Sheppard Subway Bayview Station Commuter Parking;

and Removal of Trees from the Bayview Avenue Right-of-Way

Between Sheppard Avenue East and Mallingham Court.

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee recommends that Council:

 (1)approve the actions taken by the Toronto Transit Commission at its meeting held on February 25, 1998, as embodied in the communication dated February 26, 1998, from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit Commission, viz:

 'The Commission approved the Recommendations contained in the memorandum, entitled AStaff Response to Commission Inquiry - Sheppard Subway Bayview Station Bus Loop and Commuter Parking@, as listed below:

 AIt is recommended that the Commission:

 (1)approve elimination of the construction of a commuter parking lot from the Bayview Station concept;

 (2)confirm the requirement for an exclusive off-street bus loop for Bayview Station;

 (3)authorize staff to negotiate a permanent exclusive easement for an off-street bus loop (at the north end of the Dangreen property) now as part of the property settlement with Dangreen, potentially at no cost to the project;

 (4)authorize staff to work with the developer and City staff to investigate alternative off-street bus loop locations that can be integrated with the proposed Dangreen development, provided that the new off-street bus loop configuration is acceptable to the TTC with respect to operations and customer convenience, particularly with regard to an exclusive access to/from Bayview Avenue; and

 (5)confirm that the provision of an off-street bus loop, satisfactory to the TTC, be made a condition of the planning approvals for any development on the Dangreen site."'; and

  (2)give consideration in camera to the issues of the removal of trees from the Bayview Avenue right-of-way between Sheppard Avenue East and Mallingham Court and commuter parking at the Sheppard Subway Bayview Station.

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee reports, for the information of Council, having requested the Chief Administrative Officer and the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services to submit a confidential report directly to Council, for consideration with this matter on June 3, 1998, on the nature of the financial agreements that have been negotiated and the implications of such agreements for the City of Toronto.

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee submits the following communication (April 21, 1998) from the City Clerk:

 City Council, at its meeting held April 16, 1998, had before it Clause No. 9 of Report No. 4 of The Urban Environment and Development Committee, headed AToronto Transit Commission: Sheppard Subway Bayview Station Bus Loop and Commuter Parking@.

 Council directed that the aforementioned Clause be struck out and referred back to the Urban Environment and Development Committee for further consideration, with a request that the Chief General Manager, Toronto Transit Commission, be in attendance at such time as this matter is again before the Committee.

 (Clause No. 9 embodied in Report No. 4 of

The Urban Environment and Development Committee,

referred to above.)

 (City Council on April 16, 1998, struck out and referred this Clause back to the Urban Environment and Development Committee for further consideration, with a request that the Chief General Manager, Toronto Transit Commission, be in attendance at such time as this matter is again before the Committee.)

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee recommends that the Toronto Transit Commission be requested to defer elimination of the construction of a commuter parking lot from the Bayview Station concept at this time.

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee reports, for the information of Council, having:

 (1)directed that a copy of the following communications be forwarded to the North York Community Council for consideration:

  -(February 26, 1998) from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit Commission;

-(March 20, 1998) from Councillor David Shiner, Seneca Heights; and

-(March 20, 1998) from Councillor Joanne Flint, North York Centre South; and

 (2)requested the Interim Functional Lead, Planning, in consultation with the appropriate officials from the Planning Department in the North York Civic Centre, to submit an updated report to the Urban Environment and Development Committee, through the North York Community Council, on the entire block bounded by Sheppard Avenue East, Bayview Avenue, Bayview Mews Lane and Hawksbury Drive.

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee submits the following communication (February 26, 1998) from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit Commission:

 At its meeting on Wednesday, February 25, 1998, the Toronto Transit Commission (Commission) considered the attached memorandum, entitled AStaff Response to Commission Inquiry--Sheppard Subway Bayview Station Bus Loop and Commuter Parking@.

