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Northern Light

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Wow that's a long-winded preliminary name; but its what Parks Canada chose!

So....this is a proposed facility on Zoo Road, on the east side of Meadowvale.

Some preliminary concepts have been released.

First, the link: https://www.canada.ca/en/parks-cana...tor-learning-and-community-centre-projec.html

Concepts:

1628258824043.png


Public engagement link:

Visitor, Learning and Community Centre

This future flagship visitor, learning and community centre will welcome people to Rouge National Urban Park and help foster understanding, appreciation and stewardship of the park.
www.pc.gc.ca www.pc.gc.ca

***********

I finally found the detailed concepts link with high-resolution renders, I'll put that in a post below.

 
This is welcome news! The park does need a visitor’s center.

Separately (and OT), did anyone else feel…underwhelmed…by Rouge? I’d heard that it was the largest urban park, and was pretty excited to check it out, but there didn’t seem to be that many trails, and at one point I swear I hit a road that required me to dash across between the gap in traffic.
 
Nice designs. Love the oculus. Was any consideration given to transit accessibility? That huge parking lot is unfortunate.
 
allengeorge said:
This is welcome news! The park does need a visitor’s center.

Separately (and OT), did anyone else feel…underwhelmed…by Rouge? I’d heard that it was the largest urban park, and was pretty excited to check it out, but there didn’t seem to be that many trails, and at one point I swear I hit a road that required me to dash across between the gap in traffic.
Click to expand...

Rouge Park, south of Steeles, is still mostly the former City of Toronto park with very few changes.

The new trails, thus far, have all been north of Steeles.
There's been fairly extensive restoration of some of the former farm properties, but that only started a few years ago, so some of those areas are still like 'hiking' through an open field with trees 5-15ft tall.
The south end of the park really has only 1 trail from Kingston Road to Twyn Rivers (Mast Trail) which is 2.2km long.
The main trail network, for now, is centred on Zoo Road which has 3 main trails that cut-off from there, two head south to Twyn Rivers, while one goes north to Meadowvale.

Big changes are coming.

These include, a new trail from Kingston Road to the Lake. We have a thread for that, linked below:

Rouge Park: Beach and Trail Improvements

Rouge Park is currently in the public engagement stage of a project to improve Rouge Beach, both ecologically and from an amenity perspective; as well as create a new trail linking the Beach to the Glen Rouge Campground (Mast Trail) are of the Park. Link here...
urbantoronto.ca urbantoronto.ca

In addition to that and this project, the trail running north off of Zoo Road is going to be connected to an existing trail that runs south off Steeles, creating a much larger connection.
Existing trails are due to get a variety of upgrades (mulch, signage, seating, look outs etc.)

Also, the busy road you mentioned crossing is Twyn Rivers.
There is a study underway right now about what to do with that.
I'd be surprised if they closed it, in as much as its one of only a couple ways out of the Altona neighbourhood.
Though, I'd be happy to be wrong on that.

What I suspect you will see is a dedicated walking route/cycling route along side the road, and probably dedicated pedestrian/bike bridges, and some crossing improvements with traffic calming and possibly medians.
But that hasn't been decided yet, let alone funded!
 
Taken from DevApp:

"This new facility will be the primary welcome centre for visitors to Parks Canadas first ever National Urban Park. This leading edge net-zero carbon building will serve many purposes and will house the following functional spaces: a welcome and reception area, a gift shop, a multi-purpose event space, washrooms (with internal and external access), an Indigenous inspired learning space, a café, Parks Canada staff office space and storage."

DevApp Link: http://app.toronto.ca/AIC/index.do?folderRsn=X6s16mNIph/SYfby+WtTBQ==

Rendering taken from the architectural plan via Site Plan Approval:

PLN - Architectural Plans - JUL 11 2022-1.jpg
 
Northern Light said:
Rouge Park, south of Steeles, is still mostly the former City of Toronto park with very few changes.

The new trails, thus far, have all been north of Steeles.
There's been fairly extensive restoration of some of the former farm properties, but that only started a few years ago, so some of those areas are still like 'hiking' through an open field with trees 5-15ft tall.
The south end of the park really has only 1 trail from Kingston Road to Twyn Rivers (Mast Trail) which is 2.2km long.
The main trail network, for now, is centred on Zoo Road which has 3 main trails that cut-off from there, two head south to Twyn Rivers, while one goes north to Meadowvale.

Big changes are coming.

These include, a new trail from Kingston Road to the Lake. We have a thread for that, linked below:

Rouge Park: Beach and Trail Improvements

Rouge Park is currently in the public engagement stage of a project to improve Rouge Beach, both ecologically and from an amenity perspective; as well as create a new trail linking the Beach to the Glen Rouge Campground (Mast Trail) are of the Park. Link here...
urbantoronto.ca urbantoronto.ca

In addition to that and this project, the trail running north off of Zoo Road is going to be connected to an existing trail that runs south off Steeles, creating a much larger connection.
Existing trails are due to get a variety of upgrades (mulch, signage, seating, look outs etc.)

Also, the busy road you mentioned crossing is Twyn Rivers.
There is a study underway right now about what to do with that.
I'd be surprised if they closed it, in as much as its one of only a couple ways out of the Altona neighbourhood.
Though, I'd be happy to be wrong on that.

What I suspect you will see is a dedicated walking route/cycling route along side the road, and probably dedicated pedestrian/bike bridges, and some crossing improvements with traffic calming and possibly medians.
But that hasn't been decided yet, let alone funded!
Click to expand...

@allengeorge

The Twyn Rivers area improvement plan:

Bulletins

www.pc.gc.ca www.pc.gc.ca

1665020657519.png



Somewhere, I actually have the drawings/images for what they are doing......but don't ask me to find them, LOL

@Art Tsai just brought this Rouge Park info back to the fore in my mind..............
 
Northern Light said:
The Twyn Rivers area improvement plan
Click to expand...
Maybe someday I’ll be able to go down there and not have to dash across the road fearing for my life :)

Jokes aside, I would love to see an integrated trail network that allows the park to live up to its billing. Ideally that road wouldn’t exist in there, but…it is what it is.
 
allengeorge said:
Maybe someday I’ll be able to go down there and not have to dash across the road fearing for my life :)

Jokes aside, I would love to see an integrated trail network that allows the park to live up to its billing. Ideally that road wouldn’t exist in there, but…it is what it is.
Click to expand...

I knew I had the image for the work somewhere.............

1665104917806.png


Relevant text:

1665104955135.png


That work is currently underway. '

No more dashing...........hopefully by November............
 
Not going to give a single planting event its own thread, but it was nice to see Glen Rouge Campground get some restoration work this fall. In the past, it has more resembled a golf-course on which you can pitch a tent than a Provincial or National Park.

That is changing.

1,200 trees and shrubs were planted this fall in conjunction with 10,000 trees for the Rouge.

1672604633317.png


1672604674013.png


Above, you can see how open it was between sites. It will take a few years to fill in, but there should be much better privacy and nature enjoyment in the years ahead.
 
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