Item - 2016.TE20.18

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1.  City Council request City Planning staff to undertake stakeholder and public consultation on the policy directions outlined in Attachment 1 "TOcore: Planning Downtown, Proposals Report" of the report (October 27, 2016) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York and the Director, Strategic Initiatives, Policy and Analysis, to inform the development of the Secondary Plan for Downtown.

2.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to bring forward a draft Secondary Plan for Downtown by mid-2017, based on Attachment 1 "TOcore: Planning Downtown, Proposals Report" and on the policy directions summarized in Attachment 2 to the report (October 27, 2016) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District, informed by the consultations in Recommendation 1 above.

3. City Council request the General Managers of Parks, Forestry and Recreation; Children's Services; Shelter, Support and Housing Administration; Toronto Employment and Social Services; and, the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration; the Chief Librarian, Toronto Public Library Board; and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to advance the TOcore Community Services and Facilities Strategy and implementation plan by mid-2017 by addressing each service sector including recreation (City and AOCC's), child care, libraries, human and social services and schools.

4. City Council request the General Manager, Toronto Water to bring forward the TOcore Water Strategy and a detailed implementation plan, congruent with the draft Downtown Secondary Plan that clearly links the provision of water infrastructure with growth.

5. City Council request the Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer, in coordination with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and all lead operating Divisions, to develop a financial strategy to implement the infrastructure priorities outlined in TOcore, including but not limited to community services and facilities, affordable housing, water infrastructure, public realm improvements, active and surface transportation and new parkland acquisition; and include in the strategy for revenue generation for these priorities, options that include a dedicated levy-system, locally generated DC and park land levies, all with a view to equitably and geographically accommodate the intense pressures as result of the residential intensification in the core and report back in conjunction with the Downtown Secondary Plan in mid-2017.

6. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, to evaluate the opportunity for creating a "green loop", linking existing public and publicly accessible green and pedestrian spaces, within the bounds of Davenport Road, Sherbourne Street, Queen Street and University Avenue/Avenue Road as part of the Parks and Public Realm Plan for TOcore.

The Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District, gave a presentation on "TOCore:  Planning Toronto's Downtown - Proposals Report - Secondary Plan Directions and Update".

This report seeks Council’s endorsement of the TOcore Proposals Report which provides proposed policy directions that, will inform the development of a draft Downtown Secondary Plan. The report also provides updates on the Phase 2 consultations undertaken, population growth projections for the Downtown, and the status of infrastructure strategies underway that will support the implementation of a new Downtown Secondary Plan. These policy directions will be the subject of the next round of public and stakeholder consultation to inform the development of that plan.

TOcore: Planning Downtown is a three-year, inter-divisional study, led by City Planning. Building on Downtown's existing planning framework, TOcore's purpose is to ensure growth positively contributes to Toronto’s Downtown as a great place to live, work, learn, play and invest by determining: a) how future growth will be accommodated and shaped, and b) what physical and social infrastructure will be needed, where it will go and how it will be secured.

TOcore is a response to the rapid growth and intensification of Downtown that is placing pressure on finite physical and social infrastructure assets and that is occurring in a pattern and at an intensity that is beginning to threaten the liveability of the heart of the city. The new Secondary Plan will update the Downtown planning framework to shape future growth and link growth to the provision of needed infrastructure investments to achieve the city-building vision and policies of Toronto’s Official Plan. A series of infrastructure strategies for office, transportation, parks and public realm, community services and facilities, and energy are in development as part of this review, along with a water infrastructure assessment. Financing approaches will be included as part of each infrastructure strategy.

TOcore is aligned to Council's Strategic Plan and will inform the update to the Long Term Financial Plan, which calls for strategic investment in infrastructure to maintain city residents' high quality of life.