The new Florence Gell Park Playground is open. Thank you to all the community members who provided their feedback throughout the playground improvement process.
The City is improving the playground in Florence Gell Park. These improvements are part of an ongoing city-wide program to ensure our playgrounds provide safe and accessible fun for years to come!
Project Timeline
Fall 2021: Community engagement (online survey 1)
Winter 2023: Community engagement (online survey 2)
Spring and Summer 2023: Design
Fall 2023: Construction starts
End of 2023: Playground reopens
The timeline is subject to change
Project Updates
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November 2023
Project Complete
Construction is complete and the improved playground opens to the public.
June 2023
Final Playground Design
The final playground design and layout was determined using feedback from the community.
Playground with engineered wood fiber safety surface and play equipment
Natural play area with sand safety surface and sand play table, play panels, boulders and logs
The new playground will be accessible and will include the following features:
One junior play equipment for ages two to five with:
Slide
House with bench
Accessible stairway
Ground play panel
One senior play equipment for ages five to 12 with:
Slides
Monkey bars
Rock climber
Accessible stairway
Ground play panel
One swing set with:
Two belt seats
Two bucket baby seats
One accessible chair seat
Tree climber (rope climbing structure)
Springboard for ages two to 12
Supernova spinning ring for ages four to 12
Spinning bowl for ages four to 12
Accessible play panels
Accessible sand desk
Rock boulders
Wood logs
Blue area: existing playground to be removed and replaced with nature play
Orange area: existing playground to be removed
Red area: new playground
The new playground will be located in a similar location to the western part of the existing playground. The eastern playground area will remain as a nature and sand play area.
April 2023
Online Survey
From March 13 to April 14, 2023, feedback on multiple playground design options was collected in an online survey. The survey was promoted through paid social media ads, the local Councillor’s office, on-site signage, and on this page. The survey received a total of 226 responses.
The design team will use this feedback to refine a final design. The final design will be available on this page in June 2023.
Key Feedback Highlights
When asked to rank their playground design preference, respondents ranked Playground Design A highest (77 per cent) followed by Playground Design B (23 per cent).
Respondents shared that the three most important features to include in the new playground are:
Senior play structure for ages 5 to 12
Climbing structures
Junior play structure for ages 2 to 5
Respondents shared that the three least important features to include in the new playground are:
If budget permits, the three features respondents would like more of in the improved playground are:
Climbing structures
Slides
Belt swings
The preferred colour scheme for the new playground was natural wood and red (44 per cent), followed by earthy colours like green, brown, and grey (34 per cent) over bright colours, like yellow, orange, and purple (14 per cent).
Playground Options
Both designs are accessible, have the same amount of play features and cost the same amount.
Playground Design A
Design A includes:
One junior play structure for ages two to five with:
One double slide
One house with bench
One accessible stairway
One side desk
One senior play structure for ages five to 12 with:
One slide
Monkey bars
Rock climber
One accessible stairway
One desk
One tree climber
One spring board for ages two to 12
One spinning ring for ages four to 12
One spinning bowl for ages four to 12
One play panel
One swing set with one group swing, one belt swing and one toddler swing
One sand table
Playground Design B
Design B includes:
One junior play structure with:
One curved slide
Three climbing options
One wheel panel
One play panel
Bongos
One senior structure with:
One slide
Log steps
Three climbing options
Two rocking toys
One spinning toy
One swing set with two belt swing, one toddler swing and one accessible swing
One sand table
November 24 to December 8, 2021
Online Survey
The survey asked the community for feedback and preferences on multiple playground options. This feedback will be used to develop a single playground design, which will be presented to the community for additional feedback.
Florence Gell Park Playground is located at 85 Varsity Rd. in Etobicoke York. The Park features a splash pad and a children’s playground.
The playground currently includes:
Two swing sets with:
Four belt swings
Two bucket swings
A junior climbing structure with one small slide
A senior climbing structure with two slides
Sand under all play areas
The playground will be redesigned using feedback from the community. The redesigned playground is proposed to include:
A full playground redevelopment including accessible play equipment
An accessible pathway connecting to the new playground area
Woodchip playground surfacing
A large sand play area with natural play features
Improvements will only be made in the general playground area. This will not include any new water or lighting features, or improvements to other areas of the park.
