‘Mini rebellion’: Richmond Hill residents 'barge in' to Sunnywood Park after opening delayed

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 12, 2023

Nestled at the intersection of Yonge Street and Roosevelt Drive in Richmond Hill, Sunnywood Local Park is meant to be a central, picturesque oasis connecting neighbours in the midst of density, complete with a multi-use trail, playground, picnic tables and outdoor fitness equipment.

Looking at the site, it appears to structurally have all that was promised, only for the past year, it’s been fenced off to the public.

“It was scheduled to open in October 2022 and they did it, they made it look great,” said Paul Livi, who has lived in the area for almost 20 years. “But the temporary fencing still stayed up and was there for the duration of the winter.”

The beauty of the park, he said, was that it was ideally situated to connect major streets, condo-dwellers and homeowners, so he and other residents contacted the city repeatedly to find out why the fencing wasn't removed. The park, which spans approximately 25,000 square feet, was also part of an agreement Collecdev, the developer, made with the community to ensure ample green space.

As winter turned to spring, Livi said, an orange snow fence facing the “condo side” of the park was temporarily removed, providing those residents with access to the park, while the surrounding steel fences remained. Then the park was fully fenced again, and he doesn’t recall it ever being completely removed by the city.

Fed up with delays and out of a desire to enjoy the facility in warmer weather, residents took apart the eight-foot-piece fence to access the park.

“They pretty much barged in and started using it on their own,” said Livi. Since the park was closed and not being maintained, he said the grass wasn’t being cut, garbage cans were overflowing with dog waste bags and “it was getting kind of gross at one point.”

Whenever the city was notified people were using the park, Livi said, they would tie the gates up. “But a day or two later, somebody comes back and opens them again,” he said. “It’s a mini rebellion.”

From his understanding, the park's path lighting system didn't work and was the last step preventing the facility from opening. It became a safety issue at night, but during the day, the park is packed with children enjoying the playground and people strolling the winding paths.

City staff confirmed Sunnywood Park couldn’t open to the public until an electrical deficiency was rectified.

“The conduit that holds the electrical wires that Alectra Utilities needs to run to energize Sunnywood Park was not large enough to accommodate all the wires needed,” staff responded in an email.

“This required the developer to excavate the original conduit and bury a new larger conduit that will allow Alectra to run the wires needed to energize the park. The developer needs to complete this work first before the city can safely open the park to the public.”

Staff said the developer expects to complete the work later in October provided the electrical work receives a certificate of acceptance from the Electrical Safety Association. “We are expecting the park to reopen in early November 2023.”