New Park at 160 McAllister Road

A new 14,570 m2 park is coming to 160 McAllister Rd., a few blocks south of the intersection of Faywood Boulevard and Sheppard Avenue West.

  • Fall 2023: Community Engagement Phase 1
  • Winter 2023/2024: Hire a design team
  • Late 2024: Community Engagement Phase 2
  • Winter 2024/2025: Detailed design
  • Spring 2025: Community Engagement Phase 3
  • Summer 2025: Hire a construction team
  • Fall 2025: Construction starts
  • Winter 2025: Construction complete, park opens

The timeline is subject to change.

Level of Engagement

This project has been classified as a high-level Consult project based on the International Association of Public Participation Public Participation Spectrum. This means we invite ideas and aspirations for the design and obtain public feedback on existing analysis, alternatives and/or proposals.

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In this phase of the engagement process, the project team collected community feedback to develop a 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 vision is co-created with the community to describe the ideal future park or facility. It is a big-picture statement that should inspire everyone toward a common understanding of the project’s overall goals and objectives.

The new park at 160 McAllister should provide opportunities for sports and imaginative play. The new park should also provide the opportunity to relax and reflect in nature, and to socialize with friends and family. The park should be accessible and welcoming to community members of all ages and abilities.

Draft Guiding Principles

The guiding principles are high-level directions that reflect the community’s most important values and ideas for how the park should look and feel. They help to clarify the vision statement and guide how the park should be designed by describing the desired outcomes.

  • Active, athletic and playful: support athletic and social activities for all ages, as well as open space and activations for kids to engage in imaginative outdoor play.
  • Green and sustainable: enhance the space through plantings that provide shade and environmental benefits while retaining open green space and existing trees.
  • Peaceful: create opportunities for people to quietly connect with nature.

Preferred features:

  • open green space
  • drinking fountain/water bottle filler
  • shade feature and/or pavilion with seating
  • sports fields
  • children’s play equipment
  • seating to eat, drink, and socialize
  • trees and plants
  • quiet reflective spaces

Community Engagement Meetings and Events

December 2023

Online Thought Exchange Activity

From November 13 to December 5, 309 community members completed an online thought exchange activity where they shared 288 ideas and 6,594 idea ratings. The project team will use the feedback to create draft park design options, which will be shared for further feedback in Community Engagement Phase 2.

In this activity, many community members wanted the neighbouring Heschel School to continue to have access to the space to use and enjoy. The project team has reached out to the school to help establish continued access.

The following summarizes the most popular ideas collected in the activity that were within the project scope. Review a full summary of the results in an interactive report.

The highest-rated responses to the main question, “The new park at 160 McAllister Road should be a place where…”:

  • kids can run, socialize and get away from their screens in an open green space.
  • people can relax and rest in nature, shaded in part by the mature trees that are on site, and enjoy a calm atmosphere.
  • all in the community can enjoy a welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible public space.
  • people can enjoy sports and athletics. Many comments requested that the existing baseball diamond and soccer field be revitalized and that a walking and running track is installed.

The survey included multiple-choice questions in addition to the main open-ended survey question. Those questions, and the responses that scored over 40 per cent, follow.

The preferred character for the new park was:

  • active and athletic (61 per cent)
  • green and sustainable (58 per cent)
  • playful (53 per cent)
  • peaceful (47 per cent)

The most popular park uses were:

  • relax in open green spaces (66 per cent)
  • walk, exercise and be active (60 per cent)
  • play sports (58 per cent)
  • use a children’s play area or playground (54 per cent)

The preferred park features were:

  • drinking fountain/water bottle filler (66 per cent)
  • shade feature and/or pavilion with seating underneath (65 per cent)
  • sports fields (64 per cent)
  • quiet reflective spaces (42 per cent)

The preferred playground features were:

  • senior play equipment for ages five to 12 (75 per cent)
  • climbing structures (67 per cent)
  • junior play equipment for ages two to five (55 per cent)
  • swings (54 per cent)
  • slides (50 per cent)

