centre, and adjacent neighbourhoods.

During the summer and fall the City of Fredericton will be engaging the public and key stakeholders in the development of conceptual designs to for several key components of the Wilmot Park Improvements Plan including Playpark East, Stepping Stone Courtyard, and Parking/Drop-off Loop.

Playpark East is intended to update the existing play area by creating an accessible, family-oriented recreation destination that strengthens links between existing play amenities and encourages multi-generational use of the park.

Stepping Stone Courtyard will provide an inviting gathering space adjacent to the Stepping Stone Seniors Centre, supporting social interaction, accessibility, and community programming while improving connections to the broader park network. Together, these features enhance the park’s role as an inclusive community hub.

The Parking and Drop-off Loop will improve safe and convenient access for seniors, families, visitors with mobility challenges, and organized groups. By formalizing vehicle circulation and drop-off functions, the project will improve accessibility to key destinations within the park while reducing conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. Collectively, these improvements advance the Master Plan’s objectives of enhancing user experience, strengthening community connections, and ensuring Wilmot Park remains a vibrant and accessible public space for future generations.

The City’s major park improvement projects are typically completed through a multi-year process (minimum 3 years) involving land identification, conceptual design, detailed engineering design, and construction. Completing the conceptual design and detailed engineering design over the next two years will ensure this project is shovel ready when funding is available for construction. City Council will decide when to proceed with construction in alignment with future City Council budget and 5-year Capital Plan processes.