Toronto officially embraces the trash panda with new Racoon Park

Toronto officially opened on Tuesday a new midtown park named after a critter much loved in the city despite its late-night raiding of garbage cans.

Raccoon Park is located at 86 Soudan Ave., in the Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue East area. It features a playground, grassy areas, a splash pad and a large raccoon head and tail — an homage to the trash pandas that call the city home.

Coun. Josh Matlow, who represents Ward 12, Toronto-St. Paul's, was on hand to cut the ribbon at its official opening on Tuesday evening.

Matlow said in an interview before that the park not only celebrates raccoons, it also celebrates the local community. 

"I know that not everyone is wild about the raccoons, but this is our way of signing a peace accord, saying we celebrate Toronto's icon, but most importantly, have a little fun with it," he said.

"If any raccoon does come to this park, they will be safe. They do have safe harbour here at Raccoon Park," he added.

Matlow said the surrounding community is growing and needs more housing, schools, infrastructure, child care and parks.

David Pantaleo, an associate and landscape architect with O2 Planning + Design and the lead designer on the project, said the planning process took seven years. The city started building it last year, he said.

While the city wanted an animal theme, Pantaleo said he came up with the idea of a raccoon focus.

Pantaleo said the community wanted a space for children to play that was whimsical, fun and safe. Children were included in the community consultation, he added.

"This was all about community," Pantaleo said.

He said the surrounding community has an old established neighbourhood and a new modern and more recently built community.

"We want this to kind of be that hub that brought both communities together, both new and established, and so we're mixing older style materials, being natural, in with a little bit more of a contemporary approach," he said.

Matlow said city wanted to be playful in naming the park. The mammals have "adapted well to city life," the city says on its website.