[URBAN NOTE] A park at 11 Wellesley West after all?

[rfmcdonald]

It looks like, contrary my earlier skepticism, the City of Toronto may actually put an effort into creating a park on the vacant lot at 11 Wellesley West. Natalie Alcoba's National Post article goes into more detail.

Toronto Centre Rosedale Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam says the 2.1-acre site at 11 Wellesley is the last piece of real estate of its size in an area quickly becoming crowded with soaring skyscrapers. She already has a name for the grass land, should negotiations prove fruitful: Jane Jacobs Park, in honour of the urban planning visionary.

Local residents burst into applause when the government management committee authorized city staff to use a portion of funds set aside for new parkland to negotiate the purchase of some or all of the Wellesley site. The pot of money is raised through cash in lieu contributions from developers that cannot dedicate park space.

The amount earmarked for the transaction is confidential. City council must still give final approval before negotiations begin.

The land, between Yonge and Bay streets, had been pegged as a new ballet and opera house, but the three levels of government pulled funding and the property has sat largely abandoned. The Ontario government, the owner, has put it on the market and received a number of bids. Initially, Councillor Doug Ford, a member of the committee, expressed opposition to buying a plot of land over the cost, but sided with the recommendations in the end.

[. . .]

Ms. Wong-Tam says her area has 137 development applications open now, not including the projects that are under construction. All but 10 are high-rise developments, she said. A former real estate agent, Councillor Wong-Tam believes she can secure a “sizeable” part of the park, around 1.5-acres.

“This is the very last opportunity to build a park of this significant size in a very dense urban environment and if we lose this opportunity — I would say this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — then it’s gone forever.”

Toronto Star's David Rider has a shorter article on the subject, too.