Item - 2018.PG25.7

The Planning and Growth Management Committee:

1. Directed that the draft Official Plan Amendment containing Public Realm policies and draft Terms of Reference for the Block Context Plan appended to the report (December 20, 2017) from the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in Attachments 1 and 3 be endorsed as the basis for public consultation.

2. Directed City Planning staff to conduct open house(s) in each community council district, and meet with key stakeholders including resident and ratepayer associations and BILD to obtain comments and feedback regarding the draft revisions to the policies for the public realm and the draft terms of reference for the Block Context Plan contained in Attachments 1 and 3 to the report (December 20, 2017) from the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

3. Requested the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to prepare a Final Recommendation Report with a proposed Official Plan Amendment containing revised policies for the Public Realm to the Planning and Growth Management Committee in Q1, 2019 for a special meeting in fulfillment of Section 26 of the Planning Act.

This report presents draft changes to Section 3.1.1, The Public Realm, of the Official Plan for the purpose of public consultation as part of the Five Year Review of the Official Plan. The draft policy changes are intended to strengthen and clarify the existing policies, provide new policies on the description and role of the Public Realm and introduce a Block Context Plan as a new application requirement for development proposals. A draft Official Plan Amendment is appended as Attachment 1 to this report. Attachment 2 shows how the draft amendments would be incorporated into Section 3.1.1 of the Official Plan. A draft terms of reference for the Block Context Plan forms Attachment 3 to this report.

The draft policies add clarity to the policy framework as it pertains to a number of urban design objectives including: promoting a walkable city; clarifying the role of the public realm; clarifying the need for new public streets; and role of public squares; and

promoting and increasing privately owned publicly-accessible spaces.

The draft policies have been formulated to address issues raised as a result of feedback received through citywide consultation and background research.

The draft policies are intended to address the recently released Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2017, which includes new and revised policies and definitions for Complete Communities, Complete Streets and the Public Realm that emphasize a high-quality, attractive and vibrant public realm, compact built form, the integration of green infrastructure, social equity and quality of life, an appropriate supply of safe, publicly-accessible open spaces and parks, and a well-connected network of walkable neighbourhoods and destinations that encourage active transportation