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No, it's probably not going to be a condo. Following weeks of speculation, the vacant lot at 229 Richmond Street West has been identified as the potential site of a new Toronto Ward 20 park. Stretching south from Richmond to Nelson Street, the approximately 2,635 m² (.65 acre) site is located just east of John Street, in the heart of the rapidly growing Entertainment District.
Passionately spearheaded by local councillor Joe Cressy, the King-Spadina community's new park is taking a step closer to reality. Over the past two decades, the area's explosive population growth has necessitated new public space, with public amenities and infrastructure struggling to meet the needs of what is now extremely dense urban neighbourhood. "In 1996, population of King-Spadina was 1,000 residents," Cressy notes. "Once all approved and potential development is constructed, more than 40,000 people will call this area home."
Currently used as a commercial surface parking lot, the site's size, location, and urban context, make it a viable place for new parkland. Located in a post-industrial area of the city conspicuously lacking in green space and canopy coverage—a problem made more pressing by ongoing population growth—the site's proximity to the 'John Street Cultural Corridor' is also likely to contribute to the park's popularity.
On June 13th June, Cressy directed the City's Government Management Committee to report to Council with a recommendation for the park's location, advancing an initiative that has been planned since 2014. Identifying the Entertainment District site as a viable location for new parkland, the new report also outlines two strategies for acquiring the site, via either a negotiated settlement or expropriation.
The report notes that "the owners of the Lands indicated that their valuation of the Lands far exceeded the City's estimate," making a negotiated settlement "highly unlikely." This leaves expropriation as the much more viable option. If council directs staff to proceed with expropriation, the City can move to secure one of the area's few remaining parcels of open land.
Cressy has indicated that funds to expropriate the site will come from the "tens of millions of dollars" acquired through Section 42 contributions from developers. While the Section 42 parkland contribution requires developers to provide either on-site parkland or cash in lieu, the Entertainment District's generally compact tower sites limit the provision of on-site green space. This means that most of the area's Section 42 contributions have come as direct cash transfers, which are now being consolidated to create a community park.
The parkland acquisition is set to come before City Council this week, with a further deliberation likely in September. We will keep you updated as Council debates the issue, and the future of the park begins to take shape. Want to share your thoughts about the proposed park? Leave a comment in the space below this page, or join in the conversation in our Forum.
