Q: Why were the trees removed at Coronation Park?

A: The Inlet District master plan provides a number of community benefits, including a 2.62 acre park at the center of the site as well as 1.5 acres of publicly accessible pathways, and new bike lanes. With a 100-foot grade change between Balmoral Drive and Ioco Road, significant regrading is required to allow for the construction of the park and pathways. Professional arborist studies confirmed that trees cannot survive grade changes, soil disruption, or loss of neighboring trees that provide structural support, and arborist guidance concluded that relocation or selective retention of onsite trees would not be viable. As a result, the current trees on site must be removed. However, 873 trees will be planted on site, which is an increase of 218 trees.

We know how important greenspace is to the community, which is why we have designed the development around a 2.62 acre park that will be City-owned. At the time of the OCP amendment, the previous Council voted to remove the internal roads to allow for the park at the center of the project and also directed that all the parking be below grade. Tree removal was an understood necessity at the time of this decision. To construct and deliver this park and to accommodate the below grade parking, significant regrading of the site must take place and the on-site trees must be removed. In addition to the new trees, Inlet District will feature 1.5 acres of publicly accessible pathways. Again, as part of the redevelopment, we will be planting 873 trees on the site – a net gain of 218 trees compared to the pre-construction total of 655 trees. The new development will be following the canopy coverage targets required under the City’s Urban Forest Management Strategy.