Official Plan: Chapter 2 Shaping the City

2. Shaping the City

Toronto’s future is one of growth, of rebuilding, of reurbanizing and of regenerating the City within an existing urban structure that is not easy to change.

Population growth is needed to support economic growth and social development within the City and to contribute to a better future for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area [GTHA]. A healthier Toronto will grow from a successful strategy to attract more residents and more jobs to the City.

The principles that follow for steering growth and change to some parts of the City, while protecting our neighbourhoods and green spaces from development pressures, are the first layer of a sound planning process for shaping the City’s future. The integrated land use and transportation policies presented in this Chapter are key to achieving this objective.

“… [the urban vision) must strike a balance between the requirements of the community, the economy and the environment. Compatibility between land use and transportation is central to that balance. Therefore, while transportation is a major part of an urban area vision, the urban vision is much broader.”A New Vision For Urban Transportation (1993) Transportation Association of Canada

Chapters Three and Four present additional policy directions that will guide our decision making. Together, these planning and development policies aim to: nurture our residential neighbourhoods, parks, ravines and natural areas; improve air, soil and water quality while growing our economy; and encourage redevelopment of the highest quality.

The success of this growth management strategy will be determined not only by the amount and location of population and employment growth, but also by the degree to which we have advanced Council’s sustainability principles in shaping growth.

2.1 Building a More Liveable Urban Region

Toronto cannot plan in isolation or expect to stand alone in dealing with the effects of urban growth. Our view of the quality of urban life tends to be based on the local conditions in our own neighbourhoods. These conditions are in turn affected by events happening in the larger region. The quality of the air, water, services and region-wide transport systems all affect the quality of life in our neighbourhood, where we work and where we play. The way in which growth and change are managed in Toronto must mesh with that of our neighbours because we are integrally linked in many ways:

• The competitive position of Toronto as a business location reflects the diversity and strength of the broader regional economy. In turn, the competitiveness of the GTHA economy is shaped by the unique functions found within the City. For example, linkages connect research and innovation activities within Toronto to production and distribution functions throughout the GTHA.
• Traffic does not stop at our borders. The region’s prosperity depends on an excellent integrated regional transportation system, featuring direct, transfer-free, inter-regional transit service, road and rail networks that move goods efficiently and excellent access to key locations in the regional economy, such as Pearson International Airport.
• Toronto is part of the larger biophysical region that is bordered to the north, west and east by the Greenbelt, which includes the Niagara Escarpment, the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Protected Countryside, and to the south by Lake Ontario. The major watersheds found in this larger region connect Toronto to many other communities and to natural ecosystems beyond our boundaries. Trunk water and wastewater lines also connect municipalities throughout the GTHA.
• When planning for housing in Toronto, we must look to the needs of the whole region. We have to offer a broader choice of housing type, tenure and affordability, both within Toronto and beyond.
• With concentrations of new immigrants, post-secondary students and seniors, Toronto has a unique social profile within the GTHA, in part due to the concentration of rental, particularly subsidized rental apartments and human services. We have to work with other municipalities to co-ordinate the delivery of human services across the GTHA.
• Because Toronto has evolved as the focal point for specialized services for the whole region, in fields as diverse as education, health, culture, entertainment, tourism and retailing, the City will continue to play an important role in the life of all GTHA residents.

Toronto’s Growth Prospects The City of Toronto is forecast to grow to 3.65 million residents and 1.98 million jobs by the year 2051. The Provincial Growth Plan forecast represents 831,000 additional residents and 371,000 additional jobs after 2016. This Plan takes the current Growth Plan forecast as a minimum expectation. The policy framework found here prepares the City to realize this growth, or even more, depending on the success of this Plan in creating dynamic transit oriented mixed use centres, corridors, and other manners of intensification.GreenbeltThe Greenbelt protects agricultural and environmentally sensitive land within and around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area from urban development. It protects over 1.8 million acres [7300 km2] of land including the Niagara Escarpment, the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Protected Countryside. River valleys that run through existing and approved urban areas and link the Greenbelt to Lake Ontario and other inland lakes provide ecological and hydrological functions that are important to the long-term health of the Greenbelt.Reurbanization – Better Growth ManagementA co-ordinated approach to the redevelopment of land within the existing urban fabric to accommodate regional growth is known as reurbanization. By improving and making better use of existing urban infrastructure and services before introducing new ones on the urban fringe, reurbanization helps to reduce our demands on nature and improve the liveability of the urban region by:

• reducing the pace at which the countryside is urbanized;
• preserving high quality agricultural lands to protect Torontos food security;
• reducing our reliance on the private automobile;
• reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and
• reducing our consumption of non­ renewable resources.

By shaping the urban fabric of the GTHA into a system of mixed use centres and corridors linked by good transit service we will build better communities, strengthen economic conditions and improve air and water quality.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.1.1 Toronto will work with neighbouring municipalities, the Province of Ontario and Metrolinx to address mutual challenges and to implement the Provincial framework for dealing with growth across the GTHA which:

1. 1. focuses urban growth into a pattern of compact centres, mobility hubs, and corridors connected by an accessible regional transportation system, featuring fast, frequent, direct, inter­ regional transit service with integrated services and fares;
   2. makes better use of existing urban infrastructure and services;
   3. results in better water quality through water conservation and wastewater and stormwater management based on watershed principles;
   4. reduces auto dependency and improves air quality;
   5. increases the efficiency and safety of the road and rail freight networks in the movement of goods and services;
   6. encourages GTHA municipalities to provide a full range of housing types in terms of form, tenure and affordability, and particularly encourages the construction of rental housing in all communities;
   7. increases the supply of housing in mixed use environments to create greater opportunities for people to live and work locally;
   8. recognizes Pearson International Airport as a major hub in the regional economy and improves access for passenger travel and air cargo for all GTHA residents and businesses, including convenient transit access to Downtown Toronto;
   9. recognizes the importance of Union Station as the major hub in the regional transit system;
   10. improves the competitive position of the Toronto regional economy internationally and creates and sustains well-paid, stable, safe and fulfilling employment opportunities for all individuals; and
   11. protects, enhances and restores the region’s system of green spaces and natural heritage features and functions and the natural corridors that connect these features, recognizes the role of river valleys that connect the Greenbelt to Lake Ontario and protects the region’s prime agricultural land.

2.1.2. Toronto will consult with adjacent municipalities when making decisions regarding matters of mutual interest such as shared transportation corridors and cross-boundary service provision.

2.1.3. Toronto is forecast to accommodate 3.65 million residents and 1.98 million jobs by the year 2051.

2.2 Structuring Growth in the City: Integrating Land Use and Transportation

In keeping with the vision for a more liveable Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, future growth within Toronto will be steered to areas which are well served by transit, the existing road network and which have a number of properties with redevelopment potential. Generally, the growth areas are locations where good transit capacity can be provided along frequent bus and streetcar routes and at higher-order transit stations. Areas that can best accommodate this growth are shown on Map 2: Downtown, including the Central Waterfront, the Centres, the Avenues and the Employment Areas. A vibrant mix of residential and employment growth is seen for the Downtown and the Centres. The mixed use Avenues will emphasize residential growth, while the Employment Areas will focus on job intensification.

The Three Lenses – A New Approach to Planning The process of managing growth and change will be different in different parts of the City because some areas will have a greater or lesser capacity to accommodate growth. The scale of change will vary depending on the existing conditions of land use, infrastructure needs and opportunities for realizing reurbanization goals.We can view Toronto’s future through one of three different “lenses”.

• Almost three-quarters of the City’s land area is taken up by our residential neighbourhoods, watercourses, ravines and parks. These areas can expect to see little physical change.
• There are parts of the City which are ripe for major growth such as the Centres, the Port Lands and large vacant sites. Their unique situations require local plans.
• Other parts of the City present opportunities for a more gradual process of incremental change, such as the City’s main shopping streets and certain institutional lands.

On the other hand, the approach to managing change in Toronto’s neighbourhoods and green space system, emphasizes maintenance and enhancement of assets.

Access is the ability for everyone, regardless of their status in society, to use or receive resources, goods and services in an equitable manner and fully participate in all aspects of society. Ensuring access requires the removal of barriers associated with literacy, language, culture, geography, education, socio-economic status as well as mental and physical ability. Providing an accessible transportation system contributes to the success of a healthy and socially inclusive community and economy.

The growth areas are knitted together by the City’s transportation system, the viability of which is crucial to supporting the growing travel needs of residents, workers, students and visitors over the next 30 years. The transportation system consists of connected and integrated networks, elements of which include:

• subway, LRT, streetcar and bus networks, supplemented with door-to-door accessible transit services;
• the GO Transit rail and bus networks;
• expressways and major streets;
• collector and local streets;
• railway corridors;
• the cycling network;
• a system of sidewalks, pathways and trails; and
• supporting infrastructure such as railway yards, transit maintenance and storage facilities, public bike share facilities and automobile parking facilities.

The Plan protects the integrity of the City’s transportation system and provides for its planned expansion through the designation of public rights-of-way and transit corridors as described in the maps and schedules and the policy on laneways. Furthermore, the Plan indicates areas for change, such as sections of streets that are prime candidates for bus and streetcar priority measures (shown on Map 5), and means by which street space could be rebalanced.

Higher-order transit is transit that generally operates in partially or completely dedicated rights-of-way, outside of mixed traffic, and therefore can achieve levels of speed and reliability greater than mixed-traffic transit. Higher-order transit can include heavy rail (such as subways and inter-city rail), light rail, and buses in dedicated rights-of-way. Source: Growth Plan (2019).Space-efficient transportation modes are ones which move a comparatively large number of people or quantity of goods relative to the space they require. Examples of space efficient transportation modes for passengers include walking, cycling and transit. Examples of space-efficient transportation modes for goods include full truck loads.

Increasing Access to Opportunities

The integration of transportation and land use planning is critical to achieving the overall aim of increasing access to opportunities throughout the City. Transportation accessibility – a measure of the ease of reaching activity locations – has two components: mobility (transportation) and proximity (land use). Increasing mobility by providing modal choice, and/or increasing the speed, timeliness or directness of travel allows more trips to be made within a given time, whereas increasing proximity through greater mixing of uses and/or higher densities achieves the same effect by shortening trip lengths. The policies of this Plan reflect the importance of mutually supportive transportation and land use policies that combine the mechanisms of mobility and proximity to maximize access to opportunities.

Consistent with the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan, this Plan supports a system of Mobility Hubs at key intersections in the regional higher-order transit network that provides travelers with enhanced mobility choices and creates focal points for higher density development. Detailed master plans for Mobility Hubs will be developed in relation to the timing of higher-order transit improvements and will respect the Metrolinx “Mobility Hub Guidelines” and conform to the policies of this Plan.

State of Good RepairThe City of Toronto has a large, complex and diverse range of infrastructure assets on which it relies to deliver essential services to the community. It is important that these assets continue to meet acceptable levels of performance and support the delivery of services in a sustainable manner. The City’s asset management planning aligns with the Official Plan and its key principles are: holistic, systematic, sustainable, integrated, risk-based and continual improvement and innovation.Vision Zero is the application of the safe systems approach to road safety. This approach recognizes that the human body is vulnerable to injury and that humans make mistakes. In July 2016, City Council approved the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan (RSP), an action plan focused on reducing traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries on Toronto’s streets. In July 2019, Council approved Vision Zero 2.0 – Road Safety Plan Update, recommending a set of more extensive, more proactive and more targeted initiatives, informed by data and aimed at eliminating serious injury and fatalities on Toronto’s roads. The RSP follows a widely accepted, holistic approach to improving road safety which includes 5 E’s:

• Engineering
• Enforcement
• Education
• Engagement
• Evaluation

The Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan designates a system of Mobility Hubs across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area that distinguishes between “anchor hubs” and “gateway hubs”. Anchor hubs have a strategic importance due to their relationship with urban growth centres and/or their role as major international gateways. The more numerous gateway hubs are located at the interchange between two or more current or planned regional rapid transit lines as identified in “The Big Move”. The Mobility Hub system is designed to reinforce the land use/transportation policies of the Province’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, particularly in terms of focusing development growth around major transit station areas.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.1. This Plan will create a better urban environment, a competitive local economy and a more socially cohesive and equitable city through the integration and coordination of transportation planning and land use planning by:

1. 1. attracting more people and jobs to targeted growth areas in the City that are supported by good and affordable transit services and other infrastructure;
   2. developing and expanding components of the City’s transit and other transportation infrastructure to support the growth objectives of this Plan; and
   3. increasing access to opportunities throughout the City by taking advantage of the combined travel benefits afforded by improved mobility and increased proximity.

