[URBAN NOTE] Jarvis Street Changes

[rfmcdonald]

Toronto's Jarvis Street is a bit shabby, with plenty of elegant old houses but plenty of poverty, too; lower Jarvis is somewhat famous as a hangout for street prostitutes, badly off somewhat on the -pattern of Queen Street West in the Parkdale area. There's a movement afoot, led by city cvouncillor Kyle Rae and neighbourhood activists, to bring Jarvis Street back to its previous glory, with a narrowed street and extensive reconstruction. Shawn Micallef at Spacing Toronto has an extensive photo post with a link to his Eye column on Jarvis Street. In his blog post, he concludes that Jarvis Street has the potential to change radically.

The two things I found most interesting about Jarvis were the sheer amount of people that live on or near the street, and how many of those old, wonderful details (and new ones) remain. This means there are both historic and present day reasons why Jarvis should be made more pedestrian friendly and tame the planning crimes that were committed in the 1960s when the car was king.

Nicki Thomas in The Globe and Mail is more skeptical, arguing that vested interests among people who use Jarvis Street to commute and a lack of city funding threaten the project.

Developers and politicians have turned their attention back to Jarvis in recent years, looking to restore the street to its former glory. Councillor Kyle Rae (Ward 27, Toronto Centre - Rosedale), who represents the area, said the once magnificent street has been allowed to turn into a freeway. As a remedy, Mr. Rae is pushing a proposal that would see the street narrowed to four lanes, reducing traffic volumes and making it more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.

"It's a shame what's happened to it. I think it's time, in the 21st century, that the street catches up with its history," Mr. Rae said.

While the concept goes before city hall's works committee next week, it appears to be a long way from reality. The $6-million project is not fully funded, and would only go ahead once Jarvis is scheduled for a full road reconstruction - something not even included in the city's 10-year plan.

Plus, residents in affluent neighbourhoods to the north - North Rosedale and Moore Park - who use Jarvis to drive downtown, have complained loudly about the possibility of increased traffic congestion.

"They still think it's their personal driveway," Mr. Rae said. Susan Prince, a member of the Moore Park Residents Association launching a campaign against the plan, says those who use the road haven't been consulted.

"Kyle Rae is supposed to represent me as well," Ms. Prince said. "... It's interesting that Kyle Rae has chosen to stereotype some of his constituents as greedy, wealthy, North Toronto people." She and other members leafleted cars on Mount Pleasant north of Jarvis this week, and plan to show up at the works committee meeting next week wearing "Don't Jam Jarvis" T-shirts.