DOWNSVIEW LANDS Spring/Summer 2016
IN THIS ISSUE • Keele Street Open House • Downsview Hub • Tallgrass Ontario Collaboration Project • and more!
clc.ca | downsviewpark.ca
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Hello, neighbour! Thank you for your interest in Downsview Park and welcome to this issue of the Downsview Lands newsletter!
CONTENTS
In an ongoing effort to engage and encourage public participation, Canada Lands Company has developed this newsletter to offer subscribers the latest information about the Downsview Lands project and offer insight into the planning process as Canada Lands continues to develop these exciting new neighbourhoods and deliver on community benefits.
Stanley Greene Neighbourhood
page 4
WIlliam Baker Neighbourhood
page 6
Centennial College Update
page 7
Keele Street Open House
page 8
Downsview Community Hub
page 9
Park Updates
page 12
Please let us know your thoughts, we welcome your feedback!
Upcoming Events
page 14
- Canada Lands Company
What are the Downsview Lands? page 3
Downsview Park Station Update page 10 New Downsview Lands Website page 11
Also inside: • Canada Day Fireworks • Downsview Park General Map
Stay in touch! Keep up-to-date and subscribe to our newsletter at downsviewpark.ca
Questions or comments? If you have any feedback or questions about the Downsview Lands, you may visit our website at downsviewpark.ca or email downsviewinfo@clc.ca or to get in touch with with the Canada Lands team.
What are the Downsview Lands?
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What was once a Canadian Forces Base is being transformed into a unique urban park along with five diverse neighbourhoods. Over half of this former military site is dedicated to 340-acres of park use, including a 291-acre parkland component, better known as Downsview Park. The remainder of the site, referred to as the Downsview Lands, com-
prises five neighbourhoods to be developed as described in the City of Toronto’s approved Secondary Plan. The first neighbourhood is Stanley Greene, which lies to the south end of the site and is already underway. The other neighbourhoods will be developed over the course of many years through thoughtful planning and consultation. The community’s involvement in contributing to their design and function will be a key contributor in making the future vision for these sites a reality.
About Canada Lands Company Canada Lands Company is a self-financing, federal Crown corporation that specializes in real estate, development and attractions management.
Info
Please visit clc.ca for more information about Canada Lands and its properties.
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Stanley Greene Neighbourhood Public Art in the Works Canada Lands launched an international call for proposals, and assembled a committee of local art experts who, together, selected Michael Singer as the artist who is developing the design concept and fabrication for the three public art installations in the new Stanley Greene neighbourhood. We’ve also consulted with the City of Toronto and held a local community consultation event this past October where participants joined Canada Lands staff for a tour of the Stanley Greene site and were able to share their ideas and recollections of the area with artist Michael Singer in order to inform his concepts. Michael Singer in his studio Mr. Singer will present his designs at a public unveiling later this year. Construction of the installation is expected to begin in 2017.
Municipal Park
Also planned in this neighbourhood is a municipal park; this 4-acre community amenity would include features such as a kids skate park, tennis court, play area, splash pad, gathering space and a public washroom facility.
Looking for a Home?
Mattamy Homes at Stanley Greene may have just the right home for you. For more information on how you can be part of this up-and-coming, vibrant community, please visit the Mattamy Homes website at mattamyhomes.com.
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Nature Connection
a free, family-friendly nature program.
Connect with your natural world and come out to Downsview Park! @DPDiscovery www
DownsviewPark.ca
call 416.952.2222
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William Baker Neighbourhood Woodlot Access Update Daytime access to the woodlot is now ready for all to enjoy! All of the interim landscaping which includes paths, benches and garbage receptacles are now in place, with lighting soon to be operational. To help make the site accessible to the public, an approximately 8 foot (2.5 metres) concrete sound barrier needed to be removed, as well as derelict homes, opening up the woodlot to Keele Street and the public realm. This new community amenity is providing a new pedestrian access to Downsview Park as well as being perfect for having a leisurely stroll, birding and observing wildlife and nature in the southern portion of the William Baker neighbourhood. This area will eventually be a park area once the neighbourhood is developed.
