This site was last updated on February 2, 2012
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Community Update Newsletter
Construction Liaison Group- Soil Removal
Construction Liaison Group (CLG) for Soil Removal has been established to help identify and resolve construction-related concerns. The group is comprised of seven members, including representatives from Councillor Fletcher and Councillor McMahon's offices, residents on Leslie Street (who live closest to the site), The South Riverdale Community Health Centre, Martin Goodman Trail users, Canadian Tire, and Toronto Hydro. The CLG will help to pro-actively flag concerns to the TTC for resolution.
As part of TTC's commitment to keep the community informed on the soil removal process, regular updates will be posted here showing air and dust monitoring levels recorded from units located at the perimeter of the project site. Threshold levels have been established by Toronto Public Health and the Ministry of the Environment. The TTC is working with both of these agencies to ensure the safe and efficient removal of the soil.
November 5, 2011 - The mound of contaminated soil has been safely removed from the site. As a result, air and dust monitoring will be discontinued until March 2012 and the construction start of the maintenance and storage facility.
Dust Monitoring Reports
Dust Monitoring Reports
Air Monitoring Summary Reports
CLG Meeting Minutes
For further details, please contact the Community Liaison at 416-397-8699.
New and Improved Streetcars
TTC is committed to improving your transit service.. Once the new facility is functional, significant improvements will be brought to you.
Some benefits of the new streetcars will include:
- Low-Floor access for persons with mobility challenges
- Enhanced comfort and reduced crowding in larger vehicles
- Faster boarding from multiple entrances
New Fare collection system to reduce line-ups
- Accommodation for bikes
- Air conditioning in the summer
- More Environmentally Friendly
- L.E.D. lighting to reduce maintenance costs and energy consumption
- A.C. traction motors with full energy recovering regenerative capabilities
For more information on the new streetcars please visit www.lrv.ttc.ca
The Project
Background
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is planning to construct a Maintenance and Storage Facility at the south east corner of Leslie Street and Lakeshore Blvd as well as build a connection track on Leslie Street.
The facility is required to provide service and storage for the new low-floor streetcars that will be replacing the current fleet of streetcars in Toronto. The new vehicles will begin arriving in 2013 and will provide transit users, reliable and accessible transit.
The 248 streetcars purchased by the Toronto Transit Commission in the 1970s and 1980s are nearing the end of their useful lives and now need to be replaced. The TTC is acquiring a new fleet of 204 vehicles that will be low-floor, quieter, have features such as air conditioning for greater customer comfort, and be able to carry almost twice as many people as the current TTC streetcars. One hundred of the 204 new vehicles will be stored at the Ashbridges site. The other 104 will be stored at the Roncesvalles and Russell (Connaught) car houses. The new streetcars will have leading-edge clean technology for better reliability and performance.
The existing facilities for maintaining and storing the streetcar fleet are the Roncesvalles and Russell Carhouses. Each facility is 80 years old and will not support the maintenance requirements of the new fleet due to limitations such as building roof height and distances between tracks. There is also a lack of adequate storage track capacity at the existing facilities.
The construction of a new Maintenance and Storage Facility is required to provide the necessary vehicle maintenance, repairs and servicing inspection and provide adequate storage capacity for the new streetcars. This facility will be constructed on the south-east corner of Lake Shore Boulevard East and Leslie Street.
Public Consultation Report (Landscape Design Competition)
September 14, 2010: Brown and Storey Architects Awarded Landscape Design Contract
After a thorough review and evaluation of each of the three submissions, the Landscape Design Jury has selected Brown and Storey Architects to implement their concept along Leslie Street and Lakeshore Blvd. The firm led by James Brown and Kim Storey will be joined by landscape architect, Scott Torrance, to implement their design. The company’s scope will centre around the new Maintenance and Storage Facility, as well as explore streetscape options north on Leslie Street to Queen . Congratulations to Fleisher Ridout and gh3 for their participation and helping generate excitement on this project.
The winning submission entitled “Capture the Moment”, incorporates a red frieze along the property line and wrought iron screens along the trail, The concepts are available for viewing by clicking below:
Brown + Storey Architects Inc. (PDF)
A design jury coordinated by the City of Toronto, Urban Design received presentations from each of the firms and evaluated them prior to selecting a winner.
