November 16, 2009

WATERFRONT TORONTO

The two-acre park at the foot of lower Jarvis Street will include a plaza, urban beach and tree-lined promenade.

Waterfront revitalization

Transformed parking lot to become Toronto’s second urban beach

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

Waterfront Toronto has broken ground on Canada’s Sugar Beach, a new park that is transforming a parking lot in a former industrial area into Toronto’s second urban beach at the water’s edge.

Located at the foot of lower Jarvis Street adjacent to the Redpath Sugar Factory, the two-acre park will sport brightly coloured pink beach umbrellas and candy-striped rock outcroppings.

Designed by landscape architects Claude Cormier Architectes Paysagistes in association with The Planning Partnership, Sugar Beach will be the first public space visitors see as they travel along Queens Quay from the central waterfront.

The project is being undertaken by a team that includes construction manager, Eastern Construction Co. Ltd. and Aldershot Landscape Contractors Ltd. Dewatering is being carried out by Atlas Dewatering.

Sugar Beach is considered an important part of the revitalization of East Bayfront. It includes a plaza, urban beach and tree-lined promenade. Its “engaging” plaza space features an oversized candy-striped granite rock outcropping and three large grassy mounds that create a colourful amphitheatre-style space.

At the beach, white Muskoka-style chairs under bright pink umbrellas will line the water’s edge giving people a place to while away the afternoon.

Its tree-lined promenade, running diagonally through the park, gives the public a seamless connection to East Bayfront’s continuous kilometre-long water’s edge promenade and boardwalk.

“By transforming this surface parking lot into a park, we are delivering on our promise to give this beautiful waterfront back to the people to whom it belongs,” said Mark Wilson, chair of Waterfront Toronto. “Starting next summer, Canada’s Sugar Beach will be one of Toronto’s most unique places to play, gather and relax at the water’s edge.” Construction starts on the western side of the park where the beach and promenade are located. Crews will begin by excavating the site and making repairs to the dockwall at the Jarvis Slip. Rock formations and umbrella footings will also be installed before the winter months set in.

The budget for Sugar Beach including site preparation costs — demolition and soil remediation — as well as design and construction costs is $14.3 million.

In addition to Sugar Beach, construction is underway throughout East Bayfront, the new waterfront community that runs from Jarvis to Parliament streets and from the rail corridor to the lake.

Work is well underway at Sherbourne Park, the 1.5 hectare park at the heart of East Bayfront. Work is also nearing completion on East Bayfront’s first commercial building, the new headquarters for Corus Entertainment.

Municipal servicing infrastructure work for the area is ongoing.

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