Baycrest Park is located to the southeast of Highway 401 and the Allen Road expressway, adjacent Ranee Avenue and Varna Drive, and extends toward Neptune Drive. The City is in the process of improving the park with upgraded and additional amenities.
While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content on this site. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings, or any other content, please contact Jeramee Dimapilis at 437-221-0813.
This timeline is subject to change.
Construction of the park improvements has been delayed. The permit approval process identified significant infrastructure changes required to address storm water management in the park. In addition, construction of the ramp continues to be delayed due to Toronto Hydro assets located near the proposed ramp site. The City is working with the contractor and Toronto Hydro to address these issues and resume construction as soon as possible.
Site preparation work and tree removal is completed. The contractor has been directed to prioritize work on the ramp to the subway station as well as the internal pathways within the park in order to minimize the inconvenience to pedestrians. The contractor encountered undocumented Toronto Hydro facilities which has delayed work on the proposed ramp structure and electrical elements. The contractor is coordinating with Toronto Hydro to review and address this issue so that work may resume as soon as possible. The contractor will adjust their work plan and commence work in other areas of the park while the issue with Toronto Hydro is remedied. Work on the ramp remains a priority and this path to the subway station will open to the public well in advance of project completion.
Due to unprecedented supply chain and material availability, construction is now anticipated to be completed by late 2024, weather permitting.
Construction started on April 3, 2023. Park closure and construction signs have been installed in multiple locations on-site.
From March 2023 to summer 2024, a section of the park and the pathway that connects the park to Yorkdale subway station will be closed due to construction for the park improvements. The south entrance of Yorkdale Station can be accessed from Ranee Avenue. Detour signs with more information will be posted on-site.
For public safety and to accommodate construction, the southern area of the park from Baycrest Avenue to Ranee Avenue (including the ramp to the subway station) will be temporarily closed. The City is exploring options for additional access routes in order to minimize the inconvenience to pedestrians, where possible. The park will fully reopen in summer 2024.
Construction for the park improvements has been delayed and will start in spring 2023, in order to minimize impacts to the park and access to Yorkdale subway station over the winter. During construction, the pathway that connects the park to Yorkdale subway station will be closed. An alternative access point will be determined before construction starts. Detour signs with more information will be posted on-site.
The evaluation team has assessed all of the submissions to the Contractor Prequalification using pre-determined, weighted criteria. Based on the results of the analysis, six contractors have been pre-qualified.
The Project team presented residents with the refined masterplan concept (with and without the Varna Road extension) based on previous community comments, additional approved funding, and with recommended design refinements, as well as options for playground equipment. Residents provided feedback on the playground components for the Project Team to take into consideration when completing design refinements.
The Project team hired a new Landscape Architect to continue the project with the new scope of work. The new Landscape Architect will complete the first phase of work, limiting the amount spent on areas that would later be impacted by the Varna Road extension. This phase of work is expected to include a new washroom building requested by the community, as well as other site features that can now be included as a result of a budget increase.
The project budget was increased as a result of residents’ requests and a need for additional state of good repair work. As a result, the existing contract with the hired Landscape Architect no longer reflected the project’s scope of work. The contract was therefore completed, in favour of a new Request For Proposal process in the future.
A public meeting was held at Lawrence Heights Community Centre. A refined design concept was presented that incorporated residents’ comments from the previous public meeting. In addition to these comments, City staff had identified the need for Varna Road to be extended from Ranee to Neptune in accordance with the approved Secondary Plan. Two plans, one with the Varna Road extension and the second without, were presented for additional feedback. Although residents wanted staff to include a washroom building, this could not be built within the existing budget.
A public meeting was held at Baycrest Public School Gymnasium. Two design concepts were presented with residents identifying a preference and offering comments for improvements.
The Project Team hired a Landscape Architect to complete a masterplan for the park and first phase of construction, including replacing the playground, upgrading the lighting, and improving the park entrances.
An overall master plan was completed to show possibilities for Baycrest Park. The initial approach was to complete a small portion of the master plan in a manner that would maximize available funds and allow future phases to be completed as funds became available. However, with overwhelming community support for a larger initial park project phase, additional funds were sourced and the budget was increased to include a washroom building to the scope of work.
Subject to further design refinement and cost, the current phase of redevelopment is anticipated to include much of the southern half of Baycrest Park. Anticipated work includes:
The City consulted with the public in the design of the park.