Item - 2010.PG39.9

The Planning and Growth Management Committee recommends that:

1.         The Map contained in Attachment 1 of the supplementary report (June 1, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, be amended to designate the Avenue segments on Dundas Street West, between Royal York Road and the Humber River, and Bloor Street West, between the Humber River and Mimico Creek, as character areas.

2.         Attachment 2 of the supplementary report (June 1, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, be amended to have the remaining Avenue section on Yonge Street, north of Lawrence Avenue, designated as an Avenue, excluded from the retail study.

3.         Attachments 6 and 7 in the report dated May 4, 2010 from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning be deleted and replaced with revised Attachments 1 and 2 in the supplementary report (June 1, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

4.         City Council request staff to use the "Mid-Rise Building Performance Standards" contained in Section 3 of the report entitled "Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study (May 2010)" and appended as Attachment 5 to the report (May 4, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in the evaluation of all new and current mid-rise development proposals on the Avenues and in the implementation of future Avenue studies so that the Avenues “vision” can be realized more quickly and effectively, subject to Recommendation 8.

5.         The effectiveness of the Mid-Rise Performance Standards referred to in Recommendation 4 above be monitored by staff during a ‘monitoring’ period of approximately two years.

6.         Staff report as soon as possible, and prior to the end of the ‘monitoring’ period, respecting the implementation of the Mid-Rise Building Performance Standards to the Planning and Growth Management Committee.

7.         The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, incorporate the following matters into the 2011 statutory 5‑Year review of the Official Plan:

a.         a review and potential expansion of the Avenues identified on Map 2, Urban Structure Map, of the Official Plan and their underlying Land Use Designations;

b.         a review of Map 4, Higher Order Transit Corridors and Map 5, Surface Transit Priority Map, in light of any changes to Map 2 and Transit City;

c.         a review of the Avenue policies in Section 2.2.3 of the Official Plan and identification of any Official Plan amendments required to implement the recommendations of the Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study, including the future role of Avenue Studies and segment studies;

d.         a review of the Built Form policies of Section 3.1.2 of the Official Plan to include the creation of new policies for mid-rise buildings and public realm improvements to implement the recommendations of the Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study;

e.         a review of policies relating to the preservation and enhancement of public lanes on the Avenues;

f.          a review of Secondary Plans and Site and Area Specific Policies relating to areas that overlap with Avenues to identify any appropriate amendments to implement the recommendations of the Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study where necessary; and

g.         a review of the Housing policies of Section 3.2.1 of the Official Plan and the thresholds for demolition and conversion of rental housing units in the implementing By-law 885-2007.

8.         The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in considering development applications on Avenues, be directed not to apply the principles respecting Enhancement Zones as set out in the Consultants' Study and reports from the Chief Planner dated May 4, 2010 and June 1, 2010.

9.         The Mid-Rise Buildings Interdivisional Team maintain an ongoing role during the two year phase in period.

The purpose of this report is to update the Planning and Growth Management Committee on the status of the ‘Avenues and Mid-Rise Building Action Plan’.

The Action Plan consists of a number of components to encourage the reurbanization of Toronto’s Avenues.  It includes the Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study prepared by Brook Mcllroy Planning + Urban Design/Pace Architects with E.R.A. Architects, Quadrangle Architects Limited and Urban Marketing Collaborative, and consultations with members of the Mid-Rise Buildings Interdivisional Team, various stakeholders and the public. This report provides updates on these initiatives and makes recommendations related to implementation.

Toronto's Avenues are an integral part of the urban fabric.  Avenues serve as social and commercial centres and are intimately linked to the identity and vitality of the neighbourhoods that surround them.  They are also part of Toronto's Official Plan growth management strategy and therefore it is important to anticipate and set the stage for an appropriate, typically mid-rise, form of development.  In the City of Toronto, mid-rise buildings are defined in relation to the adjacent street or Avenue and can rise no taller than the street ‘right-of-way’, which is generally between 4 and 11 storeys.

The Official Plan vision for Toronto's Avenues is one of vibrant, tree-lines streets, wide sun-lit sidewalks, framed by well designed and contextually sensitive mid-rise buildings that support an active street life by providing a variety of retail and community uses at the ground floor level.  Mid-rise buildings are an integral part of the City’s past, present and future built form and they also help to achieve the growth targets while enhancing and revitalizing existing neighbourhoods.

The implementation of the Avenues’ vision has been dependant on individual Avenues Studies, sixteen of which have been completed across the city to date. Even with new as-of-right zoning in those areas, there has been a slow response from the development community. A faster and more pro-active ‘Action Plan’ was deemed appropriate to put new housing and jobs close to existing transit and infrastructure.  This report, the Consultant study, the ongoing work of the Mid-Rise Building Interdivisional Team, and other related city initiatives together form the ‘Action Plan’.

The consultant’s Avenues & Mid-Rise Building Study provides guidance about the future built form of the Avenues through suggested Performance Standards which will provide the foundation for new zoning regulations and urban design guidelines for mid-rise buildings that respect individual characteristics.

This report recommends that staff use the Mid-Rise Performance Standards in reviewing proposals for a two year monitoring period. During the monitoring period, an implementation strategy will be developed which will include a review of existing zoning, the statutory 5 year review of the Official Plan, and the new Urban Design Handbook, in order to incorporate the Performance Standards in guidelines, policies or new as-of-right zoning.

By the end of the two year monitoring period, staff will report back to the Planning and Growth Management Committee on the effectiveness of the Performance Standards and potential implementation measures as appropriate and necessary.