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Centennial College Update • New Aerospace Campus set to open at Downsview Park in former DeHaviland building
Planning for the new Centennial College aerospace technology program at Downsview Park is well underway as the the college is working closely with the City of Toronto to finalize the permitting process and begin renovations.
The Downsview Park campus will be an aerospace centre of excellence for post-secondary students, as well as research and development and technology initiatives. As a heritage site, the preservation of this building is invaluable. Located at 65 Carl Hall road in the former DeHaviland building, the renovation of the building will preserve and extend aerospace programming in a space that has an unparalleled history in Canadian aviation. Construction is set to commence in late summer 2016, with the campus set to open in fall 2018 based on information provided by Centennial College.
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Keele Street Open House
Be part of the conversation to enliven the Keele Street entrances to Downsview Park. Join us to share your feedback. Downsview Park is a dynamic and evolving park. As part of Canada Lands Company’s ongoing efforts to engage with the community, we are seeking your input to improve the Keele Street entrances into the Park.
Drop-in Open House We invite you to drop in on June 23, 2016 between 4 pm - 8 pm at the Discovery Centre at 70 Canuck Ave. to view preliminary landscape concepts, meet the project team and share your priorities for the Keele Street improvements. Event Information Date: Thursday, June 23, 2016 Time: 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Location: Downsview Park’s Discovery Centre 70 Canuck Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M3K 2C5
• To RSVP and add your name to our guest list, please send us an email at downsviewinfo@clc.ca.
Downsview Community Hub
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Now even more ways to connect with us In an effort to continually improve the way Canada Lands interacts and engages with you and to ensure that we can continue to inform, and listen to your comments and feedback, Canada Lands is excited to announce the official Downsview Hub Community Hub, opening this summer to serve you better!
July 1 | Dusk | DownsviewPark.ca
The Downsview Hub will be a gathering space for the community and your best source of information about all things Downsview Lands and will provide the comCanada Day Fireworks munity an opportunity to come and speak with Canada Lands directly. Preliminary landscape concepts of the Keele Street park improvements will be available for viewing, as well as more information about the Downsview Lands. Hub activities will be posted on our Downsview Park website and upcoming •Before you secure your spot on the lawn for Canada Day, join us for the new Downsview Lands website as well.
Downsview Park
lanch of our new engagement hub located at 70 Canuck Ave.
Soon to be located at 70 Canuck Avenue, the Downsview Hub will also offer its space to support local community businesses and Come by on July 1st between 4 pm to 8 pm to meet our team! organizations. Stay tuned for more information! Additional drop-in hours are available on July 2nd from 10 am to 2 pm.
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Downsview Park Station Update Future GO Transit/TTC Connection As part of the new Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project slated to open in late 2017, Downsview Park Station will provide riders access to the TTC subway and GO train lines. To help pedestrians travel between the Park and the new station, Canada Lands is in the Downsview Park Station Green Roof Installation process of designing Š Toronto Transit Commission, 2016. Reproduced with permission of Toronto Transit Commission. an access-way that will provide local residents and Park visitors a connection between the two sites. More information on this new pedestrian access route will be made available at downsviewpark.ca. Also, with 87% of Downsview Park Station now completed, the TTC made progress in the last year. According to the TTC’s 2015 Construction Year In Review, Power is now ready to be delivered to Downsview Park Station as the power sub-station has been energized. The Station also has the honour of having the first operating escalator within the subway expansion. An extensive green roof system that covers both the east and west entrance buildings at Downsview Park Station has also now been planted. In addition, a substantial amount of surface restoration began in the fall at Downsview Park Station which includes seeding, tree planting and pedestrian paving adjacent to the station.
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New Downsview Lands Website
We hope you are enjoying the new and improved Downsview Park website at www.downsviewpark.ca. It is chock full of information about everything related to the Park, our community programs and recreational activities available. Now we are almost ready to launch a second website dedicated to information about the Downsview Lands - the development lands and neighbourhoods that surround the Park. It promises to be the definitive source for current information about the neighbourhoods and news of ongoing plans, with opportunities to engage with Canada Lands during the planning processes. The website will also feature a video summary of the Downsview Lands, a historical timeline, a breakdown and explanation of the City of Toronto’s Secondary Plan, meeting summaries, and much more. Please keep checking with us at www.downsviewpark.ca for news and updates of when this new site will be ready.
