May 2019 Canadian Brownfields Case Study

The Bentway QUICK FACTS

Location ,

Project type Public Space/Park

Site Size 4 hectares and 1.75 kilometers of a multi- use trail

Keywords/special features Public park, partnership, engagement, donation, public space, multi-use trail and public art, stormwater management

Website http://www.thebentway.ca/ Source: Cogley, 2019 Source: Cogley, PROJECT SUMMARY Project address 250 Boulevard won the 2018 Brownie Award in “Financing, Risk Management and Toronto, Ontario Partnerships”, which is an innovative approach to obtain capital financing for the purpose of economic and ecological regeneration. The project is located within the Brownfield Awards City of Toronto and was operated, facilitated and overseen by the City of Toronto, 2018 Brownie Award Winner: REINVEST - Financing, Risk Management & Partnerships , Judy and Wilmot Matthews, Ken Greenberg Consultants, 1 Public Work, Fort York National Historic Site and Artscape . The Bentway project Author is a new public space that ties together cultural, artistic, and recreational activities Brittany Silvaggio and events, including gardens and a skate trail underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway2. The Bentway is not a traditional park space, but instead is a new way Editors of incorporating both a public space and transportation network while being located Christopher De Sousa, Megan Easton, and in a very concentrated downtown core. This Brownie Award highlighted projects Isabel Lima that use public and private partnerships incentives to leverage investment. A public contribution of $25-million was made by Judy and Wilmot Matthews to promote Case studies were prepared as a course assignment by students and enhance the use of the space. This funding allowed the project to become what enrolled in PLG845: Brownfield Reuse & Development, Cleaning 3 up the Past and Building the Future, School of Urban and Regional it is today: an innovated multi-use public space . Planning, Ryerson University (Winter 2019). Information for the case studies was obtained from online sources, available reports, and, in some cases, site visits and direct communication with stakeholders. Site Characteristics and History Niagara, Fort York neighbourhood, Bathurst If you are aware of any errors or updates to the case studies, please 5 The project consists of 1.75 kilometers of Quay, Wellington Place and CityPlace . The contact [email protected]. multi-use trail and 500 meters of connections to Bentway has an enriched history as it follows the The opinions expressed in this case study are those of the authors only and do not represent the opinions and views of either Ryerson the Exhibition Go Station underneath Toronto’s original shoreline of from when it University, the School of Urban and Regional Planning, or the Gardiner Expressway4. The project boundaries was an important junction for trade, hunting and Canadian Brownfields Network. are from Strachan Avenue to the west and gathering for Indigenous peoples6. It is on the to the East. The trail is used Treaty Lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit and as a network that connects seven downtown is the territory of the Haundenosaunee, the Huron- neighbourhoods; , , Wendat, the Metis and many other Indigenous

The Bentway Case Study 1 nations7. The project is maintained and operated by a not-for-profit organization called The Bentway Conservancy. The Bentway Conservancy ensures that the project utilizes the space to increase engagement with the surrounding neighbourhoods, while also including the City as a whole. The Conservancy’s goal is to provide an innovative, safe, accessible space while also being fiscally sustainable8. The Bentway Conservancy works with the City of Toronto, Fort York National Historic Site, the seven surrounding neighbourhoods and the other private and public partners9.

Cleanup Due to the project being located underneath Toronto’s , it has been receiving drainage from the overpass above. This led to soil and groundwater contamination from inorganics and metals, sodium adsorption ratio

