September 29, 1998

TO:URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Re:Communication Plan for New Bus Garage

This report outlines a process for obtaining input to the design of the new bus garage located at Comstock Road and Lebovic Road to keep Councillors informed of intentions/progress prior to final decisions as requested by Toronto City Council at its meeting of July8/9/10,1998.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statements

If the recommendations of this report are adopted, the risk of incurring additional project costs related to schedule delays will be reduced.

Recommendation

It is recommended that Toronto City Council endorse the process for obtaining public and technical input for the new bus garage as described herein.

Background

At its July 8/9/10, 1998 meeting, City of Toronto Council asked that "the Chief Administrative Officer and the Chief General Manager of the Toronto Transit Commission be requested to submit a report to the Urban Environment and Development Committee on changes to current protocol of the Toronto Transit Commission to provide that City Councillors representing Wards in which initiatives are being considered and that will have an effect on the local community are kept informed of intentions/progress prior to any final decisions at the Commission".

Discussion

The design process for the new bus garage and related facilities occurs over a period of approximately 15 months. Preliminary Design occurs in the first 30% of the design activity and is aimed at conceptualizing and finalizing the configuration and layout. Detail design advances the design from 30% to 100% completion and produces tender-ready documents.

An outline of the basic steps of the consultative process which TTC will be undertaking during the design of the new bus garage is illustrated in Exhibit A, attached, and described as follows:

(a)0% to 10% Stage (Conceptual Design)

During this stage, garage plans and site layouts will be distributed to all agencies involved in design review and approval process. Working meetings to discuss the plans will be arranged with City Planning staff and other affected departments and agencies. At the end of this design stage, the proposed layout and architectural concept is completed and will be submitted to City staff through a site plan control application, local Councillors and subsequently to the Commission for approval. An information package will be distributed through the local Councillors to the local community inviting them to a public meeting. Garage plans and configuration will be presented at the public meeting. Comments from the public will be incorporated into the design, as appropriate. Subsequently, an information report will be submitted to the Commission and Urban Environment & Development Committee regarding the outcome of the public meeting.

(b)10% to 30 % Stage (Preliminary Design)

Following approximately four to six months of design, at the 30% stage, the basic functional layout of the project and related surface facilities has been confirmed. At this stage, project plans will once again be distributed and a second set of working meetings will be held with the involved agencies. Input from these reviews will be incorporated as appropriate.

(c)30% to 90% Stage (Detail Design)

Approximately half way through this design stage, the proposed design will be submitted to City staff, local Councillors and subsequently to the Commission for approval with regard to external appearance. Working meetings to discuss the plans will be arranged with City Planning staff and other affected departments and agencies. An information package will be distributed through the local Councillors to the local community inviting them to another public meeting to review the garage appearance. Subsequently, an information report will be submitted to the Commission and Urban Environment & Development Committee regarding the outcome of the public meeting.

(d)90% to 100% Stage (Document Preparation)

During this design stage, the site plan control agreement will be finalized and executed with the City staff. This agreement is a prerequisite to the issuance of a building permit.

The TTC has adopted this pre-submission consultative process related to site plan approval to ensure that opportunities for timely input by all affected parties are built into the design process at an early stage. The consultative process described in this report is intended to avoid expensive redesign costs and expedite approval.

Conclusions

A process has been established to ensure adequate input on the design of the new bus garage related surface facilities from the public and local Councillors, agencies and staff. The proposed process enables construction to proceed in a timely manner in order to meet the project schedule. This process also ensures that the interests and inputs of all affected parties are included in the design in a timely manner.

David L. GunnMichael R. Garrett

Chief General ManagerChief Administrative Officer

Toronto Transit CommissionCity of Toronto

85-109-22

191013

Attachments