Item - 2017.PG23.6

The Planning and Growth Management Committee adjourned the public meeting for the Port Lands Planning Initiatives Final Report until the November 15, 2017 Planning and Growth Management Committee meeting at 10:30 a.m.

The Planning and Growth Management Committee commenced a statutory public meeting on October 12, 2017, and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

The Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning gave a presentation on Port Lands Planning Initiatives.

The Port Lands is one of the most significant urban renewal opportunities in Toronto, but also a remarkable place today. Its concentration of heritage resources, natural areas, active port and industrial uses assist in building and maintaining the broader city. It also has numerous film studios and related uses that support Toronto’s film sector. An updated framework to guide and shape urban renewal is vital to ensuring all development advanced in the near, medium and longer-terms will have lasting value and support long-term city building objectives. The completion of the Port Lands Planning Framework and Villiers Island Precinct Plan represents the culmination of over four years of collaborative work by the City and Waterfront Toronto, with support from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and numerous City divisions and agencies, all shaped by a robust consultation program.

The May 16, 2017 Port Lands Planning Initiatives – Interim Report summarized the findings of the Port Lands Planning Framework and the Port Lands and South of Eastern Transportation and Servicing Master Plan (TSMP). This report builds on the May 2017 report and addresses the direction provided by City Council. This report seeks Council’s:

Adoption of the Port Lands Planning Framework (Attachment 1) to guide the revitalization of the Port Lands over the coming decades;

Endorsement of the Villiers Island Precinct Plan (Attachment 2) to provide additional guidance for Zoning By-law amendments and Plans of Subdivision;

Instruction for the City Solicitor to request the Ontario Municipal Board to modify the Central Waterfront Secondary Plan (CWSP) for the Port Lands at the on-going hearing in accordance with the recommended Official Plan modification (Attachment 3);

Classification of Villiers Island, the McCleary District, Polson Quay and South River districts as Class 4 areas under the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change’s Environmental Noise Guideline;

Adoption of the South of Eastern Transportation Official Plan Amendment (Attachment 4) for public streets, transit priority and right-of-way widenings in the South of Eastern area to reflect the outcomes of the Council-endorsed preferred solutions from the Port Lands and South of Eastern Transportation and Servicing Master Plan (TSMP); and
Endorsement of a work program to initiate more detailed planning in key areas.

Finally, this report addresses Marine Terminal 35 given the recent fire at the site.

 
Port Lands Planning Framework

The Port Lands Planning Framework (the Framework) is a comprehensive, 50-plus year vision for the area. It provides a context for positive change and establishes new and enhanced policy direction for the area. The enhanced policy direction forms the basis for the recommended Official Plan modifications to the Central Waterfront Secondary Plan for the Port Lands. The May 16, 2017 report summarized the key findings of the Framework. The Framework is now complete and appended as Attachment 1.

Villiers Island Precinct Plan

Villiers Island will be the first mixed-use community to be developed in the Port Lands. The Precinct Plan (Attachment 2) expands on the policy directions established in the Planning Framework and further defines the vision for the Island. The vision for the Island is to create a new, sustainable mixed-use community that is primed to achieve a climate positive outcome and is surrounded by four unique waterside edges. The Precinct Plan provides supplementary direction to inform future Zoning By-law amendments and Plans of Subdivision.

Port Lands Official Plan Modification

A draft of the Official Plan modification to the CWSP for the Port Lands was endorsed in principle by Council at its July 2017 meeting. This draft modification incorporated feedback from the public and stakeholders. Since Council’s endorsement, staff generally made minor revisions to policies in the modification, to clarify its intent and purpose. The most notable revisions relate to parkland dedication and Section 37 policies, clarifying permissions for power generation uses, as well as to policies related to the timing of development based on feedback from the Province and the need for flood protection prior to permitting new and/or intensified uses. The final recommended Official Plan modification is included in Attachment 3.

Marine Terminal 35

Marine Terminal 35 was Listed on the City’s Heritage Register in 2004. The building recently caught fire and only a portion of it remains. The Toronto Port Lands Company is in the process of satisfying an order to remedy and unsafe building, issued by the Toronto Building Division, which includes a requirement to address the buildings heritage components and attributes to the satisfaction of Heritage Preservation Services. Pending the response to the order, a commemoration strategy may be required to determine how surviving elements considered to be significant within the remaining building will be incorporated within the future Promontory Park. Discussions are also ongoing related to existing leases and operations that will be impacted by the Port Lands Flood Protection project. A construction plan will be developed and reviewed by staff of the City, TPLC and Waterfront Toronto, including a thorough analysis of existing land leases impacted by the project. The precise timing for construction in the area of Marine Terminal 35 should be known by the end of 2017.

South of Eastern Transportation Official Plan Amendment

The City of Toronto Official Plan, as amended, is in force for the South of Eastern area. An amendment of the Official Plan is required to reflect the transportation network recommendations of the TSMP. The Official Plan Amendment is included in Attachment 4.

Work Program and Future Reporting

Revitalizing the Port Lands is one of the largest and most complex city-building projects in the City. While the completion of the Port Lands Planning Framework and Villiers Island Precinct Plan is a major accomplishment for advancing more detailed planning in the area, additional studies and work continues to be required in key areas. The Port Lands Planning Initiatives – Interim Report initiated two key priority projects – a Business and Implementation Plan (BIP) for the Port Lands and Phases 3 and 4 Class EAs for the Broadview Extensionand for Commissioners Street east of the Don Roadway. The City, with Waterfront Toronto, Divisions and other agencies, have now also identified additional priorities for more detailed study.

Staff are targeting the November 29, 2017 Executive Committee meeting for a comprehensive report on the implementation of Port Lands Flood Protection and the subsequent build out of the Port Lands. The report will provide detailed information on the Port Lands Flood Protection project, including proposed tri-government funding and cash flow requirements, as well as contribution agreement terms. In addition, the report will provide a status update on the development of the BIP for the build out of the Port Lands. This plan will address anticipated costs, revenues and phasing, as well as implementation roles and responsibilities. Finally, the report will comment on the broader "Waterfront 2.0" context, including the potential for funding for additional waterfront revitalization projects.