Report to: Development Services Committee Date of Meeting: February 19, 2008

SUBJECT: Civic Mall Design Principles

Markham Centre

PREPARED BY: Richard Kendall, Manager of Development, Central District

Extension 6588

RECOMMENDATION:

That the staff report dated February 19, 2008 titled “Civic Mall Design Principles, Markham Centre” be received;

That Council endorse the design principles and key design elements for the design and construction of the Civic Mall, through the Remington Group’s Downtown Markham project, as discussed in this report;

That Council waive the tendering process in accordance with Purchasing By-law 2004-341, Part II, Section 7 (1) – (h) where it is necessary or in the best interests of the Town to acquire Consulting and Professional Services from a preferred supplier or from a supplier who has a proven track record with the Town in terms of pricing, quality and service;

That Council authorize staff to retain Janet Rosenberg and Associates, Landscape Architects, as the Town’s consultant to work with YRRTC and the Remington Group on the conceptual design of the Civic Mall and the detailed design of the park component within the Civic Mall as required;

That funding for the above, in the amount of $50,000 be funded from Planning and Urban Design’s Capital Account #81-5350-7647-005 entitled “Markham Centre Amenity / Urban Park (Phase I Design)” and that the balance in the account be retained for the original purpose intended;

That Council authorize staff to establish a technical working group consisting of representatives of the Planning and Urban Design and Engineering Departments, Community and Fire Services Commission and the Markham Centre Advisory Group, to work with the landscape architect, the Remington Group and YRRTC on the design of the Civic Mall.

That staff report back to Council on the preliminary design concept for the Civic Mall, including possible funding sources for future landscape architectural consulting services for detailed design of the park component of the civic mall, and on the preferred park construction delivery model, prior to the summer recess;

And that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The Remington Group’s Downtown Markham project provides for a multi-use linear park (Civic Mall) through the site connecting businesses and neighbourhoods to the retail core and central amenity feature of the project Figure 2). The Civic Mall was included in the draft approval of the Remington project. It is a unique linear urban space which will include a transitway, park and park like elements. Construction has started on four apartment buildings immediately adjacent to the Civic Mall and York Region Rapid Transit Corporation (YRRTC) is looking to construct the transit corridor portion of the Civic Mall to closely align with the occupancy of these building (late 2008 to early 2009).

YRRTC staff have been working with Town staff and the Remington Group, to establish common design principles for the Civic Mall and transit alignment consisting of:

a shared and programmable public space,
a sustainable public space,
a connected public realm,
a comprehensive design approach.

A number of detailed design elements have also been identified to address the integration and operational aspects for the future shared use of the Civic Mall.

In order to have the transitway operation coincide with the occupancy of the apartment buildings, detailed design work needs to occur over the coming months and construction will need to commence toward the end of this year, with completion targeted for the spring of 2009. Given the intended seamless integration of uses within the Civic Mall, there are clear construction and tendering advantages to having the design and construction of the transitway (York Region) and park (Town) occur simultaneously.

The Civic Mall represents the first formal design of a shared, public space in Markham Centre, and it is important to understand and address maintenance, operational and other related issues. This report recommends that a working group be formed consisting of representatives of Planning and Urban Design, Engineering, Community & Fire Services and the Markham Centre Advisory Group to work with the consulting landscape architect, the Remington Group and YRRTC on the design of the Civic Mall.

Staff intend to report to Council on the preliminary design concept for the Civic Mall, including possible funding sources, prior to the summer recess. The report will speak to the breakdown of the costs associated with the detailed design and construction of the Civic Mall, as well as operational and maintenance matters.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable at this time, a future report on the conceptual design of the Civic Mall will address potential funding sources for the detailed design and construction of the park.

Council’s approval of the Remington Group’s Downtown Markham project includes a linear park through the centre of the site connecting businesses and neighbourhoods within the plan to the retail core and central amenity feature (Figure 2). The design of this linear park (the Civic Mall) as a unique urban space and multi use corridor, accommodating a variety of movements including pedestrian, cycling and transit, has been a part of the Markham Centre vision for years.

A dedicated rapid transit alignment along the Civic Mall is included in the draft approval which would take the transit off Enterprise Boulevard, at a reduced rate of speed, allowing transit and pedestrians to comfortably mix in an active pedestrian environment. This alignment was identified as part of the Environmental Assessment process for the Highway 7 Rapid Transit Corridor to support the higher order mix of uses and densities within the Remington plan. This type of shared use public space featuring transit facilities has been successfully employed in other jurisdictions including Denver (Figures 4 and 5)

While the Civic Mall runs through the majority of the Remington lands, the initial phase of the dedicated transit alignment deals with that portion of the site between Warden Avenue and the Birchmount Road extension (Figure 3).

