Much enthusiasm for Rail Deck Park plan that is short on details

Details of how it will be built and developers' competing interests remain sparse, but report on costs and funding plan is expected at city hall in November.

Thestar.com
Sept. 25, 2017
By Jennifer Pagliaro

The packed public meeting made clear the enthusiasm for a massive park decked over the rail corridor downtown remains strong a year after a surprise announcement.

But details of how it will be built and developers' competing interests remain sparse.

The council chamber at city hall was at standing-room capacity only for a statutory public meeting Monday night on the city's plan to build a 21-acre park from Bathurst St. to Blue Jays Way - what has been given the working title of "Rail Deck Park."

It has become a major promise of Mayor John Tory's administration to see it built, though the path to funding and construction remain unclear. Early estimates suggested the park would cost at least $1.05 billion.

"I am not going to make any pretense about being objective about this," Tory told the full house. "I believe this is a bold idea and I'm going to tell you with every ounce of determination that I have: It will be built."

Tory said he is "confident" the private sector will "shoulder a big portion of the cost."

Amid questions about that cost and the city's commitment to build the park no matter what, staff for the first time confirmed the park will have to be built in phases and identified a nearly 9-acre "priority" phase from just east of Portland St. to Spadina Ave. Future phases, staff said, could continue "over time."

Staff also clearly outlined for the first time that the majority of the air rights over the rail corridor — the space above the active railway lines that carry GO trains in and out of Union Station — belong to a mix of private groups, which includes a claim from a group of private developers who have proposed to deck over the space to build eight office and condominium towers.

The estimated cost to acquire those air rights through either negotiations or expropriation — which the city has the power to do — has yet to be made public. Those answers weren't available from staff Monday night.

Councillor Joe Cressy, who represents Ward 20 (Trinity-Spadina), which contains the corridor, noted there are hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves that are dedicated to the creation of parks and that the city is currently under-collecting those fees from developers through provincial legislation.

But even with an increase in what's collected in parkland fees, it is unlikely to fully cover the cost to construct and maintain the massive park.

Cressy said political will is required.

"You get the city you pay for," he said. "If we as Torontonians want to live in a great livable city ... then let's, for goodness sake, pay for it and build it."

Those in the crowd agreed the park plan should move forward.

"Over and over again wonderful plans are made out, money is spent on developing the plans, everything moves towards it and then it doesn't happen. Toronto is lily-livered half the time," said one woman, who had the final word.

"Smarten up and be a proper city."

A further staff report on costs and a funding plan is expected in November.