[URBAN NOTE] "How NIMBYism ‘killed a field of dreams’ for Ryerson soccer"

[rfmcdonald]

This is sad.

Ryerson University has turfed plans to make over an east-end high school field.

The university abruptly ended plans to upgrade the soccer pitch at St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School to a FIFA-grade turf field. The downtown university had been willing to finance the $2-million project in return for claiming the site as its home field.

But after almost a year of planning, concerns from local residents helped put an end to the project.

“It’s an unfortunate example of how NIMBYism killed a field of dreams for the broader community,” John Yan, a spokesperson for the Toronto Catholic District School Board, told the Star.

Councillor Paula Fletcher stressed she supports recreation as well as resource sharing across organizations, but says the project didn’t fit the neighbourhood, which is in her ward. Soon after she voiced her concerns, the university told the school the plan wouldn’t go ahead.