(SAR) in soil, electrical conductivity (EC) in soil, 2019 Source: Cogley, chloride in groundwater petroleum hydrocarbons The Bentway in the summer season (PHCs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)10. To complete, was anticipated to cost $23.8 million14. Design address this contamination, a risk assessment In 2016, $3.0 million of the donation from the The Bentway facilities include various and risk management plan was prepared. The risk Matthews’ family was received and $1.5 million gardens, a skate trail, recreational amenities, management measures were for the park space was retained by the Matthews foundation for space for potential markets, public art and spaces surfacing, planted areas, concrete skateboard the expenses related to the project, including for festivals and other public events18. Some of surfaces and playground. Soil remediation was communications, program development, legal the features include a walkway with selective completed on several areas of the site, as well as and administrative costs15. As for the remaining plantings, a staircase that doubles as seating for extensive air modeling to confirm the safety of $20.5 million, it was expected to be received in an outdoor theatre and a wider path for cyclists, the area beneath the Gardiner11. 2016 and 2017 in advance for project spending16. skaters and joggers19. The Bentway project is A recommendation of a one-time draw of $10 based on adaptive reuse while tying together the Financing million from the City capital funding was made to existing architectural elements, like the 5-storey The driving force for this public space help support the early stages of the operations high pillars. development started with a generous donation and maintenance from the years 2016-202317. from Judy and Wilmot Matthews of $25-million in 2015. Matthews presented an idea to the City of Toronto to turn the underutilized space The Bentway in the winter season underneath the Gardiner Expressway into a public park12.

This donation resulted in The Bentway project. Over the term of the project, additional donations have come in from Ira and Maxine Gluskin, Richard M. Ivey, Donald Johnson and Anna McCowan-Johnson, the Langford Family Foundation, Northwood Family Office and Diamond Corp13. Although the Matthews’ donation was very generous, there were other financial considerations that needed to be reviewed for this project.

The development of the project was conducted in phases. The first phase, which is now Source: BlogTO, 2019

The Bentway Case Study 2 Source: The Bentway: About The Bentway, 2019 the CNTower and ExhibitionPlace,toHarbourfrontCentre more destinationstothesitefromOntarioPlace Fort YorkBoulevard.Theprojectplansonlinking This willprovideasafecrossingandaccessto from theundersideofGardinerExpressway made fromcross-laminatedtimberthatsuspends is underwayandwillconsistofawoodenbridge Avenue toFortYorkBoulevard project iscompletedandstretchesfromStrachan being conductedinphases.Phaseoneofthe Mayor JohnTory, Cityof Judy andWilmotMatthews,KenGreenberg, Project FoundingTeam including constructiondebris The pavingsystemisrecycledmaterials, Materials: sustainable greenspace. also convertingthepreviousgreyspacetoa by stormrun-offfromtheroadwayabove of indigenousgrassesareintendedtobewatered sewers andwatermains andstorm and utilitiesthatincludesanitary The projectconsistsofundergroundservicing Stormwater Management: Sustainable Features Scale andNeighbourhood ConnectionsoftheBentwayProject T National HistoricSite,PublicWork, Waterfront 3 oronto, andArtscape. The Bentway CaseStudy 22 . 23 T . Greeninfrastructure oronto, FortYork 25 20 . . Thenextphase 24 , while 21 .

or concerns people tocontactthemregardinganythoughts to voicetheprojectgoalswhilealsoallowing isanonlinetool The BentwayConservancy ideas, hopesandconcernsfromthepublic public withtheproject,whilealsocollecting guided toursaroundthesitetohelpengage With thehelpofParkPeople,theybegan 2015 The Bentwayprojectwasannouncedinthefallof collaboration ofpublicandprivatepartnerships. Matthews’ familyof$25million.Thissparkedthe began fromthegenerousdonation support. Thedrivingforcefortheproject Thisprojectisagreatexampleofpublic Community involvement public spacetoday. beams thatnowreflectthearchitectureof won duetoitstributetheuniquecolumnsand Place andTheArtery names, TheCanopy, TheBentway, Gathering with Toronto’s history. Thepaneldrew4unique a panelof12Torontonians whowerefamiliar list of815namespresentedfromthepublicand fortheGardiner tell anewstory was underway. Thenamingcampaignaimedto Under theGardiner”,whileanamingcampaign project name.TheBentwaybeganas“Project: an extramileandhadthepublicvoteon with thetypeofcrowdparkcouldattract towards theproject,whileotherswereconcerned reactions; somewereexpressingexcitement 26 . Thecommunityhadtwodifferent 29 . JudyandWilmotMatthewswent 31 . Ultimately, theBentway 30 . Therewasa 28 27 . . character ofToronto. that representspublicartistsandthediverse continues tobeanurban,socialgatheringspace Bentway asatemplateforfuturedesignsit and sustainabledesign.Toronto shoulduseThe cultural andsocialbenefitsthroughitsunique such asthisone.TheBentwayhasshown more innovativeanduniquepark/publicspaces project willhopefullydriveToronto todevelop make thispossibleintheCityofToronto. This Park, ForestryandRecreationreservefund,to why ittookadonation,ratherthantheuseof However, thisalsobegsthequestionasto through publicengagement. representation ofsustainableadaptivereuse Bentway. Thispublicspaceisanadvocateand and visionofwhatisnowknownasThe donation inspiredtheCitytodevelopanidea Judy andWilmotMatthews.TheMatthews’ driven bytheCity,butinsteadwasinitiated makes thisprojectuniqueisthatitwasnot space, publiceventsandartisticpopups.What public engagementthroughitsrecreational and transformativedesign.Thisspaceprovides neighbourhoods, Bentway wasabletotieinsurrounding was abletochangetheideaofparkspace.The innovative publicspace.Thisparkproject an underutilizedbrownfieldspaceinto TheBentwayProjectwasabletotransform Observations andLessonslearned whilealsoprovidingunique

