7.9K 
A proposal now working its way through Toronto's planning and approval process aims to redesign the taxi pick-up and drop-off area for Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, while creating a new parking area and extensive improvements to the surrounding landscaping and public realm. Proposed by Ports Toronto, tenant of the City-owned lands at 5 Eireann Quay, a Site Plan Application (SPA) was submitted for the site on March 4, and in the months since, it has garnered comments from various City departments as part of the technical review process. The latest application for SPA responds to the comments with a number of minor revisions, while it reveals more details of the Montgomery Sisam Architects-designed improvements.
The plan creates a new surface parking lot to serve the airport's mainland side, though it is the public realm and landscape improvements that really jump out, set to improve the pedestrian experience around Ireland Park, the Canada Malting Silos, and the Billy Bishop mainland entrance to the west. The new public space extends west and north from the current west end of Ireland Park, combining with the existing park to surround the Canada Malting Silos.
New public space would also surround the two-storey Art Deco administrative office building of the Canada Malting Company, one of the many areas where existing trees would be preserved and built into the new landscaping plan. Like the wider site, this heritage building at 3 Eireann Quay is owned by the City, and was leased out to the Ireland Park foundation earlier in the year.
New tree plantings are planned to the immediate north and east of the taxi stand, helping to create a visual and sound buffer between airport traffic and the new waterfront public space to the southeast, as well as the TDSB school playground to the north. Similarly, a row of new trees would be planted at the west end of the new surface parking lot to help keep the north end of the public space enjoyable for parkgoers.
A new canopy above the taxi loop would replace the aging canopy that exists just north of the administrative building, proposed to be constructed atop helical pile supports, utilizing stainless steel tensioned cables, painted steel, and laminated glass.
While there is no mention of extending Waterfront Toronto's granite sett Water's Edge Promenade in the latest application, the rendering contained within indicates that the popular maple-leaf-patterned walkway would be extended to the west to reach Billy Bishop Airport's city-side terminal.
You can join in on the discussion by checking out our dedicated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
* * *
UrbanToronto has a new way you can track projects through the planning process on a daily basis. Sign up for a free trial of our New Development Insider here.
