City of Toronto: Front St at Union Station EA

This study is now complete. The following information is provided for archival purposes.

This site was last updated May 7, 2012

Union Station - Afternoon rush-hour at Front Street and York Street
Afternoon rush-hour at Front Street and York Street

Update – May 7, 2012
Notice of Completion for this study has been published and the Environmental Study Report is now available for a 30-day public review period ending June 11, 2012. See notice and complete report below.

In response to comments submitted during public consultation we published a thorough Updated Questions and Answers document in February 2012.

Background

GO Transit service expansion will result in an estimated doubling of current ridership.

Afternoon rush-hour at Front Street and Bay Street
Morning rush-hour at Front Street and Bay Street

Union Station is the busiest transportation hub in Canada. Every year, Union Station handles more passengers than Pearson International Airport, Canada's busiest airport. Every business day, Union Station serves more than 165,000 GO Transit passengers, along with thousands of TTC and VIA Rail customers. Over the next 10-15 years, pedestrian activity at Union Station is expected to double as a result of GO Transit expansion. Proposed frequent train service to Pearson Airport and improved TTC services will also contribute to increasing the number of passengers who will be entering and exiting Union Station.

Plans have been approved for improving Union Station and its surrounding area.
The Union Station Master Plan (2004), District Plan (2006) and Revitalization Recommended Approach (2007) address the needs for improving the flow of passengers, restoring historical elements, ensuring a safe, clean and beautiful environment, and providing vibrant retail opportunities.

Street changes are only one part of the plan.
The re-configuring of Front Street is only one of many major projects planned for improving the pedestrian environment around Union Station. Other changes include a new Northwest PATH pedestrian tunnel link, the TTC subway platform expansion, as well as a recently created southern entrance from Union Square by the Air Canada Centre.

Project Goals

Safe and efficient pedestrian travel is the top priority.
Monrning rush-hour at Front Street and Bay Street
Mid-block crossing on Front Street

On Front Street between Bay Street and York Street pedestrians outnumber vehicles 10 to 1 during the peak periods. Following directions from the Union Station District Plan, the City Official Plan and the Pedestrian Charter, the City is considering the creation of a “Pedestrian Priority Zone” that ensures safe, direct, comfortable, attractive and convenient walking access to and from Union Station across Front Street. The needs of cars, taxis, bikes and other private vehicles will be addressed in a sensible approach that follows the primary needs of pedestrians.

Designs will balance historical significance with modern needs and opportunities.
The redesign of Front Street will follow established Heritage Precinct Guidelines to preserve the historical importance of the area while allowing for creative and contemporary design solutions. The result will be an expanded and improved civic space that satisfies the functional needs of this transportation hub, while featuring historical architecture and blending with the existing and on going streetscape improvements in the surrounding district.

Study Area

The primary focus of the study is the portion of Front Street from Bay Street to York Street. For the purpose of undertaking a traffic analysis a secondary study area has been created, which is bounded by Richmond Street to the north, Lake Shore Boulevard to the south, Spadina Avenue to the west, and Church Street to the east.

View Front Street Re-configuration from Bay Street to York Street Environmental Assessment - Study Area in a larger map

Public Consultation

Plans have not been finalized. We are seeking your input. The City will be consulting with many stakeholders and will seek public input on options at key stages.

Public Information Centre #1
Our first Public Information Centre (PIC) was held on July 5, 2010 in Union Station.

Download a copy the information materials that were provided (PDF):
You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat reader to view PDF files.

Public Information Centre #2
The City hosted its second and final public consultation event on November 3, 2011. The Preliminary Preferred Design for Front Street at Union Station was on display and participants were invited to review and discuss with the project team.

Download a copy of the information materials that were provided (PDF):

You can learn more about this project and share your insights and opinions through other means:

Q & A Document – February 2012
In response to comments submitted during the final phase of public consultation, the City has published a thorough Updated Questions and Answers document for the Changes to Front Street at Union Station study.

View the Updated Questions and Answers document

Notice of Completion
March 5, 2012, City Council authorized staff to issue a Notice of Completion and to file the Environmental Study Report (ESR) for the Front Street West Reconfiguration Class Environmental Assessment Study. In accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment the Notice of Completion was issued in the Metro News on May 9 and 11, 2012.

View the Notice of Completion

The ESR is available for public review and formal comment starting May 9, 2012 and ending June 11, 2012.You are invited to download the ESR files below or view a printed version of the documents in one of two locations:

Toronto Entertainment District BIA Office
100 Simcoe St., Suite 110,
Tel.: 416-926-1337
City Clerk's Office
City Hall, 12th fl., West tower
100 Queen Street West
Tel: 416-392-8016

Please call to confirm hours of operation.

Environmental Study Report (ESR)
The Environmental Study Report (ESR) documents the planning and decision making process followed in this study, including consultation practices, which has been followed to arrive at the preferred solution. The ESR also sets out the mitigating measures proposed to avoid or minimize environmental impacts.

Below are PDF copies of the complete ESR. Please note, some files are large in size (e.g. 6 MB) and may take a few minutes to download, depending on your Internet connection.

Copies of display materials and newsletter from the public events are available in the "Public Consultation" section.

Contact Us
If you have any comments or concerns regarding this study, please contact:

Jason Diceman
Senior Public Consultation Coordinator
City of Toronto Metro Hall, 19th Floor
55 John Street
Toronto, ON M5Vs 3C6
Tel: 416-338-2848
Fax: 416-392-2974
TTY: 416-397-0831
Email: FrontStUnion@toronto.ca

All submissions will be documented, reviewed by the project team and included in the project record. We regret that we cannot directly respond to every individual message received. A summary of comments and project team responses will be published on this web page following each stage of public consultation.

Environmental Assessment Process

This study is being carried out as a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) Schedule C process. Formally, this study is called the “Front Street Reconfiguration from Bay Street to York Street Class EA”.

The Class EA process includes identifying the problem/opportunity to be addressed, and developing and evaluating a reasonable range of alternative solutions. The schedule ‘C’ Class EA process will provide members of the public and interest groups with opportunities for input at key stages of the study.

Background

Project Goals

Study Area

Public Consultation

Environmental Assessment Process

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