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Park Updates Summer.. is here! Can you believe we’re already a few weeks into the spring of 2016? The Park is already buzzing with activity with visitors that have been coming out to our free community Nature Connection programs, while leagues and sports continue to run. Take a look at just some of these upcoming exciting initiatives! In the coming weeks, visitors will see more activity from our dedicated Park staff that will focus on maintenance and plantings. This spring has also seen return of the Lake fountain that has been undergoing repairs but is now operational again.
13 Also, please excuse our appearance while we make some improvements in the southern end of the Park. We are recycling soil from the Stanley Greene site and putting it in this area to enhance grading, improve drainage and soil quality. Recycling soil helps us to reduce the need for landfill space and our impact on the environment while providing us an opportunity to continue to beautify the Park. This improvement is expected to be completed in a few weeks. Please contact us at downsviewinfo@clc.ca if you have any questions or comments.
Tallgrass Project
Weston Family Park Challenge recently announced their support for Tallgrass Ontario’s Downsview Park Tallgrass Project. Our Tallgrass project will see the re-creation of a Tallgrass prairie on 5 acres at Downsview Park. An estimated 3% of Ontario’s Tallgrass habitat is all that remains of this vanishing ecosystem. Not only will this project educate local school children and a city-wide audience about the importance of biodiversity and habitat preservation, but it will cultivate strong partnerships that will support the planting of native species, community engagement and the long term maintenance of the site.
Community Stewardship Program Earn your green thumb and work directly with our staff to help improve the Park by participating in our upcoming community stewardship initiatives. To join us for any of our upcoming park stewardship events, please visit our website at downsviewpark.ca and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates every month.
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Upcoming Events Relay For Life
VELD Music Festival
Summer Pet Fest
Vist our website at downsviewpark.ca to view a full list of all upcoming events.
June 17 - 18, 2016 June 25, 2016
Canada Day Fireworks July 1, 2016
July 30 - 31, 2016
Please note that all events, dates and times are subject to change without notice.
Chesswood Dr.
Future TTC/GO Station Offices
BOM
BARD
IER
PARK BOUNDARY FUTURE DEVELOPMENT FUTURE ROAD
VEHICULAR ENTRANCE PEDESTRIAN ENTRANCE
Keele St.
Offices
Festival Terrace
WASHROOMS
SITTING AREA
TREES / GREENERY
PARKING
Circuit Path
Lake
Meadow
ORCHARD PAVILION
Future entrance
GENERAL MAP MAP GENERAL
To 401
Not to scale
To 401
STANLEY GREENE NEIGHBOURHOOD
PARK
Allen Rd.
DOWNSVIEW DOWNSVIEW
ALLEN NEIGHBOURHOOD
KIA TRAINING GROUND
ARGONAUTS
GREENHOUSES
DISCOVERY CENTRE ENTRANCE
Lower Parking Lot
SCOTIABANK POND
THE WAREHOUSE EVENT VENUE
DOWNSVIEW PARK SPORTS CENTRE
THE HANGAR
MAIN ENTRANCE
ROADS
Carl Hall Rd. CANUCK AVE. BUILDING NUMBERS
e. Av
CARL HALL RD. BUILDING NUMBERS
Woodlot
MAIN ENTRANCE
n
r. ury D Dr
Upper Parking Lot
DRIVE TEST
ck
LEGEND
d. ll R
FILM STUDIOS
Ha
nu
WILLIAM BAKER NEIGHBOURHOOD
rl
Ln.
Sheppard Ave. W.
MERCHANTS’ MARKET
Ca
DND
Ca
Tuscan Gate
Sheppard Ave. W.
CHESSWOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD
SHEPPARD NEIGHBOURHOOD
n Yuko
Joh
Sheppard Ave. W.
TTC STATION DOWNSVIEW
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