Imagine driving along the commercial stretch of Wharncliffe Road S and catching a glimpse of green - what a welcome relief to the eye! The future site of The Coves' Elmwood Gateway is 7-acres of greenspace that will soon do just that; welcoming Londoners to the Coves Environmentally Significant Area.
This site was formerly home to the Ah-So Gardens Japanese Restaurant and is located at 201 Wharncliffe Road S at Elmwood Avenue. The Friends of the Coves and the Old South Community Organization encouraged the City to make this property available to the public for parkland and on February 5, 2007, City Council voted to make that a reality.
The property is currently undergoing approval processes required to convert the site into parkland. This includes rezoning at the municipal level as well as other requirements of the Ministry of the Environment at the provincial level since the site was formerly used as a landfill.
The City of London will be looking for public input on the future site design, check back for scheduling of a public meeting.
The Concept Design (see Project Resources) shows an idea of how the site might look and includes signs, a naturalized area, a kiosk, a meeting area, native plant gardens, and parking.
Elmwood Gateway Location Map.pdf