 The Commission approved the Recommendations contained in the above memorandum, as listed below:

 AIt is recommended that the Commission:

 (1)approve elimination of the construction of a commuter parking lot from the Bayview Station concept;

 (2)confirm the requirement for an exclusive off-street bus loop for Bayview Station;

 (3)authorize staff to negotiate a permanent exclusive easement for an off-street bus loop (at the north-end of the Dangreen property) now as part of the property settlement with Dangreen, potentially at no cost to the project;

 (4)authorize staff to work with the developer and City staff to investigate alternative off-street bus loop locations that can be integrated with the proposed Dangreen development, provided that the new off-street bus loop configuration is acceptable to the TTC with respect to operations and customer convenience, particularly with regard to an exclusive access to/from Bayview Avenue;

 (5)confirm that the provision of an off-street bus loop, satisfactory to the TTC, be made a condition of the planning approvals for any development on the Dangreen site; and

 (6)forward this report to the City of Toronto.@

 The foregoing is forwarded to the City of Toronto for information.

 (Toronto Transit Commission Report No. 25a, entitled

"Staff Response to Commission Inquiry--Sheppard Subway

Bayview Station Bus Loop and Commuter Parking".)

At its meeting of December 16, 1997, the Toronto Transit Commission (Commission) deferred consideration of Report No. 26, entitled "Sheppard Subway--Bayview Station Commuter Parking Lot", to "permit further consultation between staff, Vice-Chair Moscoe, Councillor Shiner and Councillor King". This report responds to that request.

 Recommendations:

 It is recommended that the Commission:

 (1)approve elimination of the construction of a commuter parking lot from the Bayview Station concept;

 (2)confirm the requirement for an exclusive off-street bus loop for Bayview Station;

 (3)authorize staff to negotiate a permanent exclusive easement for an off-street bus loop (at the north-end of the Dangreen property) now as part of the property settlement with Dangreen, potentially at no cost to the project;

 (4)authorize staff to work with the developer and City staff to investigate alternative off-street bus loop locations that can be integrated with the proposed Dangreen development, provided that the new off-street bus loop configuration is acceptable to the TTC with respect to operations and customer convenience, particularly with regard to an exclusive access to/from Bayview Avenue;

 (5)confirm that the provision of an off-street bus loop, satisfactory to the TTC, be made a condition of the planning approvals for any development on the Dangreen site; and

 (6)forward this report to the City of Toronto.

 Funding:

 Sufficient funds for this Sheppard Subway project expenditure are included in the TTC 1998-2002 Capital Program (as set out on pages 695-705 - Sheppard Subway Category) which was approved by the Commission on November 18, 1997.

 Background:

 At the December 16, 1997, Commission meeting, the Commission deferred consideration of the recommended configuration of the Bayview Station bus loop and commuter parking lot to permit further consultation between staff, Vice-Chair Moscoe and Councillors Shiner and King. TTC and City staff met with Councillors King, Shiner and Moscoe on February 4, 1998.

Discussion:

 Concern has been expressed from the area City Councillors and the local community about the location of both the recommended bus loop and the commuter parking lot to be located south of the bus loop (see Exhibit 1).

 (a)Commuter Parking:

 The commuter parking lot has been seen as a factor in constraining the proposed development of the Dangreen site to the southern half of the property and TTC staff agree that such a small commuter parking lot (65 spaces) should not be a constraint to re-development. Consequently, it is recommended that the commuter parking lot be eliminated from the Bayview Station concept. The elimination of the lot is not expected to result in an appreciable reduction in station ridership and provides more flexibility to re-develop the site. The elimination of the lot, will however, likely be opposed by Orlando Corporation (the owner of Bayview Village Mall located to the east of the Dangreen site) which believes that there is a demand for 400 commuter parking spaces at Bayview Station.

 (b)Bus Loop:

 Currently, the 11A branch of the 11 Bayview bus route turns back to the south on-street via Sheppard Avenue, Hawksbury Drive, Bayview Mews Lane and Bayview Avenue (see Exhibit 2). This allows a higher level of service to be provided south of Sheppard Avenue to match customer demand. The current daily ridership on the loop itself is extremely low (10-20 trips per day) and would not meet current TTC standards for providing service on these streets.

