Addressing Urgent Parking Capacity Gap at 175, 185 and 205 Cummer Avenue (Cummer Lodge, Willowdale Manor, and Seniors Supportive Housing) - by Councillor Lily Cheng, seconded by Councillor Vincent Crisanti

When parking is unavailable, care is delayed, staff are strained, and residents face increased isolation. Significant and growing parking pressures have been identified at 175 and 205 Cummer Avenue, which serve Willowdale Manor and Cummer Lodge Long Term Care Home, as well as at the soon-to-open Seniors Supportive Housing development at 185 Cummer Avenue. Both 175 and 205 Cummer Avenue depend heavily on on-site parking. Transit access in the area is limited, and there is no nearby street parking or public parking. The current parking supply is not sufficient to meet the daily operational needs of Cummer Lodge, Willowdale Manor, and their service providers. This shortage is already creating serious impacts. Physicians and caregivers are sometimes unable to find parking, which directly affects service delivery. When 185 Cummer Avenue becomes fully occupied, demand will increase further. The non-profit operator for 185 Cummer Avenue estimates that an additional 12 to 14 parking spaces, beyond the 2 already designated, will be required to support staffing. Preliminary data highlights the scale of the issue. Cummer Lodge employs about 600 staff, with 323 on site each day, supporting 391 residents. Willowdale Manor houses 246 residents, with 40 who have permitted parking spots and 13 on a waitlist for parking. The site also receives frequent visits from families, caregivers, volunteers, medical practitioners, service technicians, and other essential support personnel. The lack of adequate parking is affecting both operations and quality of life. Staff recruitment and retention are being impacted because employees regularly struggle to find parking for their shifts. Evening staff are often forced to park off-site and move their vehicles during their shift, causing stress, delays, and disruptions to care. Limited parking also creates barriers for seniors and visitors. Families and caregivers often struggle to find parking, which reduces visits and contributes to social isolation among residents, with real consequences for mental health and wellbeing. Daily operations are also affected. Waste collection and scheduled maintenance are sometimes delayed due to blocked access or the lack of designated service parking. In addition, the absence of a gate or monitoring system has allowed unregulated use of the lot by individuals and staff from nearby facilities, further reducing availability for long term care operations. With these existing constraints and the expected occupancy of the new residential building at 185 Cummer Avenue in summer 2026, a comprehensive parking assessment is urgently needed. This study should examine current usage, identify capacity gaps, forecast future demand, and assess site limitations. It should also identify practical solutions, including opportunities to expand capacity, improve on site management, and coordinate parking use with nearby facilities to ensure this campus can continue to deliver safe, reliable, and compassionate care.

the results of a comprehensive parking study for 175, 185 and 205 Cummer Avenue which identifies current and future cumulative parking demands for Cummer Lodge, Willowdale Manor and Supportive Housing including demand during shift change times, existing waitlists for resident parking at Willowdale Manor and visitor parking; b. identifying effective parking enforcement options to ensure only users of the site park there, including consideration of parking permits, visitor parking tags and a parking operator who provides enforcement; and  c. exploring opportunities to provide additional parking capacity for 175, 185 and 205 Cummer Avenue on- or off-site, with an interim solution to be implemented in quarter 3 of 2026 and a long-term solution to be implemented in 2027.