TO:                  Mayor and Members of Council

 

FROM:            Jim Baird, Commissioner, Development Services

                        Alan Brown, Director of Engineering

 

DATE:            November 3, 2009

 

Re:     Response to the Three Motions Tabled by Regional Councillor Jim Jones

 

                                                                                                                                                        

 

On September 29, 2009 Council deferred the following 3 motions for future consideration at the November 3, 2009 Development Services Committee.  Council also requested staff comments on the motions.

 

A)    PROCESS TO BUILD THE YONGE SUBWAY EXTENSION USING ALTERNATIVE FINANCING OVER A 50 YEAR TIME HORIZON (Yonge Subway)

 

B)    TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD) STUDY ALONG THE 407 CORRIDOR FOR THE PURPOSE OF IDENTIFYING THE REAL DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL (407 Redevelopment Corridor)

 

C)    WORLD CLASS TRANSPORTATION AND ECONOMIC EXPERTS TO DETERMINE THE BEST HIGHSPEED TECHNOLOGY TO BE USED FOR THE 407 TRANSITWAY (407 Technology)

 

A)  Yonge Subway

This motion recommends that the Premier initiate a public process to implement “alternate financing method” for the Yonge Subway extension.  As well, this motion requests modification of the EA for the subway extension to leave the alignment on Yonge Street at the Richmond Hill Centre, and that consideration be given to a 1.0 km extension north to 16th Avenue.

 

With respect to the financing part of the motion, staff offer the following comments:

·         Metrolinx will be finalizing the Benefits Case Analysis for the Yonge Subway later this year;

·         The Benefits Case Analysis will review funding mechanisms and value engineering to maximize the cost/benefit;

·         York Region, the City of Toronto and TTC commenced (in September 2009) the conceptual design of the subway at a cost of $5.75 million;

·         Staff suggest the draft recommendation regarding funding may be best deferred and reviewed concurrently when staff update Council regarding Metrolinx Benefits Case Analysis later this year or early 2010.

 

Regarding the subway alignment:

·         Markham Council endorsed the Option ‘C’ alignment on March 10, 2009.  Option ‘C’ alignment provides for the subway to veer east of Yonge Street, to a mobility hub in Richmond Hill Centre, which will also enable direct inter-modal connection to GO Rail Transit, 407 Transit and VIVA.  Markham Council also requested the Langstaff station on Yonge Street to be located as far north as possible, and the Hub station to be as far south as possible, to improve connectivity to the Langstaff Gateway lands in Markham.

·         The EA Study (Option ‘C’) was filed and approved by the Ministry of Environment on April 6, 2009.  The transit agencies are to address Markham’s comments regarding station locations at the detailed design stage.

·         The Richmond Hill Centre and Langstaff Centre master plan processes have been based on the subway location and mobility hub east of Yonge Street as per the approved EA and the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan.  The Calthorpe master plan for Langstaff introduces the concept of a Transit Hall or concourse to connect Langstaff to the Mobility Hub (Option ‘C’).

·         Markham Council on May 12, 2009 also requested Provincial Ministries, the Provincial Facilitator and Metrolinx to take a more active role in the planning and design of the Yonge Subway and transit oriented development in the Provincial Urban Growth Centre.  The Provincial Facilitator has initiated a series of meetings with key stakeholders and are fully apprised of the coordinated planning efforts currently under way in the growth centre.

·         While the Region and TTC should plan for the future extension of the subway north to 16th Avenue,  this will require further EA approval, which would complicate/delay commitments by Metrolinx needed now to enable the subway to be built and open by 2016, and is not recommended to be pursued at this time.

·         Staff are concerned that a recommendation to re-examine the Yonge Subway alignment will compromise the broader objective to secure funding at the earliest opportunity. We also note that station locations will be addressed through the detailed design process, with input by Metrolinx, the Province and other key stakeholders, including the Town of Markham.

·         Staff would also suggest that further consultation should occur with the Region of York as EA proponent, prior to recommending alternate alignments to the Province.

 

 

 

B)  407 Redevelopment Corridor

The recommended “Comprehensive Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Study” by the Ontario Growth Secretariat to review redevelopment potential along the 407 corridor may be of benefit in focusing Provincial interest in the Hwy 407 transitway and related infrastructure needs across the municipalities adjoining the 407.

 

We note that review of TOD opportunities is currently underway by the Regions and local municipalities as part of the Provincial Growth Plan conformity exercise.  In the case of the Region of York, Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan are undertaking Growth Management, Official Plan and Secondary Plan work to bring all our plans into conformity with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.  In Markham’s case detailed land use studies for Langstaff, Markham Centre and Box Grove have or will be undertaken with the various stakeholders (Metrolinx, the Region, MTO, VIVA, developers and residents).  As well, as part of our Growth Management Study, all vacant lands in Markham’s current settlement area have been reviewed for intensification opportunities.

 

Further detailed studies for intensification around the transit interface (i.e. 407 Transitway) will be undertaken by Markham and other municipalities in the future, following finalization of station locations, through MTO’s EA Study.

 

Having the Province, and in particular the Growth Secretariat, review TOD opportunities along Hwy 407, and coordinate with the Regions and Local Municipalities in this review, may also be beneficial.  We also note that the Province is the approval authority for the Regional Official Plan reviews currently underway.

 

C)  407 Transitway Technology

·         The MTO’s current EA study for the 407 Transitway, while covering the section from Hwy 400 to Kennedy Road, is also reviewing and addressing the issues outlined in the draft resolution (technology, station location, linter-modal connectivity, etc.)

·         We support the frame work for the MTO EA’s study protecting for the ultimate requirements from a corridor and technology perspective

·         Markham previously requested the MTO to extend the EA study to Cornell/Box Grove

·         Staff support the recommendation to request the Province to expedite the 407 Transitway. We also support requesting the Province to expedite other important transit initiatives in Markham pursuant to the Metrolinx Plan, and in particular the extension of the Yonge Subway to Hwy 7.

 

 

Q:\Development\Engineering\Alan Brown Memos\Memo to Mayor and Council re Motions received by JJ 102709.doc