Walkability: Alexandra Park - 97
By Lucas on Apr 22, 2014
Another one of Toronto’s neighbourhoods that is currently in the midst of a transformation is Alexandra Park. The amazing thing about Alexandra Park is that even without the new development that’s planned, the neighbourhood is very walkable!
Alexandra Park on WalkScore.com
Alexandra Park is another one of those Toronto neighbourhoods with a very distinct perimeter. Dundas Street West runs along the north, Spadina is on the east side, Queen Street West is on the south, and Bathurst Street to the west. The area is practically a perfect square.
WalkScore.com gives Alexandra Park a Walk Score of 97, labelling it as a “Walker’s Paradise” because “daily errands do not require a car.”
Like almost every neighbourhood we’ve featured this month, Alexandra Park has a Transit Score of 100. That top score is well deserved considering streetcar tracks wrap around the entire area (Dundas, Spadina, Queen, and Bathurst cars).
The amenities of Alexandra Park
So what gives Alexandra Park such a high Walk Score? Most of the urban amenities line Queen Street. With a short stroll along this strip of Queen, you will discover coffee shops like Early Bird Espresso Bar, a convenient Loblaws, restaurants like Epicure and Tequila Bookworm, as well as banks. Of course, it wouldn’t be Queen street without an extensive selection of art galleries, fashion boutiques and quirky gift shops like Outer Layer.
It is important to note that part of Alexandra Park’s high Walk Score should be credited to the neighbouring Kensington Market neighbourhood, which lies directly to the north. Residents of Alexandra Park don’t have to walk that far north out of their neighbourhood to experience one of Toronto’s most diverse and eclectic districts. In Kensington, you can shop for vintage apparel, check out some great vegetarian restaurants, and it’s a great place to hang out with friends on warm summer weekends.
New home developments in and around Alexandra Park
The most recent exciting announcement about Alexandra Park is that Tridel and Toronto Community Housing (TCH) have teamed up to revitalize the neighbourhood. Last February, we attended the demolition party, marking the beginning of the first phase of the Alexandra Park redevelopment. For the first phase of the project, 61 Rent-Geared-to-Income townhomes are being built, as well as two market condo buildings. The first condo building is SQ at Alexandra Park, which is selling remarkably well.
The revitalization is expected to be a 15 year long process. In the end, there should be 473 refurbished rental units, 333 new replacement rental units, and 1,540 market condo units. The project will also feature a new park and the existing community centre will be expanded and renovated.
Other new condo developments in and around Alexandra Park include The Dragon Condos by Ideal Developments, 170 Spadina by Triwin International Developments, and Origami Lofts by Symmetry Developments. All of these projects, including SQ, are in the preconstruction phase, so Alexandra Park is still in the early stages of its transformation.
We’re excited to see what the neighbourhood is like 10, 15, and 20 years from now!
