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Don Lands do-over

A year after the official groundbreaking, Waterfront Toronto’s signature project in the West Don Lands, Don River Park, is quickly rounding into shape.

Media were invited this week to tour the 7.3 hectare swath at the foot of Bayview and King. Much has been accomplished.

A pavilion, whose roof resembles an airplane wing, is nearing completion. Several hilltop playgrounds have been carved out of the landscape and play structures erected. A large wetland occupies a flat spot roughly in the centre of the site.

Over to the west, asphalt has been poured, sidewalks built and street lights installed on the Mill Street extension, one of two main roads into the area. A grand promenade is in the works for Front, the other main arterial into the precinct.

Like other Waterfront Toronto projects, this one has been designed with ecology in mind. Solar panels from the pavilion will supplement the park’s energy needs and 17 different kinds of soils have been trucked in with special plastic fibres added to prevent erosion.

The marsh will use storm water to irrigate the park’s many plants and some 700 trees.

To the north, where the hum of speeding cars from the Gardiner can be heard, Underpass Park is slated to be built. A crane near that marks the spot where the River City condo development is currently under construction.

But it’s to west, on lands where the Athlete’s Village for the 2015 Pan Am Games will be built, that all eyes are focused. The design for that plot is scheduled to be released in the coming weeks.

While preparations for the Games has sped up development of the park, it remains to be seen how the tightened schedule will ultimately effect Waterfront Toronto’s original vision for the Athlete’s Village area of the site.

Plans there originally called for a mix of residential and commercial uses, with lower-rise buildings closer to the park and higher density towers further back towards Front.

The commercial-residential balance will be harder to achieve given the demands for residential space to accommodate the thousands of athletes expected for the Games.

We’ve seen how the pressure of deadlines has caused cities hosting large events like the Pan Am Games to take short cuts. See Vancouver Olympics. That possibility looms here, too.

Construction of the Athlete’s Village will have to be completed some months before the Games, which means by the end of 2014. That doesn’t leave much time, especially knowing what harsh winters can do to construction schedules.

The biggest complicating factor is the fact the Athlete’s Village site is seriously contaminated – it’s part of the old Ataratiri site that got mired in cleanup cost issues back in 90s. Substantial remediation will be required to bring the plot up to environmental standards.

There’s no telling how long that may take or cost. But Waterfront Toronto is banking on Don River Park, a valuable amenity, to attract some keen interest from big-buck developers. The view of the city skyline from the park is certainly a selling point.

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