rdaner
Senior Member
All I want for Xmas is an international competition for this facility.
Scarborough library site approved by councillors
John Spears
CITY HALL BUREAU
Toronto City Hall has a library. North York Civic Centre has one next door. Now Scarborough councillors have endorsed building a library at Scarborough Civic Centre.
The proposed $8.2 million library has already been approved in the city's capital budget.
Yesterday, Scarborough Community Council unanimously supported putting the proposed building on the southeast side of the civic centre, fronting on Borough Dr. Another plot of city-owned land had also been considered, on the east side of McCowan Rd. across the street from the civic centre.
The proposed Scarborough Centre Library will be a nearly 1,400-square-metre neighbourhood facility, smaller than the major reference library at North York Civic Centre.
Anne Bailey, director of branch libraries, said that according to library planning guidelines, all residents should be within 1.6 kilometres of a library, but the nearest branches to the civic centre are about 4 kilometres away.
Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre) noted that when all the residential developments that have been proposed or are under construction near the civic centre are finished, 30,000 people will live within walking distance of the new library.
Bailey said the library hopes to get some extra funding from development charges – the funds that major developers contribute toward new community facilities. The library hopes to use that funding to install a green roof on part of the building, as well as extra bicycle parking and an outdoor reading garden, she said.
Councillor Brian Ashton (Ward 36, Scarborough Southwest) said the city should seek federal infrastructure funding for the project.
The library plans to integrate itself with a new underground parking garage to be built and operated by the Toronto Parking Authority.
Bailey said an architectural design still hasn't been done for the new library, but promised it would be "sympathetic" to the landmark civic centre designed by Raymond Moriyama.
She noted that the new library would be adjacent to the giant white wall on the southeast side of the civic centre, and said the library might use the wall as a screen for projecting artwork or movies.
Scarborough library site approved by councillors
John Spears
CITY HALL BUREAU
Toronto City Hall has a library. North York Civic Centre has one next door. Now Scarborough councillors have endorsed building a library at Scarborough Civic Centre.
The proposed $8.2 million library has already been approved in the city's capital budget.
Yesterday, Scarborough Community Council unanimously supported putting the proposed building on the southeast side of the civic centre, fronting on Borough Dr. Another plot of city-owned land had also been considered, on the east side of McCowan Rd. across the street from the civic centre.
The proposed Scarborough Centre Library will be a nearly 1,400-square-metre neighbourhood facility, smaller than the major reference library at North York Civic Centre.
Anne Bailey, director of branch libraries, said that according to library planning guidelines, all residents should be within 1.6 kilometres of a library, but the nearest branches to the civic centre are about 4 kilometres away.
Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre) noted that when all the residential developments that have been proposed or are under construction near the civic centre are finished, 30,000 people will live within walking distance of the new library.
Bailey said the library hopes to get some extra funding from development charges – the funds that major developers contribute toward new community facilities. The library hopes to use that funding to install a green roof on part of the building, as well as extra bicycle parking and an outdoor reading garden, she said.
Councillor Brian Ashton (Ward 36, Scarborough Southwest) said the city should seek federal infrastructure funding for the project.
The library plans to integrate itself with a new underground parking garage to be built and operated by the Toronto Parking Authority.
Bailey said an architectural design still hasn't been done for the new library, but promised it would be "sympathetic" to the landmark civic centre designed by Raymond Moriyama.
She noted that the new library would be adjacent to the giant white wall on the southeast side of the civic centre, and said the library might use the wall as a screen for projecting artwork or movies.
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