The preferred sports to play in the park were:

  • soccer (72 per cent)
  • baseball (61 per cent)

The preferred seating was:

  • benches (68 per cent)
  • picnic tables (48 per cent)
November 2023
In-Person Pop-Up Event

On November 13, pop-up boards were set up at the entrance to Dublin Heights Elementary and Middle School to share information about the project and collect feedback on the vision for the park. Participants were asked to select their preferences for the park’s character, features and seating options, and provide additional comments or suggestions. Approximately 75 people, mostly youth, participated using stickers to indicate their preferences, with the total number of responses in parentheses.

  • Participants would like the park to feel social (34), playful (18), active (five), natural and sustainable (five), green (three) and educational (three).
  • Participants want the park to include soccer (38), baseball (35), pickleball (two) and no sports (two).
  • Participants want to climb (21), spin (18) and balance if there were a playground at the new park.
  • Participants shared that the most important features to include in the new park are trees and plants (14), places with shade (four), places to eat (four) and games tables (three).
  • Participants shared that the most important seating to include in the new park are Muskoka chairs (10), seatwalls (nine), café seating (six), picnic tables (three) and rock seating (one).
In-Person Classroom Workshop

On November 13, the project team supervised four University of Toronto Urban Studies students while they facilitated a classroom workshop at Dublin Heights Elementary and Middle School. Grade eight students discussed their favourite parks in small groups and worked together to illustrate their vision for the park’s character and features. Sixteen students participated.

Download a shortened version of the students’ report.

In summary, based on their discussions, the students want the new park to be:

  • Social and designed to include spaces to gather, sit and eat and spend time together.
  • Flexible and designed with multipurpose spaces and features that would encourage various uses, imaginative play and be accessible during all seasons.
  • Accessible and inclusive for all community members.
  • Active and athletic to accommodate space for sports.
  • Use landscape design for function, like small hills or large rocks to encourage imaginative play or to separate areas within the park. Students also proposed using landscaping to create an amphitheatre or auditorium.
  • Nature-focused; students included nature as a key feature and associated it with a sense of calm and reflection.
  • Aesthetic, such as gazebos, lanterns, lit archways, flower beds and flowering trees. Another example was an art project co-created by park users to foster a sense of ownership and togetherness.

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.

Design Options

Design Option A

A labeled site map of design option a. In the southwest quadrant of the park are a variety of seating areas: one featuring seating on cedar mulch shaded by new and existing tree plantings, one plaza-style with a shade structure, and one featuring bench seating around an existing willow tree. This area of the park also includes a playground, a pickleball court, and a fitness area. There is also plenty of open green space, new tree plantings around the soccer field and seating areas, a walkway around the park perimeter and improvements to the existing soccer field with new line painting and goal posts.

  1. Metal fence and gate on the northwest side of the park
  2. Existing open lawn
  3. Water bottle filler
  4. Waste/recycling bins
  5. Plaza with shade structure and seating
  6. Tall grasses and shrubs
  7. New tree plantings throughout (in brighter colours than existing trees, which will be retained)
  8. Cedarwood mulch area with seating
  9. Playground with wood chips surfacing
  10. Safety fence
  11. Bench seating circling existing tree
  12. Fenced pickleball court
  13. Fitness area
  14. Improved soccer field with line painting and new goalposts
  15. Asphalt walkway around the park perimeter

Design Option B

A labeled site map of design option b. In the northeast corner of the park, the baseball diamond will be improved with a new backstop and line painting. In the southwest quadrant of the park is a circular seating plaza, bordered with shrub planting and shaded by new and existing trees, and a circular playground. The southeast area of the park features a pickleball court and a fitness area. The remainder of this design is open green space, with a walkway around the park perimeter.

