For $10 per year, the City of Victoria is leasing green space from the United Church of Canada to build a new play space for kids.Starting this month, the city will spend $40,000 to build a playground, due to open in early summer.“Burnside Gorge is under-serviced in terms of play lots,” said city spokesperson Katie Josephson. “This was an opportunity that was identified that could come on line immediately.”The the 600-square-metre play lot, between 3040 and 3050 Balfour Ave. is not intended to replace the park on Ellice Street lost to the construction of a homeless shelter in 2008. The city is still pursuing options to open a new park, as promised to the neighbourhood. Currently, the green space is surrounded by a fence marked Private Property. It is managed by the Gorge View Society, which runs an adjacent affordable housing residence for seniors.“The Gorge View Society would like to hang on to the ownership of the land for the long-term potential but they have no immediate plans,” said Josephson. rholmen@vicnews.com