TORONTO

Councillor Norm Kelly wants to open up a different view of Toronto.

If he gets his way, people will be able to take in the city from the 27th-floor observation deck at City Hall.

“You get up there and you look out and you go, ‘Whoa! This city is booming,’” Kelly said on Monday.

The city prohibits people from walking out to the observation deck because of access and safety concerns, he said.

The public currently can only take advantage of the view during the annual Doors Open Toronto, which takes place May 28-29 this year. The event is designed to allow people access to more than 100 architecturally and historically significant buildings.

The councillor plans on introducing a motion during this week’s council meeting — which starts Wednesday — to request more public access to the deck. He also wants the economic development committee to explore the possibility of setting up a cafe there during the warmer months.

“This is an economic asset that has been lying there fallow for too long,” he insisted.

Similar observation decks in other cities are open to the members of the public, who sometimes pay a fee, he added.