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Yonge Street North Planning Study (City of Toronto)

jaycola

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A few months back I heard that this study was initiated but at the time could find no background information on it.

There is now a page on the City of Toronto site outlining the scope of the study and the time frames.

Source

Yonge Street North Planning Study

The City has initiated a planning study to develop a vision for the future of the Yonge Street corridor between Finch Avenue and Steeles Avenue in response to existing and anticipated development pressures in the area.

The Study will be undertaken in the context of the existing Provincial policies and plans. The Province's Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe identifies 'urban growth centres', including North York Centre, where significant employment and population growth is to be accommodated and linked by high order transit to other urban growth centres. The Province's Regional Transportation Plan (Metrolinx's “Big Move”) identifies the northerly extension of the Yonge subway and east-west rapid transit along the Steeles Avenue corridor.

The Study will determine the level of development that can be supported by the existing and improved transportation network and planned higher order transit system. The primary objective of the Study is to provide a comprehensive set of planning tools to realize the vision for the area and respond to increasing development pressures.

With Viva releasing their report on the future proposed Yonge St subway extension, Toronto needs to get moving in order to be prepared for an onslaught of development applications for this, the Northern Gateway to the city. There is talk in the Viva report of creating an underground concourse connecting the 4 corners and three cities underground. This alone sounds like a complicated arrangement.

What should the future be for this strip? Should it be of the same scale as the rest of NYCC? What can you envision as the ideal scale for development at the Corner of Yonge and Steeles where Centrepoint Mall could be a vast redevelopment dwarfing anything else in the area. Could this be the site of a bank of 50 story towers or possibly higher?

Vaughan and Markham are already well ahead in planning for this location. What should Toronto's contribution be to this location?

Here is the Google street view for those not familiar with the location.
http://g.co/maps/vktd2
 
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I need more information with respect to funding. By extending the subway past Steeles, there will be significant growth in the vicinity and of course north of Steeles. That means significant increases in ridership and heavier cost loads for the TTC to absorb. How much will Vaughan / Markham fund this extension and its operation? Especially since the subway will be operating and benefitting those outside of Toronto's taxable area.

The area needs to be smartly developed and its my personal belief that the level of development be quite dramatic.

(On a side note, once this extension and the redevelopment of the area is fully underway we are going to see a corridor of buildings essentially running from John / Elgin all the way up to the 401. I'm curious to know how growth can move East / Westwards rather then be focused on a north south corridor? Sheppard is only now building up thanks to the subway, Finch is becoming a townhouse destination - I can't see anything happening east of Steeles.. I guess I'm trying to say I'm concerned with this cluster of growth not radially expanding.. )
 
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Enough of this subway expansion past Steeles talk. if there is money to spend on subways then it should be used In Toronto - the DRL for one and other transit initiatives - subways and LRT
 
If you think the ridership of 12,000/hr at RHC is going to happen by 2021, I have a number of bridges to sell to you.

If the current ridership is 1,000 from Finch to RHC at peak for VIVA Blue and 100 for Pink and maybe 1,500-2,000 cars, totally impossible to obtain the 2021 numbers with no real development taking place around RHC.

Metrolinx own numbers are only 8,000 for 2031.

Given the fact that TTC and Toronto are not prepared to build this line until the DRL is built as well upgrading Bloor Station and cutting of Provincial Funding for Metrolinx, the earliest you can see this line going to RHC is late 30's.

If York Region is prepared to fund this extension north of Steeles, building the new yards and buying the extra trains 100%, you may see it late 20's. This includes full operation cost.

At peak time, you may see every 3rd or 4th train going to RHC. Off peak will be about the same for week days. Weekends, you may see a train every 15 or 20 minutes, unless York Region is prepare to pickup the full cost to run more trains since the ridership is not there.

This thread should be combine with the one in place now, as it is the same topic.

The real extension at this time is taking the line to Steeles now as it should happen when the line was built in the first place to Finch.
 
The purpose of this thread was not to discuss the Yonge Subway extension into York Region but the potential for development of the strip of Yonge from Finch to Steeles and the potential for Development of the corner of Yonge and Steeles as a gateway to the city proper.
As Markham and Vaughan have been moving forward for on rezoning the area, what could you envision as the future of this part of Yonge Street?

