Construction to ‘overhaul’ dock near Billy Bishop Airport planned for this fall

From The Star

The city is planning to begin construction this fall on long-awaited changes to Bathurst Quay, part of a revitalization effort that will include a public plaza, Irish cultural centre and refurbished walkway near the drop-off/pickup area of the Billy Bishop Airport.

As part of the wider Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Plan, the city is finalizing plans for a “drastic overhaul” of a dock wall at the property’s south end, said Bryan Bowen, the city’s project manager for the waterfront secretariat.

The city is planning to install granite pavers and seating, as well as a maple leaf motif used elsewhere in the waterfront. The plan also calls for the removal of a chain-link fence that currently exists.

“It’s a place that (people are) invited to linger as opposed to today, which is a place that feels quite derelict and unsafe,” Bowen says of the waterfront area near the Canada Malting Silos.

Area Councillor Joe Cressy said the $10-million dock transformation will happen this fall and is part of a larger plan that will eventually see the creation of an event and gathering space next to the silos, a space he says will be fit for hosting movie screenings, farmers markets or other events.

“This is part of transforming Bathurst Quay neighbourhood into one that’s really livable and desirable,” he says.

The public spaces should be completed within the next two years, although timing for construction around the silos is dependent on environmental remediation cost estimates and funding approval, Bowen says.

“This property has been, frankly, an eyesore and a point of contention for a number of years,” Bowen says. “It’s not becoming of the Bathurst Quay neighbourhood. It’s not becoming of a gateway to our city and it’s not becoming of our waterfront.

“And so I think that the residents are relieved to see that there does seem to be a funded plan in place to actually start realizing improvements here.”

The project will also see a centre for culture, arts and Irish history with a focus on stories on migration, led by the Ireland Park Foundation. The city transferred an existing building on a “nominal lease” to the foundation, who will start renovation work and programming over the next year.

Robert G. Kearns, the founder and chair of the foundation, says they currently have funding from the City of Toronto and are also seeking funding from the Irish government. He said the arts hub will feature exhibits specifically about migration to Toronto and southern Ontario, as well as the Irish community’s contributions to the city, province and country.

“This will be a new unique space and experience for the Irish community in Toronto. It’s not just the Irish community, but for citizens of Toronto,” Kearns said. “We feel that the Irish story in this city has never had a physical location to be told anywhere, and we want to address that.”

Ports Toronto, the owner and operator of Billy Bishop Airport, said in a statement they have been working closely with the city and Ireland Park Foundation on the Bathurst Quay plan, which also includes measures to reduce traffic congestion and idling, and to minimize having vehicles enter community streets. The plan also calls for reconfiguring the existing taxi corral and increasing curb space for pickup and drop-off.

The city is also trying to figure out what to do with the Canada Malting Silos, which have been designated heritage structures, and plan to put out a call for proposals for reimagining the silos with an arts and cultural focus in 2020.

Norman Di Pasquale, a Bathurst Quay resident and chair of No Jets TO, which advocates against having jets at the downtown airport, says the neighbourhood is behind the plan. At community meetings, he says, excitement among residents — some of whom have lived there for 20 years — is palpable.

“It’s what the community deserves. It’s been a kind of neglected point on the waterfront for a very long time and it could be very beautiful.”