Item - 2024.EX15.6

The Executive Committee:

1.  Deferred consideration of the Item until the July 16, 2024 meeting of the Executive Committee to allow for further consultation and consideration regarding the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation with the local community, Somali community and City staff. 

The purpose of this report is to provide an update to City Council on the non-binding discussions between CreateTO, City staff and the principals of the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation (the "SCCR") regarding a proposed land lease (the "Land Lease") for a portion of City-owned 30 Mulham Place (the "Subject Property") and to obtain authority thereof. The Subject Property, also known as Buttonwood Park, is a 4.3 hectare (10.63 acres) park near Royal York Road and Eglinton Avenue West featuring an outdoor artificial ice rink (operating as tennis courts in the off-season), a children's playground, large open green space and mature trees.

At the direction of City Council, CreateTO, in consultation with City staff, and the SCCR have completed a feasibility study to identify potential sites for a proposed community centre and are recommending advancing the Subject Property as the site for the proposed development, which will serve the community as a whole, while providing a focus on serving the Somali community in particular.

The Somali community has been working for decades to identify a location in order to build a new community centre with the goal to address the gap in services available to the broader Somali community. The Subject Property provides a location near, and accessible to, much of Toronto's Somali population and can also be developed to service local community recreation needs. Through this opportunity, the City will require programs, services, and facilities that appeal to and be available to the broader public. This would be secured through a Community Access Agreement which will work as a companion document to the Land Lease. Equity deserving communities confront difficulties in terms of travel time to access vital services, a lack of recreational services, neighbourhood improvement projects, and affordable spaces for community and cultural events. The proposed community centre will be a valuable resource to improve vital services to all communities in the surrounding neighbourhoods.