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Draft Neighbourhood Vision
The University Area will continue to evolve as a centre of education, healthcare, and recreation. Anchored by its rich history, institutional heart, and community energy, the University Area will become even more connected and livable with access to jobs, diverse housing choices, education, daily needs, local and regional parks, and transportation options.
Proposed Neighbourhood Strategies
Check out the initial recommendations for the University Area! We are proposing 7 key neighbourhood strategies for the Neighbourhood Plan to guide future growth and improvements:
New Neighbourhood Node: The Paton Street, Anderson Avenue, and Elizabeth Avenue intersection is identified as the core focus area for commercial and residential growth, creating a priority area for attracting additional commercial amenities.
New Elizabeth Avenue Growth Corridor: New zoning is proposed for the Elizabeth Avenue corridor that prioritizes development height and density closest to the Neighbourhood Node while decreasing height and density towards Churchill Park.
Newtown Road Shared Use Path + Residential Growth: Newtown Road is prioritized for future development of a shared use path connecting MUN to the Downtown through the University Area. Residential redevelopment is also encouraged along this corridor.
Prince Philip Dr. Connections: Priority pedestrian connections are identified throughout the University Area, but none are more important than improving connections across Prince Philip Drive, particularly where shared use pathways are proposed.
Reinforce Rabbittown’s Neighbourhood Commercial Uses: The Rabbittown community is home to the University Area’s oldest commercial businesses, and this compact neighbourhood commercial character should be encouraged to expand.
Freshwater Road Mixed Use Corridor: Highway-oriented commercial developments along Freshwater Road are encouraged to redevelop into mixed use centres over the long-term, providing more commercial and housing choice to the neighbourhood.
Park Connections: Improving connections for Rabbittown residents to Kelly’s Brook Park, and for all University Area residents to Pippy Park.
A larger version of the Neighbourhood Strategy Map can be found in the Documents section.
About the Project
The City of St. John’s is developing a Neighbourhood Plan for the University Area. The Neighbourhood Plan aims to take the visions we set for the City through Envision St. John's and make them real at the community/neighbourhood level. This plan will be shaped by the existing policies of the Municipal Plan, analysis of local conditions, and engagement within the neighbourhood and the wider community. To be successful, the vision and plan for the University Area needs to be grounded in an understanding of the unique characteristics of the community. Theplan will incorporate the needs and desires of the people who live, work, and play in these neighbourhoods.
The University Area Neighbourhood Plan will focus on the area highlighted on the map above.
This project has been made possible through funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) provided to the City of St. John’s by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Learn more about how the City is using this $10.4 million in funding to stimulate housing growth at StJohns.ca.
How to Get Involved!
Phase 2 engagement is now live! Share your feedback on the draft neighbourhood strategy and recommendations. Complete the online survey or attend one of the virtual or in-person events:
Online survey – available from April 22nd to May 16th, 2025
Open House & Guided Tour – Thursday, May 8th from 5-8pm at the St. John’s Community Market
Pop Up Events – Friday, May 9th from 12-2pm (MUN University Centre, 3rd Floor) or Saturday, May 10th from 9am-1pm at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market
Phase 2 engagement will be open fromApril 22nd to May 16th, 2025.
Phase 1 engagement was completed in the Fall of 2024. Your input from Phase 1 informed the draft recommendations. See the results in the What We Heard Report in the Documents section.
Current Context
The University Area neighbourhood is in central St. John’s. The neighbourhood is bound by Freshwater Road on the south side, Pippy Park forming most of the northwest side, and Parade Street, Newton Road, Bonaventure Avenue and Allandale Road making up the east side. Known for being the home of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), the neighbourhood includes parks, schools, sports fields and the Rabbittown local community centre. The Health Sciences Centre, the largest hospital in the province, is located in the neighbourhood. Most of the area is made up of single-detached housing, except for the south side above Elizabeth Avenue which is mainly made up of campus and community facilities.
To learn more about the University Area Neighbourhood, check out the Background Report in the Documents section.
Other Relevant Projects
Did you know the same kind of Neighbourhood Plan project is taking place for the Cowan Heights neighbourhood? Visit the Cowan Heights project page.
Draft Neighbourhood Vision
The University Area will continue to evolve as a centre of education, healthcare, and recreation. Anchored by its rich history, institutional heart, and community energy, the University Area will become even more connected and livable with access to jobs, diverse housing choices, education, daily needs, local and regional parks, and transportation options.
