What You’ve Been Saying About the Design for Aitken Place Park

POSTED: APRIL 29, 2015 I DESIGN, PARKS AND PUBLIC SPACES, SUSTAINABILITY
By Christopher McKinnon

One of the most important parts of the work we do at Waterfront Toronto is to ensure that all our projects go through a formal public consultation process. Whether we’re planning a new waterfront neighbourhood with a precinct plan or building a new park for the nearby community, as with Aitken Place Park, the valuable feedback you give us help ensure that our work delivers the highest quality design and meets community needs.

An aerial view of the preliminary design for Aitken Place Park from the southwest. Waterfront Toronto is accepting public feedback on the park design and programming proposals until tomorrow April 30th.

With just a day and a half left to go before the deadline (April 30, 2015 at 11:59pm), this is your last chance to tell us what you think about the preliminary design for Aitken Place Park – a new waterfront park just south of Queens Quay and east of Sherbourne Street, in East Bayfront. At 0.75 acres, the park will serve as a neighbourhood park for the Bayside community being developed by Hines and Tridel.

Watch the Design Team Explain Their Proposal (LINK) 

So far, we’ve had a strong response to the preliminary design by Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc. and Thomas Balsley Associates. We are seeing strong support for design features that will highlight and provide strong views of Lake Ontario. Many people are expressing support for native plantings that will be low-maintenance and show off seasonal interest. Others are happy to see that the design incorporates a range of seating options, a play area for toddlers and a water feature where adults and children alike will be able to “touch the water.” In the feedback so far, the most contentious part of the proposal seems to be the inclusion of an urban dog run. Click here to see a real-time summary of the feedback we have received so far.

With less than 36 hours remaining in this round of public feedback, we want you to tell us what YOU think!

How to Provide Your Feedback

Step 1: Watch the video on YouTube. We have also created a PDF transcript of the video, which you can download and read.

Step 2: Join the conversation online using the #AitkenPlacePark hashtag.

Step 3: Complete the short online survey to send us your feedback. The survey is embedded below, or you can open it in another browser window by clicking here.

If you have trouble viewing or downloading any of these materials, or if you experience difficulty with the survey, please email info@waterfrontoronto.ca.