With warm weather well on the way and summer schedules soon to take hold, not to mention a significant hurdle cleared, Roncesvalles Renewed held a meeting to recap the group's accomplishments over the last few years and to start talking about the next steps. With the Environmental Assessment essentially complete (approval by the PWI committee is a good indication it will pass through the rest of the process), it's time to turn our attention back to what the group has wanted to focus on all along: trees and sustainable infrastructure. Councilor Gord Perks even stopped by to share his plan for the detailed design process and hear what everybody had to say.

As the group gathered around a dining room table, the convivial atmosphere took hold. Out the door was the structured agenda; an on-topic, free flowing conversation ensued in which the group congratulated itself on successes and took a close look at the many tasks that still lay ahead. It was particularly interesting to hear from Gord, who gave an update on his plans to hold a community meeting to hash out the fine detailed design for our new Roncesvalles Avenue. That meeting, tentatively scheduled for June 27th, will serve as an opportunity to provide clear direction for the design in five key areas:

1. Trees. That's what this whole thing is all about, because if we get the trees right, that means everything else will have been done right too. That's because trees are not simply about making Roncesvalles beautiful (not to mention more shaded), but because done right, trees can play a vital role in infrastructure and stormwater management. This key piece of the puzzle will surely be a hot topic.
2. Street Furniture. Toronto has a deal where it gets a big pile of money from a vendor who in turns handles the street furniture, but because Roncesvalles is a new street running through a BIA district, the community gets more input. What sort of furniture do we want and where do we want it?
3. Lighting. We need street lights and they come in all sorts of flavours. But if we choose special lighting, what will we have to cut from the wish list (after all, there's only so much money)? With such a great street in the works, we'll want to choose how we see at night carefully.
4. TTC Platforms. The new TTC platforms will allow for seamless boarding of streetcars from the sidewalk, an accessibility feature that for the first time in Toronto is being incorpoporated in the street design and construction. But there's also no doubt that this part of the EA - the infamous "bumpouts" - caused the most concern, confusion and questions. Now it's time to go from the broad plan for two lanes of traffic with sidewalk bumpouts at the streetcar stops to determining just how these things will look and be manuevered by pedestrians, transit riders and cyclists.
5. Gateways. Roncesvalles Avenue is one of the great streets of Toronto and deserving of north and south gateways. The north end at Bousted would certainly benefit from some sprucing up, but the real attention-getter is the south end at the famous Queen/King/Roncesvalles (and Queensway) intersection. That southern end not only marks the entrance to Roncesvalles going north, but also is a key access point to Lake Ontario going south. What a great opportunity to bring an intersection that truly deserves special treatment into the spotlight.

There's no doubt that a new sense of excitment was in the air as these future plans and developments can now be discussed in tangible ways. But that didn't stop the group from reflecting on the many achievements of the last several years. In that time, Roncesvalles Renewed has provided information about the reconstruction and main street opportunities, conducted research and arranged meetings about sustainable urban street infrastructure, gathered ideas and feedback - both online and on street - about the various proposals, surveyed parking patterns, developed funding proposals, created an eNewsletter and created a website with information, updates and a discussion forum.

Yes, the group has been busy and has learned a lot along the way. But there's also no doubt that a whole new wave of hard work lies ahead. What makes Roncesvalles such a great street and neighbourhood are the people and the incredible community engagement. We welcome any and all discussion as we try to learn every last detail of how our street is used so that in two years, when all the dust has settled, we can all enjoy the rebuilt Roncesvalles Avenue to the fullest.