Proposed Neighbourhood Strategies
Check out the initial recommendations for the University Area! We are proposing 7 key neighbourhood strategies for the Neighbourhood Plan to guide future growth and improvements:
New Neighbourhood Node: The Paton Street, Anderson Avenue, and Elizabeth Avenue intersection is identified as the core focus area for commercial and residential growth, creating a priority area for attracting additional commercial amenities.
New Elizabeth Avenue Growth Corridor: New zoning is proposed for the Elizabeth Avenue corridor that prioritizes development height and density closest to the Neighbourhood Node while decreasing height and density towards Churchill Park.
Newtown Road Shared Use Path + Residential Growth: Newtown Road is prioritized for future development of a shared use path connecting MUN to the Downtown through the University Area. Residential redevelopment is also encouraged along this corridor.
Prince Philip Dr. Connections: Priority pedestrian connections are identified throughout the University Area, but none are more important than improving connections across Prince Philip Drive, particularly where shared use pathways are proposed.
Reinforce Rabbittown’s Neighbourhood Commercial Uses: The Rabbittown community is home to the University Area’s oldest commercial businesses, and this compact neighbourhood commercial character should be encouraged to expand.
Freshwater Road Mixed Use Corridor: Highway-oriented commercial developments along Freshwater Road are encouraged to redevelop into mixed use centres over the long-term, providing more commercial and housing choice to the neighbourhood.
Park Connections: Improving connections for Rabbittown residents to Kelly’s Brook Park, and for all University Area residents to Pippy Park.
A larger version of the Neighbourhood Strategy Map can be found in the Documents section.
About the Project
The City of St. John’s is developing a Neighbourhood Plan for the University Area. The Neighbourhood Plan aims to take the visions we set for the City through Envision St. John's and make them real at the community/neighbourhood level. This plan will be shaped by the existing policies of the Municipal Plan, analysis of local conditions, and engagement within the neighbourhood and the wider community. To be successful, the vision and plan for the University Area needs to be grounded in an understanding of the unique characteristics of the community. Theplan will incorporate the needs and desires of the people who live, work, and play in these neighbourhoods.
The University Area Neighbourhood Plan will focus on the area highlighted on the map above.
This project has been made possible through funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) provided to the City of St. John’s by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Learn more about how the City is using this $10.4 million in funding to stimulate housing growth at StJohns.ca.
How to Get Involved!
Phase 2 engagement is now live! Share your feedback on the draft neighbourhood strategy and recommendations. Complete the online survey or attend one of the virtual or in-person events:
Online survey – available from April 22nd to May 16th, 2025
Open House & Guided Tour – Thursday, May 8th from 5-8pm at the St. John’s Community Market
Pop Up Events – Friday, May 9th from 12-2pm (MUN University Centre, 3rd Floor) or Saturday, May 10th from 9am-1pm at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market
Phase 2 engagement will be open fromApril 22nd to May 16th, 2025.
Phase 1 engagement was completed in the Fall of 2024. Your input from Phase 1 informed the draft recommendations. See the results in the What We Heard Report in the Documents section.
Current Context
The University Area neighbourhood is in central St. John’s. The neighbourhood is bound by Freshwater Road on the south side, Pippy Park forming most of the northwest side, and Parade Street, Newton Road, Bonaventure Avenue and Allandale Road making up the east side. Known for being the home of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), the neighbourhood includes parks, schools, sports fields and the Rabbittown local community centre. The Health Sciences Centre, the largest hospital in the province, is located in the neighbourhood. Most of the area is made up of single-detached housing, except for the south side above Elizabeth Avenue which is mainly made up of campus and community facilities.
To learn more about the University Area Neighbourhood, check out the Background Report in the Documents section.
Other Relevant Projects
Did you know the same kind of Neighbourhood Plan project is taking place for the Cowan Heights neighbourhood? Visit the Cowan Heights project page.