2.2.2. Growth will be directed to the Centres, Avenues, Employment Areas and the Downtown as shown on Map 2 in order to:

1. 1. use municipal land, infrastructure and services efficiently;
   2. concentrate jobs and people in areas well served by surface transit and higher-order transit stations;
   3. create assessment growth and contribute to the City’s fiscal health;
   4. promote mixed use development to increase opportunities for living close to work and to encourage walking and cycling for local trips;
   5. offer opportunities for people of all means to be affordably housed;
   6. facilitate social interaction, public safety and cultural and economic activity;
   7. improve air quality, energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
   8. improve surface and groundwater quality and restore the hydrological function and habitat of streams, rivers and wetlands; and
   9. protect neighbourhoods, green spaces and natural heritage features and functions from the effects of nearby development.

2.2.3. New development on lands adjacent to existing or planned transportation corridors and facilities is required to be compatible with, and supportive of, the long-term purposes of the corridors and facilities and be designed to avoid, mitigate or minimize negative impacts on and from the transportation corridors and facilities.

Maintaining and Developing a Sustainable Transportation System

Improvements to key elements of the transportation system will also be needed to support the City’s growth, such as renovating transit stations to increase and upgrade their passenger handling capacity and reconfiguring streets to move more people and goods within the existing space. A number of other changes related to alterations and additions to the street network and new and improved connections to local and regional transit services are detailed in Secondary Plans such as the North York Centre and the Scarborough Centre plans. The broad objective is to provide a wide range of sustainable transportation options for goods and people of all ages, abilities and means that are safe, seamlessly connected, convenient, affordable and economically competitive to all parts of the city. Within this context, the transportation infrastructure policies of the Plan are designed to address three prime areas of concern:

• the need to maintain the existing transportation system in a state of good repair;
• the need to make better use of the transportation infrastructure we already have, particularly by allocating the limited space within rights-of-way using a complete streets approach to prioritize sustainable and space-efficient transportation modes; and
• the need to protect for the incremental expansion of a comprehensive, long-term transit network, incorporating both higher-order and bus and streetcar services, phased to respond to anticipated growth in demand.

The network of public rights-of-way which accommodates the City’s streets and laneways is a vital component of the public realm, serving to connect people and places and to support existing and future development and economic growth. These rights-of-way provide space for a variety of users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, motorists, goods movement and emergency services as well as providing the location of many different uses, including civic events, boulevard cafes, transit shelters and street furniture, street trees, snow and stormwater management, parking and utilities. There is a need to protect and develop the City’s network of streets and laneways and to ensure that the associated rights-of-way are not closed to public use.

The City will provide better and increased transit service in support of the overall objective of achieving a sustainable pattern of growth and development. Transit networks function best when the connections between services and to the active transportation network are convenient, safe and seamless. To this end, Toronto continues to develop a fully integrated system of transit services that combines the higher-order transit network with the network of bus and streetcar routes in a manner that delivers better transit service to all areas of the City, and connects with other transit services in the broader region. Improving connections between local and inter-regional services is key to developing a fully integrated transit system across the City.

New higher-order transit facilities represent major capital investments that have long-lasting effects on the pattern of access to opportunities. Higher-order transit investments will maintain and enhance the existing transit network and be planned to serve people, strengthen places, and support prosperity.

Bus and streetcar routes provide transit services across most parts of the City as complements to, and extensions of, the higher-order transit network. The majority of transit trips in the city involve a ride on a bus or streetcar. Recognizing their importance, the network of bus and streetcar routes will be enhanced to improve service reliability and travel times by reducing interference from other road traffic through the implementation of transit priority measures, and by improving operational efficiency and rider convenience by such means as providing more frequent service.

Toronto’s transit network is important to the success of the broader region, as recognized in the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). The RTP supports the development of a Frequent Rapid Transit Network which incorporates many existing and planned services within Toronto.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.4. The City’s transportation system will be maintained and developed to support the growth management objectives of this Plan by:

1. 1. developing the key elements of the transportation system in a mutually supportive manner which prioritizes walking, cycling and transit over other passenger transportation modes;
   2. giving first priority for investment in transportation to maintaining the existing system in a state of good repair to provide continued safe, reliable and attractive movement and to make more efficient use of the City’s existing infrastructure;
   3. considering the diverse travel needs of people of all ages, abilities and means in the planning and development of the transportation system;
   4. maintaining and, where appropriate, enhancing inter-regional transportation connections to adjacent municipalities;
   5. improving connections between key elements of the transportation system to enhance the convenience of multimodal trips; and
   6. incorporating design features in transportation infrastructure, where feasible, that facilitate their modification or conversion to other uses in response to changes in environmental conditions, technology, development and travel behaviour.

2.2.5. The City’s network of streets and laneways will be maintained and developed to support the growth management objectives of this Plan by:

1. 1. protecting and developing the network of rights-of-way shown on Map 3 and Schedules 1 and 2 by:
      1. acquiring over time the additional property needed to achieve the designated width. The conveyance of land for widening may be required for nominal consideration from abutting property owners as a condition of subdivision, severance, minor variance, condominium or site plan approvals;
      2. extending and altering the widths of pavement, sidewalk and other facilities as necessary within the designated rights-ofway; and
      3. giving high priority to preventative and restorative maintenance and rehabilitation of the road (pavement, sidewalk, and other facilities) network;
   2. acquiring lands beyond the right-of-way widths shown on Map 3 and Schedule 1 to accommodate necessary features such as embankments, grade separations, additional pavement or sidewalk widths at intersections, transit and cycling facilities, transit priority measures or to provide for necessary improvements in safety, accessibility or visibility in certain locations. The conveyance of land for such widening may be required for nominal consideration from abutting property owners as a condition of subdivision, severance, minor variance, condominium or site plan approvals;
   3. acquiring over time lands to ensure that public lanes serving residential lands or parks and open space will be at least 5 metres wide and public lanes serving commercial, mixed commercial-residential, institutional or industrial lands on at least one side will be at least 6 metres wide. The conveyance of land to widen the lane to the standard width may be required for a nominal consideration from abutting property owners as a condition of subdivision, severance, minor variance, condominium or site plan approvals;
   4. continued safe and comfortable service;
   5. supporting the implementation of measures for the long-term protection of 400-series highways and those major roads that play a vital role in the City’s freight distribution system;
   6. ensuring that streets are not closed to public use and stay within the public realm where they provide present and future access for vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, space for utilities and services, building address, view corridors and sight lines;
   7. ensuring that laneways are not closed to public use and stay within the public realm where they provide present and future access and servicing to adjacent development(s); and
   8. ensuring that new streets will be provided in consideration of surrounding land uses and will contribute to the development of a connected network which provides direct and clearly understood travel routes for all transportation modes and users throughout the City and acts as a fundamental organizing element of the City’s physical structure.

2.2.6 The City will work with its partners to develop and implement a comprehensive transit network plan to achieve the advantages of a resilient, fully integrated, comprehensive transportation system and deliver safe, accessible, seamlessly connected, convenient, frequent, reliable, fast, affordable and comfortable transit service to all parts of the city. The comprehensive transit network will comprise higher-order transit routes serving the principal corridors of demand integrated with a grid-network of high quality bus and streetcar routes and be supported by seamless connections to the active transportation network.

2.2.7 The City will work with its partners to improve and expand the higher-order transit network by:

1. 1. protecting the corridors identified on Map 4 for possible future higher-order transit services in exclusive or semi exclusive rights-of-way, with the exact locations and precise widths of these corridors, including station locations, being determined through a comprehensive planning process and the Environmental Assessment process;
   2. undertaking comprehensive planning processes for new higher-order transit services in the corridors identified on Map 4 to support their successful implementation and inform the establishment of project priorities considering value-for-money and broader city-building objectives of this Plan, including that transit should be built to serve people, strengthen places and support prosperity;
   3. implementing higher-order transit services in the corridors identified on Map 4 according to the established priorities as funding becomes available and the Environmental Assessment and business case analysis processes are completed;
   4. implementing road-rail and rail-rail grade separations as funding becomes available and the Environmental Assessment process is completed;
   5. improving existing connections between transit services, particularly between local and regional higher-order transit services, to ensure that connections are direct, seamless and user-friendly to improve connectivity for transit users; and
   6. supporting the increased use of existing rail corridors within the City for enhanced local and inter-regional transit service.

2.2.8 The City will work with its partners to maintain and enhance bus and streetcar services to deliver safe, accessible, seamlessly connected, convenient, frequent, reliable, fast, affordable and comfortable transit service to all parts of the city through such measures as:

1. 1. reducing delays and traffic interference on transit routes across the city, including those shown on Map 5, through the introduction of transit priority guidelines and transit priority measures such as:
      1. Transit signal priority or other signal timing changes;
      2. High-occupancy vehicles lanes;
      3. Partially or fully exclusive transit lanes;
      4. Restrictions for non-transit vehicles;
      5. Consolidating, restricting or limiting driveways;
      6. Limiting or removing on-street parking during part or all of the day; and
      7. Transit queue-jump lanes where appropriate;
   2. improving the passenger comfort and operational efficiency of transit stops by such measures as:
      1. Optimizing stop spacing and placement;
      2. Reducing the need for on-vehicle payment;
      3. Providing step-free entry to transit vehicles;
      4. Providing sufficient weather-protected and well-lit waiting space for anticipated passenger volumes; and
      5. Providing sufficient stopping area for anticipated transit vehicle volumes;
   3. recognizing the potential for bus and streetcar services to build demand for future higher-order transit services along certain corridors and to support the growth objectives of this Plan.

Service Foundations For Growth

Water, wastewater and stormwater management services are important foundations for growth in a healthy city, as well as for maintaining the quality of life in areas that will not see much growth. Additional infrastructure is needed to provide clean, safe drinking water to everyone, and to manage and treat sewage and stormwater before it enters watercourses and the Lake. This may mean bigger pipes, stormwater facilities and treatment plants in some areas. It is also important to use less water in our homes and businesses, to manage rainwater where it falls and to use our streams and rivers more effectively to minimize flooding in built up areas. Implementing green street designs and initiatives will also help manage stormwater and create healthier environments.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.9 The City’s water, wastewater and stormwater management infrastructure will be maintained and developed to support the city building objectives of this Plan by:

1. 1. providing adequate facilities to support new development and maintaining the infrastructure in a state of good repair;
   2. supporting, encouraging and implementing measures and activities which reduce water consumption, groundwater discharge to municipal sewers, wastewater and stormwater flows and improve water quality, in accordance with best management practices developed by the City for this purpose; and
   3. acquiring land or easements, where appropriate and where funds allow, to:
      1. keep ravines and watercourses in a natural state; or
      2. implement other stormwater management, and sanitary and water distribution improvements.

2.2.1 Downtown: The Heart of Toronto

Toronto has only one downtown. It plays a vital role as the city’s economic and cultural hub and is critical to the health and prosperity of the entire region that surrounds it.

Downtown, with its recognizable skyline, is Toronto’s image to the world and to itself: cosmopolitan, civil, urbane, diverse and liveable. It is the oldest, most dense and most complex part of the urban landscape, with a rich variety of building forms and activities.

Downtown is the place where our city’s history was born and where much of our future will be shaped. It is an area that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples for nearly 15,000 years. Built and cultural heritage can be seen in Downtown’s significant buildings, districts, landmarks, landscapes and archaeological sites. The conservation and promotion of cultural heritage resources – of First Nations and Métis communities and of settlers – should guide future planning and investment decisions Downtown.

Toronto’s Downtown includes a portion of the Central Waterfront, which offers unique opportunities for substantial employment and residential growth and for upgrades and expansion to the public realm and community facilities as waterfront revitalization proceeds. Both Downtown and the Central Waterfront are guided by their own Secondary Plans.

The Province’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019) identified a Downtown Toronto Urban Growth Centre and establishes a minimum density target for this area.

