Underpass Park West Dog Off-Leash Area
About the Project
A new dog off-leash area (OLA) is coming to the Corktown and Canary District neighbourhoods in Spring/Summer of 2027. This project is a result of significant demand from local residents and the displacement of the previous OLA due to Enbridge construction that was located at the northeast section of Corktown Common.
After extensive community consultation, a location was selected and design finalized.
The dog OLA will be placed in the western portion of Underpass Park which St. Lawrence Street, Eastern Avenue and the Eastern Avenue Diversion bound.
The new OLA includes the installation of a fence and gates, new artificial turf, drainage improvements, a fountain and water bottle filler, and signage, south of the Adelaide Street East overhead ramp.
Transportation Services and Engineering Construction Services will soon begin rehabilitation work on the Eastern/Adelaide overpass. Because the new OLA will be located underneath the bridge, Parks Forestry and Recreation has been working with Transportation Services and Engineering Services and has determined the best path forward would be to construct the OLA following the rehabilitation work.
The team currently plans to start construction in 2026 and finish the project by the summer of 2027, dependent on the completion of the rehabilitation project in summer 2026.
19 weeks left
Phases
Design Development
March 2022
Off-leash Area (OLA) Location DeterminedThe new OLA will be installed in the western portion of Underpass Park (away from the underpass). The OLA will be delivered in two phases in response to the City’s Transportation Services and Engineering and Construction Services overpass rehabilitation program.
Phase 1 will include the installation of the fence and gates, new artificial turf, drainage improvements and signage, south of the Adelaide Street East overhead ramp. This phase will start in 2023.
Phase 2 will include an expansion of the OLA and a new fence, gates, artificial turf, water bottle filler, drainage improvements and signage under the Adelaide Street East overhead ramp. This phase will start after the overpass rehabilitation program is complete, sometime in 2024 to 2026.
January 2022
Virtual Public MeetingOn January 27, 2022, a public meeting took place to review and discuss location options for the OLA. The City investigated four candidate sites in the Corktown Common neighbourhood and recommended the future OLA be located in the western portion of Underpass Park. There was some community support for an OLA in this location, while other community members suggested Corktown Common East Berm as a potential location for an unfenced OLA. The Corktown Common East Berm site is infeasible due to significant technical requirements that would be needed for Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) approval and significant site maintenance requirements.
Download the meeting presentation 
.
May 2021
Online SurveyFrom April 27 to May 16, 2021, feedback on a proposed OLA in Lawren Harris Square was collected in an online survey. Lawren Harris Square was proposed as a potential location because:
- The square is located close to a large population of dog owners.
- The square is not heavily used by local residents, with most choosing to spend their time at the nearby Corktown Commons.
The survey received 1,191 responses. While a majority of participants were in favour of an OLA in Lawren Harris Square, the 460 survey comments from both dog owners and non-dog owners alike, strongly indicated that the proposed location would create additional community conflict. Based on these results, the City began to review and assess other potential OLA locations in the neighbourhood to identify a site that would result in less community conflict.
Download the full survey summary report 
for more information.
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