There is a challenge in deciding how to allocate funds for parks in this area.
In part, based on what functions you're hoping to achieve.
If you simply want a neighbourhood respite (a few mature trees, some seats, a water fountain), little land is required, but it needs to be close to wherever you seek to serve.
Obviously if what you want is either 'grand gesture' or a sports field, the amount of land, and the associated cost, rockets. The choices for realistic sites are far fewer.
My instinct for the downtown area would be to focus on a small number of sites where one can grow/complete/protect/restore an existing greenspace, then use the balance
of any funds towards a grand gesture, likely in the form of the rail deck park.
But I wouldn't want to see ALL the funds consumed by the rail deck park; and therein lies the difficulty. Which is, if some investments go elsewhere, which ones will go where?
On the west side of downtown, I have long favoured expanding Grange park, by removing the former Otis Bldg on McCaul, and the associated mini-street, then shifting University Settlement out towards McCaul freeing up more space in the heart of the park, while also making sure there is a green space connection to McCaul. I also think taking over the 'air right's or strata over the apartment building parking garage on Beverly would make eminent sense.
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On the east side, I can think of no higher priority than protecting the grounds of Metropolitan United and buying up than insidious condo proposal for the north end of same.
Here we can protect history, a visual link between historic landmarks, existing quality open space, and we can grow that space contiguously in a way that could add a range of space programming to a good sized City park.
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Thereafter, I've love to see the investment focus on 'green borders' for downtown. The west being the former Garrison Creek route, which should be completed as a greenspace at all points south of Trinity-Bellwoods (its overwhelmingly in public hands as is, but would require shifting one apartment building and one Green P lot.
The south would be the waterfront park system.
The east would be the Don Valley (completing assembly of green space during redevelopment of lands south of Gerrard and north of Dundas tops my list here.)
The north would be Rosedale Valley and the associated Castlefrank creek corridor (Ramsden Park and points north-west)
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Tieing this back to the discussion at hand. We need a clear sense of how much money is on the table, what the guiding vision is, and then we can discern how useful this particular site is/isn't in achieve that and whether its a wise investment of the $
