Parking lot next to Toronto park to be replaced by new community centre

A recently-closed parking lot facing a Toronto park is the proposed site of a new community centre.

The City has announced plans for its Ramsden Park Community Recreation Centre, a new public facility planned to replace a former surface lot at 1020 Yonge St., immediately west of Rosedale Subway Station.

The disused Toronto Parking Authority (Green P) surface lot along Yonge Street fronts onto Ramsden Park to the north and a City of Toronto Solid Waste Management Services facility to the west. Known as Car Park 269, it was a popular place for motorists visiting the public space until its permanent closure in mid-June 2023.

While still very early on in the planning process, the City states that the new facility to be built on the lot's footprint will offer a six-lane, 25-metre-lane pool, a leisure pool, a gymnasium with a running track, multi-purpose spaces, and even access to Wi-Fi throughout the facility.

The City plans to hire a design team for the project this Spring, followed by multiple rounds of community engagement lasting into 2026, before a detailed design is revealed next fall.

Construction of the community centre would follow in Spring 2027 with a projected opening in Summer 2030.

Notably, no replacement parking facilities are mentioned anywhere in these early documents, something that might develop into a point of contention in the upcoming consultation stages.

Vehicle access to parks has been a hot-button issue and proven a particularly divisive battleground in the case of High Park, where pedestrian and cycling advocates have clashed with motorists and associated neighbourhood groups over the removal of parking.

Motorists have specifically called the loss of parking spaces at High Park an accessibility concern, while opposing groups note the park's transit access with two subway stations serving the public space.

In the case of Ramsden Park, the parking lot has already been closed for almost two years. In addition, Rosedale Station is just across Yonge Street, and is currently closing in on completing a major years-long accessibility upgrade that would address any logical concerns about park access.

However, logic has not always prevailed in these debates, and there's an above-zero chance that opposition to the removal of parking will spring up at an upcoming project kick-off event at Belmont House (55 Belmont St.) on March 24, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m., where the public will be briefed on plans.