Two outreach events for the design competition were held on August 8 and 10, 2010. Thank you to all who attended to meet the designers and submit comments! A report of comments (PDF) was reviewed and considered by the Design Jury.
Landscape Design Competition
Design Release – July 16, 2010
Following input from the community on May 19th, 2010, three leading urban design landscape firms prepared their concepts for the perimeter of the new TTC Facility at Ashbridges Bay.
Public Meeting Introducing the Competing Design Firms
May 19, 2010
The City of Toronto and the TTC are pleased to announce the launch of a landscape design competition to generate an exciting vision for the landscaping around the future Ashbridges Bay TTC Facility. A public meeting was held on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at the EMS and Fire Academy.
Please review the workbook from the May 19th meeting:
The Design Teams
All three firms are Toronto based and have a proven track record for innovative and environmental landscape design.
GH3 was integral in the preparation of the landscape plan for the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant. They are currently designing June Callwood Park in the Fort York Neighbourhood.
Fleisher Ridout has done extensive landscape planning work in the Port area for TEDCO and designed Harbour Square Park along the Toronto Waterfront.
Brown and Storey were part of a team that was a finalist for the Lower Don Lands competition conducted by Waterfront Toronto, designed Yonge/Dundas Square and were part of the St. George Street design team.
The Site
April 19, 2010 Update
On April 19, 2010, Lou Di Gironimo, General Manager of Toronto Water, gave a presentation to the public at the Ashbridges Bay Neighbourhood Liaison Committee (NLC) meeting. The following details were confirmed:
Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plan (ABTP) Land Use
The land adjacent to the ABTP for the future TTC facility is not needed for future wastewater capacity at the ABTP. The proposed TTC facility would not affect plant operations and all future needs can be accommodated without that parcel of land.
Berm
The berm was created for the storage of soil during the construction of tanks, buildings and structures associated with the ABTP over the past 40 years. It was onsite storage to reduce the cost of transporting soil to an offsite location. It has also served as a visual barrier to the plant. The removal of the berm will have no impact on plant operations. The berm was not built as a barrier for any chemical spills and it is not part of any regulations provincially or federally for the safe operation of the plant.
The site at Leslie and Lake Shore (Ashbridges Bay) was ultimately selected from six potential sites for this Maintenance and Storage Facility. Reasons why this location was selected include:
- proximity to existing streetcar network (at Queen Street East)
- most cost-effective site
- no displacement of existing businesses
- positive feedback from the public during initial consultation
- More information on how this site was selected is found here.
City Council and Commission Reports
Update July 6, 2011
Commissioners re-affirm Leslie Street as the best option for a track connection between the Ashbridges Bay MSF and Queen Street.
Update - June, 2010
Please see City Clerks Decision Document from the June 9, 2010 City Council Meeting. Details on the project including Committee and Council reports are found under the heading PW 33.9.
Staff Report – June 2, 2010 Commission Meeting
Please review the staff report to the June 2nd, 2010 Commission Meeting.
Transit Project Assessment (TPA)
Update – December 2010
Minister of the Environment Issues “Notice to Proceed”
The Ashbridges Bay) Maintenance and Storage Facility has been approved by the Ontario Minister of the Environment. A copy of the Minister’s Notice to Proceed and the Proponents’ Statement of Completion (PDF) are posted for information purposes.
Background
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is planning to construct a Maintenance and Storage Facility at the south east corner of Leslie Street and Lakeshore Blvd as well as build a connection track on Leslie Street.
The facility is required to provide service and storage for the new low-floor streetcars that will be replacing the current fleet of streetcars in Toronto. The new vehicles will begin arriving in 2013 and will provide transit users, reliable and accessible transit.
Notice of Study Completion
Please review the Notice of Study Completion of the Environmental Project Report for the Transit Project Assessment Process, published September 30, 2010 in The Metro and the Beaches Mirror.
Please note that because the 30-day public comment period ends on a Saturday (October 30, 2010), the deadline has been extended to Monday November 1, 2010.
