Church-Wellesley Village

[Thernan]

I just don't get how a shop selling such expensive wares will survive long in that location. Rents are high and while there are some higher income earners in teh area, tehre are a lot of folks who are paycheck to paycheck. I could see a store like that working in Leaside or a similar rich area but not in the village.

 

[Mikeymike]

i just heard, Pusateri's has been sold. Deal closes on the weekend.

 

[cdr108]

I just don't get how a shop selling such expensive wares will survive long in that location. Rents are high and while there are some higher income earners in teh area, tehre are a lot of folks who are paycheck to paycheck. I could see a store like that working in Leaside or a similar rich area but not in the village.

it'll be a destination for other dt to go to instead of having to travel to summerhill.

 

[mgl]

i just heard, Pusateri's has been sold. Deal closes on the weekend.

Oh wow. He was just quoted in the paper as saying they were doing better and were going to be there for a long time.

 

[Peepers]

I just don't get how a shop selling such expensive wares will survive long in that location. Rents are high and while there are some higher income earners in teh area, tehre are a lot of folks who are paycheck to paycheck. I could see a store like that working in Leaside or a similar rich area but not in the village.

They will be able to capture some of the well-heeled customers that shop next door at Cumbraes. They come for all over downtown. Cumbraes doesn't depend on the local residents on its survival.

Interesting news about Pusateri's being sold! I wonder if the people behind "All the Best Foods" are behind the purchase? Up at Summerhill (as many of you probably know) "All the Best" operates four (or five?) separate but synergistic food shops side by side. Could they be trying to replicate the same formula on Church! Lets hope so! I would be surprised if they only plan to occupy the one tiny store beside Cumbraes.

 

[to_l]

Pusateri posted the news on Facebook. Doesn't looks like the store is sold to "All the best"; just a change in ownership.

 

[androiduk]

Cawthra Park renovation has begun.

 

[Peepers]

It looks like the clear-cutting of Cawthra Park has begun. I just saw this tweet tonight:

Kurt Von Krausewitz ‏@VonKrausewitz 7h
@519church @kristynwongtam why r all the #trees gone? Surely Cawthra Park could b revitalized with'em intact #TOpoli pic.twitter.com/69UBVLOt36

Along with this picture:

In response KWT tweeted:

Kristyn Wong-Tam 黃慧文 ‏@kristynwongtam 37m
@VonKrausewitz Urban Forestry assessed trees - at end of life & in poor health. New large calipers planted in deeper trenches this spring.

If you go to a Google street view of the park you can see that the tree's removed so far were in perfect health. Also you can see that they are fairly young trees - no where near "end of life" - in other words Wong-Tams comments were complete B.S.!

When plans were first floated for making over the park - local residents objected strenuously to Wong-Tam's original vision which involved cutting down all the tree's except for around the perimeter of the park and paving over similar to Yonge Dundas Sqaure. In response to protests from the residents plans were resubmitted showing the retention of trees.

It looks like Wong Tam is getting her wish after-all with the destruction of these trees. I think that this incident shows she cannot be trusted.

The irony is the money for this "makeover" came from section 37 funds negotiated with the developer behind the rental tower at Church & Isabella which resulted in the disappearance of a park full of mature trees at that corner.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

There was a pack of fools harassing me in front of the park this weekend with signs & a petition about the cutting down of trees, how sex trade workers, homeless youth & drug users are being displaced by the removal of the trees and a brighter park at night and other nonsense. Good grief.

The truth is the trees deemed "diseased" or "under performing" were from studies & reports conducted by a certified Arborist and Toronto Parks & Forestry, not on a whim by Councillor Wong-Tam. Know of what you speak.
What I saw at the second (maybe third) meeting was what I believe to be the original plan that looked roughly like a 60-40 mix of hard surface and green surface, respectively. The other two were greener options. The community decided on the greenest option, only a small amount of grass is being lost at the front of the park (north side, entrance area, closer to the sidewalk).
What is the problem with the s32 money coming from the Isabella project, doesn't that actually make sense? One lost green space revitalizes another?
Save for the AIDS memorial, immediate surrounding areas (gardens), the dog park and the children's water play area Cawthra Park has been kind of "wanting" for the better part of the last 20 years, and has been getting worse each year as broken benches were removed (and not replaced), the water feature removed, uneven patio stones (where the Bixi bikes were), flood prone areas, concrete table/chair sets removed (very similar to what used to be next to Sam's on Gould Street) - it's not good.
IMO, Cawthra Park is in much need of a re-do. Yes, it's still a shame about the trees but healthy new one's will be planted replacing most of them, and in silica cells.

Site plan:



A few of the protester's signs from last weekend (they were there Thursday through Sunday):

 

[Peepers]

More on the clear-cutting of Cawthra Park.

It was reported in Xtra:
http://dailyxtra.com/toronto/news/c...-month-renovation-beginning-aug-19?market=207

The community shot down another proposal that replaced most of the grass and trees with concrete paving to improve drainage and wear and tear caused by events such as Pride. Instead, only unhealthy trees will be removed, while new underground Strata Cell structures will protect those trees that remain and encourage growth.

