That the Safety and Facilities Services Committee recommend to City Council:
Whereas, at its meeting on April 11, 2022, the then Development Services Committee referred Closed Correspondence DS-22-84 concerning a third party request to acquire City-owned lands at the northwest corner of Park Road South and Elmgrove Avenue to staff for a report; and,
Whereas, Parks Operational staff currently maintain twenty-four (24) Small Green City Holdings intended for beautification and/or gateway initiatives, with such maintenance generally consisting of annual and perennial planting and grass cutting (see Attachment 1); and,
Whereas, maintenance of three (3) of the twenty-four (24) Small Green City Holdings is limited to grass cutting only, specifically:
- The northwest corner of Ritson Road South and Bloor Street East;
- The northwest corner of Park Road South and Elmgrove Avenue, which was the subject of the above-noted acquisition request submitted under Closed Correspondence DS-22-84; and,
- The southeast corner of Park Road South and John Street West; and,
Whereas, Small Green City Holdings must be considered for future beautification and/or gateway initiatives, among other matters, prior to being declared surplus; and,
Whereas the three (3) above noted locations are insufficient for the purposes of safe Park development and/or amenities and have been assessed by Parks and Waste Operations staff as sub-standard locations for the implementation of beautification and/or gateway initiatives;
Therefore be it resolved that:
- The three (3) Small Green City Holdings located at the northwest corner of Ritson Road South and Bloor Street East, the northwest corner of Park Road South and Elmgrove Avenue, and the southeast corner of Park Road South and John Street West, be referred to Economic and Development Services staff to assess whether there are any other identified municipal needs for the lands and/or whether they can be declared surplus, and then report back to City Council pursuant to its direction concerning Closed Correspondence DS-22-84.
- Any future requests to acquire any of the remaining Small Green City Holdings as identified on Attachment 1 be directed to the Economic and Development Services Department for review, including input from the Safety and Facilities Services Department concerning any potential need for future beautification and/or gateway initiatives, prior to providing a recommendation to City Council on whether they can be declared surplus on the basis that they serve no municipal purpose.