The Remington Group has started construction on the first four apartment buildings within their first residential phase 1 (Bijou), immediately adjacent to the Civic Mall (Figure 1). As discussed in the recommendation reports for site plan approval of those apartment buildings it is important that the design of the Civic Mall “signal” to future residents that transit will be located adjacent to their buildings. The anticipated timeframe for the completion and occupancy of these buildings is late 2008 to early 2009 and York Region Rapid Transit Corporation (YRRTC) is looking to construct the transit alignment through this phase of the Remington Group’s project to closely align with the occupancy of these buildings.

In this regard, YRRTC staff have been working with Town staff and the Remington Group to establish common design principles and key design elements for the Civic Mall and transit alignment, as well as discussing timing, landscape and interface issues with the residential buildings. YRRTC staff presented these principles and elements at a Part A session of Development Services Committee on February 12, 2007. The principles presented are reflected in this report.

Design Principles for a ‘Shared Space’ have been Developed

In discussing the creation of a ‘shared public’ space consisting of a park and transit corridor, a consensus was reached on a number of design principles. These principles are intended to articulate the vision and implementation strategy for a shared space which addresses collectively the needs of the pedestrian, cyclist and transit operations, all of which have an important stake in the use and enjoyment of this space.

While staff are currently only reviewing the design of the Civic Mall as it relates to the first phase of the Remington Group’s project, the design principles, elements, materials and other components will eventually be extended across the length of the Civic Mall and will also need to integrate with the design of the Central Amenity space which is bisected by the Civic Mall and transitway. The Design Principles are synthesized as follows:

A shared and programmable public space: the space will be designed to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and VIVA. The design should provide for a seamless and barrier-free transition between the pedestrian zone and transitway. The transitway should be delineated by changes in colour, pattern or texture of materials. At intersections with public streets, the treatment of the Civic Mall should extend through the intersections and take precedence over the street design. The design should encourage both pedestrians and VIVA drivers to respect each other within the shared space. The design should incorporate CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles and adjacent building massing should address the space and promote active uses, at a pedestrian scale. Programming of the space should include a range of formal and informal functions, throughout the year, addressing a variety of users.

A sustainable public space: which recognizes the transitway and promotes a culture of walking, cycling and other non-automotive modes of travel. Building materials should demonstrate durability, long life span, low maintenance characteristics and ideally contain a high recycled content. The design should support the use of locally sourced materials and employ technologies which promote natural percolation of storm water. High efficiency lighting should be incorporated into the design, and planting should consist of a variety of native species which are tolerant of urban conditions and planted in a manner which supports the material reaching 100% maturity.

A connected public realm: which achieves a high quality and safe pedestrian realm comprised of street furnishings, paving materials, landscape elements and signage consistent with the Markham Centre vision. The space should be punctuated with activity nodes and provide a series of linkages to the adjacent land uses and communities. The Civic Mall should be visually connected to major open spaces, including adjacent parkland and open space systems.

A comprehensive design approach: should be employed which extends seamlessly from building face to building face, with particular attention paid to the design of surfacing (variety, pattern and textures); lighting (public space focused, dramatic and offering a variety of experiences); signage (quality, pedestrian scale and systematic approach) and furniture (family of furniture, coordinated approach and clustering opportunities). The design should meet the needs of all stakeholders, including VIVA riders, local residents and merchants, visitors, park users, cyclists and employees.

Key Design Elements

To facilitate the implementation of these design principles, a number of detailed design elements have been chosen to address the integration and operational aspects for the shared use of the Civic Mall as follows:

· the alignment of the transitway is along the south side of the centre line of the Civic Mall corridor to provide additional distance separation from the ground floor residential uses and to be closer to the more compatible uses in the mixed use blocks along the south side of the mall. The alignment also permits maximum sun exposure to ground floor uses and pedestrian activity and movement along the north side of the mall

· the transitway is typically on the same horizontal plane as the pedestrian and cycling movements and urban landscape treatments

· the transitway geometry (curves and stations) meets the requirements for BRT and LRT

· the operating speed of transit through the mall will be between 20 to 30 kms per hour, to balance transit operations with visibility and safety of pedestrians and cyclists within the corridor (the transit operator can see and react to the pedestrians and cyclists and vice versa)

· pedestrians and cyclists share all areas of passage through the corridor

· the transit running surface is distinguished by material pattern, texture and colour and continuous barrier free curbing along both sides of the transitway

· visibility to and from the transitway portion of the Civic Mall for public safety purposes is ensured by a three metre wide zone bordering the running surface where no vertical projections above 750 mm are permitted. For example low planters, shrubs, benches, bollards etc. are permissible but trees or light poles higher than 750 mm are not

· surface materials within the Civic Mall and along the transitways are compatible and comparable in quality (e.g. no asphalt in the transit rapidways)

· the continuity of the Civic Mall character and surface treatment is maintained through the public street interfaces

· the transit rapidways have integral storm water drainage (e.g. the transitway will not drain onto the park component)

· the materials and technologies employed will have demonstrated durability, long life span, low maintenance, energy efficiency including a preference for high recycled content and local sourcing

· the plant material and tree species selected will be tolerant of urban conditions with planting details demonstrating the ability of plant material and trees to reach maturity. Technologies and materials that promote the natural percolation of storm water will be employed

Design Process to be Commenced

In order to accommodate YRRTC’s projected timeframe to have the transitway operational, coincidental with the occupancy of the Remington Group’s first apartment project, detailed design work needs to occur over the summer months and construction will commence toward the end of this year, with completion targeted for the spring of 2009.

