Item - 2022.TE30.36

The Item was withdrawn from the agenda.

The Ossington Avenue BIA has been working in partnership with the City, through the BIA Office to construct two new public spaces that include public art, landscaping, and seating on the side street flankages including south-west side of Foxley Avenue and on the north-west side of Argyle Street in the Ossington BIA. This project implements the BIA's vision to create new public spaces that are truly special and offer a sense of and celebration of history and heritage.

The BIA will create a variety of destinations to promote economic growth and stability, branding, sustainability, and slower vehicular traffic. The ROW/Construction permit application includes the engineer-stamped drawings that show public art as two pieces – an arch that was designed by Forest and Field Landscape Architecture and an art panel that was created by Indigenous Artist Philip Cote.

The arch has been engineered-designed as a structure, including snow loads and live loads considerations. The footings below reflect the potential forces applied above to maintain its structural integrity.  Philip Cote's art panel, called 'the Thunderbird,'  is a simple vertical assembly of three sheets of steel on a base plate that is surface mounted into a reinforced curb that is flush with the adjacent sidewalk.

The reinforced concrete grade beam is about 1.53m below grade, requiring an exemption to Municipal Code Chapter 743. This could be raised to 1.20m, but the top of the grade beam would be exposed to create a tripping hazard, and it is preferred to be flush at grade for safety purposes. 

The BIA will maintain the new public spaces as part of the improvements.