 With the construction of Bayview Station (including two new entrances on the east and west sides of Bayview Avenue, north of Sheppard Avenue), service plans require that the 11/11A Bayview and 78 St. Andrews bus routes connect with the subway entrances in both directions on Bayview Avenue to provide direct subway/bus transfers as is done at most other stations in the system. Eighty percent of the customers to this station are expected to arrive by bus.

 This plan would result in the elimination of the on-street loop and the construction of a new off-street bus loop at the north end of the Dangreen site (see Exhibits 3 and 4) to serve the 11A Bayview and 78 St. Andrew bus services which will turn around at this location when the subway is opened for revenue service. An off-street bus loop is the only acceptable design because only that would allow all passengers transferring from the bus to the subway to do so without crossing either Bayview Avenue or Sheppard Avenue. Locating the off-street bus loop at the north end of the Dangreen site leaves 85 percent of the site available for development.

 There are no acceptable on-street loop options.

 If an off-street bus loop is not provided on the Dangreen property, service would have to loop on-street. A clockwise looping (see Exhibit 5) would not allow the 11A Bayview or 78 St. Andrews buses to connect to the subway in the southbound direction (with the resulting passenger confusion) and, therefore, would be unacceptable from a customer service perspective. The counter-clockwise looping (see Exhibit 6) would also be unacceptable from a service point-of-view, as customers would cross Sheppard Avenue (eight lanes) to access the subway. It should also be noted that with a counter-clockwise looping, passengers getting off the bus to access the subway cannot use the YMCA Entrance on the south side of Sheppard Avenue as it is not staffed and currently cannot accept bus transfers.

 Any on-street looping would result in unproductive additional round-trip time on the routes, and would result in a lower frequency of bus service south of Sheppard Avenue, inconveniencing approximately 4,100 customer trips per day and, overall, would provide a poorer quality of service than can be provided with the recommended bus loop. The use of an on-street loop would result in additional annual operating costs of $25,000.00 which can be avoided with a new off-street bus loop. In the long term, the delays to service resulting from on-street looping would result in the need to add a bus to the route earlier, with the resulting annual operating cost impact of $150,000.00 per year and the capital cost of an additional bus ($400,000.00). Re-design of the station to accommodate either of the on-street loops would significantly delay the construction of Bayview Station and would involve significant re-design costs.

 Given the above, the protection for an off-street bus loop should be obtained as follows:

 -obtain a permanent surface easement (rather than full acquisition), for the recommended off-street bus loop, now as part of a negotiated settlement with Dangreen, potentially at no cost to the project;

 -staff consider alternative locations for the off-street bus loop on the Dangreen site as part of the development process provided that the revised location of the loop is operationally acceptable with respect to operations and customer convenience. In particular, the TTC requires an exclusive bus access to/from Bayview Avenue;

 -the requirement to satisfy the TTC on the configuration of the off-street bus loop would be made a condition of the planning approvals (official plan amendment, zoning, site plan) for the development of the Dangreen site;

 -the TTC would not make a site plan application for an off-street bus loop at this time. The TTC's site plan application can be delayed until 2001 when it is anticipated that the configuration of the development will be known.

 Justification:

 The TTC requires an off-street bus loop at Bayview Station to maximize passenger convenience and minimize future operating costs whether or not a development proceeds on the Dangreen site. Proceeding as recommended ensures that property is made available for an off-street bus loop.

The Urban Environment and Development Committee also submits the following communication (March 20, 1998) from Councillor David Shiner, Seneca Heights:

 A comprehensive plan for the entire block, which would contain the Sheppard Subway Bayview Station Bus Loop and Commuter Parking, is being considered by North York Planning Department staff, in conjunction with the Toronto Transit Commission, Dangreen and the Orlando Corporation. Orlando has been meeting with Dangreen and has advised the Planning Department that they will be submitting a proposal within the next two weeks and that these plans include commuter/community parking.

 As the Toronto Transit Commission's proposal is only dealing with the narrow strip of land along Bayview Avenue, I would, therefore, request your Committee to recommend that the Toronto Transit Commission defer eliminating the commuter parking lot from the construction plans at this time, and that an updated report be requested from the North York Planning Department on the entire block bounded by Sheppard Avenue East, Bayview Avenue, Bayview Mews Lane and Hawksbury Drive.