Share The surveyed area should have included the old site of Booth High school. That area can be used for so much and would impact a lot of the activities in Rabbittown, over to freshwater road and Elizabeth avenue. I worry that the survey might not take that area into account and might be a bit myopic. I would like to be informed when the city starts to propose developments for that site as it has a huge potential to transform the rabbittown/freshwater area on FacebookShare The surveyed area should have included the old site of Booth High school. That area can be used for so much and would impact a lot of the activities in Rabbittown, over to freshwater road and Elizabeth avenue. I worry that the survey might not take that area into account and might be a bit myopic. I would like to be informed when the city starts to propose developments for that site as it has a huge potential to transform the rabbittown/freshwater area on TwitterShare The surveyed area should have included the old site of Booth High school. That area can be used for so much and would impact a lot of the activities in Rabbittown, over to freshwater road and Elizabeth avenue. I worry that the survey might not take that area into account and might be a bit myopic. I would like to be informed when the city starts to propose developments for that site as it has a huge potential to transform the rabbittown/freshwater area on LinkedinEmail The surveyed area should have included the old site of Booth High school. That area can be used for so much and would impact a lot of the activities in Rabbittown, over to freshwater road and Elizabeth avenue. I worry that the survey might not take that area into account and might be a bit myopic. I would like to be informed when the city starts to propose developments for that site as it has a huge potential to transform the rabbittown/freshwater area link
The surveyed area should have included the old site of Booth High school. That area can be used for so much and would impact a lot of the activities in Rabbittown, over to freshwater road and Elizabeth avenue. I worry that the survey might not take that area into account and might be a bit myopic. I would like to be informed when the city starts to propose developments for that site as it has a huge potential to transform the rabbittown/freshwater area
PatrickH
asked
5 days ago
Thank you for your comment and interest in the area! While the old Booth High School site is not located inside the University Area Neighbourhood boundary, it is located within the Central Neighbourhood boundary. The City will be preparing a neighbourhood plan for the Central Neighbourhood over the next year. The old Booth site is located in an Intensification Area, which will be reviewed as part of the preparation of the Central Neighbourhood Plan. Much like the University Area project, there will be several opportunities for the public to get involved throughout the preparation of the Central Neighbourhood Plan, so stay tuned!
Share Why is the previous survey results report showing unavailable. on FacebookShare Why is the previous survey results report showing unavailable. on TwitterShare Why is the previous survey results report showing unavailable. on LinkedinEmail Why is the previous survey results report showing unavailable. link
Why is the previous survey results report showing unavailable.
carolynahill
asked
5 days ago
Thank you for your question. The issue with one of the links to the Phase 1 What We Heard report has been corrected. You can access the report under the Lifecycle section of the page or under Documents.
Share I'm wondering how this process interacts with Provincial and MUNL planning processes - eg, is there any point in providing feedback or ideas here about land use within the MUNL campus/Health Sciences area, or would that be governed by provincial/MUNL rules and plans? on FacebookShare I'm wondering how this process interacts with Provincial and MUNL planning processes - eg, is there any point in providing feedback or ideas here about land use within the MUNL campus/Health Sciences area, or would that be governed by provincial/MUNL rules and plans? on TwitterShare I'm wondering how this process interacts with Provincial and MUNL planning processes - eg, is there any point in providing feedback or ideas here about land use within the MUNL campus/Health Sciences area, or would that be governed by provincial/MUNL rules and plans? on LinkedinEmail I'm wondering how this process interacts with Provincial and MUNL planning processes - eg, is there any point in providing feedback or ideas here about land use within the MUNL campus/Health Sciences area, or would that be governed by provincial/MUNL rules and plans? link
I'm wondering how this process interacts with Provincial and MUNL planning processes - eg, is there any point in providing feedback or ideas here about land use within the MUNL campus/Health Sciences area, or would that be governed by provincial/MUNL rules and plans?
JoshSmee
asked
5 months ago
Thank you for your question. All feedback is welcome. The MUNL campus and Health Sciences area are under the jurisdiction of the CA Pippy Park Commission, so development projects filter through the Commission primarily. However, City Councillor Sandy Hickman is on the Commission Board so there is an opportunity to bring forward public input regarding those specific areas through the Board.
University Area Neighbourhood Plan has finished this stage
This phase of engagement will look at the community's vision for the future, as well as the current issues, concerns and opportunities. A What We Heard Report will be released in January 2025.
What We Heard Phase 1 Released
University Area Neighbourhood Plan has finished this stage
The What We Heard document was shared with Council at the Feb.4 Committee of the whole meeting. Check out the full report.
Phase 2 Engagement: Future Directions
University Area Neighbourhood Plan is currently at this stage
This phase of engagement will present the results from phase 1, confirm findings and start to draft the framework for the Neighbourhood Plans with input from the community. This phase of engagement will take place in Spring 2025.
Neighbourhood Plan Release
this is an upcoming stage for University Area Neighbourhood Plan
The Neighbourhood Plan will be released to the public along with a What We Heard Report from the phase 2 engagement. The anticipated release date for the University Area Neighbourhood Plan is Summer 2025.
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