New Park at 15 Delisle Avenue

• Winter 2023/2024 to Summer 2024: Community engagement
• Fall 2024 to Spring 2025: Detailed design
• Summer 2025: Hire a construction team
• Fall 2025: Construction starts
• Summer 2026: Construction complete

The timeline is subject to change.

Level of Engagement

This project has been classified as an Involve project based on the International Association of Public Participation Public Participation Spectrum. This means we aim to work directly with the public throughout the process to ensure that public concerns and aspirations are consistently understood and considered in developing design options and identifying a preferred design. 

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In this phase of the community engagement process, the City worked with community members to define an overall draft vision statement for the park and a series of guiding principles which will guide the development of design options in Community Engagement Phase 2.

Draft Vision Statement

The New Park at 15 Delisle Ave. will be a green and calming space where people can connect with nature. The park will evoke a feeling of zen that is inviting and be a pleasant neighbourhood oasis where everyone in the community can spend time with friends, family and coworkers while enjoying a meal or drink. The park can host intimate community events and will create a sense of community and reduce anonymity. It will be beautiful, accessible, safe and welcoming to all while being resilient and easy to maintain.

Draft Guiding Principles

Green and sustainable

The park design should have shade, a natural aesthetic and minimal paved surfaces. It should promote biodiversity and prioritize storm water management.

Peaceful

The park design should have plantings to promote a sense of calm, softness and zen that creates a more intimate separation from the busy streets. It should also mitigate wind and noise.

Eventful

The park design should bring people together from all walks of life for many activities.

Social

The park design should be an inviting place for neighbours, friends and multigenerational families who live or work in the neighbourhood.

Playful

The park design should feel inspired, innovative and well-executed.

Draft Big Moves

To achieve a green and sustainable character, the design should:

• promote biodiversity, especially bird habitat
• contain mature trees, evergreen plantings, and native pollinator plantings
• use permeable paving and sustainable materials
• aim for a natural woodland aesthetic

To achieve a peaceful character, the design should:

• create quiet, reflective spaces, such as small intimate seating areas
• include meandering paths and curved forms
• create a green buffer from streets and buildings
• possibly include a water feature

To achieve an eventful character, the design should allow space for community activities such as yoga or seasonal art installations.

To achieve a social character, the design should:

• include plenty of varied seating for large and small groups, but particularly cafe tables with shade and benches, and possibly picnic tables and Muskoka chairs
• consider installing a shade structure of some kind
• be accessible and family-friendly
• include a water bottle filler

To achieve a playful character, the design should:

• create space for yoga and similar activities
• consider including a small amount of fitness equipment

The following big moves were suggested by one group but opposed by another:

• consider a small stage or bandstand for acoustic concerts
• consider a small, clearly defined area for dogs

Community Engagement Meetings and Events

January 2024

Virtual Workshop

On January 10, a virtual workshop took place that included a presentation from the project team about the project timeline, park context and a summary of the results of the online survey.

Twenty-three community members participated in small group activities where they revised the vision statement and suggested guiding principles and big moves. To help guide the conversation, the project team presented the five most popular answers to the question about park character in the December 2023 online thought exchange activity (green and sustainable; peaceful; eventful; social; and playful). The project team then asked participants to explain these park characters in more detail and discuss how they can be achieved. Draft big moves emerged from this discussion.

Download the January 2024 workshop presentation.

December 2023

Online Thought Exchange Activity

From November 27 to December 26, 143 people participated in an online thought exchange activity where they provided 119 ideas with 2,701 idea ratings.

Review a full summary of the results in the December 2023 thought exchange interactive report.

The following summarizes the most popular ideas collected in the activity, within the project scope.

Participants rated the following sentiments the highest when asked to complete the sentence, “The new park at 15 Delisle Ave. should be a place where…”

• people can connect with nature. Participants wanted the park to provide much-needed greenspace, especially for nearby condo residents who do not have backyards. Many comments mentioned that the surrounding area features busy roads and tall buildings and that there is a want for the park to be an oasis in a restorative, natural setting.
• people can meet friends and neighbours. Participants described a park where people of all ages and abilities can gather, spend time and meet their neighbours. Many comments mentioned wanting to sit with coffee or lunch and chat with friends.
• everyone feels safe. Participants emphasized the need for clear sightlines and sufficient lighting at night.
• people of all ages and abilities can enjoy the space. Participants often noted the high population of older adults in the area meaning the park should be highly accessible.

A summary of the feedback that scored over 30 per cent follows.

