A City of Toronto staff report on three public realm projects goes to the City’s Executive Committee for consideration on July 12, 2022.
Bathurst Quay Park
"Bathurst Quay Park will repurpose the City-owned parking garage as the structural foundation for a new waterfront park in combination with a structure over part of the adjacent Portland Slip. Design work is proposed to commence in tandem with the garage closure and remediation in order to enable a park construction tender award in late 2026. This work plan also includes the creation of an exploratory committee to advance a multimedia projection installation on the adjacent Canada Malting Company silos."
The other projects include the Rail Corridor master plan and University Avenue. The development of a Rail Corridor Public Realm Master Plan will provide a strategic plan for incrementally expanding public space over and adjacent to the rail corridors that run through downtown. The redesign of University Avenue has the potential to reimagine one of Toronto’s most iconic streets and deliver a continuous public green space connecting the Financial District, Health Science District and the University of Toronto.
"The value of parks and public spaces is well established in many of the City’s strategic objectives, policy frameworks and guidelines. The need to expand and improve public spaces is acutely felt in areas of the city experiencing rapid growth, especially where this growth is primarily occurring in the form of high-density residential development such as downtown. Downtown Toronto’s population is projected to double from nearly 238,000 people in 2016 to a potential population of 475,000 by 2041. Public spaces are also central to the experience of employees, students, visitors and investors."
"This is an important opportunity for the City of Toronto to keep taking the necessary steps forward to get these major parks built including the Bathurst Quay waterfront park, expanded park space along the Rail Corridor, and a redesign of University Avenue. These projects are all important opportunities to deliver much needed parks and public space in areas where the current ratio of parkland per person is amongst the lowest in the city. They will take time to get done but we have a path forward that will see them done right and in a way that will enhance the liveability of our downtown for all those who live and work there and it's vitality for visitors."
Mayor John Tory
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