Mirvish Village Park

A new 1213m2 park is being designed at the former Honest Ed’s site and surrounding Mirvish Village as part of a new mixed-use residential development project! The park will front Markham Street and will include bird-friendly gardens, trees, a children’s water feature and sitting and picnic opportunities. The City is engaging local residents and community members to determine a park design that meets the needs of the community.

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  • Spring 2021: Design development and community engagement
  • Summer to Fall 2021: Detail design and construction drawing preparation
  • 2022: Hire a construction team
  • 2024: Construction starts
  • 2025: Construction complete, park opens

The timeline is subject to change.

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Fall 2023

October 2023

The park design has been finalized and the contractor is preparing to start construction in December 2023, weather permitting.

Community Engagement Phase 3: Preferred Design

August 2021

Online Survey

From August 6 to August 27, 2021, the City conducted an online survey to collect feedback on the preferred design for the new park and confirm previous feedback collected during the other phases of community engagement. The survey received 362 responses which includes 471 participants of various ages. 79 per cent of respondents identified as residents living nearby.

Respondents were able to indicate their preference and final thoughts on the design, layout, and park elements.

  • 37 per cent of respondents agreed that the preferred design for the new park at Mirvish Village would meet the needs of the community
  • The majority of respondents (more than 50 per cent) agreed that they would visit the park to relax and enjoy nature, there were a sufficient amount of trees and plants included in the design, and that the redesigned and relocated water feature was a unique addition to the park
  • Many respondents suggested that the park include more green space and tree planting in the final design, as well as more variety of seating options

Community Engagement Phase 2: Proposed Designs

City staff engaged the community and stakeholders on the proposed designs for the new park, which was based on previous feedback. Feedback was collected through an online survey and virtual public meeting. . A preferred design will be developed using the feedback in this phase.

Download the What We Heard (Proposed Designs) Report.

April 2021

Online Survey

From March 25 to April 11, 2021, City staff collected feedback on an early proposed design for the park in an online survey. The survey received a total of 723 responses.

March 2021

Virtual Public Meeting

On March 25, 2021, a virtual public meeting was hosted by City staff to present the prposed design for the new park and gather feedback from the community on the design and playground equipment options through a virtual question-and-answer session.

Download the meeting presentation.

Community Engagement Phase 1: Park Visioning

Through 2018 and 2019, City staff and the Mirvish Village Task Group held visioning workshops and park concept review meetings. From these visioning exercises, the following design guidelines and principles were used to inform a proposed park t design:

  • Creating a green oasis, a whimsical park with narrow and winding pathways and planting that will contribute to sustainable urban ecology
  • Provide a variety of seating opportunities for individual and small gatherings Capturing the whimsy and curvilinear geometry of the iconic Honest Ed’s sign
  • Integrate fencing/screening system to screen the laneway and provide privacy for the neighbours
  • “For the birds” – bird and insect friendly ecology
  • Provide native landscape planting that will provide microclimates while supporting pollinator gardens, birds and insect ecology
  • Incorporate inclusive design principles to ensure the park is clean, safe, and inviting for a wide range of park users

The preferred design was developed using feedback collected from the community and stakeholders during multiple phases of community engagement. The features in the design include:

  • A sculptural water feature located at the entrance from Markham Street with a water basin representative of the former Honest Ed’s marquee sign. Interactive water jets will provide playful animation
  • A large green garden area
  • Simplified and more direct park pathways and circulation system
  • Various bench seating throughout the park (one to address the large garden area and the public art mural)
  • Raised wood platform at the north end of the park with seating

The image shows the Preferred Design for the new park in aerial format. Features of the design include a landscape garden planting, raised wood platform, a sculptural water feature, and various garden rooms throughout the park.

  1. Landscape garden buffer
  2. Landscape garden planting
  3. Raised wood platform
  4. Sculptural water feature
  5. Main entrance from Markham Street
  6. Garden promenade
  7. North garden room
  8. Garden room

As part of the mixed-use development at the former Honest Ed’s site and surrounding Mirvish Village, there will be a new 1213m2 municipal park. This park, fronting on Markham Street, will include extensive bird-friendly gardens, shade trees, sitting and picnic opportunities and a children’s water feature.

The image shows an aerial overview map of the new Mirvish Village Park, located west of Bathurst Street and south of Bloor Street West.

A map showing the placement of the new Mirvish Village Park, located west of Bathurst Street and fronting onto Markham Street.