Item - 2021.PH23.4

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council amend Attachment 8 to the report (May 6, 2021) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, Draft Minister's Zoning Order by:

a. deleting the reference to 64 dwelling units as it appears under Zoning Requirements and replacing it with 59 dwelling units; and,

b. by adding the following new provision: "The minimum vertical clearance for each stacked bicycle parking space provided is 1.1 metres and the minimum width of a bicycle parking space is 0.45 metres."

2. City Council request the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to make a Minister's Zoning Order, pursuant to Section 47 of the Planning Act, for the lands located at 20 Bracebridge (Trenton Avenue and Cedarvale Avenue) to provide relief from the in-force zoning regulations in order to permit the development of the modular housing as set out in Attachment 8 to the report (May 6, 2021) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, as amended by Recommendation 1 above.

3. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to issue a Request for Proposals and to select non-profit housing providers to operate the modular building at 20 Bracebridge Avenue (Trenton Avenue and Cedarvale Avenue) to be developed under Phase Two of the Modular Supportive Housing Initiative.

4. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to negotiate and execute on behalf of the City, a municipal housing facility agreement (the City's "Contribution Agreement"), with the non-profit housing providers selected through the competitive process referred to in Recommendation 3 above, or a related corporation, to secure the financial assistance being provided and to set out the terms of the operation of the new affordable rental housing, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and in a form approved by the City Solicitor.

5. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to negotiate and enter into any agreements with the non-profits housing providers selected to operate the modular housing projects, for any operating funding that may be available, including, but not limited to rent supplement or grant funding agreements, on terms and conditions agreed to by the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration and in a form approved by the City Solicitor.

6. City Council authorize severally each of the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to execute, on behalf of the City, any security or financing documents required by the non-profit housing providers selected for each of the modular supportive housing sites to secure the financing necessary to acquire the leasehold interest in the land and modular units, as well as any subsequent refinancing, including any postponement, confirmation of status, discharge or consent documents where and when required during the term of the municipal housing facility agreement, as required by normal business practices, and provided that such documents do not give rise to financial obligations on the part of the City that have not been previously approved by City Council.

7. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to work with the Director, Corporate Security and the Toronto District School Board to evaluate current safety issues in and adjacent to Stan Wadlow Park, including the area between Kiwanis Outdoor Pool and Parkside Elementary School, assess the functionality of existing lighting and CCTV fixtures, identify recommended improvement projects, including those recommended in the Community Safety Walkabout Summary Report from Public Progress through the community safety audit conducted on April 29, 2021 and implement priority items by the end of 2021 and through future operational and capital budgets, as appropriate. 

8. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to continue to liaise with the City Councillor, local residents, and the project's Community Liaison Committee after the building is occupied to evaluate observed safety needs and bring forward recommended capital enhancements in Stan Wadlow Park. 

9. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in collaboration with the General Manager, Transportation Services to reconfigure the Taylor Creek parking-lot at the end of Haldon Avenue to introduce the maximum possible additional parking spaces within the lot, and make any proposed alteration plans available to public for review and, if needed, discussion at the project Trenton/Cedarvale Community Liaison Committee.

10. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, in coordination with the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, to prepare design and implementation plans for new on-street parking on Haldon Avenue, including opportunities to create additional on-street parking spaces, targeting installation no later than the second-quarter of 2022, and provide any status updates in the on-street parking report expected at the Toronto and East York Community Council meeting on June 24, 2021.

11. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to initiate a warrant study and prepare design drawings for a pedestrian crossing (PXO) on Cosburn Avenue situated between Oak Park Avenue and Gledhill Avenue, with consideration for impacts on access to the park from the surrounding neighbourhood, bus service and other road-safety conditions in the area, and report to Toronto and East York Community Council in the fourth-quarter of 2021, with installation targeted in the second-quarter 2022. 

