A waterfront park in Scarborough has been renamed amid concerns that it was being mistaken for the nearby beach that it looks out over.
At a meeting held today, Scarborough Community Council voted in favour of a staff recommendation to rename Scarborough Bluffs Park as Scarboro Crescent Park.
Staff proposed the name change to cut down on confusion with Bluffers Park and the famous Bluffer’s Beach, which is located directly below the park.
According to a staff report, a large number of visitors confuse the park with the beach, resulting in “major congestion.”
The staff report said that visitors also use “unsafe and dangerous methods to climb down the bluffs to the beach.” In 2016 alone, emergency crews rescued 25 park visitors doing just that, according to the staff report.
“Changing the name of Scarborough Bluffs Park to Scarboro Crescent Park would take the word ‘Bluff’ out of the name and help to clear up some confusion for visitors not familiar with this area; better direct visitors in finding the appropriate park and experience they are seeking; reduce the number of visitors scaling down the bluffs to access the beach; help lessen the on-street parking challenges; and reduce the number of emergency calls to TPS and EMS,” the report said.
The park is located at 61 Undercliff Drive but its northwest corner abuts Scarboro Crescent, hence the new name.
Staff say the name was chosen because it maintains the Scarborough name while also holding geographic significance.
