The North Woodside Community Centre Park is a large municipal park (2.65 hectares) in Dartmouth. It is located on Pleasant Street and connects to the Dartmouth Harbourfront Trail. The park is an important gathering place for the community and is home to the North Woodside Community Centre. The centre is owned by the municipality but managed by the North Woodside Community Association Board, which is a volunteer-led, non-profit organization. The board runs community programs and its indoor facilities are available for community use.
Existing facilities within the park include playgrounds, a half basketball court, an outdoor gym, pathways, a play lawn, wooded and naturalized areas, and benches. Functional issues within the park limit its ability to serve a wide range of users, but these challenges can be addressed through park planning.
Future plans for the park
On Dec. 7, 2023, three local organizations—the Pleasant Woodside Neighbourhood Association, North Woodside Community Centre and HomeBridge Youth Society—presented to the Harbour East Marine-Drive Community Council. These organizations expressed a shared interest in improving the North Woodside Community Centre Park. They undertook a community survey to seek input and ideas with an emphasis on an underused wooded area that occupies more than half of the park parcel. At that meeting, Community Council requested a staff recommendation report on a park plan for the North Woodside Community Park.
On Oct. 3, 2024, municipal staff presented a recommendation report to Community Council to outline how a park plan would be developed with community, to identify the park’s purpose and character and to guide future improvements. Subsequently, Regional Council directed that a park plan be prepared through the adoption of the 2025/26 Parks & Recreation Business Plan.
To inform the park planning process, a public open house was hosted on June 25, 2025 at the North Woodside Community Centre and an online survey ran from June 25 - July 23, 2025. A ‘What We Heard’ summary is available for review.
What’s happening next?
The proposed park design concept is being refined based on community input. A staff report is being prepared for Harbour East - Marine Drive Community Council's review in early 2026.