Economic Powerhouse

Downtown Toronto is the most accessible business location in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and the largest employment centre in the regional economy. Thousands of students, shoppers and visitors also spend time in Downtown Toronto every day. The economic strength of Downtown arises not only from the largest concentration of office towers in the nation but also from the myriad of other activities located here:

• government offices centred around the Provincial Legislature, City Hall and the courts;
• arts and cultural venues;
• entertainment activities and sporting events;
• festivals and special events in public spaces, streets and along the waterfront;
• destination and speciality retail;
• restaurants and food markets featuring Toronto’s diverse cuisines;
• nightclubs, bars and live music venues;
• film and TV production and a flourishing film scene;
• major tourist attractions and convention facilities;
• concentration of print and broadcast media;
• post-secondary educational institutions; and
• health sciences and related treatment and research facilities, many linked to the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.

The concentration, intensity and interaction among all these activities, the access to national and global markets, connections to decision makers in business and government, the ability to easily walk around interesting and safe streets, all give rise to a synergy that fosters innovation, creativity and an atmosphere of success.

While we anticipate and want Downtown to accommodate growth, this growth will not be spread uniformly across the whole of Downtown. In fact, there are many communities Downtown that will not experience much physical change at all. While the population mix within these communities will change over time, their physical character will remain largely unchanged.

Other parts of Downtown will see the development of vertical mixed-use communities in predominantly mid-rise and tall buildings. Mixed use is a key ingredient to the successful functioning of Downtown that creates “accessibility through proximity”. Every home built within the Downtown area offsets the need for in-bound commuting each day.

The Financial District, the Health Sciences District, the institutional complexes of government and higher learning, and the creative industries and cultural sector economies centred on King-Spadina and King-Parliament are the prime areas of job growth.

Toronto’s Financial District is Canada’s premier centre of commerce. This is where commercial activity is most intense with a concentration of large architecturally significant landmark buildings. Jobs are concentrated in large office buildings tightly clustered within walking distance of Union Station and several subway stations, the majority of them connected to one another through the climate-controlled PATH network.

Many of the jobs located Downtown are in government, education or health services, and most of these are located in Institutional Areas north of the Financial District. In addition to being the seat of government for the City and the Province, Downtown is home to large teaching hospitals and other health services that have a regional draw. Equally important are campuses of higher learning, including the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, George Brown College and OCAD University.

There is also an important cluster of arts and culture activities Downtown. From museums, galleries, theatres and performance halls of national significance to small theatre, music and dance companies and individual artists, Toronto’s Downtown helps to shape Canadian culture. The City needs to support the important economic contribution that is forged here through arts and culture.

Many Downtown activities are interdependent. These activities are linked through Downtown’s public realm: the streets, sidewalks and pedestrian connections, parks, squares, open spaces, natural areas and other publicly accessible spaces. This is where people experience public life most directly. The key to successfully shaping Downtown’s future is to improve connections within the public realm and create places that foster public life.

Well-designed connections between the core of the city and the Central Waterfront are important to the vitality of Downtown as a great place to live, work and visit and as an attractive and competitive business location. The renewed Central Waterfront will create new opportunities for business development and contribute in an important way to the image of Downtown and the entire city.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.1.1. The Downtown Toronto Urban Growth Centre will be planned to optimize the public investment in higher order transit within the Centre and thus should exceed the minimum combined gross density target of 400 residents and jobs per hectare set out in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019. Map 6 shows the boundaries of the Downtown Toronto Urban Growth Centre, the Financial District and the Health Sciences District. Map 6A shows the Downtown Plan and the Central Waterfront Secondary Plan boundaries.

2.2.1.2. Downtown will continue to be shaped as the largest economic node in the city and the region by accommodating development that:

1. 1. builds on the strength of Downtown as the premier employment, institutional, retail, arts and culture, and entertainment centre in the Greater Golden Horseshoe;
   2. advances economic competitiveness and helps to attract provincially, nationally and internationally significant investment and employment uses;
   3. provides a full range of housing opportunities for Downtown workers and reduces the demand for in-bound commuting;
   4. focuses on the Financial District as the prime location for the development of prestige commercial office buildings;
   5. focuses on the Health Sciences District as the prime location for the expansion of healthcare facilities and related research, education and commercial functions;
   6. supports expansion of institutions including post-secondary education, governmental and health; and
   7. fosters growth of creative industries and the culture sector centred on the King-Spadina and King-Parliament Secondary Plan Areas.

2.2.1.3. Investment in Downtown on the part of the City, other levels of government and public/private partnerships will be sought to:

1. 1. maintain, improve and expand the public realm, including linkages between Downtown streets, parks, publicly accessible spaces, ravines and the water’s edge;
   2. expand active transportation and transit infrastructure;
   3. promote an environment of creativity and innovation for arts and culture;
   4. support and enhance Priority Retail Streets and specialty retail and entertainment districts found Downtown as important regional and tourist destinations;
   5. maintain high-quality and resilient business infrastructure Downtown including a stable and secure hydro-electric grid, communications networks, district heating and cooling distribution systems, and water, wastewater and stormwater management infrastructure; and
   6. create and advance research and business development alliances among the health, education, biotechnology and biomedical sectors Downtown.

Living Downtown

Downtown is seen as an attractive place to live. New housing Downtown makes an important contribution to the economic health of the City. There is a great degree of social and economic diversity among the Downtown population, accompanied by a diversity of housing types, tenures and affordability. Different communities have different needs in terms of community services and support. Downtown is an inclusive place for vulnerable people and, as growth continues, there is a need to address the threat of displacement and increase supportive services and affordable housing. Planning for Downtown community services and facilities cannot follow a broad city-wide template.

As Downtown’s population increases, more residents are using its parks and open spaces as their shared backyards and gathering areas. They are joined by hundreds of thousands of workers and visitors who use the same public spaces to gather, celebrate and be active. The development of a connected and expanded system of high-quality public spaces for people and healthy, diverse natural systems will keep Downtown liveable as it intensifies.

Downtown is where our history is richest, but it is also where we continue to rebuild to accommodate a growing economy and a changing society. Given that this is one place in Toronto where “change is constant”, we must ensure that our built heritage is respected, nurtured and celebrated.

Art and culture are key ingredients for a successful Downtown.

Toronto is grappling with the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events, including disproportionate burdens on the city’s most vulnerable residents. As growth continues, there are opportunities to re-shape Downtown in ways that will slow the worst impacts of climate change, build resilience to shocks and stresses, improve business productivity, create employment, safeguard the vulnerable, and contribute to better public health. Downtown’s growth can help transform Toronto into a resilient, low-carbon city.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.1.4. The quality of the Downtown will be improved by:

1. 1. developing programs and activities to maintain and upgrade public amenities and infrastructure;
   2. recognizing the high maintenance needs of streets, open spaces and City services in this heavy demand area;
   3. enhancing existing parks and acquiring new parkland;
   4. preserving and strengthening the range and quality of the social, health, community services and local institutions located Downtown;
   5. supporting the development of complete communities;
   6. developing buildings that are shaped, scaled and designed to enhance liveability;
   7. providing a diverse range and mix of housing options, including affordable housing, to accommodate the needs of all household sizes and avoid the displacement of vulnerably housed and at-risk groups; and
   8. developing a resilient and low-carbon Downtown.

2.2.1.5. The architectural and cultural heritage of Downtown will be preserved by designating buildings, districts and open spaces with heritage significance and by working with owners to restore and maintain historic buildings.

2.2.1.6. Design guidelines specific to districts of historic or distinct character will be developed and applied to ensure new development respects the context of such districts in terms of the development’s fit with existing streets, setbacks, heights and relationship to landmark buildings.

2.2.1.7. A campaign to improve Downtown over time and to achieve a healthy and competitive future will be pursued by setting priorities for local improvements.

Downtown Accessibility and Mobility

Economic success and accessibility go hand-in-hand. Downtown’s high level of accessibility is a result of the large concentration of jobs and housing (proximity) combined with the convergence of many transportation routes (mobility). Downtown is the largest centre of economic activity in the nation. As the focus of both the regional (GO Transit) and local (TTC) transit systems, it is easily reached by public transit by the nation’s largest labour market. Planned investments in higher order transit to expand the subway and regional rail systems are needed to enhance the existing transit network and support projected growth. The Union-Pearson Express linking Downtown with Pearson International Airport and the pedestrian tunnel to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport also boost Toronto’s competitiveness by improving national, trans-border and international connectivity.

The large increase in Downtown activity and development over the past several decades has not been accompanied by any significant increase in road capacity. Instead, the growth in trips has been successfully handled by improvements to transit services and by an increase in Downtown housing that has put more people within walking and cycling distance of their place of work and other activities. Lower parking requirements in Downtown, including maximum parking limits for new office development, have helped reinforce this pattern of trip growth. Policies promoting sustainable travel choices, reducing dependence on private automobiles and encouraging mixed use development in Downtown are key components of this Plan.

Downtown streets, sidewalks and the connecting system of public spaces are not just links between activities but are also spaces to be enjoyed in their own right. The quality of the design, construction and maintenance of the public realm is vital to the image of Downtown and to creating an attractive district in which to walk and linger. The appeal of Downtown to pedestrians is an essential part of making the area more attractive and competitive.

The PATH system of climate-controlled walkways offers an alternative for moving between the major office towers, City Hall and the Eaton Centre. It plays an important role in moving commuters from Union Station and other rapid transit stations to their workplace and is an attractive feature in the marketing of Downtown office space and in promoting tourism and the convention business.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.1.8. Priority will be given to improving walking, cycling and transit (TTC and GO) access to and within Downtown while the expansion of automobile commuting and all-day parking will be discouraged.

2.2.1.9. Union Station functions as the major regional transportation hub and will expand its passenger and train handling capacity and incorporate features associated with electrification of the regional rail system.

2.2.1.10. Priority will be given to surface transit vehicles on key Downtown streets, particularly those with streetcars.

2.2.1.11. A program of street improvements will be implemented to enhance the pedestrian environment and expand the cycling network with measures undertaken to make walking and cycling Downtown safe, convenient and comfortable.

2.2.1.12. Development will be encouraged to connect to and expand the PATH network and other climate-controlled walkways without compromising the role of the street as the main place for pedestrian activity.

2.2.2 Centres: Vital Mixed Communities

Four key locations on the rapid transit system, shown as Centres on Map 2, play an important role in how we manage growth. The Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke and Yonge-Eglinton Centres are places with excellent transit accessibility where jobs, housing and services will be concentrated in dynamic mixed use settings with different levels of activity and intensity. These Centres are focal points for surface transit routes drawing people from across the City and from outlying suburbs to either jobs within the Centres or to a rapid transit connection.

Substantial past investment in transit and other infrastructure in these Centres has made it possible to accommodate economic growth. Good transit accessibility also makes the Centres attractive locations for developing a range of housing opportunities where people can live close to their work or easily get to their jobs by transit.

The potential of the Centres to support various levels of both commercial office job growth and residential growth outside of the Downtown is important. This Plan encourages creating concentrations of workers and residents at these locations, resulting in significant centres of economic activity accessible by transit.

Building a high quality public realm featuring public squares and parks, community gardens, public art, and a comfortable environment for pedestrians and cyclists, is essential to attract businesses, workers, residents and shoppers. Each Centre is different in terms of its local character, its demographics, its potential to grow and its scale. A Secondary Plan for each Centre will tailor an intense mix of urban activities to the individual circumstances of each location. These Secondary Plans will outline a growth strategy, show how transportation and other local amenities can be improved, specify variations in the mix of land uses and intensity of activities within each of the Centres and knit each Centre into the surrounding fabric of the City.

Hallmarks of the Centres:

Etobicoke Centre is focused on two subway stations and as an inter-regional transit connection point can contribute to growth management objectives of the broader region. It takes in a range of urban conditions including commercial office buildings, high rise apartments, auto-oriented retailing and traditional main street shopping. It has significant development potential, particularly around its subway stations and the City’s own Westwood Theatre lands. The delivery of municipal services to residents in the western part of the City could be improved by relocating municipal and other government functions there.

North York Centre, focused on three subway stations on its Yonge Street spine, is served by both the Yonge subway and the Sheppard subway and is also a terminus for regional transit from communities to the north. It is a major concentration of commercial office space where businesses benefit from excellent transit service to the Downtown core as well as from good highway access. It should continue to grow as an important commercial office location. It should also continue to be a vibrant residential and cultural centre. A dedicated transit corridor should be established on Yonge Street north of Finch Station to facilitate the development of Yonge Street as an Avenue and to improve transit service for residents of York Region.

