[URBAN NOTE] "Last ditch effort for green space at 11 Wellesley"

[rfmcdonald]

It looks like the neighbourhood effort to create a park at 11 Wellesley West is not going well. Xtra!'s Jonathan Forani reports that the provincial government is continuing with plans to sell the vacant lot to developers.

The empty lot at 11 Wellesley St W is owned by the province, but could fall into the hands of a condo developer. If council votes in favour of acquiring a portion of 11 Wellesley, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam thinks she may be able to negotiate with the owner to build a park. Her hope is to call it Jane Jacobs Park in memory of the late urban planning guru.

But the community's desire to turn the entire 2.1 acre lot into a park will face challenges.

"It would have only worked if the province was willing to come to the table. But the province has abandoned the city of Toronto," said Wong-Tam at the Government Management Committee meeting on Oct 18.

[. . .]

The derelict lot and its high wooden fence has been an eyesore for two decades as proposal after proposal has failed. The property then fell into the hands of the province, who deemed it "public land," says Wong-Tam. But the land was put up for private bids through Infrastructure Ontario on Aug 15.

"The property is being sold in a fair, open and transparent process managed by an independent broker," said Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli in a letter to Wong-Tam in September.

"Infrastructure Ontario requested comment from the City Planning office over six months ago, and the city did not raise any concerns," he wrote. "The city is still welcome to acquire the property, should it wish to."

But the city can't compete in a "bidding war" against a condo developer, said Wong-Tam in a response to Chiarelli on Oct 15.