A couple of years after its formation, the Leaside-Bayview BIA is coming up with some serious improvements to the Bayview streetscape, starting with the Bayview-Millwood intersection.
“The greenness of Bayview will extend to include the side street ‘flankages,’ making this one of the great public realms of Toronto,” they say. The BIA’s consultant, The Planning Partnership, proposes an expansive vision of Bayview Ave., “to be a retail and restaurant destination, with inviting boulevards lined with mature trees and comfortable attractive street furniture. People will come here year-round to shop, to eat, to linger, and to enjoy life.”
The new streetscape is anchored by trees rising from ground level, amid a 2.1 metre-wide strip of green on the northwest and northeast corners of Bayview and Millwood. To add interest, there are decorative maps called “standing screens” and benches for relaxation. (One hopes there will be some bike parking too).
What will it cost? About $300,000 shared between the city and the BIA. Trae Zammit, Bayview-Leaside BIA president, says they are expecting to break ground this summer.