Announcement from 519 FB page

The 519 Church Street Community Centre
The City of Toronto, with the leadership of Councillor Wong-Tam, is redeveloping Cawthra Square Park in preparation for World Pride in 2014 and the Pan Am / Para Pan Am Games in 2015. The Village will feature prominently in both of these major international events.

The City is building the western portion of the park to create a more enjoyable space. The new design includes a new plaza, seating, trees, paths, specialty lighting, a wooden deck / stage and improved lawns.

The removal of 27 trees is required in order to facilitate this design.

So the removal of 27 trees is NOT necessitated because they were "unhealthy" (as claimed by KWT) but rather to "facilitate this design".

This is beginning to look like a major betrayal by Wong-Tam. She has obviously ignored the concerns of local residents who strenuously objected to the proposed denuding of Cawthra Park! What was the purpose of community consultations?

When Wong-Tam claims that the 27 trees are being removed because they are at their "end of life and in poor health" I believe that she is outright lying (my opinion only).

I wonder if any of the 27 trees being removed were planted as a memorial to HIV victims? Does anyone know? I hope not because this would be devastating to loved ones!

I see a small demonstration was held the other night to protest the clear-cutting (photo by Shawn Micallef)

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I already explained what those fools were doing Thursday through Sunday.

The choice of wording "The removal of 27 trees is required in order to facilitate this design" on signage is unfortunate. Obviously KWT didn't sit and paint these signs, clearly the details of what it should read got lost somewhere along the line by someone. If you go over there you'll see lots of trees have protection built around them, the healthy one's that will remain. Listen, this isn't a conspiracy to get rid of trees!

It's no secret what the plans for the north park space are, the park is being re-designed to encourage more activity throughout the warmer season for the community - we've known about these plans since last winter/early spring.

Your point about dedicated trees coming down is a good one. I sure hope that this issue has been carefully addressed in case any of them have to come down. That really would be devastating for a family who planted a tree in memory of their loved one and they find it gone.

For reference, posted on site:

 

[Roy G Biv]

We have so few mature trees downtown that the prospect of removal of any should be met with scrutiny.

The lack of "activity" in Cawthra Square has nothing to do with an abundance of trees. It has to do with an abundance of drunk/high street-kids and homeless people. They have every right to be there, but it doesn't make the park very appealing to the more fortunate. Because of the amount of shelters and clinics East of Yonge-West of DVP, any park in this area is going to be full of homeless people. I am not saying it is right or wrong. It is just a fact.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Quite an improvement in the design and hopefully build quality of the park.

AoD

 

[intervention]

Frankly, this park is not safe at night nor a welcoming place for the community as a whole in its current state; while I appreciate and understand that people have concerns over "crowding out of sex workers" and "vulnerable youth," the purpose of the park is for passive recreation and enjoyment of open space, not the performance of sex work, ingestion and use of drugs etc. I don't see how passive recreation and enjoyment of open space, through an open design promoting safety and community connectivity, will crowd out vulnerable segments of the community and quite frankly, the park currently "crowds out" the community at large. I've lived in the Village since 2006 and walked through this space maybe four times, each time for fear of what's going on. And never in flop flops.

 

[Peepers]

I already explained what those fools were doing Thursday through Sunday.

The choice of wording "The removal of 27 trees is required in order to facilitate this design" on signage is unfortunate. Obviously KWT didn't sit and paint these signs, clearly the details of what it should read got lost somewhere along the line by someone. If you go over there you'll see lots of trees have protection built around them, the healthy one's that will remain. Listen, this isn't a conspiracy to get rid of trees!

I agree that looking at the protest signs that it appears that this issue has been hijacked by a bunch of idiots (as so happens in this city with worthy causes). I don't know what "indigenous women" and "at risk youth" have to do with cutting down trees. When I see this I wonder if they were planted there to discredit those people who have genuine objections to what is happening with the trees?

I don't argue that one day - twenty years into the future - the revised park will look beautiful once the new trees mature. What I don't like is what appears to me to be an attempt to mislead local residents. Residents expressed concern over the original plan that called for clear-cutting. In response a new plan was issued that preserved trees and residents were told "don't worry only sickly trees will be cut down". We now see 27 trees that appeared to be in good health cut down to "facilitate a design". I think that Wong-Tam has been less than candid with residents and this is never a good thing.

This is what Wong-Tam posted on her website last night:

Cawthra Park is being Revitalized!
Revitalization work has begun at Cawthra Square Park. This $1.45M project will upgrade the entryways on Church Street, revitalize landscaping, replace dead and dying trees with new ones that will be more resilient and grow larger, and install dynamic new lighting. These major upgrades address concerns raised over park safety, access, and the impact of events on green spaces. All work is scheduled to be completed prior to World Pride 2014. Existing facilities, including the children’s play area, dog run, and AIDS memorial will not modified and access will be maintained at all times possible

Click here to see an image of what the Park will look like when completed in the Spring of 2014.

The 27 trees are not being replaced because they were "dead and dying". They are being replaced because they didn't fit in with the new design. If there is merit in replacing these trees with trees that will grow larger - fine argue that point. Don't mislead people by saying the trees currently in the park had to be replaced because they were "sick and dying".