 I am unable be at your March 23, 1998, meeting in the morning; however, if the Committee would like me to address this issue, I will be pleased to attend after your lunch break.

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee also submits the following communication (March 20, 1998) from Councillor Joanne Flint, North York Centre South:

 I urge, in the strongest possible terms, that Committee Members recommend against the elimination of proposed parking at the Bayview Subway Station.

 The residents of Ward 9 have been assured since the start of subway discussions that there would be adequate parking for commuters and a drop off/pick-up area at the Bayview Station. The Ward 9 residents would be the first to suffer the negative and irritating effects of "spill-over" parking on their streets should the long-promised parking at the Bayview Station not be provided.

 (A copy of Exhibits 1-6, referred to in the foregoing TTC Report No. 25a, has been forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda of the March 23 and 24, 1998, meeting of the Urban Environment and Development Committee, and a copy thereof is also on file in the office of the City Clerk.)

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee also submits the following report (February 20, 1998), entitled "Removal of Trees from the Bayview Avenue Right-of-Way Between Sheppard Avenue East and Mallingham Court", from the Interim Functional Lead, Transportation:

 Purpose:

 To authorize the removal of six trees in connection with the construction of the Sheppard Subway Bayview Station.

 Funding Sources:

 The costs associated with this work will be the responsibility of the Toronto Transit Commission.

 Recommendations:

 It is recommended that authority be granted for the removal of six trees from the Bayview Avenue right-of-way between Sheppard Avenue East and Mallingham Court.

 Background:

 Metro By-law No. 211-74, Section 10, subsections (i) and (ii), provides that, "no person shall injure, destroy, or cut down any tree on a Metropolitan Road without the approval of Metropolitan Council".

 Discussion:

 As a precursor to the construction of the Bayview Station a series of overhead and underground utilities must be relocated out of the way of the subway structure and work area. Among these are an existing hydro vault and chamber at the northeast corner of the Bayview Avenue/Sheppard Avenue intersection.

 This plant must be relocated to another location along Bayview Avenue and will consist of one underground and one above-ground vault. To relocate the plant to the east side of Bayview Avenue would require the acquisition of a sizeable easement due to limited right-of-way width. This would be expensive and would introduce constraints on the future development of the adjacent property. On the west side of Bayview Avenue there are two locations where sufficient right-of-way exists, approximately ten metres south of Mallingham Court and approximately 15 metres north of Mallingham Court. Both of these locations provide sufficient property for the construction of the plant and access by hydro crews for future maintenance. At the northerly location, however, a significant grade difference of approximately five metres exists between the existing landscaped area of the right-of-way and the sidewalk/roadway elevation. Extensive grading, some tree removal, and the construction of a retaining wall would be required to utilize this site. The southerly location would require the removal of six mature trees but no significant re-grading. A detailed cost/benefit analysis determined that the southerly location imposes the lowest overall cost for the relocation of the hydro plant.

 The trees to be removed (two maple, four pine) are located adjacent to the front and side yard of the end townhouse on the south side of Mallingham Court. The specific hydro vault location preserves a group of trees adjacent to the backyard of the townhouse. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) proposes the installation of a 2.5 metre cedar fence to screen the townhouse from Bayview Avenue following the tree removal.

 The trees to be removed have a replacement value of $4,636.00. The TTC is responsible for the replacement value plus associated costs. These funds, and other funds collected as the result of Sheppard Subway work will be used in the Sheppard Avenue corridor to enhance the streetscape of areas disturbed by construction. Installation of appropriate streetscaping will occur upon final restoration of Sheppard Avenue after completion of the subway.

 Conclusion:

 In order to facilitate the construction of the Sheppard Subway, Bayview Station, it is recommended that approval be granted to remove six trees.

 Contact Name and Telephone Number:

 Mr. David Butler, Manager, Sheppard Subway Traffic Operations, 392-5285.

