Toronto's Alexandra Park celebrates redevelopment milestone as families move into new homes

insidetoronto.com
Sept. 25, 2016
By Justin Skinner

After eight years of planning and hard work, the new and improved Alexandra Park has welcomed its first cohort of residents into their brand new - and impressive - Toronto Community Housing homes.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, the community held a celebration on its latest street - the east-west running Paul Lane Gardens - to mark the return of 40 families to townhomes built on the site of their former dwellings. The new homes were built on the site of former Alex Park dwellings which had been in dire need of repairs and upgrades.

“After five years (of living in the area), my wife told me ‘Waseem, I’m making food in a detention centre,’” recalled resident Waseem Tahir, who noted the kitchen was tiny and, like many homes in the area, in need of repair.

While a revitalization of the area was needed, rather than have the area’s revitalization foisted upon them, residents in Alex Park played an active role right from the beginning.

“It would have been easy for the residents of Alexandra Park and Atkinson Co-op to sit back and watch as the revitalization unfolded before their eyes, but it wouldn’t have been wise,” said long-time resident Marwa Eldardiry.

“The revitalization is something that directly affects the lives of the residents in this community and it was extremely important to the residents of Alexandra Park to not only have a say in the process but to also drive the process and ensure the outcome would be a positive one.”

Before signing off on the revitalization, the residents insisted that they be allowed to stay within the community throughout the redevelopment process. Once that was assured, and with funding coming from development fees and through a partnership with developer Tridel, the revitalization plan began to take shape.

Toronto Community Housing president and CEO Greg Spearn noted that the partnership with Tridel allowed TCH to “replace these townhomes (with new and improved ones) at no cost to the city and no cost to Toronto Community Housing.”

Former city councillor and current federal MP for the area Adam Vaughan was instrumental in getting the ball rolling on the revitalization, and he remained a staunch and vocal advocate for the work throughout the process.

He said the idea first came to him when he got to know residents in the area during his time in municipal politics. Residents at the time told him they needed their homes fixed up and their community centre repaired and better maintained.

“It was a tough place, not because the residents made it tough, but because after 50 years, the buildings just wore out,” he said.

Vaughan noted that an upgraded and expanded community centre is also on the agenda as part of the Alexandra Park revitalization. That plan also includes a new central park, street connections taking Vanauley Street north to Dundas, new retail and employment opportunities and more.

All of those elements came about only after strong community input.

“This redevelopment was led by the local residents and designed by them,” said current councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20 - Trinity-Spadina). “They’ve built this community.”

Phase 1 of the redevelopment, which will include more four- and five-bedroom rent geared to income townhomes and two market condominium buildings, is expected to be complete in 2019.