The City of Toronto has completed the Danforth Study of Danforth Avenue from the Don Valley to Victoria Park Avenue, one of the most recognizable and major avenues in the City.
The Danforth Study was a joint initiative between three City divisions – Transportation Services, Economic Development and Culture, and City Planning and included the following three studies:
Following the success of the Destination Danforth Complete Streets pilot (between Broadview Avenue and Dawes Road), the complete street features will be extended from Dawes Road to Victoria Park Avenue.
The first phase of Destination Danforth Complete Street was installed in the summer of 2020 from Broadview Avenue to Dawes Road as a pilot project and implemented as part of the City’s ActiveTO temporary cycling network expansion program. The pilot was evaluated between the summer of 2020 and fall of 2021. In December 2021, City Council approved the ActiveTO Cycling Network Expansion projects installed in 2020 currently in pace to be retained as permanent installations, including the Danforth Avenue cycle tracks from Broadview Avenue to Dawes Road, along with the extension of the complete street to Victoria Park Avenue.
The complete streets design will be extended to Victoria Park Avenue in summer 2022. This extension is the final component of the Complete Streets study to build out the full Destination Danforth and will provide similar benefits such as: improved road safety for all users, greater mobility and active transportation options, a beautified more vibrant streetscape, and provide support for local businesses including additional CaféTO space.
The street design is similar to that already implemented west of the area and includes:
Further extensions of the complete street features further east will be considered along Danforth Avenue and Kingston Road in the future through new public consultation processes.
The City of Toronto is installing complete streets features including cycle tracks (protected bicycle lanes) on Danforth Avenue from Dawes Road to Victoria Park Avenue as part of the Destination Danforth Complete Streets project.
Installation will start on Sunday, June 12th and continue for one month, however timelines are subject to change.
During installation, the City’s contractors will complete the following work:
Work Hours:
Work will take place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Noisy work will be limited to daytime hours as much as possible. Weekday work will take place mostly in the off-peak hours/evenings to limit disruptions
Traffic Management:
Efforts have been made to manage traffic in the area for the safety of workers, road users and residents. Road users should expect delays and increased traffic.
Cyclists:
If travelling on Danforth Avenue, please share the traffic lane in the active work zones.
Parking and Loading:
During installation phase, on-street parking on both sides of the street will be temporarily unavailable until new road markings and new signs are in place.
Parking in the active work zone is not permitted due to space requirements for construction equipment and materials. If your parked vehicle affects installation, it will be relocated with no charge to the owner. If your vehicle is moved, please contact parking control for its location at 416-808-2222.
Parking Violation Notice:
In an effort to reduce ticketing due to construction, the City encourages communities with construction to be patient as neighbours may need to temporarily relocate vehicles. If enforcement is called, enforcement must issue a yellow parking violation notice (ticket). If you receive a yellow notice during this construction work, do the following within 15 days of the notice date:
You may use this notice as part of the explanation of why the violation should be cancelled. Note: that violation notices cannot be cancelled if vehicles are parked in illegal parking spots (e.g. in front of a fire hydrant or in no parking zones).
Garbage & Recycling:
Please follow your normal routine. If required, the contractor will move bins to an appropriate location and return them. Please ensure that you label your bins with your address.
Accessible Accommodation:
The City’s contractor must ensure safe and accessible walkways and entryways are maintained for everyone during installation. Any temporary access disruptions will be communicated as soon as possible. If you experience a disruption, have a specific access need or related accommodation request, please inform the contact listed below.
Important Information about Covid-19 and Construction in Toronto:
During construction, the contractor is responsible for the Health & Safety on site under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and is expected to implement COVID-19 mitigation practices. For more information on the City’s response to COVID-19 please visit toronto.ca/covid-19.
On-Site Communication:
There are times when contractors need to communicate with homeowners and or business operators about what is happening on-site. This could be about driveway access, or associated roadworks occurring in front of the home/business. Contractor’s staff will be identifiable by their high-visibility clothing and will follow relevant COVID protocols. If you need to speak with staff on the construction site, please ask for the Site Inspector and respect public health directions for reducing the spread of COVID-19.