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee also submits the following communication (April 9, 1998) from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit Commission:

 At its meeting on Wednesday, April 8, 1998, the Toronto Transit Commission (Commission) considered the attached report, entitled "Sheppard Subway - Bayview Station Hydro Relocation - Mallingham Court".

 The Commission took the following action:

 (a)received the report for information;

 (b)requested that this report be forwarded to the Urban Environment and Development Committee requesting the Committee to approve the required tree-cutting permit for the Mallingham Court Hydro Vault at its April 20, 1998 meeting (to City Council on May 13, 1998) to allow critical Hydro infrastructure to be relocated in advance of the construction of Bayview Station;

 (c)requested that in the event this matter is not considered at the April 20 meeting of the Urban Environment and Development Committee that the report be forwarded directly to City Council for consideration at its May 13, 1998 meeting; and

 (d)requested staff to contact the local Councillor regarding this matter to see if there are any concerns.

 The foregoing is forwarded to the City of Toronto for the necessary approval, as detailed in the report.

 (Toronto Transit Commission Report No. 6,

entitled "Shepard Subway - Bayview Station

Hydro Relocation - Mallingham Court.)

 Recommendations:

It is recommended that the Commission:

 (a)receive this report for information;

 (b)forward this report to the Urban Environment and Development Committee requesting the Committee to approve the required tree-cutting permit for the Mallingham Court Hydro Vault at its April 20, 1998 meeting (to City Council on May 13, 1998) to allow critical Hydro infrastructure to be relocated in advance of the construction of Bayview Station; and

 (c)in the event that this matter is not considered at the April 20, 1998 meeting, forward this report directly to City Council for consideration at the May 13, 1998 meeting.

 Funding:

 Sufficient funds for this Sheppard Subway project expenditure are included in the TTC 1998-2002 Capital Program (as set out on pages 695-705 - Sheppard Subway Category) which was approved by the Commission on November 18, 1997.

 Background:

 Aerial Hydro infrastructure and an existing underground Hydro switch vault must be relocated in advance of the construction of Bayview Station. The schedule for this work is as follows:

 -Hydro design work Complete

-Award of Hydro constructionWeek of May 19

-Hydro relocationsJune - September

-Bayview Station

- Tender PeriodJune 30 - September 2

- AwardSeptember 23

 The preferred new location for the Hydro equipment (one underground, one above-ground) is on the west side of Bayview Avenue, south of Mallingham Court. This location requires some trees to be cut down in the Bayview Avenue road allowance. The tree-cutting permit to allow the Hydro work to proceed was deferred from the March 23, 1998 meeting to the April 20, 1998 meeting of the Urban Environment and Development Committee at the request of Councillor Filion. This deferral was to allow time for public consultation on this issue.

 This matter must be considered by the Committee on April 20, 1998 (to Council May 13, 1998) or this critical Hydro work will be delayed with the resulting impact on the upcoming construction of Bayview Station.

 Discussion:

 As outlined in Exhibit 1, there are three possible locations for the relocation of the Hydro vaults. Option A is strongly preferred (see also Exhibit 2) as it is the least cost option, requires no property acquisition, has similar tree removals in comparison to the other options and the Hydro relocation contract (which is ready for tender) is based on the implementation of Option A.

 Option B is not preferred as it still requires tree removals, results in a $25,000.00 cost premium, and requires the construction of a 1-2 metre high retaining wall 2.5 metres from the exterior wall of the end townhouse unit on Mallingham Court. Implementation of Option B would require the re-design of the Hydro work (2-3 months delay) with the resulting impact on the schedule for the construction of Bayview Station.

 Option C requires the acquisition of private property as the Hydro vaults cannot be located within the road right-of-way. Consequently, Option C has a $200.00 - 350,000.00 cost premium and places the Hydro vaults in the centre of the proposed Dangreen development. Option C also requires some tree removal and again would require the re-design of the Hydro contract with the resulting delays to construction.