Scarborough Centre sits at the eastern end of the Scarborough RT line served by two stations, inter-regional transit and is the focal point of TTC surface routes in the eastern part of Toronto. Improving the Centre’s connectivity will be crucial to its success, particularly improving its regional gateway function, replacing the Scarborough RT with an extension of line 2 and extending the Sheppard subway east providing a high-speed connection between the Scarborough and North York Centres. The residential community has grown substantially in recent years and will continue to grow in the near term. This Centre is a focal point for the communities in the eastern part of the City, with a regional mall and municipal and federal government services drawing residents and workers alike. Proximity to a large Employment Area presents unique options for employment growth offering a mix of offices, housing, retailing and services. The Centre’s woodlots and watercourses also offer the opportunity to weave nature into the urban fabric.

Yonge-Eglinton Centre is situated in Midtown Toronto with a more central location in Toronto’s transit network than the other Centres. The Centre is at the crossroads of the Yonge subway line and the Eglinton Crosstown light rapid transit line, both of which bisect the City. At this strategic location, the Centre serves as a major residential area, employment centre and an important institutional, retail and entertainment destination, highly accessible for a large segment of Toronto. Yonge-Eglinton Centre incorporates a variety of streetscapes and neighbourhoods in a compact form. The diverse mix of uses, range of housing options and conveniently accessible transportation options, community facilities, parks and open spaces are enjoyed by a growing residential population and contribute to a complete and liveable community.

Yonge-Eglinton Centre will continue to prosper as a dynamic live-work district. The Centre will be marked by tall buildings and an intense concentration of office, retail, institutional and residential uses at the Yonge-Eglinton intersection. The scale and intensity of development will transition down in all directions. New mixed-use development on Yonge Street, Eglinton Avenue and Mount Pleasant Road will contribute to the public realm on these busy streets and broaden the area’s offering of stores, services and community facilities. The Mount Pleasant Transit Station will serve as a secondary focal point in the Centre’s east end. Residential development in the Apartment Neighbourhoods north and south of Eglinton Avenue will complement the area’s green, landscaped character and the variety of building types and contribute to the area’s diverse housing options. The Centre’s intensity will be balanced with a generously landscaped, enhanced public realm and new parks and open spaces. Improvements to the active transportation and transit networks will expand safe and convenient travel options inside and into this well-connected Centre.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.2.1. A priority for managing growth in the City is the establishment of vibrant transit-supportive mixed use Centres, shown on Map 2.

2.2.2.2. Each Centre will have a Secondary Plan that will:

1. 1. achieve a minimum combined gross density target of 400 jobs and residents per hectare for each Centre which delineates the boundaries of the urban growth centres for the purposes of the Growth Plan;
   2. set out local goals and a development framework consistent with this Plan;
   3. establish policies for managing change and creating vibrant transit-based mixed use Centres tailored to the individual circumstances of each location, taking into account the Centre’s relationship to Downtown and the rest of the City;
   4. create a positive climate for economic growth and commercial office development;
   5. support residential development with the aim of creating a quality living environment for a large resident population, including encouraging a full range of housing opportunities in terms of type, tenure, unit size and affordability;
   6. assess the adequacy of parks and open space within the Centre and develop a strategy for acquiring new and enhancing existing parkland through appropriate measures, including parkland dedication policies;
   7. assess the adequacy of existing community services, facilities and local institutions and establish a strategy for the timely provision of service and facility enhancements and new facilities to meet the needs of the growing population;
   8. support the use of existing public investment in transit and other municipal assets, and create strong pedestrian and cycling linkages to transit stations;
   9. identify future public investment in transit facilities, streets and other infrastructure, parks, community facilities and local amenities to support population and employment growth;
   10. set out the location, mix and intensity of land uses within the Centre;
   11. establish a high quality public realm featuring public squares, parks and public art;
   12. support the potential for growth within the Centre and protect adjacent Neighbourhoods from encroachment of larger scale development by:
       1. establishing firm boundaries for the development area;
       2. ensuring an appropriate transition in scale and intensity of activity from within the Centre to surrounding Neighbourhoods; and
       3. connecting the Centre with the surrounding City fabric through parks, trails, bikeways, roads and transit routes;
   13. be accompanied by zoning to implement the Secondary Plan that will incorporate transit-supportive development guidelines and in particular, within convenient walking distance of an existing or planned rapid transit station, establish:
       1. minimum development densities as well as maximum development densities;
       2. maximum and minimum parking standards;
       3. restrictions on auto-oriented retailing and services; and
       4. establish appropriate holding zones in those Centres where it has been demonstrated that full development build-out is dependent on the construction and extension of major roads, transit or other services;
   14. assess opportunities for:
       1. energy conservation, including peak demand reduction;
       2. resilience to power disruptions; and
       3. small local energy solutions that incorporate renewables, district energy, combined heat and power or energy storage through preparation of a Community Energy Plan; and
   15. assess opportunities for green infrastructure including tree planting, stormwater management systems and green roofs.

Community Energy Planning Community Energy Planning (CEP) is an area-based approach to energy planning that models energy needs for existing and future development. The CEP will identify opportunities to conserve energy and reduce demand and emissions, including the energy component in water, solid waste and transportation choices.

2.2.3 Avenues: Reurbanizing Arterial Corridors

The Avenues are important corridors along major streets where reurbanization is anticipated and encouraged to create new housing and job opportunities while improving the pedestrian environment, the look of the street, shopping opportunities and transit service for community residents. Such reurbanization is subject to the policies contained in this Plan, including in particular the neighbourhood protection policies.

The grid of Toronto’s early concession roads is one of the most important legacies of the original settlement of Toronto. These roads were Toronto’s first real plan, and continue to define Toronto’s main arteries of movement, drawing together disparate parts of the City and linking us with the larger region. They have provided the City with the ability to put in place a comprehensive network of bus and streetcar lines which will be key to meeting the goal of reducing our reliance on the automobile. The opportunities for reurbanization through the Avenues are greatest in the post-war city: areas that were urbanized for the first time during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Achieving appropriate, high quality development on the Avenues that significantly increases the range of housing choices in the City is one of the key challenges of this Official Plan.

Not all lands that fall within Avenues are designated for growth. These Avenues have been identified at a broad scale to help assess urban design, transit and service delivery issues. However, where a portion of an Avenues is designated as a neighbourhood, the neighbourhood protection policies of Chapter 4 will prevail to ensure that any new development respects and reinforces the general physical character of established neighbourhoods.

Each Avenue is different in terms of lot sizes and configuration, street width, existing uses, neighbouring uses, transit service and streetscape potential. There is no “one size fits all” program for reurbanizing the Avenues. A framework for change will be tailored to the situation of each Avenue through a local Avenue Study that will involve local residents, businesses and other stakeholders for each Avenue, or sections of longer Avenues. Each Avenue Study will contain a vision and an implementation plan to show:

• how the streetscape and pedestrian environment can be improved;
• where public open space can be created and existing parks improved;
• where trees should be planted; and
• how use of the road allowance can be optimized and transit service enhanced.

These changes to benefit new and established community residents may be gradually implemented as funding and opportunities present themselves and development proceeds.

The Avenues will be transformed incrementally. They will change building-by-building over a number of years. The framework for new development on each Avenue will be established by a new zoning by-law and design guidelines created in consultation with the local community. The zoning by-law will set out the mix of uses, heights, densities, setbacks and other zoning standards.

The growth and redevelopment of the Avenues should be supported by high quality transit services, including priority measures for buses and streetcars, combined with urban design and traffic engineering practices that promote a street that is safe, comfortable and attractive for pedestrians and cyclists.

Not all of the Avenues can be studied at once, and some, which function well and already have appropriate zoning in place, may not need further study at all. Some of the Avenues already serve as “main streets” that are focal points for the local community with attractive and bustling sidewalks. These traditional “main street” Avenues already have zoning in place to guide mixed use development in a way that fits with the neighbourhood, and will be a low priority for Avenue reurbanization studies. Ultimately, all Avenues should perform this “main street” role and become meeting places for local neighbours and the wider community. Avenues that are characterized by one or two storey commercial buildings, vacant and underutilized lands and large areas of surface parking will be the priorities for future Avenue Studies.

Avenue Studies and Development ApplicationsAvenue Studies will involve extensive public and stakeholder consultation in order to determine the appropriate scale and intensity of development to be reflected in the zoning for the Mixed Use Areas along the Avenues. In the course of an Avenue Study there will be a comprehensive assessment of local conditions, including: the detailed pattern of land use and urban design; built densities; transit; roads; parking; public utilities; quality of streetscape; character and viability of commercial activities; adequacy of parks, open space and recreational facilities; natural features and conservation opportunities; local heritage resources; unique local natural or built features; and the physical character of adjacent Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhoods. Development can proceed where zoning is in place to permit it, but where zoning is not in place and/or the Avenue Study is not yet completed, development applications may be received and under the Planning Act will have to be considered. If this occurs, the process for considering an Application will be similar to the process for the Avenue Study since it will involve a rezoning. Any rezoning application involves community consultation and rights of appeal. Also, and significantly, the Plan calls for any application to be evaluated against the Avenue criteria, the detailed performance criteria on pages 4-10 to 4-11 that apply to lands in Mixed Use Areas, and the Urban Design policies on pages 3-5 to 3-7, among others. In order to respond to all these performance criteria, the process for evaluating the application will require that a broader area context be examined, and not just the specific application site. The result will be a process that mirrors that for the Avenue Study.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.3.1. Reurbanizing the Avenues will be achieved through the preparation of Avenue Studies for strategic mixed use segments of the corridors shown on Map 2.

2.2.3.2. To facilitate and shape growth, each Avenue Study will engage local residents, businesses, the TTC, Toronto Parking Authority and other local stakeholders and will set out:

1. 1. investments in community improvements by public agencies or public/private partnerships that are needed to support city living and make the area attractive for residents and businesses including:
      1. streetscape improvements including green infrastructure;
      2. transportation improvements such as transit priority measures, improved connections to rapid transit stations, new streets, new or improved laneways, shared off-street parking facilities to meet the parking requirements of nearby developments, bikeways and walkways;
      3. parks and open space, community and rooftop gardens and community services and facilities;
      4. upgraded water or sewer infrastructure; and
      5. opportunities for energy conservation including peak demand reduction, improved resilience to power disruptions and high efficiency local generation and distribution; and
   2. contextually appropriate as-of-right zoning and other regulations designed to achieve high quality development along the Avenue which establishes:
      1. permitted uses and maximum density and height limits;
      2. appropriate massing, scale, siting and organization of buildings;
      3. appropriate scale transitions to adjacent areas;
      4. restrictions on parking at-grade and driveways in front of buildings; and
      5. transit-supportive measures such as:
         1. minimum development densities;
         2. maximum and minimum parking standards; and
         3. restrictions on auto-oriented retailing and services.

2.2.3.3. Development may be permitted on the Avenues prior to an Avenue Study and will be considered on the basis of all of the policies of this Plan. Development on the Avenues prior to an Avenue Study will implement the policies of the Plan for the relevant designation area(s).

2.2.3.4. Development in Mixed Use Areas on Avenues, prior to an Avenue Study has the potential to set a precedent for the form and scale of reurbanization along the Avenue. In addition to the policies of the Plan for Mixed Use Areas, proponents of such proposals will also address the larger context and examine the implications for the segment of the Avenue in which the proposed development is located. This review will:

1. 1. include an assessment of the impacts of the incremental development of the entire Avenue segment at a similar form, scale and intensity, appropriately allowing for distinguishing circumstances;
   2. consider whether incremental development of the entire Avenue segment as identified in the above assessment would adversely impact any adjacent Neighbourhoods orApartment Neighbourhoods;
   3. consider whether the proposed development is supportable by available infrastructure; and
   4. be considered together with any amendment to the Official Plan or Zoning By-law at the statutory public meeting for the proposed development.

2.2.3.5. Development requiring a rezoning will not be allowed to proceed prior to completion of an Avenue Study unless the review demonstrates to Council’s satisfaction that subsequent development of the entire Avenue segment will have no adverse impacts within the context and parameters of the review.

