A construction project that’s poised to upgrade a considerable amount of infrastructure in the heart of Harbord Village is well underway.
Beginning last month and slated for completion in October 2025, the work along Harbord Street — a busy 2-km stretch of roadway near UofT — includes century-old watermain and sanitary sewer replacements, road resurfacing and bike lane installation.
Hoskin Avenue and Huron Street are also receiving improvements.
Reduced access to the core’s businesses, as well as community event cancellations and congested traffic, are among the inconveniences that residents and stakeholders are currently dealing with.
The neighbourhood’s primary commercial zone, a smaller stretch of Harbord between Borden Street and Spadina Avenue, is home to 60 businesses — including restaurants, bookstores and coffee shops.
As the months ahead are slated to be challenging for these establishments, Neil Wright, chair of the Harbord Street BIA, would like to see construction efforts sped up in that particular area.
“We negotiated with the city to have two teams to come in and work overtime to get that area done as soon as possible,” Wright said. “We’re hopeful.”
Wright told TorontoToday there’s one unexpected issue that has arguably become the most frustrating: parking tickets.
Because of the disruptions to the main road, locals, customers and delivery workers have been parking on the side streets to conduct their day-to-day. Unfriendly surprises have been waiting on dashboards when they return to their vehicle, according to Wright.
“The ticketing is over the top,” he said. “They’re trying to find a parking spot and the road’s closed. When there’s massive construction happening, the city shouldn’t ticket anyone. Let it ride until things are more normal.”
Penalty amounts can range from $15 to $450 depending on the parking violation, according to the city.
Wright noted he’s heard from restaurant-goers who have received $30 and $50 tickets, while delivery drivers have been hit with $100 fines.
“It doesn’t make sense to us knowing that everyone is already suffering with the loss of business because the roads are closed,” he said. “We understand the roads have to be improved, but the over-the-top ticketing and the aggressiveness of that doesn’t need to happen.”
In an email to TorontoToday, the city’s media relations team did not respond directly to Wright’s claim that there are little to no options for parking in Harbord Village.
But they did advise residents to “exercise patience” with neighbours who are experiencing construction impacts, and subsequently, may need to park on your street.
“If parking enforcement is called to a street, officers must issue a ticket to vehicles in violation of parking bylaws,” the city wrote. “If you receive a ticket during this construction work, please pay the parking violation or file a Parking Violation Dispute with the City within 15 days.”
Moritz Steinbauer, vice-chair of the Harbord Village Residents Association, admitted that disruptions to the area’s traffic flow and community events have been a challenge — like most recently, the cancellation of their popular Pumpkin Festival.
But he’s mostly filled excitement for the future of the neighbourhood, which will look significantly different by this time next year.
“We believe these short-term inconveniences are far outweighed by the long-term benefits, such as the infrastructure improvements around an aging watermain as well as traffic infrastructure that does not feel cohesive,” Steinbauer wrote to TorontoToday.
A full scope of the Harbord Street construction project is available here.
