Can a stormwater holding pond double as a park? One developer says yes, and he’s about to move forward with a plan in Plympton-Wyoming.

The developers of Errol Woods subdivison want to give the town about three acres of land for parks in the area. It would double as a place for stormwater to go in the case of heavy rainfall.

BM Ross and Associates, who represented the developer, says many communities, including Byron in London, are creating passive parks which can be used to hold excessive amounts of rain. In Byron, a soccer field doubles as a dry stormwater pond. In Toronto, baseball diamonds are built to accommodate rainfall. All the parks have signage warning users that the park will flood in heavy rain.

Plympton-Wyoming councillors were skeptical about the move at first, but after seeing artist renderings of a path which would lead around the area in Errol Woods, they agreed to move ahead with the plan. The developer is expected to spend about $105,000 to create the park.

The details of the park will be finalized with the input of the municipality.