Item - 2019.EX6.9

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council endorse the Master Plan for 1627 and 1675 Danforth Avenue (the Property) as set out in Attachment 4 of the report (May 23, 2019) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2.  City Council request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to continue to work with the Toronto Transit Commission, Real Estate Services, and City Planning to determine the preferred location for the Toronto Transit Commission administrative functions, which may be at a location other than the Property, and make any necessary changes to the Master Plan to reflect a change in proposed use for Parcel D as shown in Attachment 4 of the report (May 23, 2019) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

3.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to report to a future Toronto and East York Community Council meeting with Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments to facilitate the policy framework required to implement the Master Plan direction discussed within this report.

4.  City Council request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to undertake a feasibility study to explore the viable options for the adaptive reuse of the Danforth Garage facility as a civic hub that:

a.  follows the vision and directions provided by the Master Plan and continues to engage the local community, key internal and external stakeholders in identifying the preferred type of users for the Property;

b.  includes expanding employment opportunities as a priority for the Property;

c.  leverages capital funds from public and private sources to execute the shared vision for the Danforth Garage facility; and

d.  develops a sustainable operating model that, to the extent feasible, does not require annual operating and maintenance support from the City of Toronto.

5.  City Council request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to further investigate the viable options for a range of interim uses for the Danforth Garage facility, including more modest approaches with costs below the estimates provided in this report, and that a budget for capital and operating expenses be identified for consideration as part of the City's 2020 Capital Budget Plan deliberations.

6.  City Council request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to explore public and private opportunities and partnerships for the development of Parcels A, B, C and F, including affordable rental housing, as set out in Attachment 4 of the report (May 23, 2019) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, including undertaking pre-development work to facilitate these opportunities.

7.  City Council request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to undertake an environmental investigation for the development to inform an environmental strategy that will facilitate the redevelopment of the Property as envisioned by the Master Plan shown in Attachment 4 to the report (May 23, 2019) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

8.  City Council request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to request a publicly available business case from the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission providing an explanation for any future decision to locate the Toronto Transit Commission functions proposed for Parcel E at another offsite location.

9.  City Council request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to investigate the following opportunities through the redevelopment of the Property:

a. moving the Toronto Transit Commission headquarters to the site in discussion with the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission;

b. incorporating a Community Benefits Agreement as criteria for procurement of development partners for the Property, which includes opportunities for employment and training of local area residents; and

c. ensuring a Community Design Committee is included as part of the process for designing Toronto Police Services facilities on Parcel D at the Property.

10.  City Council request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to enable public pedestrian access through the site, to the extent possible and at the earliest possible opportunity.

11.  City Council authorize the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer of CreateTO, to proceed with the feasibility study, investigation for interim use, and environmental investigation or activities identified in Recommendations 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 above. Funding is available in the 2019 Council Approved Capital Budget and 2020 - 2028 Capital Plan for Facilities, Real Estate, and Environment and Energy within the overall project budget of $0.9 million under WBS element CCA266-01 "Strategic Projects - Feasibility".

12.  City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, to report back to Executive Committee in the third quarter of 2020 with an update on the activities outlined in Recommendations 1-11 above. 

At its meeting of January 31, 2018, Toronto City Council ("Council") approved the preferred property located at 1627 Danforth Avenue (the "Danforth Garage") for the consolidation of the current Toronto Police Service 54 and 55 Police District facility.

Council further directed the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to, in summary:

- Convene an interdivisional working group to undertake a Master Plan for the Danforth Garage site, to include community consultations, technical studies, confirmation of required Toronto Transit Commission uses on the property, exploration of other potential partners and uses, and conceptual site plans;

- Report to Executive Committee with a progress report;

- Report to Executive Committee with a business case, including funding strategies, in the first quarter of 2019, to include funding plans for the property redevelopment activities beyond the development of the new consolidated 54 and 55 Police District facility, for which funding is included in Toronto Police Service's 2019 - 2028 Council Approved Capital Budget and Plan; and

 
- Establish a Community Stakeholder Group to provide input into the master planning process;

This report provides the outcome of the Master Plan exercise undertaken in collaboration by CreateTO and the City of Toronto, and provides next steps to advance this city-building initiative.

