Discussions can begin on Yonge/Wellesley park proposal

TORONTO – Discussions will begin on a plot of unused land in downtown Toronto that a community, city councillor and MPP hope to turn into urban greenspace.

The two-acre plot of land, estimated to be worth up to $100 million, is located at 11 Wellesley St. W., between Bay Street and Yonge Street.

Ward 27 councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam put forward a motion to council to acquire the plot, currently owned by the province, and turn it into a park.

On Thursday, during a marathon city council meeting Wong-Tam’s motion was passed, allowing for discussions to begin between the city and the Ontario government.

Wong-Tam tweeted the news Thursday evening:

The plot, surrounded by condo towers and office buildings, is thought by many who live nearby to be a perfect location for a greenspace.

“People need a place to relax, children need a place to play. I can’t think of a place that needs a park more than the Bay Cloverhill community,” said Norman Waite from the Bay Cloverhill Community Association.

Thursday’s decision means the city and the province can begin negotiations on Toronto purchasing the provincially-owned land.

Concrete vs greenspace

Ward 27 has seen significant growth in the past few years, with a 20 per cent increase in population since 2006, making it the second most populous ward in Toronto.

It is also characterized by a lack of proportional parkland.

“It’s getting to a crisis point,” said MPP for Toronto Centre, Glen Murray, of the ratio of developments to greenspace in the neighbourhood.

“There are 45 towers in that neighbourhood, and 27 more under construction or well advanced in the approval process,” said Murray.

The area was originally intended to be a commercial neighbourhood. However changing demographics – such as the expansion of George Brown College, increasing family sizes in the gay and lesbian communities, and an influx of residents to the Regent Park area, have transformed it into an extremely dense residential community, with few amenities for residents, said Murray.

“Governments will have to start working together with developers. We have to retrofit our existing neighbourhoods.”

A city of Toronto by-law requires that in all new developments or redevelopments, builders must either set aside a certain amount of land for parkland dedication, or pay cash-in-lieu of parkland dedication.

Developers in the Wellesley area have time and time again opted to pay the city the Parks Levy Fee, resulting in a noticeable lack of green in the neighbourhood.

“The liveability of downtown neighbourhoods is becoming critical,” said Murray.

Murray and Wong-Tam are hoping both levels of government can reach a deal where the city acquires the land from the province, and the plot is turned into a park.

Background on 11 Wellesley

11 Wellesley is bounded by Wellesley St. West, Breadalbane St., St. Luke’s Lane and Bay St.

The land was originally donated by the Ontario government in the late 1980s to construct a new ballet and opera house to be designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie.

Construction was to begin in 1991, however when a major recession hit the province, all three levels of government withdrew their funding, and the project died.

For 20 years, the site has remained a gaping hole in an otherwise dense neighbourhood.

Over the past two decades, the plot has seen some action, hosting a skateboarding park and various community carnivals.

Recently, Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Finance deemed 11 Wellesley as surplus land, ordering its sale, despite protest from Wong-Tam, Murray and numerous community groups.

“Our target is to sell $285 million of surplus property before the end of the fiscal year,” said Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure in Ontario. “This property is one of those that cabinet has asked to be sold.”

11 Wellesley is currently listed for sale by commercial real estate services firm, CBRE, on behalf of the province. So far there have been no bidders on the land.

With files from Mark McAllister, Global News