Toronto Communities Profile: Bayview Village C15

The present day Bayview Village neighbourhood was planned in 1954 by a group of developers led by Farlinger Development Ltd. Bayview Village was hailed as “contemporary living in the countryside, at the doorstep of the urban concentration of Metropolitan Toronto.” The design and layout of Bayview Village is very much influenced by the East Don Valley Parklands. Dr E.G. Faludi, the town planner who designed Bayview Village, recognized the importance of the East Don Valley Parklands when he said “We will fit the community into the landscape and not the landscape into the community.” Faludi’s trademark curvilinear street pattern that follows the natural contours of the land was designed to highlight the natural beauty of the neighbourhood. Nearly a quarter of the space in Bayview Village is green. Bayview Village’s winding streets and culs-de-sac are planted with mature birch, cedar, willow, spruce, pine and maple trees. Some of the Bayview Village houses are situated on ravine lots that feature views of the East Don River Valley Parklands.

Most Bayview Village homes were built between 1954 and 1964. The mix of housing here includes raised and executive ranch style bungalows, split-level houses, and Georgian Revival-style homes. Most of the houses are original. Many homes have undergone renovation and landscaping to fit the park-like neighbourhood. There has been some infill housing (newly built houses replacing the older ones) within the Bayview Village area.

There also continues to be high rise condominium development along Sheppard Avenue and in the land south of Sheppard Avenue and north of Highway 401. This development is of a completely different nature to the fifty-year-old suburban low-rise architecture found in the northern area.

The western edge of the East Don Parklands winds its way through the centre of Bayview Village and is a vast and expansive green haven with various trails, walkways and bicycle paths. The park’s naturalization and preservation programs have made the space a habitat for wildlife and a number of rare plant species. There are many smaller parks and parkettes in Bayview Village. Blue Ridge Park and Bayview Village Park are child-focused, with baseball diamonds, splash pads and playgrounds.