2.2.3.6. In addition to satisfying all other policies of this Plan, including in particular the neighbourhood protection policies, development in Mixed Use Areas on an Avenue that precedes the completion of an Avenue Study will:

1. 1. support and promote the use of transit;
   2. contribute to the creation of a range of housing options in the community;
   3. contribute to an attractive, safe and comfortable pedestrian environment that encourages walking and strengthens local retailing;
   4. provide universal physical access to all publicly accessible spaces and buildings;
   5. conserve heritage properties;
   6. be served by adequate parks, community services, water and sewers, and transportation facilities;
   7. be encouraged to incorporate environmentally sustainable building design and construction practices that:
      1. reduce stormwater flows;
      2. reduce the use of water;
      3. reduce waste and promote recycling;
      4. use renewable energy systems and energy efficient technologies; and
      5. create innovative green spaces such as green roofs and designs that reduce the urban heat island effect.

2.2.3.7. The land use designation policies in Chapter Four of this Plan apply to and prevail on lands broadly shown on Map 2 as Avenues. Where a portion of an Avenue as shown on Map 2 is designated Neighbourhoods, or Parks and Open Space Areas the policies of Chapter Four will prevail to ensure that any new development respects and reinforces the general physical character of established neighbourhoods, and that parks and open spaces are protected and enhanced.

2.2.4 Employment Areas: Supporting Business and Employment Growth

Toronto’s Employment Areas, to be used exclusively for business and economic activities, are an essential cornerstone of our diverse and thriving civic economy. Almost a third of Toronto’s jobs and forty percent of export-oriented jobs with high-multiplier spinoffs are in Employment Areas. The City’s Employment Areas are healthy with considerable investment in new buildings and improvements and overall low building vacancy rates. Important elements of our civic economy, such as manufacturing and warehousing and goods distribution are located almost entirely in Employment Areas and provide for a broad range of jobs and a diverse economic base that helps our City through difficult cycles in the economy.

Our Employment Areas are finite and geographically bounded. Given relative land values, residential lands are rarely converted to employment uses and there is little opportunity to create new employment lands. It is the City’s goal to conserve our Employment Areas, now and in the longer term, to expand existing businesses and incubate and welcome new businesses that will employ future generations of Torontonians. Given the diminishing supply of vacant land in Employment Areas, new development in Employment Areas needs to take place in a more intensive physical form.

Maintaining Employment Areas exclusively for business and economic activities provides a stable and productive operating environment for existing business that also attracts new firms. The introduction of sensitive land uses into Employment Areas can force industry to alter their operations, particularly when the environmental certificates that industries operate under are affected, or complaints are lodged about adverse effects from industrial operations. Even where new sensitive land uses are located outside of, but in close proximity to, Employment Areas, they should be designed and constructed to prevent the residents or users from being affected by noise, traffic, odours or other contaminants from nearby industry.

Toronto’s Employment Areas are important in providing good quality services to our residents and workers. The industrial and commercial properties are vital to maintaining a healthy civic tax base that pays for those services. Most of our City and transportation yards that maintain our infrastructure are located in Employment Areas and have limited alternative locations.

Preserving Employment Areas contributes to a balance between employment and residential growth so that Torontonians have a greater opportunity to live and work in the City, rather than commuting distances to jobs outside of the City. As Employment Areas are spread across the City, work destinations and commuting direction are also spread out, resulting in less road congestion in any one direction. This provides workers who live in close proximity to Employment Areas with the opportunity for shorter commutes to work by either transit, cycling or walking.

The Black Creek Regional Transportation Management Association (BCRTMA) is a non-profit association of employers and other partners working to reduce congestion and air pollution in the Black Creek district (between Weston Road and Dufferin Street north of Highway 401). The mission of the BCRTMA is to work with the public and private sectors to improve mobility and to establish sustainable transportation options within this district.Services offered by the BCRTMA include:

• proactive ride matching to help commuters find a shared ride;
• van pooling for commuters with limited transit options;
• a guaranteed ride home program to ensure that employees who take transit, bike, walk or use a carpool to get to work can get home in an emergency;
• consulting expertise on parking management, carpooling, transit and cycling improvements and trip reduction;
• education of employees and students on transportation issues through materials and special events; and
• advocacy for better transportation through-out the service area.

Our Employment Areas are comprised of lands designated both as Core Employment Areas and General Employment Areas, which are both important “employment areas” as defined in the Provincial policy framework. The conversion of lands within Employment Areas is only permitted through a City-initiated Municipal Comprehensive Review, as defined in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, of the Official Plan. During a City-initiated Municipal Comprehensive Review of the Official Plan, the City will assess any requests to convert Employment Areas on the basis of criteria that implement the Provincial planning framework and the policies of the Official Plan for Employment Areas.

Clusters of Business and Economic Activities Clusters of business and economic activities may include individual businesses and/ or isolated employment sites that contain or are permitted to contain multiple employment uses and activities.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.4.1. Employment Areas, as shown on Map 2, are comprised of both Core Employment Areas and General Employment Areas, as shown on Maps 13 to 23 inclusive. Employment Areas are areas designated in this Plan for clusters of business and economic activities including, but not limited to, manufacturing, warehousing, offices, and associated retail and ancillary facilities.

2.2.4.2. Employment Areas will be used exclusively for business and economic activities in order to:

1. 1. retain sufficient availability of lands, for both current and future needs, for industrial functions such as manufacturing and warehousing;
   2. protect and preserve Employment Areas for current and future business and economic activities;
   3. provide for and contribute to a broad range of stable employment opportunities;
   4. provide opportunities for new office buildings, particularly in business parks along the Don Valley corridor and/or within walking distance to higher order transit;
   5. provide a stable and productive operating environment for existing and new businesses and economic activities by preventing the establishment of sensitive land uses in Employment Areas;
   6. maintain and grow the City’s business tax base;
   7. promote and maintain food security for the City’s residents;
   8. maintain the market attractiveness of the Employment Areas for employment uses;
   9. provide prominent, accessible and visible locations and a wide choice of appropriate sites for potential new businesses;
   10. continue to contribute to Toronto’s diverse economic base;
   11. contribute to complete communities by providing employment opportunities that support a balance between jobs and housing to reduce the need for long-distance commuting and encourage travel by transit, walking and cycling; and
   12. provide work opportunities for residents of nearby neighbourhoods.

2.2.4.3. A more intensive use of lands in Employment Areas for business and economic activities will be encouraged to make better use of a limited supply of lands available for these activities.

2.2.4.4. Employment Areas will be enhanced to ensure they are attractive and function well, through actions such as:

1. 1. permitting a broad array of economic activities that encourages existing businesses to expand or diversify into new areas of economic activity and facilitates firms with functional linkages to locate in close proximity to one another;
   2. investing in key infrastructure to support current and future needs, and facilitating investment through special tools, incentives including tax incentives, and other programs or partnerships, in order to:
      1. promote the distinctive character or specialized function of an area to attract businesses within a particular targeted cluster of economic activity;
      2. facilitate the development of vacant lands and the adaptive reuse of vacant buildings for employment purposes;
      3. facilitate the remediation of brownfield sites to enable redevelopment for employment uses;
      4. address the absence of key physical infrastructure and amenities for workers, or poor accessibility;
   3. encouraging and supporting business associations that promote and provide a voice for businesses within Employment Areas;
   4. establishing a connected network of public streets for use by trucks, automobiles, transit, bicycles and pedestrians; and
   5. promoting a high quality public realm and creating comfortable streets, sidewalks, parks and open spaces for workers and landscaped streetscapes to promote pedestrian/transit use and attract new business ventures while supporting the efficient movement of goods.

Compatibility/Mitigation

In order to address land use compatibility, a collaborative approach is encouraged among applicants of sensitive land uses, including residential uses, major facilities and the City. The City encourages applicants of sensitive land uses, including residential uses and major facilities to exchange relevant information, subject to appropriate measures to protect confidentiality, for the purpose of undertaking and completing all relevant required studies.

Sensitive Land Uses For clarity and for the purpose of this Plan, the term sensitive land uses means: buildings, amenity areas, or outdoor spaces where routine or normal activities occurring at reasonably expected times have the potential to experience an adverse effect, due to nearby major facilities or due to emissions that may be generated by the land uses permitted by this Plan within an Employment Area. Sensitive land uses may be a part of the natural or built environment, principal uses or accessory/ ancillary uses. Residential uses shall be considered sensitive land uses. Other examples may include, but are not limited to: daycare centres, and educational and health facilities. If the Plan permits a use in an Employment Area, the use is not a sensitive land use within that Employment Area for the purposes of this Plan, but may be a sensitive land use as defined in the Provincial Policy Statement and, if so, such land use may require noise, vibration, air quality, and/or odour studies as part of complete application.Major Facilities “Major facilities” means facilities which may require separation from sensitive land uses, including but not limited to airports, transportation infrastructure and corridors, rail facilities, marine facilities, sewage treatment facilities, waste management systems, oil and gas pipelines, industries, energy generation facilities and transmission systems, and resource extraction activities.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.2.4.5. Sensitive land uses, including residential uses, where permitted or proposed outside of and adjacent to or near to Employment Areas or within the influence area of major facilities, should be planned to ensure they are appropriately designed, buffered and/or separated as appropriate from Employment Areas and/or major facilities as necessary to:

1. 1. prevent or mitigate adverse effects from noise, vibration, and emissions, including dust and odour;
   2. minimize risk to public health and safety;
   3. prevent or mitigate negative impacts and minimize the risk of complaints;
   4. ensure compliance with environmental approvals, registrations, legislation, regulations and guidelines at the time of the approval being sought for the sensitive land uses, including residential uses; and,
   5. permit Employment Areas to be developed for their intended purpose.

2.2.4.6. A complete application to introduce, develop or intensify sensitive land uses, including residential uses, in a location identified in Policy 5 shall include a Compatibility/Mitigation Study, which will be addressed in the applicant’s Planning Rationale.

2.2.4.7. The Compatibility/Mitigation Study will:

1. 1. be peer reviewed by the City at the applicant’s expense;
   2. identify and evaluate options to achieve appropriate design, buffering and/or separation distances between the proposed sensitive land uses, including residential uses and nearby Employment Areas and/or major facilities to address the matters in Policy 5; and
   3. identify facilities, including propane storage and distribution facilities, where a separation distance is required by law and/or regulation may include any portion of the applicant’s property and describe the extent to which the application may affect facilities’ compliance with such required separation distances.

2.2.4.8. The costs of studies and mitigation measures shall be borne by the applicant of the sensitive land uses, including residential uses, in a location identified in Policy 5. Also, the cost of collecting and producing relevant information for the studies shall be borne by those requesting the information, in the event that such relevant information is not readily available.

2.2.4.9. Upon receipt of the City’s Notice of Complete Application for a sensitive land use, including a residential use, in a location identified in Policy 5, the applicant shall provide expanded notice of the proposal as follows:

1. 1. notify all major facilities identified by the City on the basis that their influence areas may include any portion of the applicant’s property; and
   2. notify all facilities that store, distribute or handle propane whose separation distances required by law and/or regulation may include any portion of the applicant’s property.

2.2.4.10 When considering applications to introduce, develop or intensify sensitive land uses, including residential uses, in a location identified in Policy 5, Council may consider:

1. 1. the extent to which the applicant and the major facilities or other employment use have exchanged relevant information subject to appropriate measures to protect confidentiality;
   2. any regulatory obligations of the major facility or other employment use; and
   3. the reasonableness of implementing any recommended mitigation measures.

2.2.4.11. Employment Areas in the vicinity of existing major transportation infrastructure such as highway interchanges, ports, rail yards and airports are designated to provide for, and are to be preserved for, employment uses that may rely upon the major transportation infrastructure for the movement of goods.

2.2.4.12. Measures will be introduced and standards applied on roads within Employment Areas that give priority to the movement of trucks and transit vehicles.

2.2.4.13. Transit service and use to and from Employment Areas will be enhanced by:

1. 1. investing in improved levels of service to Employment Areas, particularly from nearby residential areas and mixed commercial-residential areas;
   2. encouraging new employment development to take place in a form and density that supports transit and discourages large areas of surface parking;
   3. creating safe and comfortable pedestrian conditions between places of work and transit stops; and
   4. encouraging travel demand management measures.

