Once a hodgepodge of industrial buildings and cozy British-style row houses, Corktown is increasingly home to young families, as new condominiums are built on formerly neglected parking lots and warehouses.
The neighbourhood’s most recent addition, the Corktown Common, is another piece of the gentrification puzzle, adding momentum to the area’s rebranding project.
Nestled in the eastern edge of the downtown core, the recently opened patch of green space in the West Don Lands features meandering trails, an extensive marsh area brimming with lush plants, a multi-use pavilion and playgrounds.
The park attracts people of all ages and of all backgrounds, president of the Corktown Residents and Business Association Kara Isert told CTVNews.ca.
“That whole area used to be an industrial wasteland for a very long time…so people are very happy to see it,” she said. “The reaction has been very, very positive.”
Since the park opened on June 28, the park has had approximately 2,000 visitors, said Andrew Tenyenhuis, a project manager at Waterfront Toronto.
According to Tenyenhuis, the park “sets the tone” for the rest of the development in the area. “It increases land value it makes the area a lot more attractive to developers and home buyers.”
Located just north of the more famous Distillery District, Corktown until a few years ago was an urban planner’s worst nightmare. The neighbourhood’s most prominent feature was a tangled mess of expressway ramps built in the 1960s. And in the foreground were empty buildings and industrial businesses.
But that is slowly changing.
According to the president and CEO of Waterfront Toronto, Corktown Common is a “key part” of the transformation of the neighbourhood from a former industrial area into a “beautiful sustainable and inclusive mixed-use” space.
“Parks and public spaces help create a sense of identity and place and are critical to the development of new neighbourhoods,” said John Campbell in a news release last week.
And it’s not just the park that is adding to the neighbourhood’s dynamic and young outlook.
Isert pointed to the number of recent condo developments on King Street and the fact that an increasing number of businesses are choosing to set up shop in the area.
On the Corktown Residents & Business Association website, the group recently welcomed two new businesses: the Flame Shack, a burger joint; and Bentley Flanders, a high-end furniture store reminiscent of the King East Design District.
