Humber Bay Park Master Plan Project Team
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CITY OF TORONTO AND THE TORONTO AND REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY / DECEMBER 2018 HUMBER BAY PARK MASTER PLAN PROJECT TEAM Prepared For: City of Toronto Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Prepared By: DTAH Project Lead, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Schollen & Company Landscape Restoration Specialists North-South Environmental Inc. Terrestrial Ecologists LURA Public Facilitation A.W. Hooker Quantity Surveyors/Costing Mott MacDonald Engineering Consultant With special thanks to the staff of TRCA and the City of Toronto Capital Improvements and Parks, Forestry and Recreation Departments. Thanks is also extended to the dedicated individuals who participated in the Community Resource Groups and to those members of the public who attended the open house sessions or otherwise provided comments that assisted in shaping the Master Plan. 2 HUMBER BAY PARK MASTER PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Humber Bay Park is an important waterfront park in the west end of the city that plays a key social and ecological role for the residents of this growing Toronto neighbourhood. Humber Bay Park, with its system of • The design capitalizes upon new 4. Improve water quality and trails, rugged shoreline and dramatic opportunities for recreational function of the ponds and views, offers a unique and rare activities and new programmable water channel to support waterfront experience within the social spaces while maintaining ecological and recreational larger metropolitan Toronto area. and protecting the natural and functions while reducing Defined by two separate peninsulas, ecological attributes of the park the resources required for the park is comprised of a collection • The design is flexible, resilient, maintenance and operation. of spaces, each with its own distinct adaptive and able to evolve and 5. Identify opportunities for character, function, form and sense respond to the current needs as improved park programming, of place. The park has been loved well as the future needs of the including redefining existing by the community for decades and is community. spaces and the introduction of now showing signs of wear and tear, new seating and lookouts, while deterioration and disrepair. This Master Plan strives to establish a strong vision for the park and protecting sensitive habitats. Park The vision for Humber Bay Park is one establish a framework to balance programming is intended to be of greater integration of the park as preservation and restoration of the flexible, catering to the adjacent a whole, while reinforcing the unique natural environment while identifying growing community. character and setting of each area of areas for improvement and growth 6. Integrate architectural the Park in the context of the overall that support the overall character and improvements within Humber site. The Master Plan proposes a new function of the park. This vision is Bay Park with adjacent landscape, comprehensive design approach that based on the following objectives: to meet ecological, regulatory will enhance the valued naturalized and overall site enhancement landscape, habitat and recreational 1. Protect and enhance existing objectives. uses in the park, while identifying natural environment by creating 7. Improve the lighting strategy, new opportunities for improvements new aquatic and terrestrial habitat areas that enhance to enhance public safety, while that will respond to both the existing achieving the highest standard of and future needs of the community. biodiversity and ecological functions. habitat protection, the reduction The proposed plan is based on the of light pollution and enhanced following guiding principles: 2. Improve overall connectivity, energy efficiency. unifying the overall park, • The design will celebrate and establishing a hierarchy of The organization of the Master enhance the existing natural beauty routes, trails and pathways that Plan document is based on five and sense of respite from the meet AODA criteria, where geographic areas of the park, urban city, while accommodating appropriate. The design involves identified by the unique defining the growing number of park adjusting the existing layout, characteristics and outlined in chapter users and managing existing user reducing areas of conflict 5. Each area is assessed based on conflicts. between cyclists and pedestrians the above stated objectives and • The existing flora and fauna to and creating new connections considered both independently and be protected, while providing with the goal of improving as part of the park as a whole. opportunities for interpretation pedestrian and cyclist movement. Through strategic site reorganization, and appreciation of the park’s 3. Improve parking and vehicular topographic changes, planting, natural heritage attributes. circulation in order to address habitat and materials, a new vision • The park continues to be a local existing and future parking and identity will be established for park for nearby residents while requirements, while reducing the Humber Bay Park. This vision will embracing its place in the larger extent of paved surfaces and the build upon and enhance the park’s network of open spaces along quantity of storm water run-off. existing character, while providing Toronto’s waterfront. The park a strong organizing framework that should accommodate a diversity of will improve overall operation and park users and needs. allowing for the park to evolve with the needs of the adjacent community. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 7 1.1 Humber Bay Park Today ................................................................................. 8 1.2 Context of Humber Bay Park .......................................................................10 1.3 Evolution of the Site .....................................................................................12 1.4 The Master Plan Process ..............................................................................14 1.5 Purpose of the Master Plan ..........................................................................16 2.0 BACKGROUND ANALYSIS 19 2.1 Getting to the Park........................................................................................20 2.2 Parking ...........................................................................................................22 2.3 Getting Around the Park ..............................................................................24 2.4 Wayfinding & Signage................................................................................. 26 2.5 Water Bodies .................................................................................................28 2.6 Inland Water Features ..................................................................................30 2.7 Natural Environment ....................................................................................32 2.8 Vegetation Communities .............................................................................34 2.9 Wildlife ...........................................................................................................36 2.10 Buildings ........................................................................................................38 2.11 Programming ................................................................................................40 2.12 Site Drainage ................................................................................................42 2.13 Site Services ..................................................................................................44 2.14 Lighting ..........................................................................................................48 2.15 Challenges & Opportunities ........................................................................50 3.0 VISION & OBJECTIVES 55 3.1 Master Plan Vision ........................................................................................56 3.2 Guiding Principles ........................................................................................58 3.3 Master Plan Objectives ................................................................................60 4.0 THE MASTER PLAN 65 4.1 The Illustrative Master Plan ..........................................................................66 5.0 THE INTEGRATED PARK 69 5.1 An Enriched Shoreline Experience .............................................................70 5.2 Humber Bay Park Character Areas ..............................................................72 5.3 A Unified Park Core ......................................................................................74 5.4 West Entrance Market ..................................................................................76 5.5 Western Peninsula ........................................................................................80 5.6 East Entrance Meadow.................................................................................84 5.7 Ponds & Linear Wetland ...............................................................................88 5.8 Eastern Naturalized Peninsula .....................................................................92 4 HUMBER BAY PARK MASTER PLAN 6.0 PARK COMPONENTS 95 6.1 Vehicular Access ...........................................................................................96 6.2 Parking ...........................................................................................................98 6.3 Active Transportation .................................................................................100