Date:October 28, 1998
To:Scarborough Community Council
From:Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP
Director, Community Planning, East District
Subject:On-Street Parking Issues on Lawrence Avenue East
Between Pharmacy Avenue and Birchmount Road; and
Lawrence Avenue Study (W95027)
Scarborough Wexford
Purpose:
To respond to the direction of Council for a status report on various matters related to the
Lawrence Avenue Study to be submitted to the Scarborough Community Council.
Financial Implications
None
Recommendation:
It is recommended that this report be received for the information of Council.
Background:
The Urban Environment and Development Committee on June 15 and 16, 1998, had before
it a communication (May 22, 1998) from Councillor Norm Kelly submitting a copy of a
staff report dated April 17, 1998, in response to a request made by Mr. Keysar Nasr of
NASR Foods to provide on-street parking on Lawrence Avenue East between Pharmacy
Avenue and Birchmount Road.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee:
(1) referred the aforementioned communication to the Commissioner of Urban Planning
and Development Services and the General Manager, Transportation Services, for inclusion
in a previously requested study of this area; and
(2) requested the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services and the
General Manager, Transportation Services, to submit a preliminary joint report thereon to
Scarborough Community Council.
Subsequently, on October 14, 1998 Scarborough Community Council approved a request by
Councillor Kelly that reports be submitted to the next meeting from:
(1)The Director of Community Planning, East District, on the status of the Lawrence
Avenue Study: such report to include the beautification of Lawrence Avenue and the interest
expressed by Mr Keysar Nasr; and
(2)the Director of Transportation Services, District 4, on the feasibility of One Hour
Parking sign restrictions on the north side of Lawrence Avenue from Birchmount Road to
Pharmacy Avenue from 6:00 p.m. on Fridays to 12 midnight on Sundays.
This report was prepared jointly by Urban Planning and Development Services and
Transportation Service Staff.
Discussion:
Lawrence Avenue Study
The Lawrence Avenue Study was initiated by the former Scarborough Council through the
adoption of Terms of Reference on November 14, 1995. The section of Lawrence Avenue to
be studied runs from Victoria Park Avenue to Birchmount Road. Matters to be addressed
included garbage and property maintenance, restaurant uses including seasonal outdoor
patios, parking, traffic calming and pedestrian comfort and safety.
Following a publicity campaign through the distribution of flyers and an advertisement in
the local community newspaper early in 1996, a Steering Committee was constituted
comprising planning staff, with various areas of expertise, and local business operators. The
initial Steering Committee meeting was held on April 10, 1996, at which the key matters of
concern were found to be garbage, the pedestrian environment, speeding traffic and the need
for a more attractive image for the area.
On May 1, 1996, a walking tour of the study area took place. Again, the storage of garbage
prior to pick-up was a key concern, as well as a perceived lack of on-site parking for some
establishments. The staff observed that the Commercial area appeared to be successful, and
generally, functioned well.
The Lawrence Avenue Study received a low priority in staff resources over the past couple
of years for a variety of reasons. Firstly, planning staff were of the opinion that the
commercial area was successful and functioning well. Secondly, amendments to the
Planning Act which compressed development review time frames coupled with a significant
increase in development activity and a reduction in staffing required that priority be given to
development reviews. Completion of the study remains a secondary priority at this time.
Beautification of Lawrence Avenue
Staff have been informed that, along the north side of Lawrence Avenue between
Birchmount Road and Pharmacy Avenue, Mr Nasr wishes to provide and maintain at his
own expense, such items as decorative street lamps, banners and flower planters. The
Unionville main street would be an example of the image he would like to establish at this
location.
If it is Mr Nasr's intention to place these items on the road allowance, then matters such as
public liability, electric power supply to the lamps, and the design and placement of posts
and planters, will have to be explored with the pertinent agencies prior to any decision being
made to accept any part of the offer. A Business Improvement Area designation would be an
effective vehicle for implementing streetscape initiatives on a community basis. The
business owners should be encouraged to organize an association and set up a work program
to achieve the beautification objectives.
On-Street Parking Request
On February 16, 1998, Councillor Kelly referred a request from Mr. Keysar Nasr for
on-street parking on Lawrence Avenue between Pharmacy Avenue and Birchmount Road, to
Works and Emergency Services staff for an investigation. Mr. Nasr is the owner of NASR
Foods at No. 1996 Lawrence Avenue and was also on the Steering Committee for the
planning study mentioned above.
In March 1998, staff contacted Mr. Nasr regarding the specifics of his request. Mr. Nasr
indicated that his request to permit parking on Lawrence Avenue East within the subject
area is related to parking supply at his food store. Specifically, Mr. Nasr indicated that peak
parking demand for his facility typically occurs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from
approximately noon onwards. There is an on-site parking lot which accommodates
approximately 90 vehicles and is shared by "Ladan Bakery" and "Colony Park Restaurant".
Mr. Nasr identified that on many occasions there is insufficient on-site parking capacity to
accommodate peak parking demands.
The existing parking regulations on Lawrence Avenue East between Pharmacy Avenue and
Birchmount Road are as follows:
North Side-No Stopping between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Monday to Friday
No Parking Anytime, Monday to Saturday
South Side-No Parking Anytime, Monday to Saturday
The existing regulations currently allow parking on both sides of the road on Sundays.
A parking utilization investigation was conducted on Saturday, March 28, 1998 between
12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The results of this investigation indicated that of the 90 on-site
parking spaces, most were being fully utilized. Observations revealed that motorists
occasionally had to wait for a parking space before parking. However, the wait times were
relatively short as a result of the high parking turnover. Furthermore, vehicle conflicts were
not observed as a result of insufficient parking supply. The introduction of on-street parking
would result in a reduction in arterial capacity from seven lanes to five lanes, which would
increase congestion and decrease safety for vehicles accessing/egressing driveways along
Lawrence Avenue East. In view of the investigation results, and the arterial traffic handling
function of Lawrence Avenue East, staff did not recommend that on-street parking be
introduced in this area.
The traffic investigation findings were communicated to Councillor Kelly in a memo dated
April 17, 1998, which was subsequently placed on the agenda for the Urban Environment
and Development Committee meeting on June 15 and 16, 1998, resulting in the direction to
report further to the Scarborough Community Council.
At its meeting on October 14, 1998, Scarborough Community Council requested that staff
report on the feasibility of allowing One Hour parking on the north side of Lawrence
Avenue from Birchmount Road to Pharmacy Avenue form 6:00 p.m. on Fridays to 12
midnight on Sundays.
Given that staff contacted Mr. Nasr in March 1998 to determine the specifics of his concern
and that the investigation was conducted on a Saturday afternoon during peak shopping
traffic conditions, no further traffic investigations were considered necessary and the
conclusions from that March 1998 investigation remain valid. In summary, the benefits of
providing parking at any time on Lawrence Avenue East between Birchmount Road and
Pharmacy Avenue do not outweigh the negative impacts on traffic operations, vehicular
capacity and safety.
Conclusions:
The matter of on-street parking on Lawrence Avenue in this area would more appropriately
be addressed as part of a comprehensive study of land use, parking and pedestrian activity
along the street. A new Lawrence Avenue study could be considered once the departmental
structures are in place, although it may still receive a low priority.
Contact Names:
Carolyn Johnson, MCIP, RPPMartin D. Maguire, P.Eng.
Acting Sr. Planner, Transportation DivisionActing Manager, East Traffic Region
(416)-396-5376(416)-392-5243
(416)-396-4265 Fax Number(416)-397-5011 Fax Number
cjohnson@city.scarborough.on.cammaguire@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca
Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP
Director, Community Planning, East District
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