On May 28, 2020 Council approved ActiveTO, a suite of programs to support the City of Toronto’s restart and recovery response to COVID-19, including a Complete Street pilot project along Danforth Avenue from Broadview Avenue to Dawes Road. “Destination Danforth” responded to the imminent need for: More room for physical distancing for walking and cycling, support for local businesses by improving access options and creating an environment to support expanded patios, and safe cycling infrastructure as an alternative for people who were not comfortable taking transit.
The pilot project was installed during the summer of 2020, and over the next two years (2020 and 2021), staff monitored, evaluated and adjusted the pilot.
In December 2021, City Council approved the ActiveTO Cycling Network Expansion projects installed in 2020 in place as permanent bikeways, and in doing so, authorized the necessary by-law amendments, to retain them as permanent installations, including Danforth Avenue (cycle tracks from Broadview Avenue to Dawes Road), along with an extension of Victoria Park Avenue to be installed in 2022.
Vehicular travel time and multi-modal count data have shown encouraging results of the ActiveTO: Destination Danforth project:
For a detailed summary of findings from the Destination Danforth Complete Streets Pilot view The Complete Streets Study Summary Report.
As part of the Pilot, the City partnered with Park People and Clean Air Partnership – The Centre for Active Transportation on a public survey to complement the volume and motor vehicle travel time data collected by the City. The intercept survey was intended to provide input on safety, accessibility, and user impact of the new street installation and to assess the success of the project’s goals to support businesses and increase safe and equitable access to active modes of transportation.
The intercept survey was conducted over four days between September 24 and October 6, 2020. Over 440 surveys were conducted with the general public on Danforth Avenue using a randomized methodology to ensure a diverse cross section of respondents. Results were analyzed to find trends in perception of the diverse respondents. View the intercept survey evaluation summary and survey evaluation report.
Key findings include:
The Danforth Study is bringing together a complete street study, an economic and retail study and a planning study through a comprehensive and coordinated public engagement process. An important part of our process includes obtaining feedback from the community in order to ensure that all voices are heard and all ideas and recommendations are considered.
The Danforth Study team took their final recommendations including the Draft Site and Area Specific Policy (SASP) and Urban Design Guidelines to Toronto and East York Community Council on February 16, 2022, and City Council on March 9, 2022. The item was deferred at City Council to April 6, 2022. The materials shared, including the Supplementary Report and the outcomes of these public meetings can be viewed on TMMIS.
Community Meeting #4 – Thursday, October 28th, 2021
This virtual community meeting focused on the Planning Study work that is underway from Broadview Avenue to Coxwell Avenue and covered topics such as land use, building heights and development density, parks and public realm, and heritage. The outcomes of this meeting informed the development of the Site and Area Specific Policy and the Urban Design Guidelines for the Study Area.
Community Meeting #3B – Monday, January 11th, 2021
This virtual community meeting focused on the Planning Study work that is underway from Broadview Avenue to Coxwell Avenue and covered topics such as land use, building heights and development density, parks and public realm, and heritage.
Community Meeting #3A – Tuesday, December 1st, 2020
This virtual community meeting provided a brief update on the three study components with a focus on the Complete Streets Pilot that was implemented over the summer and the City’s plan for monitoring and evaluating this initiative.
Community Meeting #2 – Monday, January 27th, 2020
This public open house focused on community members providing input on the Complete Street Study, the Planning Study and the Economic Analysis and Retail Study. The event was held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Missed the meeting? Review the informational panels presented.
Community Meeting #1 – Thursday, November 7, 2019
This public open house included a brief presentation about the study followed by interactive group discussion. Feedback from the community helped to shape the scope of this study. Review discussion materials and the meeting summary below for full details.
