CreateTO Project Page, here:
Toronto Fire Services has identified the need for a new fire hall to serve the Flemingdon Park community in Don Valley East. As the community continues to grow, this new fire hall will help ensure that emergency services meet its evolving needs and continue to support residents and communities...
createto.ca
From the above:
Pop up Boards:
From the above:
Close up of Site Plan:
Some strong opposition has arisen in the Community to the loss of the two tennis courts (decreasing from 4 to 2) which are apparently quite busy.
Flemingdon Park is getting a new fire hall on Grenoble Drive in place of its two busy tennis courts — and residents have a lot of questions.
www.thespec.com
Aerial pic for context (Google):
Streetview:
Commentary: If the community needs a new fire hall, so be it. But I don't remember ever hearing of taking away parkland to build one. That's something that would not happen in Leaside, Rosedale or Forest Hill, I can pretty much guarantee you.
That doesn't mean I completely oppose this site, but I do think the site selection should have been an open discussion, simply because I'm not convinced all the alternatives were properly weighed.
Here, if you're going to do this, you need to make it up the community by replacing the lost asset. If the Councillor has to push to buy any private land for that, this will end up looking really bad.
That said........did anyone think of this:?
Not far away, and centrally located is the (former) Ontario Science Centre south parking lot, which the City happens to own.
Now, I know, many will think of this a logical site for housing, and I agree. But why couldn't a fire hall be integrated? Beef up the sound proofing, new building should have a/c, so keeping windows closed is an option. But two-birds, one-stone, much less controversy.
A chance to leverage an empty City parking lot, not even being used as such currently, and develop 3-4 buildings and retain room decent sized park and 2 roads, probably with space to spare.
Or, while we hold up 770 Don Mills forever, because the province won't fund the school component, we could make the school cheaper, by pulling it out of tower and shifting it to the south parking lot with a shared yard/park, a free standing fire hall, and at least 2 new towers, probably more; meanwhile, that would lower the cost of construction and complexity on the 770 site.
Just a thought.
