From the beginning, icona has recognized the importance of recreation and leisure to community health and resilience. We discovered early on that it was a priority for the Anmore community, too. Through workshops and other touchpoints, Anmore resident placed amenities such as parks, nature trails and boardwalks and a recreation centre high on the list.  

To explore this theme in greater depth, icona brought together 25 Anmore residents for a sports and recreation focus group.  

Led by Greg Moore, President and CEO, and Brian Johnston, recreational consulting expert, the focus group explored options for enriching Anmore with new indoor and outdoor sports and recreation options. The conversation built on the priorities identified by the Anmore community during past discussions, workshops, showcases and open houses.  

In the category of recreation and sport, the top priorities are the creation of a 25,000-sf community centre, nature trails for walking, hiking and biking, a bike skills park and a sauna, steam room and cold-plunge pool.  

In the category of leisure, the top priorities are a picnic area, natural-style playgrounds and a covered area for outdoor activities such as farmers markets, bootcamps and kids’ afterschool camps.  

Many other options for recreation, sport and leisure were also suggested by residents, including community gardens, co-working spaces, an amphitheatre, a climbing wall and a kids’ splash park. 

During the focus group, participants reviewed a complete list of community-generated recreation, sport and leisure options and were invited to expand on these ideas by providing deeper input and additional suggestions. The ideas and feedback provided by the group will help icona refine the vision in the coming months and years.