The preferred character for the new park was:

• Green and sustainable (65 per cent)
• Peaceful (59 per cent)
• Eventful (42 per cent)
• Social (38 per cent)
• Playful (34 per cent)

The most popular park uses were:

• Relax in open green spaces (73 per cent)
• Sit and/or eat (63 per cent)
• Walk, exercise and be active (53 per cent)
• Gather with friends and family (48 per cent)
• Enjoy and observe planting areas (47 per cent)

The preferred park features were:

• Seating (83 per cent)
• Shade feature and/or pavilion (61 per cent)
• Quiet reflective spaces (52 per cent)
• Planting areas (50 per cent)
• Flexible open green space (44 per cent)
• Play equipment for children (31 per cent)

November 2023

Virtual Stakeholder Meeting

On November 22, the project team met with 10 stakeholders, including members from the Deer Park Resident’s Group and the Condo Board at 33 Delisle Ave. The project team presented the project timeline and community engagement plan, followed by a discussion where stakeholders shared their broad vision for the park.

In this phase of the community engagement process, the City and its design consultant worked off the outcomes of Community Engagement Phase 1 to develop two design options for the new park. These were presented to the community for feedback, which will be used to develop a preferred design for the park.

The anticipated outcome of this phase is the selection of a preferred design.

Design Option A

1. Tiered seating feature
2. Open lawn
3. Trellis for climbing vines
4. Meadow plantings
5. Seating area
6. South entry plaza
7. Custom seating feature
8. Built in seating
9. Plantings with trees
10. Concrete paving
11. Parking garage exit and vents
12. Parking garage driveway
13. Stairs
14. Ramp

Design Option B

1. Large table with chairs
2. Seating area with rocks
3. Stone block seating
4. Meadow planting
5. Pollinator habitat boxes
6. Seating areas
7. Movable seating in plaza
8. Built in seating
9. Naturalized planting with trees
10. Concrete paving
11. Parking garage exit and vents
12. Parking garage driveway
13. Stairs
14. Ramps

Community Engagement Meetings and Events

July 2024

Online Survey

From June 29 to July 30, an online survey presented and collected community feedback on two design options for the new park. The survey received 225 submissions from at least 367 respondents of various ages and backgrounds, including members of the same household.

Key Feedback on Design Option A:

• 67 per cent of respondents agreed that Design Option A achieves the draft vision statement and guiding principles for the new park.
• 76 per cent agreed there is a good balance between paved surfaces and green space, and that there are enough new trees and plantings to provide a green and calm oasis.
• 74 per cent agreed there are enough features that promote biodiversity.
• 69 per cent agreed the materials are sustainable, and 67 per cent agreed the design achieves a natural woodland aesthetic.
• 65 per cent agreed there are enough flexible spaces for small community events.
• 63 per cent agreed there are meandering paths and curved forms, and that the design achieves a peaceful atmosphere. 61 per cent agreed there are quiet, reflective spaces.
• 61 per cent agreed there are seating options for all ages and abilities, and 57 per cent agreed there is enough seating.
• 57 per cent agreed the park is accessible, welcoming and safe.

When asked how they wanted to improve Design Option A to better achieve the vision and guiding principles, nine respondents provided comments or suggestions. Repeated themes included requests to increase green space through less concrete, create narrower or more meandering paths, distribute tree plantings and remove the tiered seating.

Key Feedback on Design Option B:

• 36 per cent of respondents agreed that Design Option B achieves the draft vision statement and guiding principles for the new park.
• 51 per cent agreed there are enough features that promote biodiversity. 50 per cent agreed there are enough new trees and plantings to provide a green and calm oasis, and 45 per cent agreed there is a good balance between paved surfaces and green space.
• 50 per cent agreed the materials are sustainable, and 46 per cent agreed the design achieves a natural woodland aesthetic.
• 43 per cent agreed there are quiet, reflective spaces. 42 per cent agreed there are meandering paths and curved forms, and that the design achieves a peaceful atmosphere.
• 42 per cent agreed there are enough flexible spaces for small community events.
• 38 per cent agreed there is enough seating, and 35 per cent agreed there are seating options for people of all ages and abilities.
• 27 per cent agreed the park is accessible, welcoming and safe.

When asked how they wanted to improve Design Option B to better achieve the vision and guiding principles, 12 respondents provided comments or suggestions. Repeated themes included requests to integrate more trees into the design, consider different seating options, increase greenery and reduce cement and remove the communal table feature.