  1. Asphalt walkway around the park perimeter
  2. Improved baseball diamond with new backstop
  3. Shrub planting
  4. Water bottle filler
  5. Waste/recycling bins
  6. Plaza with shade structure and seating
  7. Tall grasses and shrubs
  8. Playground with wood chips surfacing
  9. Existing open lawn
  10. Metal fence and gate
  11. New tree plantings throughout (shown in brighter colours than existing trees, which will be retained)
  12. Pickleball courts
  13. Fitness area

Community Engagement Meetings and Events

December 2024

Online Survey

From November 29 to December 20, an online survey on the design options for the new park received 288 responses.

Feedback Summary
  • 57 per cent of respondents said the draft vision statement reflected what they want the new park to be very well, 26 per cent said it reflected it well, three per cent said not well, one per cent said not at all and 13 percent were not sure.
  • 65 per cent of respondents said the draft guiding principles reflected what they want the new park to become very well, 21 per cent said they reflected it somewhat well, four per cent said not very well, one per cent said not at all and ten per cent were not sure.
  • 60 per cent of respondents said the list of preferred features (open green space, drinking fountain/water bottle filler, shade feature and/or pavilion with seating, sports fields, children’s play equipment, seating to eat, drink and socialize, trees and plants, and quiet reflective spaces) is what they want at the new park, 13 per cent said they would remove one or more features, 22 per cent said they would add features and four per cent were not sure.
  • 63 per cent of respondents preferred Design Option A, 28 per cent preferred Design Option B and nine per cent liked them equally or did not know.

Feedback about Design Option A:

  • 84 per cent agreed the design includes enough open green space, eight per cent were neutral and seven per cent disagreed.
  • 83 per cent agreed it offers activities for all ages, eight per cent were neutral and nine per cent disagreed.
  • 82 per cent agreed new plantings provide shade and environmental benefits, 12 per cent were neutral and six per cent disagreed.
  • 80 per cent agreed it includes spaces to socialize with friends and family, 13 per cent were neutral and seven per cent disagreed.
  • 77 per cent agreed it includes open space and supports imaginative outdoor play, 15 per cent were neutral and eight per cent disagreed.
  • 75 per cent agreed it provides opportunities to relax and reflect in nature, 15 per cent were neutral and 10 per cent disagreed.
  • 75 per cent liked the improved soccer field, 18 per cent were neutral and seven per cent disliked it.
  • 73 per cent agreed it creates an accessible, welcoming park, 16 per cent were neutral and 12 per cent disagreed.
  • 67 per cent liked the smaller, varied seating areas, 26 per cent were neutral and seven per cent disliked them.
  • 60 per cent liked the playground shape, 29 per cent were neutral and 10 per cent disliked it.
  • 59 per cent agreed there is enough seating, 20 per cent were neutral and 22 per cent disagreed.

Feedback about Design Option B:

  • 60 per cent agreed the design includes open space and supports imaginative outdoor play, 22 per cent were neutral and 19 per cent disagreed.
  • 59 per cent agreed it includes enough open green space, 20 per cent were neutral and 21 per cent disagreed.
  • 59 per cent agreed it includes new plantings that provide shade and environmental benefits, 25 per cent were neutral and 17 per cent disagreed.
  • 58 per cent agreed it provides activities for all ages, 20 per cent were neutral and 22 per cent disagreed.
  • 57 per cent agreed it includes spaces to socialize with friends and family, 23 per cent were neutral and 21 per cent disagreed.
  • 50 per cent agreed it provides opportunities to relax and reflect in nature, 32 per cent were neutral and 18 per cent disagreed.
  • 49 per cent agreed it creates an accessible and welcoming park, 30 per cent were neutral and 20 per cent disagreed.
  • 47 per cent liked the central seating plaza, 22 per cent were neutral and 31 per cent did not like it.
  • 46 per cent agreed there is enough seating, 31 per cent were neutral and 23 per cent disagreed.
  • 45 per cent liked the playground shape, 34 per cent were neutral and 21 per cent did not like it.
  • 39 per cent liked the improved baseball diamond, 28 per cent were neutral and 32 per cent did not like it.

