A new park is coming to Toronto’s Central Waterfront! The City is working in partnership with Waterfront Toronto to deliver a new 9,800m2 park at 318 Queens Quay W. that will connect a series of public spaces on the north side of Queens Quay. The final park design will be determined through community engagement and is proposed to include a playground area, recreational court, an off-leash area, open lawn area for flexible programming and seating.
The timeline is subject to change.
The Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) met to review and provide feedback on the park’s design goals and programming requirements based on new contextual changes. In 2024, the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback on these updated goals and programming requirements while the project team advances the procurement process to secure a design team for the park design.
The location of Rees Park aligns with the emerging priorities of the TOCore, which recognizes the need for additional parks and place-making in growing communities. The site can be accessed by the Martin Goodman Trail, is situated within walking distance of the Peter Street Slip and Lake Ontario and is nearby waterfront parks including HTO Park East and West, Toronto Music Garden, Harbourfront Centre and Spadina/Rees/Simcoe Wave Decks.
Following public consultations to identify community priorities for the new park, an international design competition was held for the park design in 2018.
The competition closed and the contract was awarded and a Technical Advisory Committee of City Staff, and the Waterfront Design Review Panel (DRP) met at key points to provide advice and feedback to the project team to refine the competition design to accommodate the scope and fit the site.
During this time, the scope of the project has changed, resulting in the need for a new design process to ensure the new park meets community needs.