CONVERSION AND REMOVAL POLICIES FOR EMPLOYMENT AREAS

2.2.4.14. The redesignation of land from an Employment Area designation to any other designation, by way of an Official Plan Amendment, or the introduction of a use that is otherwise not permitted in an Employment Area is a conversion of land within an Employment Area and is also a removal of land from an Employment Area, and may only be permitted by way of a Municipal Comprehensive Review. The introduction of a use that may be permitted in a General Employment Area into a Core Employment Area or the redesignation of a Core Employment Area into a General Employment Area designation is also a conversion and may only be permitted by way of a Municipal Comprehensive Review.

2.2.4.15. The conversion of land within an Employment Area is only permitted through a City-initiated Municipal Comprehensive Review that comprehensively applies the policies and schedules of the Provincial Growth Plan.

2.2.4.16. Applications to convert lands within an Employment Area will only be considered at the time of a municipal review of employment policies and designations under Section 26 of the Planning Act and a concurrent Municipal Comprehensive Review under the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Applications to convert lands within an Employment Area received between such City-initiated Official Plan Reviews will be not be considered unless Council directs that a Municipal Comprehensive Review be initiated.

2.2.4.17. The City will assess requests to convert lands within Employment Areas, both cumulatively and individually, by considering whether or not:

1. 1. there is a demonstrated need for the conversion(s) to:
      1. meet the population forecasts allocated to the City in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe; or
      2. mitigate existing and/or potential land use conflicts;
   2. the lands are required over the long-term for employment purposes;
   3. the City will meet the employment forecasts allocated to the City in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe;
   4. the conversion(s) will adversely affect the overall viability of an Employment Area and maintenance of a stable operating environment for business and economic activities with regard to the:
      1. compatibility of any proposed land use with lands designated Employment Areas and major facilities, as demonstrated through the submission of a Compatibility/Mitigation Study in accordance with Policies 2.2.4.5, 2.2.4.7 and 2.2.4.8 and Schedule 3 for any proposed land use, with such policies read as applying to lands within Employment Areas;
      2. prevention or mitigation of adverse effects from noise, vibration, and emissions, including dust and odour;
      3. prevention or mitigation of negative impacts and minimization of the risk of complaints;
      4. ability to ensure compliance with environmental approvals, registrations, legislation, regulations and guidelines;
      5. ability to provide appropriate buffering and/or separation of employment uses from sensitive land uses, including residential;
      6. ability to minimize risk to public health and safety;
      7. reduction or elimination of visibility of, and accessibility to, employment lands or uses;
      8. impact upon the capacity and functioning of the transportation network and the movement of goods for existing and future employment uses;
      9. removal of large and/or key locations for employment uses;
      10. ability to provide opportunities for the clustering of similar or related employment uses; and
      11. provision of a variety of land parcel sizes within the Employment Area to accommodate a range of permitted employment uses;
   5. the existing or planned sewage, water, energy and transportation infrastructure can accommodate the proposed conversion(s);
   6. in the instance of conversions for residential purposes, sufficient parks, libraries, recreation centres and schools exist or are planned within walking distance for new residents;
   7. employment lands are strategically preserved near important transportation infrastructure such as highways and highway interchanges, rail corridors, ports and airports to facilitate the movement of goods;
   8. the proposal(s) to convert lands in an Employment Area will help to maintain a diverse economic base accommodating and attracting a variety of employment uses and a broad range of employment opportunities in Toronto; and
   9. cross-jurisdictional issues have been considered.

2.2.4.18. When assessing proposal(s) to convert lands within Employment Areas, the City will:

1. 1. notify all major facilities whose influence area(s) includes any portion of the lands proposed to be converted; and
   2. notify all facilities that store, distribute or handle propane whose required separation distances by law and/or regulation may include any portion of the lands proposed to be converted.

2.2.4.19. All Employment Areas will be planned for a minimum of 50 jobs per gross hectare. The City will monitor the achievement of this density target and evaluate it at the time of the next Municipal Comprehensive Review.

Influence Area“Influence Area” means any lands and land uses within the potential zone of influence of a major facility, taking into consideration both current and reasonable potential future operations, within which there could be a potential for adverse effect. A zone of influence may extend beyond the boundaries of Employment Areas, but does not include lands and land uses within Employment Areas.

2.3 Stable but Not Static: Enhancing Our Neighbourhoods and Green Spaces

Fully three-quarters of the City’s land area is devoted to neighbourhoods, parks, ravines, watercourses and valleys. Unlike the Downtown, the Centres, Avenues and Employment Areas, these stable areas will see little physical change. The variety and quality of our residential communities and our green spaces are key factors that attract people from around the world to make Toronto their home and place of business.

2.3.1 Healthy Neighbourhoods

The diversity of Toronto’s neighbourhoods, in terms of scale, amenities, local culture, retail services and demographic make-up, offers options within communities to match every stage of life. Our neighbourhoods are where we connect with people to develop a common sense of community. They are also an important asset in attracting new business to the City and new workers for growing businesses. Whether these neighbourhoods are low scale or predominantly apartments, the goals found here apply equally to all neighbourhoods and are to be considered in concert with the policies found in Chapter Four.

By focusing most new residential development in the Downtown, the Centres, along the Avenues, and in other strategic locations, we can preserve the shape and feel of our neighbourhoods. However, these neighbourhoods will not stay frozen in time. The neighbourhoods where we grew up and now raise our children help shape the adults and the society we become. Some physical change will occur over time as enhancements, additions and infill housing occurs on individual sites. A cornerstone policy is to ensure that new development in our neighbourhoods respects the existing physical character of the area, reinforcing the stability of the neighbourhood.

Established neighbourhoods will benefit from directing growth to the Downtown, the Centres and the Avenues by enjoying better transit service, greater housing choices, increased shopping opportunities, an improved pedestrian environment and other advantages that these growth areas provide. Accessibility to transit service varies considerably across the City, creating challenges to meeting the objective of reducing reliance on the private automobile. Transit accessibility for our neighbourhoods can be improved by investing in transit service along the Avenues as well as along the major streets that serve the neighbourhoods. At the boundary points between the neighbourhoods and the growth areas, development in the growth areas will have to demonstrate a transition in height, scale and intensity as necessary to ensure that the stability and general amenity of the adjacent neighbourhood areas are not adversely affected.

We can work together in our neighbourhoods to create a healthier Toronto by reducing waste, better managing stormwater runoff, greening our communities, reducing harmful emissions and conserving energy and water. We must also work to ensure that our community services are improved to reflect the changing faces of our communities as Toronto evolves socially and demographically.

When we think of our neighbourhoods we think of more than our homes. Our trees, parks, schools, libraries, community centres, child care centres, places of worship and local stores are all important parts of our daily lives. Increasingly, people work in their neighbourhoods, both in home offices and in local stores and services.

All communities should benefit from and share the rewards and advantages of living in Toronto. Some neighbourhoods need to be strengthened to ensure a better quality of life for their residents. There may be gaps in community-based facilities and services.

Some buildings may need to be upgraded, the neighbourhood may be poorly integrated with its surroundings, or residents may face hardship, social vulnerability or difficulty in accessing essentials such as healthy foods. Strategies and specific measures may be needed to revitalize and improve these priority neighbourhoods to address such issues.

Each revitalization strategy may address factors such as improving community-based services, developing new parks, promoting walking and cycling by improving streets, sidewalks, bikeways and pathways or building community capacity to enhance the broader social infrastructure. Strategies to improve these priority neighbourhoods will vary with local conditions. Some may be led by the City while others may be community-led. To support these efforts the neighbourhood may be designated a Community Improvement Area. Gardens for growing food are encouraged in Apartment Neighbourhoods.

Toronto has over a thousand older apartment buildings, many of which are in need of physical renewal, greening and in some instances, social transformation. The City has established the Tower Renewal Program to encourage the retrofit of these older apartment buildings and improve the quality of life of their residents.

Most of Toronto’s existing apartment buildings are located within built up Apartment Neighbourhoods where significant growth is not anticipated on a city-wide basis. Often, apartment building(s) together with ancillary outdoor recreation facilities, pedestrian walkways, parking lots, service areas and landscape space take up/occupy the entire site. In some areas these sites are located in proximity to each other and form clusters or larger apartment neighbourhoods. There may be sites within Apartment Neighbourhoods that contain space that is not well-utilized by the residents of existing apartment buildings. In some instances these sites could be improved through the addition of infill development that will provide additional housing options, including new rental housing while maintaining and/or improving on-site amenities and conditions for both new and existing residents. In other instances, redevelopment of vacant or underutilized sites in Apartment Neighbourhoods that meets the Plan’s policies can create new housing options in Toronto.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.3.1.1. Neighbourhoods are low rise and low density residential areas that are considered to be physically stable. Development in Neighbourhoods will be consistent with this objective and will respect and reinforce the existing physical character of buildings, streetscapes and open space patterns in these areas.

2.3.1.2. Apartment Neighbourhoods are residential areas with taller buildings and higher density than Neighbourhoods and are considered to be physically stable. Development in Apartment Neighbourhoods will be consistent with this objective and will respect the criteria contained in Section 4.2.2 and other relevant sections of this Plan. While Apartment Neighbourhoods are not areas of significant growth on a city-wide basis, there are sites containing one or more existing apartment building(s) where compatible infill development may take place. This compatible infill development may take place where there is sufficient space on a site to accommodate additional buildings or building additions while providing a good quality of life for both new and existing residents and improving site conditions by maintaining or substantially replacing and improving indoor and outdoor amenity space; improving landscaped open space; maintaining adequate sunlight and privacy for residential units; and adequately limiting shadowing on outdoor amenity space and landscaped open space. Such infill will be in accordance with the criteria in Section 4.2 and other policies of this Plan. Apartment Neighbourhoods contain valuable rental apartment buildings that often need physical and social renewal and transformation to achieve an improved living environment.

2.3.1.3. Developments in Mixed Use Areas, Regeneration Areas and Apartment Neighbourhoods that are adjacent or close to Neighbourhoods will:

1. 1. be compatible with those Neighbourhoods;
   2. provide a gradual transition of scale and density, as necessary to achieve the objectives of this Plan through the stepping down of buildings towards and setbacks from those Neighbourhoods;
   3. maintain adequate light and privacy for residents in those Neighbourhoods;
   4. orient and screen lighting and amenity areas so as to minimize impacts on adjacent land in those Neighbourhoods;
   5. locate and screen service areas, any surface parking and access to underground and structured parking so as to minimize impacts on adjacent land in those Neighbourhoods, and enclose service and access areas where distancing and screening do not sufficiently mitigate visual, noise and odour impacts upon adjacent land in those Neighbourhoods; and
   6. attenuate resulting traffic and parking impacts on adjacent neighbourhood streets so as not to significantly diminish the residential amenity of those Neighbourhoods.

2.3.1.4. Intensification of land adjacent to neighbourhoods will be carefully controlled so that neighbourhoods are protected from negative impact. Where significant intensification of land adjacent to a Neighbourhood or Apartment Neighbourhood is proposed, Council will determine, at the earliest point in the process, whether or not a Secondary Plan, area specific zoning by-law or area specific policy will be created in consultation with the local community following an Avenue Study, or area based study.

2.3.1.5. The functioning of the local network of streets in Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhoods will be improved by:

1. 1. maintaining roads and sidewalks in a state of good repair;
   2. investing in the improvement of bus and streetcar services for neighbourhood residents;
   3. minimizing through traffic on local streets;
   4. discouraging parking on local streets for non-residential purposes; and
   5. providing new streets that extend the local street network into larger sites, where the new streets would provide access and frontage for existing and future development, improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation and improve the prominence, visibility and safe access to parks, open spaces, transit, schools and pedestrian destinations.

2.3.1.6. Environmental sustainability will be promoted in Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhoods by investing in naturalization and landscaping improvements, tree planting and preservation, sustainable technologies for stormwater management and energy efficiency and programs for reducing waste and conserving water and energy.

2.3.1.7. Community and neighbourhood amenities will be enhanced where needed by:

1. 1. improving and expanding existing parks, recreation facilities, libraries, local institutions, local bus and streetcar services and other community services;
   2. creating new community facilities and local institutions, and adapting existing services to changes in the social, health and recreational needs of the neighbourhood; and
   3. encouraging and developing partnerships to better utilize common indoor and outdoor amenity areas for the use of residents in apartment properties to supplement public facilities.

