Church Wellesley Update
News from the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association
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Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm To Register: On the City Planning Consultations page, find the "Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study" by searching for "Jarvis" in the search box located to the right of "Upcoming Events." The City Planning Division of the City of Toronto is hosting a virtual information session at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, for those who wish to learn more about the Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study and to participate in a meeting to help identify what spaces and attributes of the Upper Jarvis Area are valued and what conditions could be improved. The Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study concerns lands that are designated Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhoods in the City of Toronto Official Plan in the Upper Jarvis Area Lands designated Neighbourhoods in the City of Toronto Official Plan are considered physically stable areas where new tall buildings are not permitted. The City has received applications to amend the Official Plan to change the Neighbourhoods designation on three sites in the Upper Jarvis Area to permit the development of tall buildings. In response to these applications, Toronto and East York Community Council directed Planning Staff to undertake a study of the Upper Jarvis Area to help evaluate these proposed developments and to develop a planning framework to help assess future development applications. The feedback received as part of this public meeting will be used to help inform the development of a planning framework which may outline key principles for evaluating current and future development applications in the area. This study area includes lands between Bloor Street to the north, Sherbourne Street to the east, Wellesley Street to the south, and Church Street to the west. How to participate: To register, on the City Planning Consultations page, find the "Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study" by searching for "Jarvis" in the search box located to the right of "Upcoming Events." The City Planning Consultations Webpage will also provide you with the link and/or call-in number to join, once registered, and provide you with more information about how to join and participate in the meeting and our code of conduct. Attendees are encouraged to email the Planner questions prior to the meeting. (Abraham.plunkett-latimer@toronto.ca). The Planner will answer submitted questions as part of the Question and Answer portion of the agenda. Attendees will be able to submit questions through the Q&A feature in Webex Events and receive a response during the meeting. The ability to accommodate live verbal questions will be based on the number of participants.  Are you looking for a unique opportunity to make an impact in the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood? The Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association (CWNA) is looking for leaders like you to join our board of directors.
We are a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of everyone who lives, works, and plays in our neighbourhood, bounded by Yonge Street east to Jarvis Street and Charles Street south to Carlton Street. The work of the CWNA is focused in the areas of:
Our board maintains active relations and meets regularly with our elected officials, partner organizations (the Church Wellesley BIA, The 519, Progress Place, and other local agencies), the Community Crisis Response Network, and various city departments. The CWNA is currently accepting applications for open positions on the CWNA Board. All candidates for the CWNA Board of Directors must live in our catchment area and be members in good standing. We encourage members of equity-deserving groups to apply so that our board may reflect the diversity of our neighbourhood and our community’s unique needs. We are particularly seeking board members who have knowledge and experience in any of the following areas: community outreach and engagement, urban development and planning, legal expertise. As the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be virtual, the election for open positions will be by online ballot. All members in good standing that are present at the AGM will be entitled to vote and will receive an online ballot via email following the AGM. Results will be announced on March 17, 2023 at 7 pm. The CWNA Board normally meets once a month and board members are expected to attend these meetings regularly. In addition to the monthly board meeting, board members will be expected to sit on at least one committee and will be required to complete additional tasks between meetings, approximately 5-10 hours per month. Email info@cwna.ca for a nomination form. Deadline for submission of nominations is March 13, 2023, 11:59 pm. You're invited to the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association's 2022/23 Annual General Meeting, March 16 at 7 pm. This will be a virtual meeting, via Zoom Webinar.
Take the opportunity to hear about important issues in our community, including Development, Community Safety, Placemaking (Parks and Public Spaces) and Heritage Conservation, as well as vote for open positions on the Board of Directors. The AGM is open to everyone in the community, but only CWNA members may vote. Register here. James Canning Gardens Of the three linear parks running between Charles and Dundonald Streets, James Canning Gardens underwent a rebuild and was re-opened to the public in 2021. Since then the lot immediately to the east, at 14 Dundonald, has been transferred to the City as parkland. However, the new open space has not been integrated into the design of James Canning Gardens. There is now an opportunity to expand the park and make the combined space more useful.  James Canning Gardens in 2021 George Hislop Park and Norman Jewison Parks In 2020 and 2021 the City hosted two public consultations and two stakeholder meetings on the redesign of the other two linear parks, George Hislop and Norman Jewison Parks; as well as Alexander Street Parkette. (See the Yonge Street Linear Park Improvements page at Toronto.ca for background.) Revitalizations of George Hislop and Norman Jewison Parks had been projected to start in late 2022; however, there have been delays with the projects. The detail design stage of work for the two parks is complete and the construction contract is about to be awarded. Construction is now expected to start in mid-2023. Among the improvements, George Hislop Park will feature an LGBTQ2S+ art installation; artist Catherine Tammaro has been engaged to create Indigenous placemaking elements in Norman Jewison Park. Unfortunately, George Hislop Park has been fenced off from public access since the summer of 2021, after the City cleared an encampment. Looking forward, there is a good possibility that George Hislop Park will have a small expansion to its southwest as a part of two proposed development projects to its immediate west.  A larger image of the George Hislop Park plan is here (after opening, click the image for maximum size).  A larger image of the Norman Jewison Park plan is here (after opening, click the image for maximum size). Alexander St. Parkette Alexander Street Parkette's improvements will not very likely not take place in 2023, as they must be coordinated with a garage roof replacement project for 25 Maitland Street's underground parking. The City is now in discussion with the property manager of 25 Maitland (The Cosmopolitan). The goal is that the projects would be completed sequentially but a time frame has not yet been determined. The park plan is below.  Barbara Hall Park
Although Barbara Hall Park was rebuilt in 2014, ongoing issues with the usage of the park have led to an initiative to rethink its design; community consultations will take place in 2023. 15 Wellesley Green P Parking Lot Looking further forward, the Green P parking lot that sits across from the Wellesley subway station has been promised, in Toronto's Official City Plan, as parkland for many years. In the recently released, "TOCore Implementation Strategy: Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan," 15 Wellesley East is listed as one of the “New Parks Secured through Development and Acquisitions.” The City has not yet determined if the entire lot will go to parkland or if some will be allocated to affordable housing. Given the significant increases in our neighbourhood's population in the past years -- and for many years to come -- the CWNA supports the allocation of the entire lot to parkland. Improvements to existing parks and the addition of more green space will be very welcome in our rapidly densifying neighbourhood. |
