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Palais finally gets a place for patrons to park
SUZANNE MA
A private parking lot for the newly refurbished Palais Royale will be built on a broad median of Lake Shore Boulevard West this fall, after a year of arguments in which local residents accused the city of sacrificing public green space in order to appease commercial interests.
Yet opposition remains among some of the Parkdale residents whose pressure forced the city and the private operator of the refurbished dance palace to retreat from plans to place parking on lakeside parkland.
"Right now the city is telling us that green space is dispensable," said Roger Brook, co-chair of the Parkdale Residents Association's community development committee. "When you're taking public park lands and paving them over to become parking lots, you should go to the community and talk to them and find an alternative that is acceptable to them."
Mr. Brook argues that the community was not consulted and alternatives put forth by the resident's association were not seriously considered.
Local councillor Sylvia Watson disagrees, saying the median parking lot was an option originally proposed by an overwhelming number of residents from the Parkdale community.
"There has been meeting after meeting after meeting," said Ms. Watson, who has stepped down from her council seat to run for the provincial Liberals in a Sept. 14 by-election. "So many people endorsed the idea; they called me, they came to me on the streets, they met with me in my office."
In late June, Toronto City Council endorsed the latest plan, which will see the construction of 125 parking spaces on the grassy median between the eastbound and westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard. A pedestrian-activated traffic signal will be constructed for crossing the busy Lake Shore Boulevard.
The Palais Royale is a historic Toronto entertainment venue. Built in 1922 as a part of Sunnyside Amusement Park, it attracted artists such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie. After Sunnyside Amusement Park was demolished for the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard expansions in 1957, the Palais fell into decline and became a site for occasional dance nights and concerts.
Restoration of the Palais began in July, 2005, when Pegasus Group, which runs other historic venues in Toronto, signed a 15-year lease for the property. After $3.5-million in renovations -- paid for by the Pegasus Group -- the venue reopened in June this year as a banquet hall.
Initial plans had called for a parking lot to be built east of the Palais on existing parkland between the Palais and the Boulevard Club, but opposition from residents caused the city to consider other options.
Mr. Brook, who attended the meetings, said it was clear that plans had already been approved before residents had the chance to speak. He said suggestions that Palais customers park in the eastbound curb lane of Lake Shore Boulevard and have the speed limit lowered to 50 kilometres an hour from 60, or that parking spaces in nearby St. Joseph's Hospital be made available to Palais customers, were rejected.
The curb-side parking proposal was rejected over safety concerns that, when trying to get out of their cars, drivers could get hurt by speeding traffic, the city said.
"We're exhausted," Mr. Brook said. "There has been no real discussion about any of these options we put forth, and it's such a shame that practical solutions have been dismissed."
But Palais Royale operator Terry Tsianos argued that the options were far from practical.
"They were ridiculous," he said. "We can't operate a venue without parking. No bride is going to jump in a bus and come to our place."
In the meantime, Mr. Tsianos said he has been shouldering the cost of providing a valet service that shuttles patrons to and from free municipal lots along the beachfront. It's estimated the median parking lot will cost $500,000 to build. It will be leased for 20 years to Pegasus Group at a rate of $49,000 a year. The city will also spend $160,000 to build a traffic light so patrons can cross the three lanes of eastbound traffic separating the parking lot from the Palais.
"Anyone who calls that median green space is terribly mistaken," Mr. Tsianos said. "I would never let my kids run around on a median between two highways. It's not a green space, it's land between two highways."
Ms. Watson refuted the idea that the parking lot would be taking away the city's precious green spaces and said that on the days the Palais doesn't have events, the parking lot will be made free and open to the public.
© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SUZANNE MA
A private parking lot for the newly refurbished Palais Royale will be built on a broad median of Lake Shore Boulevard West this fall, after a year of arguments in which local residents accused the city of sacrificing public green space in order to appease commercial interests.
Yet opposition remains among some of the Parkdale residents whose pressure forced the city and the private operator of the refurbished dance palace to retreat from plans to place parking on lakeside parkland.
"Right now the city is telling us that green space is dispensable," said Roger Brook, co-chair of the Parkdale Residents Association's community development committee. "When you're taking public park lands and paving them over to become parking lots, you should go to the community and talk to them and find an alternative that is acceptable to them."
Mr. Brook argues that the community was not consulted and alternatives put forth by the resident's association were not seriously considered.
Local councillor Sylvia Watson disagrees, saying the median parking lot was an option originally proposed by an overwhelming number of residents from the Parkdale community.
"There has been meeting after meeting after meeting," said Ms. Watson, who has stepped down from her council seat to run for the provincial Liberals in a Sept. 14 by-election. "So many people endorsed the idea; they called me, they came to me on the streets, they met with me in my office."
In late June, Toronto City Council endorsed the latest plan, which will see the construction of 125 parking spaces on the grassy median between the eastbound and westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard. A pedestrian-activated traffic signal will be constructed for crossing the busy Lake Shore Boulevard.
The Palais Royale is a historic Toronto entertainment venue. Built in 1922 as a part of Sunnyside Amusement Park, it attracted artists such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie. After Sunnyside Amusement Park was demolished for the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard expansions in 1957, the Palais fell into decline and became a site for occasional dance nights and concerts.
Restoration of the Palais began in July, 2005, when Pegasus Group, which runs other historic venues in Toronto, signed a 15-year lease for the property. After $3.5-million in renovations -- paid for by the Pegasus Group -- the venue reopened in June this year as a banquet hall.
Initial plans had called for a parking lot to be built east of the Palais on existing parkland between the Palais and the Boulevard Club, but opposition from residents caused the city to consider other options.
Mr. Brook, who attended the meetings, said it was clear that plans had already been approved before residents had the chance to speak. He said suggestions that Palais customers park in the eastbound curb lane of Lake Shore Boulevard and have the speed limit lowered to 50 kilometres an hour from 60, or that parking spaces in nearby St. Joseph's Hospital be made available to Palais customers, were rejected.
The curb-side parking proposal was rejected over safety concerns that, when trying to get out of their cars, drivers could get hurt by speeding traffic, the city said.
"We're exhausted," Mr. Brook said. "There has been no real discussion about any of these options we put forth, and it's such a shame that practical solutions have been dismissed."
But Palais Royale operator Terry Tsianos argued that the options were far from practical.
"They were ridiculous," he said. "We can't operate a venue without parking. No bride is going to jump in a bus and come to our place."
In the meantime, Mr. Tsianos said he has been shouldering the cost of providing a valet service that shuttles patrons to and from free municipal lots along the beachfront. It's estimated the median parking lot will cost $500,000 to build. It will be leased for 20 years to Pegasus Group at a rate of $49,000 a year. The city will also spend $160,000 to build a traffic light so patrons can cross the three lanes of eastbound traffic separating the parking lot from the Palais.
"Anyone who calls that median green space is terribly mistaken," Mr. Tsianos said. "I would never let my kids run around on a median between two highways. It's not a green space, it's land between two highways."
Ms. Watson refuted the idea that the parking lot would be taking away the city's precious green spaces and said that on the days the Palais doesn't have events, the parking lot will be made free and open to the public.
© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.