 Given the above, Option A is recommended; and to address potential concerns about the loss of trees the TTC has proposed to extensively re-landscape the area south of Mallingham Court (see Exhibit 3) in order to implement the recommended option. As well, the following public consultation has taken place with respect to the Hydro equipment and the landscaping concept:

 -a meeting was held with Councillor Filion on March 11, 1998, to discuss the issue;

 -a letter to Councillor Filion dated March 20 outlined the detailed rationale for the recommended location of the Hydro equipment and the proposed re-landscaping plan;

 -a brochure inviting residents in the entire station area to a public meeting concerning Bayview Station was distributed the week of March 16, 1998;

 -on March 20, 1998, a letter outlining the Hydro re-location concept (including the landscaping plan) was hand-delivered to all residents of Mallingham Court; and

 -a public meeting/open house concerning the Bayview Station finishes and landscaping concepts was held on March 31, 1998.

 In response to the above efforts, no member of the public asked a question at the public meeting or has submitted a written comment about the proposed Hydro work or the landscape plan. TTC staff received a phone call on April 6, 1998, from the owner of 3 Mallingham Court (the unit affected by the implementation of the recommended option), expressing concern about the proposal. TTC staff are attempting to meet with the property owner prior to the April 8, 1998 Commission meeting.

 The TTC believes that Option A is the preferred one, that the Hydro work can and should proceed on schedule and that the necessary tree-cutting permit should be approved by the Urban Environment and Development Committee at its April 20, 1998 meeting. This will allow Council to consider this issue on May 13, 1998, allowing this critical work to proceed on schedule.

 Justification:

 Further delays in approving the necessary permits for the Bayview Station advance Hydro relocation contract are not warranted and will delay the construction of Bayview Station.

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee also submits the following communication (April 22, 1998) from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit Commission:

 At its meeting on Wednesday, April 8, 1998, the Toronto Transit Commission (Commission) considered report, entitled "Sheppard Subway - Bayview Station Hydro Relocation - Mallingham Court," and took the following action:

 (a)received the report for information;

 (b)requested that this report be forwarded to the Urban Environment and Development Committee requesting the Committee to approve the required tree-cutting permit for the Mallingham Court Hydro Vault at its April 20, 1998 meeting to allow critical Hydro infrastructure to be relocated in advance of the construction of Bayview Station;

(c)requested that in the event this matter is not considered at the April 20, 1998 meeting of the Urban Environment and Development Committee that the report be forwarded directly to City Council for consideration at its May 13, 1998 meeting; and

 (d)requested staff to contact the local Councillor regarding this matter to see if there are any concerns.

 I have now been advised that this matter was deferred at the April 20, 1998 meeting of the Urban Environment and Development Committee until its next meeting. In view of this decision and the resultant $1-$2 million/month cost impact if work is delayed, I would request, as per the Commission's formal direction noted above, that this matter be forwarded directly to City Council for consideration at its meeting on May 13, 1998.

 Your assistance with respect to the foregoing would be greatly appreciated.

 CCCC

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee reports, for the information of Council, having had before it a confidential communication (May 12, 1998) from the Chief General Manager, Toronto Transit Commission, regarding Bayview Station commuter parking and the removal of trees opposite 3 Mallingham Court for Bayview Station Hydro vaults.

 Mr. Andy G. Bertolo, Chief Project Manager, Sheppard Subway, Toronto Transit Commission, appeared before the Urban Environment and Development Committee in connection with the foregoing matter.

 (A copy of each of the following attachments has been forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda of the May 19, 1998, meeting of the Urban Environment and Development Committee, and a copy thereof is also on file in the office of the City Clerk:

 (i)Exhibits 1-6, referred to in TTC Report No. 25a, which was appended to the foregoing communication dated February 26, 1998, from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit Commission, regarding the Sheppard Subway Baview Station bus loop and commuter parking;

 (ii)the two location plans, which were appended to the foregoing report dated February 20, 1998, entitled "Removal of Trees from the Bayview Avenue Right-of-Way Between Sheppard Avenue East and Mallingham Court", from the Interim Functional Lead, Transportation; and

 (iii)Exhibits 1-3, referred to in TTC Report No. 6, which was appended to the foregoing communication dated April 9, 1998, from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit Commission, regarding the Shepard Subway Bayview Station Hydro Relocation - Mallingham Court.)