Key feedback on features:

• Respondents felt Design Option A (55 per cent) provides better pathways for getting around the park, followed by Design Option B (25 per cent).
• 36 per cent of respondents preferred a combination of seating from both designs, with seating along pathways from Design Option A and seating nooks from Design Option B. 35 per cent preferred only seating along pathways (Design Option A), and 24 per cent preferred only seating nooks (Design Option B).
• Respondents ranked the green features in order of importance, from most to least: naturalized planting with trees; meadow-style planting with native plants and pollinators; a green lawn; pollinator habitat boxes; a climbing vine trellis.
• Respondents ranked the tiered seating feature as more important than the large communal table.
• Respondents ranked the types of seating in order of importance, from most to least: built-in seating like benches; a tiered seating feature; benches with backs and armrests; café-style chairs and tables; a rockery and seating area; picnic tables; Muskoka chairs; a stone block seating area.
• The following features were important to respondents:
  • Trees (98 per cent)
  • Shade (95 per cent)
  • Seating for individuals (90 per cent)
  • Native plants and flowers (86 per cent)
  • Seating with backs (80 per cent)
  • Horticultural plantings (75 per cent)
  • Seating options for small groups (69 per cent)
  • Seating with tables (55 per cent)
  • Space for small events (31 per cent)

When asked how the design options could better align with the vision and design principles or ensure the park is welcoming and accessible for all community members, 79 respondents provided comments or suggestions. Repeated themes included:

• Furniture and seating: concerns about moveable furniture and about comfort, accessibility, and durability; requests for more intimate, shaded seating areas.
• Maintenance and cleanliness: requests for waste receptacles, suggestions that access for dogs be controlled, and discussions of sustainable materials.
• Accessibility: requests that seating and pathways be designed for people with disabilities.
• Requests for more shade

In-Person Pop-Up Event

On July 15, 44 community members participated in a pop-up event at the corner of St. Clair Avenue West and Yonge Street from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Key feedback on Design Option A:

• Four participants agreed there is a good balance between paved surfaces and green space.
• Three participants agreed the design achieves a peaceful atmosphere and one was neutral.
• Three participants agreed there is enough flexible space for small community events and one disagreed.
• Three participants agreed there is enough seating, and enough seating options for people of all ages and abilities and two disagreed.
• Four participants agreed the park is accessible, welcoming and safe.

Key feedback on Design Option B:

• Four participants agreed there is a good balance between paved surfaces and green space.
• Five participants agreed the design achieves a peaceful atmosphere.
• One respondent agreed there is enough flexible space for small community events, three were neutral and one disagreed.
• Three participants agreed there is enough seating, and enough seating options for people of all ages and abilities and three were neutral.
• Five participants agreed the park is accessible, welcoming and safe.
• Five participants preferred metal café seating and chairs, four preferred built-in bench seating and three preferred each of the following: standard benches, rockery seating area, stone block seating, Muskoka chairs, picnic tables.
• Four participants preferred the tiered seating feature in Option A and one preferred the large communal table.
• Seven participants preferred naturalized planting with trees, six preferred meadow-style planting with native plants and pollinators, five preferred the green lawn in Option A, three preferred habitat boxes in Option B and zero preferred the climbing vine trellis.
• Four participants preferred the pathways in Option B and two preferred Option A
• Participants provided the following comments and suggestions for the park design:
  • Add a bit more seating.
  • Do not include anti-homeless infrastructure.
  • Add space to host events such as a farmers’ market.
  • Make the park as green as possible.
  • Include fewer stairs.

June 2024

Virtual Public Meeting

On June 26, 29 community members joined a virtual public meeting to learn about the project and design options.

After presenting the design options and responding to questions, the project team facilitated breakout groups to gather feedback on the design options.

Feedback Summary

Overall, participants suggested adding traditional benches, a bottle filler, a shade structure, shade trees, trash cans for dog waste, enough lighting and less concrete throughout the park. They also suggested better enclosing or separating the park from the street, concealing the driveway through landscaping and replacing grass with alternate types of ground cover.

In response to Option A:

• Some participants liked the amount of green, the meadows, the size and flexibility of the lawn space, the balance between the hardscape and softscape, the amount of tiered seating, the natural/wood elements, the seating that faces away from walls or planting beds, the circulation or flow within the park, the view of the church across the street and the inclusion of deciduous trees.
• Some participants disliked the lack of space for people, the maintenance required for the lawn space, the movable furniture due to theft and safety concerns, the size and location of the tiered seating due to noise concerns, the driveway, the lack of whimsical and colourful elements and the loss of mature trees.
• Participants thought the design generally aligned with the vision and all guiding principles.

In response to Option B:

• Some participants liked the rock feature, the placement of the pathways, the larger trees, the large table, the built-in seating and the green buffer area between the park and the street.
• Some participants disliked the large table due to concerns about crowding, noise, loitering and maintenance, and its potential lack of accessibility, the rock seating, the angular pathways and the driveway.
• Participants thought the design did not align very closely with the vision and/or some guiding principles.

In this phase of the community engagement process, the City will share the preferred design with the community. When the preferred design is confirmed, the project will move into the detail design phase, where the design team will finalize the design by working through the technical details and developing detailed plans and drawings for the construction contractor. 

The community engagement activities anticipated in this phase will be shared later.