2.3.1.8. In priority neighbourhoods, revitalization strategies will be prepared through resident and stakeholder partnerships to address such matters as:

1. 1. improving local parks, transit, community services and facilities;
   2. improving the public realm, streets and sidewalks;
   3. identifying opportunities to improve the quality of the existing stock of housing or building a range of new housing;
   4. identifying priorities for capital and operational funding needed to support the strategy; and
   5. identifying potential partnerships and mechanisms for stimulating investment in the neighbourhood and supporting the revitalization strategy.

2.3.1.9. The owners of existing apartment buildings will be encouraged to renovate and retrofit older apartment buildings in order to:

1. 1. achieve greater conservation of energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
   2. achieve greater conservation of water resources;
   3. improve waste diversion practices;
   4. improve safety and security;
   5. improve building operations;
   6. improve indoor and outdoor facilities for social, educational and recreational activities; and
   7. improve pedestrian access to the buildings from public sidewalks and through the site as appropriate.

2.3.1.10. Small-scale commercial, community and institutional uses are encouraged at grade in apartment buildings and on apartment building properties on major streets shown on Map 3 in Neighbourhoods, and in Apartment Neighbourhoods, to better serve area residents, particularly in areas where residents do not have convenient walking access to a wide range of goods, services and community facilities.

2.3.1.11. Gardens for growing food are encouraged on portions of open space in sites within Apartment Neighbourhoods, particularly in areas where residents do not have convenient walking access to sources of fresh food.

2.3.1.12. Mobile vendors of fresh food are encouraged within Apartment Neighbourhoods in areas where residents do not have convenient walking access to sources of fresh food.

Tower RenewalToronto is home to approximately 1,200 high-rise apartment buildings, largely constructed in the three decades following World War II, which house over 500,000 renters. Many were originally constructed as ‘tower in the park’ communities with ample open space and surface parking areas. By the early years of this century, many of these towers were in need of physical reinvestment and a number of their residents were experiencing economic and social challenges.The City has established the Tower Renewal Program as an agent of change to drive the implementation of environmental, social, economic and cultural improvements to transform these tower sites and neighbourhoods. The City has created programs to support apartment building owners in implementing retrofits, programming and investments to improve the lives of tower residents. The Provincial and Federal governments are following suit in these efforts. The City has also enacted a special RAC zone applicable to almost 500 of these residential tower sites in order to permit new small-scale nonresidential uses to serve area residents in these locations, such as food markets, small businesses and community facilities.Tower Renewal works collaboratively within the City (e.g. City Planning, TCHC and Environment and Energy) and with external parties (e.g. United Way, Centre for Urban Growth & Renewal and Toronto Foundation) to achieve change in these tower neighbourhoods.

2.3.2 Toronto’s Green Space System and Waterfront

Toronto is connected by a wonderful system of green space – from beaches and bluffs, through deep ravines, to parks and cemeteries. This system is vital to both our quality of life and to the health of natural ecosystems both within and beyond our current boundaries. The Green Space System is comprised of those lands with a Parks and Open Space Areas designation which are large, have significant natural heritage or recreational value and which are connected. They should be protected, improved and added to whenever feasible.

Toronto’s waterfront, ravines, watercourses, parks and other open spaces connect to form an extensive web of green space across the City. The waterfront, which extends from Marie Curtis Park in the west to Rouge Beach Park in the east, is a major feature of the Green Space System. It includes parks, beaches, wetlands, bluffs, neighbourhoods and cultural and entertainment destinations. Over time, lands on the water’s edge should become a network of publicly accessible open spaces, offering a range of leisure activities connected by a continuous waterfront trail. Creating a clean and green waterfront that is safe and healthy will contribute to a better environment for the City as a whole.

The Green Space System provides many benefits for the City. These lands:

• form the core of the City’s natural ecosystems providing habitat for flora and fauna and including most of our significant natural heritage features and functions;
• help sustain our natural environment by cleaning the air, recharging groundwater, cleaning our watercourses and limiting damage that might arise from flooding and soil erosion;
• include natural and hydrological connections that link Lake Ontario to the larger biophysical region and its ecological systems;
• provide a variety of landscapes for reflection, contemplation and appreciation of nature;
• improve human health by offering opportunities for passive and active recreation, community gardens and environmental education; and
• offer unique tourism and entertainment destinations attracting visitors from across the region and elsewhere.

Through land use designations, planning policies, public undertakings and private development, the goal of strengthening these roles will be supported and advanced. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority plays an important role in the protection, enhancement and management of these lands.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.3.2.1. Actions will be taken to improve, preserve and enhance the Green Space System by:

1. 1. improving public access and enjoyment of lands under public ownership;
   2. maintaining and increasing public access to privately owned lands, where appropriate;
   3. restoring, creating and protecting a variety of landscapes; and
   4. establishing co-operative partnerships in the stewardship of lands and water.

2.3.2.2. Public agencies and Torontonians will be encouraged to support the protection, enhancement and restoration of links within and between elements of the Green Space System.

2.3.2.3. The Green Space System will be expanded by:

1. 1. acquiring linkages between existing parks and open spaces, where feasible; and
   2. acquiring lands, or easements over lands, associated with private development which can be connected to the System for the extension of recreational trails or which have important natural heritage value.

2.3.2.4. The sale or disposal of publicly owned lands in the Green Space System will be discouraged. No City owned land in the Green Space System will be sold or disposed of. However, City owned land in the Green Space System may be exchanged for other nearby land of equivalent or larger area and comparable or superior green space utility.

2.3.2.5. Within the Green Space System, development will not result in the loss of public space.

2.3.2.6. Increased public enjoyment and use of lands along the water’s edge will be promoted by ensuring that future development and actions on the part of both the public and private sectors, including the Toronto Port Authority, the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, will help to achieve the following objectives:

1. 1. minimize physical and visual barriers between the City and Lake Ontario;
   2. increase and improve public access to lands along the water’s edge and between parts of the waterfront;
   3. improve water quality and the quality of beaches;
   4. improve the public realm with more parks, public squares and natural settings that please the eye and lift the spirit and support a sense of belonging to the community;
   5. increase the availability, choice and awareness of recreational opportunities and public activities throughout the year;
   6. protect, improve and where possible extend the Martin Goodman/Waterfront Trail as a continuous waterfront route for cyclists, pedestrians and people with disabilities; and
   7. maintain and enhance the natural heritage value of lands near or along the water’s edge by protecting existing habitat and, where appropriate, restoring and enhancing habitat.

2.3.2.7. Private development and public works on lands along the water’s edge or in its vicinity will:

1. 1. improve public spaces in the waterfront; and
   2. maintain and increase opportunities for public views of the water, and support a sense of belonging to the community.

2.3.2.8. The physical and visual continuity of the waterfront corridor will be maintained and enhanced.

2.3.2.9. The sale or disposal of publicly owned lands on the water’s edge will be discouraged.

2.3.2.10. The year-round recreational use of unique regional resources such as Toronto Island Park and Rouge National Urban Park will be encouraged.

2.3.2.11. The important ecological and hydrological functions and park and trail connections that Greenbelt River Valley Connections provide will be recognized through public information, awareness and stewardship programs and partnerships with public and private landowners, First Nations, institutions and organizations.

Rouge Valley Area The Rouge Valley area is an important part of Toronto’s Green Space System. It forms part of a continuous ecological corridor that runs through the City and connects the natural systems of Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine.  Lands within the Rouge Valley are designated as Greenbelt Protected Countryside and are subject to the policies of the Greenbelt Plan (2005).  In recognition of the significance of the Rouge Valley, the federal government has established a national park which extends from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine, including lands within the Rouge Valley area of Toronto.  The Rouge National Urban Park Management Plan sets out a long-term vision for and guides the management and operation of lands within the park.

2.4 Bringing the City Together: A Progressive Agenda of Transportation Change

This Plan integrates transportation and land use planning at both the local and regional scales. Within the city, the Plan addresses the differing transportation demands between areas targeted for growth and those other parts of the city where little physical change is foreseen.

The transportation policies, maps and schedules of the Plan make provision for the protection and development of the City’s road, rapid transit and inter-regional rail networks. The Plan provides complementary policies to make more efficient use of this infrastructure and to increase opportunities for walking, cycling, and transit use and support the goal of reducing car dependency throughout the city.

Cycling is gaining popularity in the city as a travel mode with more people cycling for more of their trips or parts of their trips. The vision for the cycling network supports further growth of cycling and consists of dedicated priority cycling and multi-use corridors (which accommodate cycling and other modes of active transportation), overlain with a minor grid of dedicated or designated secondary corridors, which ensure that every part of the city is within no more than one kilometre of a designated cycling facility. Additional initiatives will be needed in some areas to overcome less inviting cycling environments and substantially increase cycling use. Particular attention will be given to enhancing cycling connections between the cycling network and nearby neighbourhood amenities including transit stations, and expanding the public bike share system, to facilitate the use of the bicycle for short trips and multi-modal trips.

In a mature city like Toronto, the emphasis has to be on using the available road space more efficiently to move people instead of vehicles and on looking at how the demand for vehicle travel can be reduced in the first place. Reducing car dependency means being creative and flexible about how we manage urban growth. We have to plan in “next generation” terms to make walking, cycling, and transit increasingly attractive alternatives to using the car and to move towards a more sustainable transportation system.

Moving Ahead: A Campaign for Next Generation TransportationOur overall aim is to provide the widest range of sustainable and zero-emissions transportation options that are accessible, seamlessly connected, safe, convenient, affordable and economically competitive by pursuing the following principles:

• promoting land use development and urban form that lead to fewer and shorter trips;
• improving access to public transit for Torontonians of all ages, abilities and means that is competitive with the cost and convenience of using a car for most personal travel;
• promoting low-carbon modes of transportation;
• developing an advanced and comprehensive system of policies and practices for moving goods that boosts the economic competitiveness of the City and the Region;
• instituting planning, traffic engineering and street design practices that encourage walking and cycling;
• leveraging advances in technology to develop an integrated multi-modal transportation system that is efficient and sustainable;
• incorporating strong safeguards for the protection of the natural environment; and
• instituting equitable pricing and financing of transportation services.

Toronto at the Crossroads: Shaping Our Future, June 200The Toronto Walking Strategy (2009) aims to build a physical and cultural environment that supports and encourages walking, including vibrant streets, parks, public squares and neighbourhoods where people will choose to walk more often. By envisioning a city where high-quality walking environments are seamlessly integrated with public transit, cycling and other sustainable modes of travel, the Strategy sets out a plan that will produce tangible environmental, health and social benefits for residents and visitors to Toronto

Travel Demand Management (TDM) TDM measures are aimed at encouraging people to take fewer and shorter vehicle trips to reduce congestion, energy consumption and pollution. In the past, transportation planning has often focused on supply-side solutions by identifying where additional transportation capacity is needed to satisfy forecast travel demands. TDM, in contrast, puts the emphasis on changing travel behaviour to modify and reduce our demand for vehicular travel in cities. TDM is most effective when supported by complementary actions in the key areas of land use planning and public transit improvements. Typical TDM measures include:

• carpool/vanpool ride sharing, with emergency ride home;
• high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in existing rights-of-way for bus, taxis and cars with three or more occupants;
• bicycle and pedestrian programs;
• promotion of public bike share programs that integrate with public transit;
• promotion of public transit, including employer transit fare incentives;
• parking supply and management strategies;
• use of “smart card” technology and other advances in the pricing and marketing of transportation services;
• establishment of Transportation Management Associations (TMA’s) in employment areas;
• promotion of car sharing;
• programs to promote flexible working hours and telecommuting; and
• application of incident management system and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) innovations.

Policies (Shaded Text)

2.4.1. Given the health benefits of physical activity, active forms of transportation will be encouraged by integrating and giving full consideration to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in the design of all streets, neighbourhoods, major destinations, transit facilities and mobility hubs throughout the City.

2.4.2. New developments may be required to conduct a Transportation Impact Study (TIS) in accordance with the City’s TIS Guidelines. The TIS will identify the demands and impacts of new development, and identify transportation improvements, a Travel Demand Management (TDM) strategy and/or other mitigating measures to accommodate travel generated by the development, and where relevant:

1. 1. weigh traffic needs against the broader objectives of this Plan;
   2. make provision for future transportation improvements identified in this Plan; and
   3. integrate development into the surrounding public access system of roads, walkways, bikeways and transit facilities.

