[An image of a ball in the field. Photo Credit to Pixabay]

The City of Abbotsford is moving forward with plans to develop new sports and recreation facilities on 39-acre property along LeFeuvre Road.

On September 9, Abbotsford City Council directed city staff to proceed with the next phase of site and design work at 1010 LeFeuvre Road.

The city already owns the property and is being considered as a future location for sports, recreation and park amenities for Abbotsford residents and community sports groups.

The initiative addresses the growing demand for sports facilities across Abbotsford.

According to the city, local sports organizations and residents have raised concerns about limited field availability, aging facilities, and waitlists.

Some organizations also face restrictions when trying to host tournaments, while some teams have had to travel outside Abbotsford to play games because there is not enough available space locally.

The demand spans across a wide array of sports, such as soccer, baseball, fastball, slo-pitch, cricket, football, rugby and athletics.

This means the shortage of facilities can affect athletes of all ages and sports across the community.

The need for additional recreation space could become even greater as Abbotsford continues to expand.

The city’s official community plan is designed around a future population of approximately 250,000 people.

As more people move to Abbotsford, the city will also need to consider how its parks, sports fields, and other community facilities can support a larger population.

However, the LeFeuvre Road property was not the city’s original location for a future sports and recreation park.

In April 2025, the city submitted an application to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) involving land near King and McKenzie Roads.

The city identified the King Road property as a possible future location for new sports and recreation facilities and proposed a land swap involving other properties along LeFeuvre Road.

The King property was situated within the Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR), which protects agricultural land in British Columbia.

The city proposed removing approximately 46 acres from the ALR while adding approximately 49 acres along LeFeuvre Road.

On August 20, 2026, the Agriculture Land Commission denied the city’s application.

Following the decision, Abbotsford city council asked staff to review other options for meeting the community’s recreation needs.

Less than a month later, council decided to move ahead with further work at the city-owned property at 1010 LeFeuvre Road.

Unlike the King Road property, the Lefeuvre Road site is not located within the ALR.

This allows the city to continue planning without the necessity of approval from the ALC to remove the land from the reserve.

However, the city has not yet announced exactly what sports fields or other facilities will be built on the site.

Currently, staff are conducting site analysis and technical investigations, while feasibility work is expected to continue through the fall.

If the project moves forward, the new recreation space could eventually provide local sports organizations with more room for practices, games and other activities.

The development could also help local teams stay closer to home instead of traveling to other communities when local fields are unavailable.

For families, this could mean shorter travel times and easier access to recreational programs.

Although the project is still in its early planning stages and no final design has been unveiled, the decision marks another step toward addressing Abbotsford’s growing demand for sports and recreation facilities.