Date: January 22, 1998
To: Special Committee
From: Chief Administrative Officer
Acting Executive Commissioner of Corporate Services
Subject: Planning for the Seat of Government
Purpose:
To provide Council with options for addressing issues related to the location of Council meetings and the location of Councillors’ offices on both an interim and permanent basis.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
City Council approve, in principle, City Hall as its permanent, long term location and further, that;
The Acting Executive Commissioner of Corporate Services be requested to report on:
A development plan for a Civic Complex, including the possibility of including City Hall, Old City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square and the City-owned land to the north of City Hall, and a processes for public participation;
An action plan to relocate to a refurbished City Hall by the beginning of the next term of Council;
The development of space standards including space requirements for Council and the administrative functions of the organization.
2. City Council approve that, in the interim, Council meetings and Councillors’ offices shall be located at Metro Hall, and that the necessary work be undertaken at Metro Hall at a cost not to exceed $2.5 million, and:
additional Councillors’ offices be completed at Metro Hall by the end of May, and;
the necessary funding be authorized from the Capital – ‘Other Projects’ account.
Staff be directed to explore options whereby the development of the Civic Complex could be financed with minimal net financial implications
The necessary staff be authorized to give effect to these recommendations.
Council Reference:
At its first meeting on January 2, 6, 8 and 9 1998, City Council requested that Special Committee:
"submit a report to the meeting of Council to be held on February 4, 1998, on the location of regular meetings of Council, and until such time as the Special Committee reports back to Council on a permanent location for regular meeting of Council, such meeting be held at Metro Hall; also requested the Chief Administrative Officer to report to the Special Committee on three options, with advantages, disadvantages and costs associated with choosing the seat of government."
and
"The Chief Administrative Officer be requested to submit reports to the Special Committee on:
(i) three options, with advantages and disadvantages and cost factors involved in choosing the seat of government, and that these options, together with the recommendations of the Special Committee, be reported to Council in three months; and that all Members of Council be invited to attend the meeting of the Special Committee at which this issue will be discussed;"
In addition, the motion from Councillor Moscoe, which recommended that Metro Hall be the provisional seat of government until an appropriate Civic Complex can be planned and developed, was referred to the Special Committee.
Background/History:
The Toronto Transition Team, charged with making recommendations as to the location of the new City of Toronto Council, received presentations on Toronto City Hall and Metro Hall outlining the costs and actions required to house the new City Council at each location. The Team recommended that the Council of the new City of Toronto should meet initially in the Council Chamber at Toronto City Hall and also recommended that existing offices for Councillors in both Halls be used until a decision is made on a permanent location.
Renovations were made at both buildings as there were, in total, only 41 offices available in City Hall and Metro Hall. At City Hall, 6 new offices were added, as well as a new meeting room constructed, and additional desks added to the Council Chamber at a cost of $228,000. For Metro Hall, the costs were $125,000 primarily for the Council Chamber.
Comments:
Profile
Toronto City Hall and Metro Hall were each built with very different concepts in mind. Toronto City Hall is a dramatic architectural landmark with a unique design that reflects its special purpose. Metro Hall was designed to be an efficient office facility that can readily be adapted to its occupants’ needs. Both can enable the Council and head office staff to be comfortably accommodated and provide ready access to the public.
The following provides, for the purposes of comparison, a profile of each facility
|
|
Toronto City Hall |
Metro Hall |
|
Square footage |
537,900 sq.ft. |
658,485 sq. ft. |
|
Present Occupancy |
2000 |
2750 |
|
Potential Occupancy |
2500 |
3000 |
|
Ownership |
Owned |
Owned, $65 million debt |
|
Market Potential |
None |
Class A office building |
Requirements for Council Operations
Council Chamber
seating for 56 Councillors and the Mayor’s podium and adequate seating for staff, the public and the press gallery
a chamber that is fully accessible and secure
an electronic voting system that can be managed by the Clerk and allows the public to view the vote results
a quorum and vote call system that can be heard in the lounge and Councillors’ offices
a multi media audio visual projection system
Councillors’ Offices
56 office suites with 600 square feet to accommodate the Councillor, an Executive Assistant, and an Administrative Assistant
each suite furnished to the same standards, with furniture from existing Councillor’s suites at Metro, City Hall or other existing locations
all offices to be equipped with computers and network connections (cost is not included in the estimates, as these are budgeted separately)
Meeting Rooms
two large committee rooms for 150 people and wired for microphones and recording of proceedings
six smaller rooms with a capacity of 75 to 100 people
Considerations - Long Term Options (after this term of Council):
City Hall as the Permanent Seat of City Government.
If City Hall is chosen to be the permanent seat of government for Toronto City Council, then work will be required to expand the Council Chamber, improve access and washroom facilities, add new meeting rooms and to build additional 33 offices for Councillors. Changes will also have to be made to accommodate the Office of the CAO, Executive Commissioners and Clerk. Costs for the improvements at a basic level are $5.12 million.
No assessment has been made of any additional work on the building that would be needed to the administrative offices or the public areas. Much of the work would need to be done in any case since the building would continue to be used as office space for the City regardless of where Council is located and for the Toronto Community Council.
