City Releases What We Heard Reports for Rennie’s River, Central and Mundy Pond Neighbourhoods

The City of St. John’s has released What We Heard reports summarizing findings from public engagement which took place in August and September of 2025 on the development of plans for the Rennie’s River, Central and Mundy Pond neighbourhoods.

Once complete, the plans will translate the vision and high-level policies from the Envision St. John’s Municipal Plan to local policies and improvements for each neighbourhood. These plans set out objectives and policies for: land use mix, height and densities for new development, transportation, open space and protection of natural and cultural heritage features. 

The What We Heard documents will be shared at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. 

Highlights of What We Heard include: 

Rennie’s River:

• Greenspace and trails are valued and need protection and enhancement: The Rennie’s River neighbourhood is valued for its beautiful parks, connected trail network, and tree-lined streets, which participants want protected, maintained, and enhanced.
• Improving safe access to all travel modes is important: While the neighbourhood is considered walkable, participants highlighted pedestrian accessibility and crossings as areas for improvement. Additional opportunities include bike connectivity and safety as well as increasing transit frequency and connectivity.
• Safety and basic needs must be considered: Participants noted that the impacts of the housing and affordability crisis are being felt in Rennie’s River. This is affecting people and providers and affecting perceptions of safety in public spaces.
• Rennie’s River is a neighbourhood of neighbourhoods: Contributors stated there are many unique areas that warrant specific consideration in the Neighbourhood Plan, including Churchill Park, Georgestown, Kenny’s Pond, and the Ecclesiastical District.
• Housing needs must be balanced with the pace of change: While participants indicated there was a need for more affordable and seniors’ housing to support new residents and aging-in-place, there is concern with the rate of change.

Central and Mundy Pond:

• Parks, ponds, and green space are central to neighbourhood identity: Residents describe these are one of the defining strengths of the area that contributes strongly to their connection to the City.
• Improving mobility for all modes of transportation: Participants expressed a desire for streets designed for people as much as cars, with protected walking routes, better snow clearing, and improvements around bus stop locations and accessibility.
• Safety and social well-being must be considered: A significant number of comments focused on the perception of safety, reflecting a mix of worry about crime, open drug use in public spaces, and property damage.
• Housing choice and gentle density, when aligned with neighbourhood character: Residents generally supported having more housing options, primarily smaller formats like townhouses, seniors-oriented units, and semi-detached dwellings.
• A more complete neighbourhood with local amenities close to home: Participants described wanting more options for everyday destinations such as coffee shops, retail, community programming, and places to gather that feel comfortable and neighbourly.

The Central and Mundy Pond neighbourhoods are being studied together due to their proximity and many shared characteristics.

Promotional efforts resulted in 2,658 visits to the Rennie’s River project page and 1,600 visits to the Central and Mundy Pond project page. Feedback was provided for both plans through surveys, online project pages, email, phone, pop-up events and meetings. Representatives from community groups, city committees, city staff, and working groups were also consulted. 

The City of St. John’s has a strategic direction to be a Sustainable City, planning for land use while preserving and enhancing the natural and built environment for residents. The Rennie’s River, Central and Mundy Pond neighbourhood plans play a key role in advancing this direction.

Related Links: 

• What We Heard Report – Rennie’s River
• What We Heard Report – Central and Mundy Pond
• Engage St. John's Project Page – Rennie’s River
• Engage St. John's Project Page – Central and Mundy Pond
• Envision St. John's Municipal Plan
• Media Release: City Seeks Feedback on Rennie’s River, Central and Mundy Pond Neighbourhoods