Area Description

Bayview Village is an affluent neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, formerly in North York before it was amalgamated into Toronto in 1998. It is part of the federal and provincial electoral district Willowdale, and Toronto electoral wards 24: Willowdale (East) and 33: Don Valley North (East). In 2006, it had a population of 15,370.

The area is bordered on the north by Finch Avenue East, on the west by Bayview Avenue, on the east by Leslie Street, and on the south by Highway 401, and also including the grounds of North York General Hospital, east of Leslie in the neighbourhood's southeast corner, according to the City of Toronto's definition. The Bayview Village Association regards the east boundary as the Don River (east branch) and the south boundary as Sheppard Avenue East, thereby excluding land between the Don River and Leslie, Sheppard and Highway 401.

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. Several of the street names in Bayview Village, such as Citation Drive, Palomino Cres., Ravenscroft Circle recall that the area was a racehorse training stable and grounds before being developed. In the Bayview Village area, there are United, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican churches, the latter is located just outside the area's southwest boundary.

The main shopping centre located in Bayview Village and serving the community is an upscale shopping mall called Bayview Village Shopping Centre, located at the northeast corner of Sheppard Avenue and Bayview Avenue.

Homeowners are actively represented by the Bayview Village Association. Established in 1956, this is a volunteer group of residents who work to monitor city and provincial initiatives on a wide range of topics including traffic, local development, parks, and safety. In addition, they produce a regular newsletter distributed to all homes covering a wide range of topical issues. The Bayview Village Association also hosts a number of events throughout the year including clean-up days, all-candidates meetings, community fairs, annual perennial swaps, etc. Over 50% of Bayview Village residents are members of the Association.

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. All residents are increasingly concerned with the traffic congestion in the area. The intersections of Bayview and Sheppard and Leslie and Sheppard have been identified as being the most severely congested in the entire city.

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, Clarinda Park and Bayview Village Park are child-focused, with baseball diamonds, splash pads and playgrounds.

The Bayview Village Tennis Club, home of "tennis ace" Daniel Nestor is a community tennis club serving Bayview Village since 1975. It was an initiative of the Bayview Village Association. The courts at Bayview Village Tennis Club were completely rebuilt at the end of the 2008 tennis season. Today, Bayview Village Tennis Club continues to be looked upon as the premier tennis club of North York. There are also free public tennis courts in Bayview Village Park.

The North York YMCA, located at the southeast corner of Bayview Avenue and Sheppard Avenue, is the largest recreational facility serving this neighbourhood. Some of the programs being offered at this YMCA include play-gym and swim lessons for preschoolers, gymnastics, karate, swimming and basketball programs for children, and aerobics, yoga and aquafit for adults. Facilities at this centre include a gymnasium, a dance studio, a conditioning room, a main swimming pool with lanes and a training swimming pool.