Moving beyond the simple issue of locating City Council into City Hall, a broader vision has been proposed. This would see City Hall and Old City Hall being linked to form a re-designed Civic Centre. There are many possibilities. City land to the rear of City Hall could be incorporated into the design and the possibilities of commercial space to add to the life of the Centre and to provide revenue could be considered. Consideration of changes to the Council Chamber, public areas and office space within City Hall would also be required as part of the overall design. The development potential, design criteria and financial feasibility of such a proposal will require time to study and report to Council before a decision can be made.
If Council is no longer located at Metro Hall, it reverts to being simply a City owned office facility and its future will be determined through the process of rationalising and disposing of surplus City property. The sale of Metro Hall as a commercial office building will yield funds that could be used to offset the costs of renovating the two Toronto City Halls.
With regard to Old City Hall, the majority of the space is currently leased to the Provincial courts. The lease agreement concludes at the end of 1998 and the Province has indicated that it wishes the lease to be renewed and has requested an early response to this request. Asset preservation of this important building is ongoing. It could become the location for the Toronto Community Council.
As the seat of local government is one of the most important functions in the City, the public should have an opportunity to contribute to the process which determines the final design of the Complex. Processes could include: a design charette or forum where architects, landscape architects and designers can contribute their ideas; a public forum for deputations or an invitation for submissions.
Metro Hall
If Metro Hall is chosen as the permanent location of the Toronto City Council, work could be done to construct 23 additional Councillors’ offices on the third floor and to relocate the present public meeting rooms. The Council Chamber will require some work to improve the present seating arrangements and equipment. The cost for this option is $2.5 million.
With regard to City Hall, the building would still be used for administrative office space and could house the Toronto Community Council. The points noted above for Old City Hall would still apply.
If all three City Halls continued to be occupied, a total of around 6,100 administrative office spaces would be available in the downtown core. An assessment of the requirement for this space will need to be conducted following amalgamation of the administrative and head office functions of the City.
Considerations - Medium Term Options (July, 1998 for term of Council)
Appendix B contains detailed cost estimates.
Consolidate Accommodation at City Hall on a Permanent Basis.
This would require construction of 33 offices for Councillors and improvements to the washrooms, access to the Council Chamber and seating arrangements, as well as new meeting rooms and improvements to existing ones. The cost estimate for the work is $5.1 million. This includes $350,000 for enlarging the Council Chamber and $250,000 for relocating the CAO’s office and related key administrative functions. It also includes the cost of re-locating staff in space required for the construction of Councillors. However, this option does not include the cost of renovating/refurbishing the rest of Toronto City Hall nor does it include capital improvements to the building or Nathan Phillips Square. The work can be completed in six to eight months.
Consolidate Accommodation at Metro Hall on a Permanent Basis
Construction of 23 offices for Councillors on the third floor, including stair access between the second and third floors and additional washroom facilities as well as some improvements to the seating arrangements and equipment in the Council Chamber could be completed within a six month period at an estimated cost of $2.5 million. This includes the cost of re-locating staff in space required as a result of the construction of Councillors’ offices and also re-locating meeting rooms that are presently on the third floor. Most departmental head office functions are already located in Metro Hall.
Consolidate Accommodation at Metro Hall on an Interim Basis
This option would allow all Councillors to be located at Metro Hall while planning, development and construction at City Hall is under consideration or implementation. It assumes that City Hall is to be the eventual seat of government. For this purpose, the only construction would be for 23 Councillors’ offices on the third floor, at a cost of $1.3 million. The option could be completed within three months. The cost includes relocation of staff and relocation of meeting rooms presently on the third floor. Meeting rooms would be used at other City locations, as needed. Improvements to the Council Chamber could also be made, bringing the total cost of this option to $1.6 million.
This option will allow work to proceed on the permanent seat of government at City Hall without interrupting Council during the construction phase. The other benefit of this option is that it provides time for the debt on Metro Hall to be substantially reduced, thus increasing the net proceeds from the potential sale of the building.
Short Term Issues:
There are a number of on going issues that staff are resolving to ensure that Council can operate in an efficient and cost effective way in the short term, such as the provision of space for Councillors with City Hall offices while they are at Metro Hall. These are being resolved as they occur.
Financial Implications:
The construction period for the City Hall and Metro Hall options, which includes the time necessary to let contracts, is around six months. The cost estimates range from $5.1 million to $1.3 million pending on the location and scope of work to be done. The costs of a Civic Complex can only be determined after further study and development of a design plan. Renovation of Old City Hall alone will cost an estimated $50 million for renovation costs and $20 million to bring it up to standard as an office facility.
There are a number of opportunities to fund the proposals discussed in this report. It is the intent of staff to work towards creating such opportunities, striving to complete the project with as little net impact on the budget as possible. Opportunities include the sale of Metro Hall, and of other properties that are no longer required, the use of special funding such as for Millenium projects, and allocation of rent being received for use of the Old City Hall by the Province.
Conclusions:
There are many long-term issues facing the City with regard to the appropriate and efficient use of its property assets and many unknowns. Council is being asked to decide between City Hall and Metro Hall as the location for its administrative offices and business meetings, so that the necessary construction work can begin and Councillors can be accommodated together at the earliest opportunity. The concept of a civic complex at City Hall/Old City Hall should be further explored, including cost minimization to the taxpayer.
Contact:
Art Coles: 397- 0805
Cathie Macdonald: 392-0449
Michael R. Garrett, Margaret Rodrigues
Chief Administrative Officer Acting Executive Commissioner
of Corporate Services