Endnotes 1 About The Bentway - The Bentway. (2019). AR3vGClvgikMBch23L1L5PU9ZvYBsVdUnstmi http://www.thebentway.ca Retrieved from http://www.thebentway.ca/about/ aO-koob7-cu5hcSzMDBuVQ 30 How to Name a Public Space that Belongs to 2 2018 Brownies Winners - Canadian 15 “Governance And Funding Options For the People. (2016) Waterfront Toronto. Retrieved Brownfields Network. (2019). Retrieved from Project: Under Gardiner And Class Environmental from http://blog.waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe/portal/ https://canadianbrownfieldsnetwork.ca/ Assessment For Crossing Of Fort York wt/home/blog-home/posts/under-gardiner- brownfield-awards/brownies/2018-brownies- Boulevard”. Toronto.Ca, 2016, https://www. naming-process winners toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ex/bgrd/ backgroundfile-94187.pdf. Accessed 29 Mar 31 Ibid 3 Ibid 2019.

4 About The Bentway - The Bentway. (2019). 16 Ibid Retrieved from http://www.thebentway.ca/about/ 17 Cogley, B. (2019). The Bentway park opens 5 Ibid under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway. Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/08/ 6 Ibid bentway-park-public-work-greenberg-toronto/

7 Ibid 18 Ibid

8 Home - The Bentway. (2019). Retrieved from 19 Ibid http://www.thebentway.ca 20 About The Bentway - The Bentway. (2019). 9 Ibid Retrieved from http://www.thebentway.ca/about/

10 2018 Brownies Winners - Canadian 21 Cogley, B. (2019). The Bentway park opens Brownfields Network. (2019). Retrieved from under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway. Retrieved https://canadianbrownfieldsnetwork.ca/ from https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/08/ brownfield-awards/brownies/2018-brownies- bentway-park-public-work-greenberg-toronto/ winners 22 Ibid 11 Ibid 23 Construction Notice. (2017). Retrieved 12 Immen, W. (2017). Under-the-Gardiner from http://www.thebentway.ca/wp-content/ park draws $25-million from a modest donor. uploads/2017/03/Construction-Notice-Bentway. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail. pdf com/report-on-business/no-name-attached- why-some-donors-avoid-the-limelight/ 24 Cogley, B. (2019). The Bentway park opens article35247943/ under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway. Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/08/ 13 Home - The Bentway. (2019). Retrieved from bentway-park-public-work-greenberg-toronto/ http://www.thebentway.ca 25 Ibid 14 Kusturin, D. (2016). Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee – November 26 Garrett, J. (2018). The Bentway promised us 30, 2016 Item 8c – The Bentway Segment 1 a lot—and it’s delivering. Retrieved from https:// (Strachan to Bathurst) - Project Cost, Schedule parkpeople.ca/archives/9509 and Risk Reporting. Retrieved from https:// waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe/wcm/connect/ 27 Ibid waterfront/2d0e8e54-d47b-4f51-8443- b39e758f61b5/item_8c___the_bentway_ 28 Ibid segment_1_project_update_11_30_16_ consolidated_1.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&fbclid=Iw 29 Home - The Bentway. (2019). Retrieved from

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