It is anticipated there will be a seamless integration of the transitway with the linear park, and as such, the construction of the transitway and park should occur simultaneously. There are clear design, construction and tendering and financial advantages to this approach. YRRTC advises the transitway component is fully funded and, as discussed later in this report, there are a number of options available to the Town to deal with funding the Town’s share of the development of the park portion of the Civic Mall.

Given the targeted timelines, the Town needs to retain a landscape architect to work with the Remington Group, as well as YRRTC’s landscape and construction team to commence the design of the Civic Mall, in accordance with the identified Design Principles and Key Design Elements. The preferred firm is Janet Rosenberg and Associates, Landscape Architects (JRA), who won the design competition for Markham Centre’s Central Park. Following the competition win, JRA was retained by the Town to refine the design competition drawings and to modify the park design based on anticipated future programming requirements, reviews by various Town departments, and emerging design concepts by the Remington Group for the adjacent mixed-use retail district. Council approved funding in 2007 for Phase 1 design of the Markham Centre Central Park to be undertaken by JRA. Phase 1 design work has not commenced due to issues associated with the extent and timing of build out of the surrounding lands.

Since work on the Civic Mall needs to proceed quickly and in the context of the broader Markham Centre parks programme, staff recommend that JRA be retained as the Town’s consultant to work with YRRTC and the Remington Group on the conceptual design of the Civic Mall and the detailed design of specific park components within the Civic Mall as required. Consequently, staff recommend that Council waive the RFP tendering process in accordance with Purchasing By-law 2004-341, Part II, Section 7 (1) – (h) where it is necessary or in the best interests of the Town to acquire Consulting and Professional Services from a preferred supplier or from a supplier who has a proven track record with the Town in terms of pricing, quality and service. Staff also recommend that funding in the amount of $50,000 be funded from Planning and Urban Design’s Capital Account #81-5350-7647-005 entitled “Markham Centre Amenity / Urban Park (Phase 1 Design)” and that the balance in the account be retained for the original purpose intended.

Urban Spaces with a higher level of finishes Require a Staff “Working Group”

The creation of a shared public space which accommodates the requirements of multiple stakeholders will address a multitude of issues. In addition, this space will contain a wide variety of paving materials which may present maintenance and operational needs the Town has not to-date encountered. These new operation and maintenance issues have been noted previously and will become more prevalent as the Town seeks to create more urban park spaces.

Given that the Civic Mall design exercise represents one of the first opportunities in Markham Centre to create and deliver the type of urban space contemplated, it is important to understand and address operation and maintenance matters early in the design process. Staff therefore recommend that a working group be formed consisting of representatives of Planning and Urban Design, Engineering, Community and Fire Services and the Markham Centre Advisory Group to work with the landscape architect, the Remington Group and YRRTC on the design of the Civic Mall. Staff intend to ensure that the Markham Centre Advisory Group is consulted throughout the design process and suggest that it may be appropriate to have one or two Advisory members participate in the working group.

Integrated Design Concept required before the summer recess

As noted, YRRTC is targeting operation of the transitway to coincide with occupancy of the Remington Group’s Phase 1 apartment buildings. This ambitious schedule will require that the design process be initiated shortly, with significant work to occur in the next few months and a preliminary design concept to be presented to Council prior to the summer recess. This timing will allow for the integrated, detailed design to be finalized over the summer, with construction to commence late summer/early fall. This schedule also coincides with the Remington Group’s building programme, which currently is utilizing portions of the Civic Mall for construction access and staging. This schedule will still allow opportunities for formal input from the Markham Centre Advisory.

Report on Design Concept will include funding opportunities

Staff will report back to Council on the preliminary design concept for the Civic Mall, including possible funding sources, prior to the summer recess. As part of the approved parkland policies for Markham Centre the Town is engaging the Markham Centre Landowners Group in the delivery of park space throughout Markham Centre. A number of discussions have occurred with the Landowners Group and staff have been working with the Group to finalize a Parkland Delivery Agreement.

This agreement is intended to outline a process whereby payment equivalent to cash-in-lieu of parkland owing will be applied (through the agreement) to the delivery of finished, enhanced parkland in Markham Centre. If this agreement is complete by the time the conceptual design is available for presentation to Council, it may be outlined as one method available to fund this component of the Civic Mall. Available Development Charge funds may also be an option. The proposed funding source(s) and possible phased implementation will be discussed in detail at that time.

The report will also speak to the breakdown of the costs associated with the construction of the Civic Mall, including those costs attributable to YRRTC and those directly relating to the park elements. Operational and maintenance matters will also be addressed at that time.