[FormerTorontonianBackInTO]

Well said !

City can have more park if the city wants to pay for more park. The original plan, of having nothing but a massive park was (I personally think) never going to happen because the city was never going to pay for it (I recall someone posting on this forum re how the cash in lieu of parkland fund is not capable of covering the cost). Developers keep cutting back the park area, and sticking residential density on there, because the density could hypothetically (if not likely) cover the cost of the complex construction over the rail line, whereas the park does not. The developers are still offering to build some park (or POPS) for the city, which (I personally think) is more park than the city was ever going to pay for. I would prefer for the area to the south to be built out as park as well, BUT it's not like the condos/apartments are cutting into the park area that the city was going to create, instead, the condos/apartments are potentially (if not likely) going to finance the building of a bit of park (again, in my humble opinion, more park than the city was every going to pay for/build). Again, the city can still build a larger park over the area to the south, but (in my opinion) it won't, because it does not want to pay for it. Lots of people like the idea of a larger park, but parks over rail yards cost a lot of money, and no one likes the idea of paying for it (not the developers, who are having a hard enough time trying to make the numbers work with the scraps of park that they are offering, and, probably, not most tax-payers). If anyone is personally offended by the lack of a larger park then they should offer to put up the money for that larger park (to demonstrate just how much they really want that park), or at least reach out to their elected representatives to say that they would like their taxes spent (maybe even increased so they can be spent) on a larger park (anything short of that is empty words)

 

[GameOnBrad]

I'll add Unstoppable, The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3 and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

I would add "Source Code" as well.

 

[Mercenary]

It's utterly ridiculous, lol. We go from the idea of having a large park over the rail deck, to having a bunch of condos but still a fairly sizeable park, to having a bunch of condos and a couple tiny slivers of a park. Depressing and soulless.

Totally agree 100%

This really shows that Toronto is still not in the big leagues of major cities around the world. Chicago built a beautiful Millennium Park covering its Rail Tracks with private donors and a Mayor who knew how to get things done. It is now the biggest tourist attraction in Chicago and its art work such as the Bean are now world famous. New York build the Little Island Park in the Hudson River.

 

[innsertnamehere]

It’s small because the city won’t front any actual cash to build it..

 

[Mercenary]

It’s small because the city won’t front any actual cash to build it..

Can we not do what Chicago did for the building of Millennium Park. Half of the money came from the City and other half came from Private Donations from wealthy individuals, foundations and corporations. The Big 6 Banks, Drake, the Walton Family, Rogers, The Thomson Family, all can contribute and turn this into Toronto's greatest work of art.

 

[GameOnBrad]

Personally, building a massive park there isn't about a lack of money. I think it's about a lack of will to do so.

Anyway, I guess I'm jaded as I've seen this too many times in my 52 years of life in Toronto. So, it is what it is. Oh well.

 

[TRONto]

Time for a massive pro-park campaign aimed towards City-Province-Feds? If the city isn't paying for the DVP/Gardner anymore, then maybe some funds can come this way.

 

[north-of-anything]

Why even bother with a rail deck park? In the past decade, we got a larger park that requires less maintenance for a lower price as part of the Don River realignment.

 

[TRONto]

It's pretty far. There is a large population right near that area right now plus the condos that are still under construction. Once the real estate bust peters out the number of homes in that area will continue to grow.

 

[junctionist]

Can we not do what Chicago did for the building of Millennium Park. Half of the money came from the City and other half came from Private Donations from wealthy individuals, foundations and corporations. The Big 6 Banks, Drake, the Walton Family, Rogers, The Thomson Family, all can contribute and turn this into Toronto's greatest work of art.

There's incredible private sector wealth that could be used to build world-leading public spaces in Toronto if these companies and individuals chose to be philanthropic towards our parks and squares. But it doesn't really make sense to spend Millennium-Park money here in my opinion. Building on a rail deck will likely mean having to cut down trees periodically to maintain the structure underneath. Soil depth will probably also be a limiting factor for tree growth.

Engineers might not want large or elaborate water features on top of the deck, either. It therefore probably won't amount to the highest-quality parkland over its lifespan due to structural limitations. As such, it doesn't make sense to aspire to a Millennium Park-level public space atop the rail deck.

 

[urbancog]

Biidaasige Park will be a 20ha park once it's fully open (Millennium Park is 9.9ha, Little Island is ~1ha). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biidaasige_Park

It already offers very pleasant walks, which will get even better as the trees mature and the rest of the park opens. People my perceive that it is far away, but it will be less than 1km from Line 3 Distillery District Station to the N edge of the park.

 

[evandyk]

Admittedly, I've only been once, but what is so great about Millennium Park? The reflective bean is pretty cool, but otherwise it's basically an empty field. It's 100% better than a parking lot or rail yard, but it's a shadow of Toronto's waterfront.

 

[RealSalbowski]

Admittedly, I've only been once, but what is so great about Millennium Park? The reflective bean is pretty cool, but otherwise it's basically an empty field. It's 100% better than a parking lot or rail yard, but it's a shadow of Toronto's waterfront.

Apart from the green space, there is a large and pretty great playground for kids, the Crown Fountain (which acts like a giant splash pad during the summer), a pavillion for live music, and the Gehry-designed pedestrian bridge. It also connects with the Art Institute. I've been multiple times, and I think if you wanted to, you could pretty easily spend an entire day in MP or the immediate area.

 

[Mercenary]

Admittedly, I've only been once, but what is so great about Millennium Park? The reflective bean is pretty cool, but otherwise it's basically an empty field. It's 100% better than a parking lot or rail yard, but it's a shadow of Toronto's waterfront.

Bro, the millennium park gets 25 million visitors a year. It has become an icon of chicago, and definite image of what identifies Chicago. I have been there multiple times and I think its great. Toronto doesn't need to copy it but create our own version where we cover up the rail tracks and utilize that space to create some much needed green space in downtown.

 

[north-of-anything]

Millennium Park is about ten times the size of Toronto's rail deck area. That's what makes Chicago's rail deck park so impressive. We really don't need to spend public money trying to make a pale imitation of it.