Our new seasonal on-street public parklet is now installed on Spadina Rd. just north of Lonsdale.
Image of new on-street public parklet in position on Spadina Rd.
While this exciting public space enhancement project may have been set back by a year due to the prohibitive cost associated with the original custom design, our new seasonal parklet is now in place on Spadina Rd. in the heart of Forest Hill Village!
The main goal of the FHV BIA streetscape masterplan has been to make the village an even more appealing place to spend time. We've been working towards this by focussing on projects that improve walkability and bikeability, expanding and improving the public realm, adding more greenspace and parking, and generally aiming to make the Village more ‘villagey’. So, in addition to our new benches and planters, the BIA, in partnership with the City, has added a seasonal, on-street public parklet in the centre of the Village on the east side of Spadina Rd. in the first parking spot north of Lonsdale.
Following extensive public consultation over nearly two years, strong community support was indicated for this public space amenity. The project received 100% support at the community consultation meeting held in Oct '17, and 70% positive support via phone and email in response to the mail-out sent in Jan '18.
Now quite common on main streets in many Montreal and Vancouver neighbourhoods, Toronto still only has a few examples of on-street parklets – this means the Village is an early adopter of this innovative, community-building public space initiative. For those worried about the loss of a parking spot, please note that the BIA helped to add 14 new public parking spaces in the Village before borrowing this one for 6 months of the year.
The image above is of the new parklet the day after installation. Filling one standard on-street parking space, it features open seating for easy access with a stroller or mobility assistance device, and planters along the outer perimeter - the bench and chairs used on the parklet are the same as those now found throughout the village. Please note that this is a No Smoking area.
As a seasonal installation, it will be removed in the fall for winter storage, and reinstalled next Spring - May to October will be the schedule moving forward.
We hope you enjoy this new local hub!