Notice of Completion
Environmental Project Report – November, 2010
Please review the Environmental Project Report:
- Errata Table
- Cover Page
- Executive Summary
- Table of Contents and Glossary
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Attachment 1
- Track Changes
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Appendix C (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- Appendix D (Part 1, 2)
- Appendix E (Part 1, 2)
- Technical Report #1 - Inventory and Assessment Report
(Part a | Part b)
- Technical Report #2- Subsurface Investigations (Part a, b, c)
- Technical Report #3 - Phase I ESA (Part a, b, c, d, e, f, g)
- Technical Report #4 - Phase II ESA (Part a, b, c, d, e)
- Technical Report #5 - Cultural Heritage Assessment Report
- Technical Report #6 - Stage I Archaeological Assessment
- Technical Report #7 - Traffic Impact Study
- Technical Report #8 - Noise and Vibration Assessment Report Technical
- Report #9 - Stormwater Management Report
- Technical Report #10 - Air Quality Assessment Report
- Technical Report #11 - Natural Heritage Impact Study
Following City Council approval on June 9, 2010 for the Ashbridges Bay Maintenance and Storage Facility and connection tracks on Leslie, the environmental impact (positive and negative) for the project will be assessed in accordance with the Transit Project Assessment Process, as prescribed in Ontario Regulation 231/08, Transit Projects and Greater Toronto Transportation Authority Undertakings (2008).
A public meeting specific to the Transit Project Assessment Process was held:
July 28, 2010 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Toronto EMS and Fire Academy – 895 Eastern Avenue
Please view:
Soil Update
TTC will be investing in the safe removal of contaminated soils from the Ashbridges site. Please review an update on the soil testing and removal plans. The South Riverdale Community Health Centre invited TTC to give a presentation on August 11, 2010. Please review:
On July 14 and 15, 2010 meetings specific to the mitigation process for Leslie Street properties were held. TTC will complete testing of the new Light Rail Vehicles in 2012 to confirm specific noise and vibration levels and identify mitigation measures for those affected.
Public Consultation
January 31, 2012 – Streetscape Working Group Meeting #2 – The Project Team, along with Brown and Storey Architects presented the updated design for Leslie Street and Queen St.(Jones to Hastings). The design will now be presented to the broader community. Anyone interested in participating should contact Lito Romano, Community Liaison Officer by email or phone at 416-397-8699 in order to be added to the mailing list.
November 9, 2011 – Perimeter Landscape Design Notice of Public Meeting (PDF) – TTC staff, along with Brown and Storey Architects, presented the detailed landscape design for the perimeter of the Ashbridges Bay Streetcar Maintenance and Storage Facility.
September 14, 2011 – TTC Project Team and Architects Brown and Storey met with a Streetscaping Working Group comprised of local residents, businesses and stakeholders. The helped develop concepts for sections of Leslie Street and Queen Street that may complement this area. These concepts will be presented to the broader community at a future public meeting.
TTC will be hosting a community meeting in the coming months to review these concepts. If you are interested in participating, please contact:
Lito Romano
lito.romano@ttc.ca
July 5th, 2011 - TTC staff attended a community meeting to update Councillor Fletcher and area residents on the status of the project. The presentation highlighted the reasons for re-affirming Leslie Street as the most preferred route connecting the Facility to Queen Street.
March 24, 2011- Staff provided the community and members of the Portlands Action Committee with an update on the Project, including details on the soil removal process, Leslie Street Design and the status on the Connection Track.
The presentation is available: PLAC Presentation March 24, 2011.
A public meeting was held on April 8, 2010 to discuss the route the new and improved streetcars will travel from the Queen Street tracks to the Connaught and Ashbridges yards:
An Open House was held on February 18th at the EMS Academy (895 Eastern Avenue) to gather feedback on preliminary designs for the Facility and connection track.
Thank you to all who attended the February 18, 2010 Open House. Please review a letter sent to those who attended.
The following preliminary alternative route options have been developed for the future streetcars to travel to the Ashbridges Bay Facility.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, would like more information or would like to be added to the project mailing list, please contact:
Lito Romano
TTC Community Liaison Officer
Transit Expansion
5160 Yonge Street, 13th Floor
Toronto, ON M2N 6L9
Tel: 416-397-8699
TTY: 416-397-0831
Fax: 416-338-0279
Email: ashbridges@ttc.ca
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