The Master Plan reviewed the properties at the southeast corner of Danforth Avenue and Coxwell Avenue. These properties included 1577 Danforth Avenue (the Tobias House), 1627 Danforth Avenue (the Danforth Garage), and 1675 Danforth Avenue (the Danforth/Coxwell Toronto Public Library), and are together known as "the Property" for purposes of the Master Plan. While the Tobias House is considered part of the Master Plan site area, it was not contemplated for redevelopment, and primarily included for the purpose of understanding pedestrian movement on the Property and for testing potential impacts from the development proposed for the remainder of the Property.

The Property was developed beginning in 1914 by the Toronto Civic Railways, expanded by the Toronto Transportation Commission (forerunner to today's Toronto Transit Commission) and includes the historic Danforth Carhouse (1914, with additions in 1921 and alterations in the 1960s for a bus garage), which has been determined to have cultural heritage value as one of the few surviving examples in Toronto of a unique building type for the dispatch, repair, and storage of electric streetcars. It contributes to the transportation history of Toronto and the development of Danforth Avenue.

The Property is located within an area identified for intensification within the City's Official Plan.  A small portion of the existing Garage facility is used for the forerunner to today's Toronto Transit Commission's Danforth Transportation and Stations Division and the remainder of the Property contains other forerunner to today's Toronto Transit Commission functions, including storage and maintenance uses, which are presently being or will need to be relocated off of the Property. The Property is one of the largest parcels of land, and largest City-owned parcel of land (approximately 2.0 ha) on Danforth Avenue, and is immediately south of the Coxwell forerunner to today's Toronto Transit Commission subway station. The Property's location presents an opportunity for transit-oriented development and for its redevelopment to catalyze further investment along this portion of Danforth Avenue. 

CreateTO, Real Estate Services and City Planning, in collaboration with forerunner to today's Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto Police Services and the Toronto Public Library, have completed the Danforth Garage Master Plan process. The Master Plan aims to provide a framework to guide the redevelopment of the Property as a multi-use civic hub. It also recognizes that two of the three anchor tenants (Toronto Transit Commission and Toronto Police Services) have specific timeline requirements and budget availability for the delivery of their programs on the Property. While the Toronto Police Services will be proceeding to develop on this site as per the Master Plan directions, there may be the possibility that Toronto Transit Commission will move their anticipated administrative functions to another City-owned location. The Master Plan develops a conceptual block plan that enables a strategically-phased implementation strategy.  This includes prioritizing design and construction work for the Toronto Transit Commission and Toronto Police Services programs with the goal of commencing construction for the Toronto Transit Commission and Toronto Police Services in the first phase, while making the Property available for public use with interim uses (such as markets, arts festivals, community space) in the portion of the Danforth Garage facility currently used for storage by the Toronto Transit Commission.  

The complete Danforth Garage Master Plan study can be found at http://bit.ly/danforth-garage-master-plan. The technical studies and community consultation report, including the consultation process and all supporting community notices, summaries and recommendations can be found at http://bit.ly/danforth-garage-appendices.

Upon City Council's endorsement of the Master Plan as contained in this report, it is recommended that the City allocate funding for the pre-development costs required to proceed with a feasibility study for the adaptive reuse of the Danforth Garage facility on an interim and long-term basis; continue market sounding for the development of viable public and private partnerships for the development of Parcels A, B, C and F, which would include affordable rental housing, as shown in Attachment 4; and initiate an Official Plan and rezoning amendment to implement the framework for land uses as contained in this report.

The Board of Directors of CreateTO:

1.  Endorsed the Master Plan as shown in Attachment 4 of the report (May 9, 2019) from the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, to guide the development of the Danforth Garage Property, provided the development addresses of the following:

1.  affordable housing;

2.  Toronto Public Library;

3.  community access to the Toronto Transit Commission heritage barns.

2.  Directed the Chief Executive Officer, Create TO to work on the next phase of the project once approved by City Council.

3.  Forwarded its decision to the Executive Committee.