CodeBlueTO, a coalition formed over the past few months in light of looming (and at one point, secretive) plans to derail Waterfront Toronto's comprehensive plans for the Lower Don and Port Lands, has just released its petition of nearly 7,000 signatures one day before the Ford brothers' own plan goes to a Toronto City Council vote.
Cynthia Wilkey, spokesperson for CodeBlueTO and Chair of the West Don Lands Committee, has emphasized to councillors that tomorrow's vote is crucial in maintaining that the previously approved vision for the massive area cannot be taken away from Waterfront Toronto after nearly six years and $19 million dollars worth of effort and planning.
In short, Waterfront Toronto's main plan for the Lower Don and Port Lands area is to "re-naturalize" the mouth of the Don River, create a promenade along Keating Channel, initialize LRT service along Cherry Street, maximize greenspace and beach areas, and create a massive new mixed-use neighbourhood over today's noticably derelict space.
The mayor's latest plan for the area, which includes a monorail, ferris wheel and massive shopping mall, have sparked waves of opposition across the city -- and CodeBlueTO's petition is the latest in the battle to stop this vision from coming true.
UrbanToronto has just created a brand new dataBase listing -- with loads more photos-- for the entire Lower Don Lands/Port Lands Redevelopment project here. We also have dataBase listings for many nearby projects, including the Moshe Safdie-designed Monde, and Canada's Sugar Beach and Sherbourne Common public parks.
For more information, or to sign the petition, visit CodeBlueTO's website.
For information on the Lower Don Lands and Port Lands redevelopment, check out Waterfront Toronto's website.