2.4.3. The City will show leadership within the region in the implementation of TDM measures to reduce auto dependence and rush-hour congestion in the road and transit networks by:

1. 1. requiring a TDM strategy as part of a TIS for all applications for major commercial, employment or institutional developments to which the City’s TIS Guidelines apply;
   2. actively pursuing measures which will:
      1. increase the proportion of trips made by walking, cycling, and transit;
      2. increase the average automobile occupancy rate;
      3. reduce the demand for vehicular travel; and
      4. shift travel times from peak to off-peak periods;
   3. supporting workplace and region-wide TDM efforts as well as TDM programs supported by school boards;
   4. supporting the local implementation of TDM measures through the creation and operation of local Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) across the City;
   5. promoting alternative work arrangements, such as compressed work weeks, flexible work hours and telecommuting; and
   6. recognizing the transportation implications of diverse travel patterns, such as those of caregivers, shift workers and other vulnerable groups.

2.4.4. In targeted growth areas, planning for new development will be undertaken in the context of reducing auto dependency and the transportation demands and impacts of such new development assessed in terms of the broader social and environmental objectives of the Plan’s reurbanization strategy.

2.4.5. The City will work with its partners to ensure that underground higher-order transit stations are integrated into multi-storey developments wherever it is feasible, ensuring that all points of entry:

1. 1. are clearly marked, visible and accessible from the street; and
   2. maintain hours of use to match transit operations.

2.4.6. Development in proximity to existing higher-order transit stations will be required to provide direct and convenient access to the station. Such connections will be encouraged to be weather protected.

2.4.7. An adequate supply of off-street parking for bicycles and automobiles will be provided and maintained to meet the short-term parking demands of commercial, institutional and tourist activities while ensuring a minimal level of all-day automobile parking for commuters that reflects the availability of alternative travel modes.

2.4.8. For sites in areas well serviced by transit, such as locations around higher-order transit stations and along major transit routes, consideration will be given to the establishment of:

1. 1. minimum density requirements as well as maximum density limits;
   2. minimum and maximum parking requirements;
   3. redevelopment of surface commuter parking lots on City owned land;
   4. limiting surface parking as a non-ancillary use; and
   5. rates for parking on-street and in City-owned parking facilities (excluding those associated with park-and-ride facilities at higher-order transit stations) structured to discourage long-term commuter parking and to achieve a higher turnover by short-term users.

2.4.9. Better use will be made of off-street parking by:

1. 1. encouraging the shared use of parking and developing parking standards for mixed use developments which reflect the potential for shared parking among uses that have different peaking characteristics; and
   2. expanding and upgrading laneways to improve access to the parking spaces along the laneways.

2.4.10. In support of the TDM and environmental policies of this Plan, the City may:

1. 1. support the conversion of required parking spaces to designated publicly accessible car-share spaces;
   2. encourage new developments to include publicly accessible bike share facilities;
   3. encourage parking providers to designate preferred parking spaces for the exclusive use of carpool and low-emissions vehicles;
   4. require new developments to include charging facilities for electric vehicles;
   5. encourage parking providers to install charging stations for electric vehicles; and
   6. provide on-street parking spaces for car sharing vehicles in selected locations.

2.4.11.  Implement curbside management strategies to improve traffic circulation and conditions for commercial vehicles including such measures as designated pick-up/drop-off areas for goods and service vehicles, accessible loading zones, courier delivery zones, temporary film trailer parking and motor coach parking zones.

2.4.12. Encourage the implementation of off-peak delivery programs.

2.4.13. The City will work with other orders of government, other municipalities, representatives from across the goods movement industry and the public to develop a comprehensive multi-modal strategy for the safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable movement of goods within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). This strategy will include:

1. 1. the documentation and sharing of best practices and participation in a freight data collection program for the GTHA;
   2. promotion of environmentally sustainable modes and technologies;
   3. identification of innovative approaches for urban freight movements;
   4. the establishment of a study of potential measures to encourage long distance freight trips not serving Toronto to bypass the City by using alternative corridors such as Highway 407 and those provided by the rail network;
   5. identification of infrastructure needs;
   6. guidelines for the preparation of local Freight Audits to assist in making informed decisions to enable the safe and efficient movement of freight;
   7. policies for the improved management and more effective use of: 400-series highways; major roads that play a vital role in the City’s freight distribution system; rail corridors; and freight terminals; and
   8. freight supportive integrated land use-transportation policies.

2.4.14. Guidelines, programs and infrastructure will be developed and implemented to create a safe, comfortable and bicycle-friendly environment that encourages people of all ages, abilities and means to bicycle for everyday transportation, recreation and commercial activity and supports the growth objectives of this Plan, including:

1. 1. expanding the Cycling Network to bring every part of the city within one kilometre of a designated cycling facility by:
      1. developing formal bicycle routes in street rights-of-way through such means as marked bike lanes, contra-flow bike lanes, physically separated bike lanes, and multi-use trails within the boulevard, designed with a degree of separation appropriate to the street’s speed, volume and network context;
      2. developing the off-street system of multi-use trails;
      3. developing a network of neighbourhood greenways and implementing a wayfinding strategy to guide people along quiet, local streets between higher-order infrastructure; and
      4. filling gaps in the Cycling Network to extend continuous routes, increase connectivity and to provide more direct routes, including the acquisition of land for cycling infrastructure, such as bike lanes and trails, as opportunities arise through the development approval process.
   2. enhancing the convenience and attractiveness of the Cycling Network by:
      1. connecting to workplaces and neighbourhood amenities, such as schools, colleges and universities, retail shopping areas, community centres and parks and open space;
      2. connecting to cycling networks in adjacent municipalities to help create a regional cycling network;
      3. connecting to the Province-wide Cycling Network identified by the Ministry of Transportation;
      4. connecting to transit stations and stops to facilitate multimodal trips;
      5. expanding public bike share facilities and programs in those areas where there is a high demand for short trips, including at higher-order transit stations and transit stops;
      6. identifying priority bicycle corridors where the use of road space can be reallocated using a Complete Streets approach; and
      7. reducing the barrier effects of major physical and topographical features, such as highways, rail corridors, ravines, valleys and waterways;
   3. making cycling a safer travel mode by such means as:
      1. designing and maintaining high-quality cycling infrastructure to be safe and comfortable based on the context of the route, which may include measures such as physical separation and enhanced lighting;
      2. installing safe crossing measures for on- and off-street cycling routes, including, where appropriate, the introduction of signalized intersections; and
      3. developing road safety education and awareness programs for all road users; and
   4. providing convenient high-quality short-term and long-term bicycle parking facilities at key locations throughout the City by:
      1. establishing requirements for short-term and long-term bicycle parking spaces in new developments, including higher-order transit stations;
      2. encouraging retrofitting of existing buildings and facilities, particularly workplaces, schools and higher-order transit stations, to incorporate additional long-term and short-term bicycle parking spaces;
      3. retrofitting City workplaces and facilities to provide secure bicycle parking;
      4. encouraging provided bike parking to be secure and weather protected; and
      5. providing community bicycle parking hubs in areas of high bicycle parking demand.

2.4.15. An urban environment and infrastructure will be created that encourages and supports pedestrian movement throughout the City, for people of all ages, abilities and means by:

1. 1. ensuring safe, accessible, direct, comfortable, attractive and convenient pedestrian conditions, including walking routes to workplaces, schools, recreation areas, transit and other important community destinations;
   2. maximizing connections within the street network, as well as to other public or private pedestrian walkways, such as those found within parks, open spaces, between buildings, or above and below grade;
   3. prioritizing the inclusion of sidewalks, dedicated crossings where warranted and adequate sidewalk width in the design of all streets;
   4. reducing barriers by providing grade-separated crossings of controlled access highways and rail lines where warranted;
   5. focusing on improvements to connections and conditions in areas of high need, including areas with: physical barriers; difficult topography or substantial changes in grade; areas travelled frequently by vulnerable users, including people with disabilities, youth and seniors; and around mobility hubs, transit stations or other locations with significant pedestrian volume or activity; and
   6. developing policies, plans and guidelines to implement pedestrian priorities and Complete Streets.

2.4.16.The City will work with the Province to improve safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists travelling along, across or in the vicinity of 400-series highway infrastructure.

2.4.17. The transportation system will be developed to be accessible and inclusive of the needs of people of all ages, abilities and means by:

1. 1. ensuring that new transit facilities and vehicles are accessible;
   2. modifying existing transit stations and facilities to become accessible;
   3. supplementing the conventional transit system with specialized services;
   4. introducing measures to ensure equitable access to vehiclesfor-hire;
   5. requiring adequate crossing time for pedestrians at signalized crossings;
   6. requiring pedestrian crossings to be single-stage where appropriate for the street context;
   7. requiring a minimum number of on- and off-street accessible parking spaces; and
   8. taking accessibility into account from the planning and design stages onwards.

2.4.18. Inter-modal and inter-line connections will be promoted so that each mode and each carrier – whether for passengers or goods – is conveniently integrated with the rest of the urban transportation system.

2.4.19. New and emerging mobility-related technologies, practices and designs will be assessed to determine their impacts on urban travel conditions, the environment, public health and safety, the economy and the policies of this Official Plan. Regulations will be put in place, as necessary, to achieve the objectives of this Plan.

2.4.20. New technologies, practices and designs that improve urban travel conditions for the movement of people, goods and services and help mitigate the environmental impacts of transportation will be pursued and implemented where appropriate. Such technologies, practices and designs include, but are not limited to:

1. 1. enhanced transportation network data management, collection, analysis and monitoring;
   2. incident and event response;
   3. construction coordination;
   4. curbside management;
   5.  traveler information systems; and
   6. centralized adaptive signals.

2.4.21. Large commercial and office buildings and hotels will make provision for vehicles-for-hire on private property.

2.4.22. Development will be encouraged to make off-street provisions for pick-ups and drop-offs, loading and parking activity.

2.4.23. New transportation terminals will require facilities for inter-model connections including those for:

1. 1. vehicles-for-hire;
   2. buses; and
   3. other public transit modes.

2.4.24. Existing transportation terminals will be retrofitted for inter-modal connections when redevelopment occurs.

Goods Movement The efficient and safe movement of goods is vital to the economic health and competitiveness of Toronto and the larger region. The key elements of the goods movement system in the City are the major road and rail freight networks and the pattern of collection and distribution points they serve. The challenge is to develop and maximize the efficient use of this system by such means as:

• joint distribution centres and consolidated delivery services;
• rationalization of road/rail freight movements;
• selectively increasing road capacity for trucks, including priority truck lanes;
• increasing off-street loading, servicing and courier facilities;
• lower emission freight vehicles and increased local production and distribution;
• designated truck routes; and
• encouraging the freight industry to explore new technologies and practices.

Bicycle Policy FrameworkIn 2001, Council adopted the “Toronto Bike Plan – Shifting Gears”, a strategy to guide the development of policies, programs and infrastructure to create a bicycle-friendly environment that encourages the greater use of bicycles for everyday transportation and enjoyment across the city. The Bike Plan remains the foundation upon which more recent cycling initiatives have evolved.The implementation of cycling infrastructure is guided by the Cycling Network Plan (2016; updated 2019) which identifies priorities for cycling routes in order to:

• connect the gaps in the Cycling Network;
• grow the Cycling Network into new parts of the city, and
• renew the existing Cycling Network routes to improve their quality.

The Cycling Network Plan combines elements of the earlier Bike Plan’s cycling network proposal, the more recent “Toronto Bikeway Trails Implementation Plan” (2012), Secondary Plans and Transportation Master Plans to create an integrated network of on-street and off-street routes.To further support cycling, the City is undertaking measures to increase the availability of bicycle parking facilities in terms of its amount, quality and convenience and expanding the Bike Share Toronto system.

Active and Sustainable School Travel (ASST) programs aim to increase the proportion of youth walking, biking, wheeling, and taking transit. It focuses on creating safer environments for school-aged travellers of all abilities, and fostering healthier and more sustainable transportation habits from an early age. Creating environments that support ASST requires actions, including:

• developing programs, resources, and policies to promote active transportation and provide road safety education to all road users;
• implementing safety enhancements and traffic calming measures to support walking and cycling;
• establishing safer active school travel as a goal of City planning and infrastructure projects, and implementing improvements through these opportunities; and
• pursuing joint outcomes through the Toronto ASST Hub Committee, and between various City departments and external organizations, including school boards, police, and non-governmental organizations.