The precinct planning process for the stretch of Toronto Waterfront from Jarvis Street to Cherry Street, known as the East Bayfront Precinct, has started with the selection of an architectural firm(see press release) and the setting of the first public consultation meeting. The Secondary Plan for the Central Waterfront has been completed and it lays out in general terms what the waterfront should look like. You can see the entire plan along with maps at the City of Toronto's waterfront web site:Making Waves - Central Waterfront Plan Part II. The actual location of parks, open spaces, roads, promenades, bike paths as well as building location and form are decided at the Precinct Planning stage prior to the zoning being set. The public can have a say in developing the Precinct Plan through a series of public consultations which are planned.

The first Precinct Planning public meeting will be held on Tuesday October 7th, 2003 from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. It will be at The Distillery at 55 Mill Street in the Fermenting Room. The details and directions are listed in this Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp. news release: East Bayfront Precinct Planning: Invitation to Community Forum(PDF).

This process is of interest to cyclists and others who want to maintain green space and open space along the water's edge. Some of the plans shown during the original consultation on the Secondary Plan showed 15 storey buildings within 8 metres of the waters edge with park space being scattered through the waterfront as tiny parkettes. The public who participated in these meetings uniformly criticized these designs and pushed for more open space and green space. One of the architects countered the demands for open space with the statement "There is plenty of open space on the waterfront, it is just blue not green." The battle for the water's edge was not really decided at the Secondary Plan stage. It was just postponed to the Precinct Planning stage which is starting now.

This process is of interest to cyclists as it will impact on the Martin Goodman Trail which runs through this area. If the developers get their way there is a risk that this stretch of the Martin Goodman could be walled off from the waterfront with a wall of condos like we have currently in the Harbourfront area. One document showcasing what they are envisioning for the Martin Goodman Trail in the area raises some concerns about how useful the trail will be for cyclists. Martin Goodman Trail. This is taken from the TWRC Parks and Public Spaces image Gallery. This meeting will be an opportunity for cyclists to inspect these plans closely and carefully question the planners and architects.

This meeting and future ones are an opportunity for cyclists and others concerned with the waterfront have an input in the eventual final design of the waterfront. It is important that many people come to the meetings to analyse the plans and give feedback as to how to ensure these designs will be bike friendly now before they are set in stone (or some trail surface incompatible for cycling).