Ontarians got their first look at the fate that awaits Ontario Place on Wednesday, and although the views are preliminary, so far so good.

The plans unveiled show what designers hope to do with the eastern portion of the now defunct 1970s pleasure complex. They envision the 7.5-acre site, which has been a staff parking lot for the last four decades, as a dense mix of “forest” and open space — a “romantic garden” — aimed at families.

Picking up from public input, landscape architects from leading firms LANDinc and West8 propose a place for walkers and cyclists with grassy areas where kids can play, but without batteries of playground equipment. The highlights here will be trees, rocks and vegetation that reflect the province in all its variety.

They also insist that the park will be fully connected to the larger urban landscape, which means the Martin Goodman Trail, the Trans Canada Trail and Lake Shore Blvd.

Pathways will loop through the new facility allowing visitors to spend as long as they like wandering through the site. The Upper Park will be a “evergreen wooded area.” The Lower Park, which will run along the shore of Lake Ontario, will be planted with trees and shrubs organized around open spaces that allow visitors to take advantage of the spectacular views both north to the city and south to the water.

Construction is expected to begin this summer and be complete in time for the Pan Am games.