A public open house will be held in the Fellowship Room of the Emmanuel Howard Park united church (214 Wright Avenue) from 6:30 - 8:30 pm on Wednesday July 9th.  Download the City of Toronto Flyer.

The primary driver behind this, is an Environmental Assessment the City is mandated to perform, specific to proposed performance of street improvements.

This meeting represents a chance for you to inform yourself with respect to these proposals, and engage in the process prior to implementation next year.  In recommending your attendance, the HPRA will not be holding a monthly meeting in July.

Players including the City of Toronto, Roncesvalles Business Improvement Area (BIA) group, and Ward 14 stakeholders including the High Park Resident's Association, continue to pursue plans to beautify the Roncesvalles Avenue streetscape from Queen Street West to Dundas Street West.  Locally, this collective effort is referred to as "Roncesvalles Renewed".

As a follow-up to the City's plan to replace TTC streetcar tracks along Roncesvalles (slated for 2008 but deferred to 2009), a study was commissioned by the Roncey BIA in the fall of 2002, with the aim of improving both aesthetics and shopping experience along Roncesvalles Avenue.

The result was urban design and planning firm Brook McIlory Inc.'s development of a streetscape enhancement strategy.

Highlights included introductory gateway signage, extensions of curbsides into the existing street ("bump-outs") to support wider sidewalks and the additions of trees and furniture, and retainment of Roncesvalles' unique heritage and culture.

Some results of this study have included the City's funding contribution to businesses choosing to improve their street-facing signage, and a proposal to foster growth of newly planted sidewalk-embedded trees beyond their traditional 7 - 10 year lifespan, by adopting improved planter infrastructure.