Item - 2014.PG35.20

The Planning and Growth Management Committee:

1.         Directed that the urban design policy directions described in the report (July 3, 2014) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning be the basis for consultation.

2.         Directed City Planning staff to schedule public open houses/meetings in different areas of the City and to meet with key stakeholders including, but not limited to the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), the Toronto Society of Architects, and ratepayers associations, to obtain comments and feedback regarding the proposed urban design policy directions.

3.         Requested City Planning staff to report back to the Planning and Growth Management Committee on the consultation outcomes and draft urban design policy amendments in the second quarter of 2015.

This report presents Official Plan policy directions in response to new and revised provincial legislation and urban design initiatives that will help inform future amendments to the Official Plan urban design policies, as part of the Five-Year Official Plan Review.

These policy directions will form the basis of public consultation prior to staff drafting the revised Official Plan policies.  Staff will provide a further report to Council in the second quarter of 2015 summarizing public consultation outcomes and draft Official Plan policies on urban design.  The policy directions arise out of initial public consultations in 2011, internal consultation with Community Planning, Urban Design, and Public Realm staff, a review of the City Council directions and an analysis of a number of Ontario Municipal Board decisions. 

Urban design is an essential component of great city building and is fundamental to achieving the Official Plan goals.  The proposed policy directions can be classified into four content clusters: (1) Seeing the bigger picture; (2) Prioritizing the public realm; (3) Guiding built form; and (4) Enhancing parks and open spaces.  This report recommends that Planning and Growth Management Committee endorse the policy directions as the basis for consultation and that staff report back to Committee in the first half of 2015 on consultation outcomes and with draft urban design policies.