Last Thursday, the Ordnance Triangle team and city representatives welcomed members of the community to the fourth such public meeting about the proposed development, including the future 4 acre public park that will incorporate a touchdown point for the Fort York pedestrian and cycle bridge, linking Stanley Park to the north, Liberty Village to the west and the lakefront to the south.
Mike Layton, City Councillor for Ward 19, and Community Planner Thomas Rees were there to answer questions from the audience and guide the discussion.
First on the agenda was the revised design for the Fort York pedestrian bridge. There have been a few iterations of the design options so far as staff and the city try to find a viable solution in terms of both design and cost. Marilia Cimini from the Infrastructure Planning Unit for Transportation Services and Stephen Schijns, Manager of Infrastructure Planning, took us through the changes that have been made to the bridge design and the public process for choosing the preferred bridge alignment.
But the Ordnance Triangle development was the real focus of the evening’s discussion. The development team including Diamond Corp., Build Toronto, Cityzen Development Group and Fernbrook Homes, have put together a great team chosen specifically for their expertise and commitment to sound urban design and sensibility to open space and the public realm.
Joining us to present the project and field questions were Bob Blazevski from Diamond Corp., award winning architects David Pontarini from Hariri Pontarini & Tom Kerwin of bKL Architecture in Chicago and urban designer George Dark from Urban Strategies. Montreal landscape architect Claude Cormier, was on hand to introduce plans for the park concept, which includes a proposed swimming pool. Tony Yates from BA Group provided responses to transportation-related questions.
David Pontarini and Tom Kerwin walked the community through the designs, stressing that the buildings would have relatively small footprints resulting in a lighter, airier feel and better preserved views for area residents. This is what Kerwin calls active design. “It's about making a contribution back to the city and taking into account how everyone - not only the residents - will interact with the space.”
The team, with guidance from our expert traffic consultant, BA Group, are looking at the best ways to incorporate car, bike and foot traffic. The ultimate goal is to improve the way people get around, regardless of the mode of transportation.
The development team is providing for improvements to the existing infrastructure, including road improvements as well as funding for public realm benefits including the future park and bridge.
The key vision of this proposed master planned community is to build a new vibrant neighbourhood that will provide a major open space connection between Trinity Bellwoods Park to the north and Coronation Park along the waterfront. The project will provide for neighbourhood amenities, including retail and a potential athletic facility that will serve the entire community.
Another key initiative of this project is to provide a new home for Eva's Phoenix, a youth shelter currently located at 11 Ordnance. Build Toronto continues to work with Eva’s to assist with its transition to 505 Richmond Street West.
Here are some additional renderings of the project.
We'd like to thank everyone who braved the cold to join us last week. Your questions are always welcome so ask away!