Toronto has long treated this stretch of Yonge as the ass end of the city with no visible improvements in my memory (having grown up in this area and still residing near by). There potential for extending NYCC north is great as there is nothing of any architectural or cultural significance anywhere here, it is an urban blank slate.
 
Given the fact that TTC and Toronto are not prepared to build this line until the DRL is built as well upgrading Bloor Station and cutting of Provincial Funding for Metrolinx, the earliest you can see this line going to RHC is late 30's.
Since the TTC and Toronto didn't want Spadina, I'm sure they will be just as successful delaying Yonge.
 
While the Yonge subway extension is stalled at the funding stage, the city of Toronto continues to move forward with it's planning study for the Yonge Street corridor between Finch and Steeles, admitting that current and future development pressures on this district require having a plan in place.

The third and final public consultation is planned for May 9th.

Community Consultation Meeting - Workshop #3 Notice
May 9, 2013

They have provided a lot of information from past public consultations and some may find the presentations and summaries an interesting read.

A couple things I noted was that residents seemed to generally encourage development in the area of the highest order suggested, while demanding respect for the residents of low density residential surrounding the development zone.

You can find the City's page on the report here. http://www.toronto.ca/planning/yonge_north.htm

This document contains all of the information provided those attending the public consultation in June of 2012.
http://www.toronto.ca/planning/pdf/yonge-north_presentation2.pdf
 
Public Workshop #3 - Presentation May 9, 2013

They have released the presentation documents from the most recent public consultation along with selecting their preferred option for the way they would like the area planned. 2 high density development nodes adjacent to the subway stations (Cummer/Drewry and Steeles) connected by an avenues type mid rise development zone. New roads and added street connections along with improvements to the pedestrian and bicycle routes through the area.

This is what the area could look like one day when the subway is finally built.

Yonge North Planning Study Preferred option.jpg
 

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Notice of Public Meeting for this North Yonge Corridor
North York Community Council consideration on October 17, 2013
Yonge Street North Planning Study - Final Consultant's Report and Next Steps on Implementing Official Plan Amendments
Recommendations

The City Planning Division recommends that:
1. City Council endorse the consultant's final report on the Yonge Street North Planning Study in Attachment 2 of this report;

2. Staff use the report as a guide for drafting Official Plan policies and other appropriate planning tools that address the matters identified in this report including, but not limited to: the appropriate mix of residential and non-residential uses; the extent and character of building types in the Transition Areas; the community improvements that are needed to support growth; and, the phasing of growth with transportation improvements;

3. Staff conduct community consultation on the draft Official Plan policies and other planning tools, prior to bringing forward an Official Plan Amendment for Community Council's consideration.

Summary

This report summarizes the findings of the Yonge Street North Planning Study. Following from the Study's findings, the report outlines key issues to be considered and next steps in preparing draft amendments to the Official Plan, for further consultation with the community in the fall of 2013.

This report recommends that Council authorize staff to use the consultant's final report in Attachment 2 as a guide to drafting Official Plan policies and other appropriate planning tools, and that they be the subject of a community consultation meeting in the fall of 2013.
 
Interesting. The stretch of Yonge between Finch and Steeles looks like complete crap and is in desperate need of re-development. They need to bulldoze the entire works and start from scratch.
 
Yonge Street

Interesting. The stretch of Yonge between Finch and Steeles looks like complete crap and is in desperate need of re-development. They need to bulldoze the entire works and start from scratch.

A bit off the topic ...
But , what is going on with the street itself? It is full of deep & dangerous potholes?!
What a shame...
 
Interesting. The stretch of Yonge between Finch and Steeles looks like complete crap and is in desperate need of re-development. They need to bulldoze the entire works and start from scratch.

Yes, but in some sense the streetscape is thriving with all the ethnic plazas/shops etc. Don't know how the Iranians would feel having all their grocery stores bulldozed ;)

One point I thought I'd make: Although I know we don't want to over-encumber the Yonge line with more extensions until a DRL is built, it might be nice to extend the Yonge line just up to Steeles Ave with a terminal point under Centrepoint Mall. That mall has very large unused parking lots which could be re-purposed as a Bus Transit hub for VIVA and GO, allowing the regional bus station at Finch to potentially shut down, freeing up the more valuable Yonge/Finch land for other purposes. Keeping Finch station as a regional transit hub is a bit... dunno... but during rush hour it's always an insane mess there.
 

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