12. City Council request the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, prior to issuing the Modular Housing Initiative: Phase Two Request for Proposals (RFP), to review and amend the RFP documents as necessary to ensure the best outcomes for tenant support services based on lessons learned from Phase 1 and changes in funding arrangements with criteria such as:

a. outlining evaluation criteria  to ensure that support services aspect of the proposal are given sufficient priority and that the proposed staff team have the experience and expertise to provide support services;

b. outlining any minimum staffing requirements for housing operators; 

c. exploring opportunities to include further outcomes-based metrics. 

13. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to ensure the final site plan includes the following revisions reflecting community input and the development review process:

a. relocating the waste storage from an ancillary building to being integrated into the main building;

b. relocating bicycle storage from the Bracebridge Avenue frontage to a location interior to the site;

c. increasing the amount of indoor amenity space to approximately double the original proposal;

d. adding two staff parking spaces on site;

e. minimize conflicts with existing mature trees to reduce any tree removals;

f. where feasible improving loading and access through a consolidated servicing area for waste disposal, deliveries and other servicing needs.

The Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration gave a presentation on Modular Supportive Housing –a Rapid and Dignified Response to Homelessness (Items PH23.3, PH23.4, PH23.5 and PH23.6).

The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of the community engagement process undertaken and present the recommended plan and zoning relief sought for the modular housing proposal at 20 Bracebridge Avenue (Ward 19 - Beaches East York). The site is bounded by Trenton, Cedarvale and Bracebridge Avenues, and has previously been referred to as "Trenton and Cedarvale". This report also recommends that City Council request the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing make a Minister's Zoning Order to provide the necessary zoning relief to permit the modular housing development. This proposal is advancing as part of Phase Two of the City's Modular Housing Initiative.

At its meeting of April 30, 2020, City Council adopted Item CC20.6 - Implementing the Toronto Modular Housing Initiative as an Urgent Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Among other things, this report provided authority to the Housing Secretariat, Corporate Real Estate Management and CreateTO, in consultation with City Planning, Toronto Buildings and other Divisions, to identify sites appropriate for the modular housing initiative and ways to expedite the necessary building and planning approvals to deliver up to 250 modular housing units in 2020 and 2021.

The creation of modular affordable rental housing with support services is a key element of the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan, which has an approval target of 18,000 supportive homes, including the creation of at least 1,000 modular homes, over the next ten years. Phase One of the Modular Housing Initiative was advanced in 2020 with approval and construction of 100 modular homes on two city owned sites: 11 Macey Avenue (Ward 20 - Scarborough Southwest) and 321 Dovercourt Road (formerly 150 Harrison Street (Ward 9 - Davenport). 

The 20 Bracebridge Avenue site has been identified as suitable for construction of modular housing to create new affordable rental housing. The target completion and occupancy date for this site is Q4 2021.

City staff initiated a multi-channel community engagement process on February 23, 2021, coinciding with the announcement of the first two proposed sites for Phase Two of the Modular Housing Initiative. City staff held a number of community and working group meetings in March and April to provide information and obtain feedback on the proposal. A summary of engagement activities and the feedback received through the City's engagement consultant is included in Attachment 7.

Based on the input and feedback received through the community engagement and the detailed review of the Site Plan application by City staff a number of refinements have been made to the proposal, which are outlined in this report. Input from consultations will be considered in making further revisions to the proposal through the Site Plan Application, and will inform decisions to address parking issues within the wider community. A revised site plan is included as Attachments 4 and revised elevations are included as Attachment 5.

In consideration of Council's continued request to prioritize building and planning approvals for affordable housing this report recommends that City Council request the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to make a Minister's Zoning Order to provide the necessary relief to permit the construction of modular housing at this site. The Planning Act gives the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the power, by order, in respect of any lands in Ontario, to exercise any of the powers conferred on Council to zone lands and modify the zoning regulations for a given site. A Minister's Zoning Order would enable the City to more quickly implement the modular housing proposals.