43 per cent of respondents preferred Fitness Equipment Option B, 36 per cent preferred Fitness Equipment Option A and 20 per cent liked them equally or did not know.

Ranking types of seating from most to least important, respondents ranked benches with backs and armrests first, followed by picnic tables, built-in benches and stone block seating.

Repeated comments, from most repeated to least, included the following suggestions:

  • Add or remove fencing, install fencing in or around specific areas, consider the height and design of fencing
  • Ensure the park is safe for seniors and children, including children at neighbouring schools
  • Install a rubber playground surface instead of wood chips, make the playground larger and include specific play equipment
  • Add more seating and more accessible seating in the shade and near the playground, soccer field and pickleball court
  • Add more trees and plants, with some requests for a community garden or pollinator garden
  • Additional suggestions included requests for a dog off-leash area, basketball court, running track, bike parking and repair station
In-Person Open House

On December 10, the project team hosted an open house at Earl Bales Community Centre from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to share information about the design options and collect community feedback from approximately 30 community members. Participants shared their preferences with sticky dots and comments on sticky notes. Five members of the project team were available to answer participants’ questions and provide more information. The Councillor was also in attendance.

11 participants preferred Design Option A over Design Option B.

Feedback about Design Option A:

  • Strongest agreement:
    • Six participants agreed the design includes spaces to socialize with friends and family.
    • Five participants agreed it provides opportunities for athletic and social activities for all ages and one disagreed.
    • Five participants liked the improved soccer field and one was neutral.
  • Moderate agreement:
    • Four participants agreed it includes new plantings that provide shade and environmental benefits, in addition to the existing trees.​
    • Four participants liked the curved shape ​of the playground and one did not like it
    • Three participants agreed it creates an accessible and welcoming park.​
    • Three participants liked the smaller, ​varied seating areas. ​
  • Mixed opinions:
    • Two participants agreed it includes enough open green space, one was neutral and two disagreed.
    • One participant agreed it has enough seating and two were neutral.

Feedback about Design Option B:

  • Strongest agreement:
    • Five participants disagreed the design provides opportunities for athletic and social activities for all ages.
    • Four participants disagreed it includes enough open green space and one agreed.
    • Four participants did not like the improved baseball diamond and two liked it.
  • Moderate agreement:
    • Three participants disagreed it creates an accessible and welcoming park.
    • Three participants disagreed it has enough seating.
    • Three participants did not like the central seating plaza. ​
  • Mixed opinions:
    • Two participants disagreed it includes spaces to socialize with friends and family and two were neutral.
    • Two participants agreed it includes new plantings that provide shade and environmental benefits, in addition to the existing trees, two disagreed and one was neutral.
    • One participant liked the circular shape of the playground, two were neutral and one did not like it.

Three participants liked benches with backs and armrests, two liked picnic tables, two liked stone block seating and one liked built-in benches.

Two participants liked Fitness Equipment Option A over Fitness Equipment Option B.

Comments about Design Option A included:

  • Relocate the pickleball court and fitness station
  • Clearly separate areas for adults/older kids and younger kids
  • Add bleachers for soccer spectators

Comments about Design Option B included:

  • Add art, sculptures or a little library
  • Reduce lighting, particularly in the playground
  • Concerns about safety, including the playground’s proximity to busy streets
  • Concerns about the nearness of the baseball diamond, pickleball court and fitness area to homes and schools

Other comments included the following suggestions:

  • Include natural play elements and a soft, accessible play surface in the playground area
  • Add swings for adults
  • Ensure that there is plenty of open space; that the park is accessible to seniors and people using mobility devices; and that people will not sleep in seating or fitness areas
  • Install fencing around the park perimeter, or conversely, remove or lower the proposed fencing
  • Position fitness equipment along the path around the park
  • Remove the pickleball court and fitness station
  • Increase the amount of lighting

In this phase of the community engagement process, the City will share the preferred design with the community to collect feedback. 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 anticipated community engagement activities in this phase include an online survey.

The anticipated outcome of this phase is a refined preferred design.