Objective

The Corporation of the City of Burlington (City) requires Landscape Architectural consulting services that will lead a team of professionals with expertise in landscape architecture and engineering for the park renewal at Port Nelson Park and the Green Street Window-to-the-Lake. This project requires detailed design for both parks and construction management assistance. Both lakeside parks are very small in size and located in the same neighbourhood along Lakeshore Road. 

Port Nelson Park is located at 3000 Lakeshore Road on the south end of Guelph Line.  The 0.45-hectare parkette along Lake Ontario currently features an old playground space (equipment removed 2021), seawall with pedestrian guard (new in 2023), paved parking lot, granular foot path from parking to lakeside, memorial benches and several mature trees. The passive park is bordered by low density homes to east/west, Lakeshore Road to north and Lake Ontario to south. 

Green Street Window-to-the-Lake (WTTL) is located at 226 Lakeshore Road, west of Guelph Line.  Windows-to-the-Lake are small parks located at the terminuses of the major north/south roads in the city that provide an outlook to Lake Ontario. The Windows typically include park amenities for access, seating and safety. The Windows are an important part of the city’s park system, providing a passive place for Burlington residents and visitors to enjoy the view to Lake Ontario.  The Green Street Window is 0.06 hectares with a new seawall and pedestrian guard completed in 2023.  There are no other existing amenities other than a vehicular guard rail closest to Green St entrance. The  is bordered by low density homes to east/west, Lakeshore Road to north and Lake Ontario to south. 

Background

A Level 1 shoreline assessment was completed in 2017 which included both Port Nelson Park and the Green Street WTTL.  The assessment report indicated that both existing shoreline protection structures were in poor condition.  As a result, the City’s consulting Professional Coastal Engineer designed the new seawall structure for both sites, and the construction of both seawalls will now be complete by early Summer 2023.  Upon completion, a full topographical survey will be conducted to support future park design work under this RFP and made available to the awarded bidder.

The existing shoreline protection includes stacked concrete block, armourstone and concrete headwalls at culvert outlets (one at Port Nelson and two at Green Street) with continuous decorative guard rail atop wall and chain-link fence connecting to neighbouring properties.  The new shoreline protection is approximately 57m long (Port Nelson) and 20m long (Green Street). There is currently no vegetation at the shoreline protection as all was removed to construct the new structures.  However, shoreline rehabilitation with shrubs and trees will be included in the full park design scope.  Conservation Halton permit for the shoreline works included planting requirements of which were delayed allowing for creative design of full park, where the plant material can be integrated into the new design more appropriately.

There is no pedestrian access down to the water level at either site.