Toronto just got a new park and it's one of the city's smallest

Residents of Toronto's Avenue and Lawrence neighbourhood welcomed a new park this week, billed as one of the city's smallest at just 280 square metres.

The new Glengarry Park — constructed as a community benefit for an adjacent condo development — is officially open at 219 Glengarry Avenue.

The park's debut was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, attended by Toronto officials and representatives of Graywood Developments.

Though he was unable to attend, Deputy Mayor and local city councillor for Eglinton-Lawrence, Mike Colle, said he was "thrilled to have Glengarry Park as a beautiful new public space within Eglinton-Lawrence. It's a welcome and long-needed addition to the Avenue and Lawrence neighbourhood, providing residents and visitors with an accessible space to relax and enjoy the outdoors." 

Despite its tiny size, Glengarry Park offers the community a range of features, such as lush greenery surrounding cobblestone paths, a shaded pergola with communal seating, and a playground area featuring a slide and climbing structure.

If Glengarry Park is the micro-condo of public spaces, then the adjacent Douglas Greenbelt is akin to its balcony, linking the park to a network of interconnected parks and paths that snake through the neighbourhood to the northwest.

This new addition to the community was designed in consultation with the City of Toronto in conjunction with Graywood's new 250 Lawrence West project, a mid-rise condo just east of Avenue Road.

"We are thrilled to have worked closely with the City of Toronto on this project," says Neil Pattison, senior vice-president of development at Graywood.

"There is an increasing demand for outdoor amenities in well-connected neighbourhoods, and Glengarry Park perfectly addresses this need at 250 Lawrence. We're excited to provide a space where the community can come together and enjoy nature right in the heart of the city."