The City is improving Willowdale Park with proposed upgrades that include a new playground offering fun and creative play opportunities, a new fitness area, a shade structure and repairs to the tennis courts.

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  • Early Summer 2021: Community Engagement Phase 1, Towards a Vision
  • Summer 2023: Hire a design team
  • Winter 2025: Community Engagement Phase 2, Exploring Design Options
  • Spring 2025: Detailed design
  • Summer 2025: Hire a construction team
  • Fall 2025: Construction starts, playground closes
  • Late Spring 2026: Construction complete, playground reopens

The timeline is subject to change.

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Level of Engagement

This project has been classified as an Involve project based on the International Association for Public Participation Spectrum. This means we work directly with the public, stakeholders, and rightsholders throughout the design process to ensure that ideas and aspirations are understood and considered in the design process.

In this phase, the project team collected feedback on the current use of the playground and suggestions for improvements to both the park and playground. This feedback was used to guide the development of design options in Community Engagement Phase 2.

Key Feedback

Participants wanted to see the following improvements to the new playground: 

  • A large play structure with platforms, climbing features, slides, play panels, shade and more
  • A swing set with individual swings (including an accessible swing, toddler swings, and standard belt swings)
  • Zip-line
  • Rock style climbing structure

Participants wanted to see the following features added to the park: 

  • Exercise equipment
  • Group seating area
  • Ping-Pong table
  • Monkey bars/web-style climbing structure/ fallen logs (three-way tie)

73 per cent of respondents indicated that both the playground and seating areas need more shade. 

73 per cent of respondents preferred separate play structures for younger and older children over one large play structure for all ages. 

Community Engagement Meetings and Events

August 2021

Online Survey

Feedback on the community’s preferences for the future playground design was collected in an online survey from July 16 to August 8, 2021. The design team will use this feedback to develop multiple playground design options. The survey received a total of 581 responses, which included feedback from 1,279 participants of various ages.

Download the August 2021 survey summary.

March 30, 2021

Virtual Public Meeting

The public was invited to a virtual public meeting to learn more about the project and share their vision for the playground improvements.

In this phase, the City and the design consultant will use the outcomes of Community Engagement Phase 1 to develop three design options for the playground improvements. These options will be presented to the community for feedback, along with other park features. This feedback will inform the development of a preferred design for the park.

The community engagement activities anticipated in this phase include:

  • an online survey
  • a community pop-up event

In this phase, the preferred design for the park will be shared with the community on this page and the project mailing list. The project will then move into the detailed design phase where the design team will work through the technical details and plans for the construction contractor.

Willowdale Park is located at 75 Hollywood Ave., near Sheppard Avenue East and Doris Avenue. The children’s playground is located at the centre of the park, south of Hollywood Avenue and East of Doris Avenue.

The playground currently includes:

  • Three swing sets with:
    • Four swings for ages two to five
    • Two swings for ages five and up
  • A medium-sized play structure with:
    • A spiral slide (blue structure)
    • A straight slide (blue structure)
    • One set of stairs and one ramp to the play structure
    • Wood panels, some with windows
  • A wood structure with:
    • Watermill wheel (yellow structure)
    • Wood channels with various platforms
  • A junior shed play structure with:
    • One swing (red)
    • Four black tires
  • Sand under all play areas
  • Three benches and one picnic table

A photograph of the playground taken on a sunny winter day. The playground has post chain fencing on one side parallel to the three swing sets on top of sand play surfacing.

A photograph of the small stand-alone wood structure in the playground with a water mill and wooden channel. Two benches face the play structure. The area is covered in wet sand with some large puddles of water.

The playground will be redesigned using feedback from the community. The redesigned playground is proposed to include:

  • Accessible junior and senior play equipment for ages two to thirteen. This means that people of all abilities will be able to play at this playground
  • An accessible pathway to the playground
  • New play

Improvements will only be made in the general playground area. This will not include any new lighting features or improvements to other areas of the park.