The Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood has recently seen many applications for high density development approved at city council that residents fear will put further strain on the existing parks in the area.

Last year, the ABC Residents Association, Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area (BIA) and Greater Yorkville Residents Association (GYRA) hired the urban design firm The Planning Partnership to design a plan that would address the lack of open space in the neighbourhood.

The plans drawn up by the firm were recently published in Park People’s Making Connections report. They were three-fold.

The first possibility would be to extend the Village of Yorkville Park, demolish the building on the TTC lands between Bellair Street and Bay Street and come to some kind of an arrangement for subway access.

The second and third options would be to reconfigure some of the side streets to be more pedestrian-oriented and/or pedestrianize the section of Cumberland Street between Yonge Street and Bay Street.

Briar de Lange, executive director of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA, believes the last option to be the most likely.  

“[That section of Cumberland] is a through way at the moment,” said de Lange. “The new buildings would be serviced through egress and access points at the far ends of it, and the majority of the businesses will still have the back lane access available to them [on Critchley Lane].”

“Not everyone is going to agree,” said John Caliendo, co-chair of the ABC Residents Assocation. “That’s why the smallest piece [on Cumberland] is [probably] the most amenable.” 

Gregg Lintern, director of community planning, said that the design aligns with city planning’s goals, as identified in the Yorkville East of Bay Planning Framework.

Next steps would be to develop specific policies and implementation strategies to achieve these various projects, pending further consultation and assessment, said Lintern in an email to Post City Magazines.