Item - 2019.TE11.4

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council amend the Official Plan substantially in accordance with the draft Official Plan Amendment 478 appended as Attachment 7 to the report (November 15, 2019) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Official Plan Amendment as may be required.

3. City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and Social Development, Finance and Administration, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Children's Services and other related City divisions, to initiate a community engagement process and to undertake the necessary studies in conjunction with the Main Street Planning Study, with the process to include partners at the Toronto District School Board, Secord Public School, other community service providers, resident associations and local Ward Councillors to develop: 

a. a Social Development Plan that identifies the necessary service providers and programs for the Main Street and Danforth Avenue area including those that already exist and the need to expand and/or provide new services to serve the planned population (including Ward 14); and

b. a Community Service and Facilities Plan that identifies the necessary services and facilities for the Main Street and Danforth Avenue area including those that already exist and the need to expand and/or provide new services to serve the planned population (including Ward 14) in anticipation of increased intensification in this area, and report back to Toronto and East York Community Council no later than the fourth quarter of 2020.

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services in consultation with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and relevant staff at the Toronto Transit Commission, to review the Main Street and Stephenson Avenue intersection from a safety and functionality perspective, and/or improvements to the intersection, and to report to a future Toronto and East York Community Council meeting with recommended changes, if deemed necessary.

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services in consultation with City Planning and the Toronto Transit Commission, to study and implement intersection improvements at the intersections of Main Street and Danforth Avenue and Main Street and Gerrard Street East and report to a future Toronto and East York Community Council meeting, if necessary.

6. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to submit all development applications in the study areas mapped as "Height Peak" and "Transition Area (Tall)", as shown on Attachment 7, Map 6 to the report (November 15, 2019) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District to Toronto's Design Review Panel and/or Planning Review Panel in an effort to achieve the highest quality design outcomes for the area's most prominent sites.

7. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, to consult with the Ward Councillor before entering into negotiations for on-site or off-site parkland dedication within the study area.

8. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to circulate all development applications in the study area to the relevant staff at Toronto Parking Authority for consultation on opportunities to incorporate Bike Share Toronto facilities into new developments, and to identify opportunities to replace on-street public parking capacity through future redesign of Danforth Avenue, if required.

9. City Council authorize the Director, Environment and Energy Division to engage in consultation with land owners in the study area to implement the "Sustainability and Resilience" policies in Section 4 of the proposed Official Plan Amendment, as shown in Attachment 7 to the report (November 15, 2019) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District including providing advice and support for incorporating low-carbon/renewable energy solutions such as district energy, into proposed developments in the study area.

10. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to forward the report (November 15, 2019) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District to the Chair, Toronto District School Board, the Chair, Toronto Catholic District School Board, and to the Toronto Transit Commission to assist in the planning for future capacity needs.

The Toronto and East York Community Council:

1. Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to report to the December 17 and 18, 2019 meeting of City Council with an amendment to the draft Site and Area Specific Policy  577, as shown as Attachment 7 to the report (November 15, 2019) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District and include a policy that specifies the width of the proposed public street and private laneways as identified on Map 2A (Streets and Block Plan) on the draft Site and Area Specific Policy.

2.  Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, to report to the December 17 and 18, 2019 meeting of City Council with an amendment to Map 4: Parks and Public Realm Plan in the draft Site and Area Specific Policy  577, as shown in Attachment 7 to the report (November 15, 2019) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District, to identify additional opportunities for park frontage and/or connectivity to Danforth Avenue, including through City parkland provision or Privately Owned Publicly Accessible Spaces.

The Main Street Planning Study (the Study) was initiated after a request from City Council on November 7, 2017 that the City Planning Division undertake a study of the area within proximity of the Main Street subway station and Danforth GO station. This request was associated with a preliminary report on the zoning amendment application for 286-294 Main Street, which had been a proposal for a 30 storey mixed-use building on a heritage potential property.

This report summarizes the outcome of the Study, including a heritage survey, and provides an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) in the form of a Site and Area Specific Policy (SASP) to guide development in the study area. The report also requests direction on a future Community Services and Facilities Study that is intended to respond to the growth targeted for this area as well as direction on transportation improvements at existing key intersections.

The proposed OPA is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2014) and conforms with A Place to Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019). The proposed OPA also conforms to Official Plan policies respecting directing growth in the form of complete communities in areas in proximity to higher order public transit.

It should be noted that a version of the recommended SASP was provided on November 13, 2019, 20 days prior to the December 3, 2019 Toronto and East York Community Council meeting for this agenda item. The version of the recommended SASP in this report, as Attachment 7, is a revised version that was made available to the public on November 15, 2019. The revisions to the recommended SASP provide additional clarity on the intent of the policies on the parks and open spaces within the Main Street Planning Study, and specifically to the large, central park located in Character Area C, as discussed in this report.