Stakeholder Advisory Committee
For the Danforth Study, the City has formed a Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), which is comprised of local community organizations, landowners, and businesses who provide a diversity of perspectives and will help inform the development of the Danforth Study, and ensure that it reflects the needs of the community. The SAC is comprised of approximately 30 members.
Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting #1 Summary
Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting #2 Summary
Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting #3 Summary
Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting #4 Summary
Heritage Focus Group Meeting #1, #2, and #3 – November 17, 2020; December 8, 2020; April 1, 2020
Heritage Planning staff held three virtual meetings with a Heritage Focus Group composed of historians and local heritage knowledge keepers with insight into the area’s heritage. The purpose of these meetings was to obtain advice related to understanding, assessing, and documenting cultural heritage value in the Study Area.
The Danforth Study brought together the following elements through a comprehensive and coordinated process.
This is a joint initiative between three City divisions – Transportation Services, Economic Development and Culture, and City Planning.
The study area comprises of Danforth Avenue and the properties fronting onto the street between the Don Valley and Victoria Park Avenue. Danforth Avenue is a key east-west thoroughfare and primarily characterized by low-rise (two to three storey) mixed-use buildings. The street passes through active commercial and mixed use areas and consists of two travel lanes on each direction. Danforth Avenue is identified as an Avenue in the Toronto Official Plan and is designated as a Major Arterial in the City of Toronto Road Classification System.
On December 15 2021, City Council approved the ActiveTO Cycling Network Expansion projects installed in 2020 currently in place as permanent bikeways, and in doing so, authorized the necessary by-law amendments, to retain them as permanent installations, including Danforth Avenue (cycle tracks from Broadview Avenue to Dawes Road), along with an extension of Victoria Park Avenue to be installed in 2022.
On May 28, 2020, City Council approved a list of ActiveTO cycling project installations, including Danforth Avenue, from Broadview Avenue to Dawes Road.
City Council Consideration on May 28, 2020
On April 30, 2020, City Council directed:
City Council Consideration on April 30, 2020
On October 10, 2019, City Council directed that the Terms of Reference for the Danforth Study include options to secure new affordable rental housing along Danforth Avenue.
Creating New Affordable Housing on Danforth
On July 16, 2019, City Council adopted the Cycling Network Plan Update and requested that the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to target completion of the Danforth Avenue Planning and Complete Streets Study by June 2021. Further requirements were included in the recommendations and approved by Council.
Infrastructure and Environment Committee consideration on June 27, 2019
On July 23, 2018, City Council City Council directed the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in cooperation with Economic Development and Culture, to initiate a Comprehensive Complete Street Study of the Danforth corridor in 2019 with a focus on Danforth Avenue as a “complete street” with a vibrant commercial sector, and include a consultation process that involves a broad range of stakeholders such as Business Improvement Areas, resident and cycling groups, and include any necessary resources in the Transportation Services Division 2019 budget submission for consideration in the 2019 budget process.
Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue – City-Initiated Official Plan Amendment – Final Report
On May 28, 2018, the Budget Committee referred an item to the Interim Chief Financial Officer, the Deputy City Manager, Cluster A and the Deputy City Manager, Cluster B for consideration as part of the 2019 Budget process.
Danforth: An Even Greater Avenue
On November 7, 2017, City Council adopted a motion to request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, initiate and undertake a study focusing on the development potential, built form, and public realm within the proximity of the Main Street TTC station and the Danforth GO station.
286-294 Main Street – Zoning Amendment Application – Preliminary Report
On February 22, 2017, Toronto and East York Community Council adopted a staff report and recommendations from City Planning staff to finalize the Terms of Reference and complete the Danforth Avenue Planning Study per the finalized Terms of Reference.
Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue – City-Initiated Official Plan Amendment – Update Report
On June 7, 2016, City Council adopted, in principle, the Ten Year Cycling Network Plan. A recommendation was approved that the General Manager, Transportation Services, evaluate Complete Street initiatives as part of the Danforth Major Corridor Study and that the needs of all users of Danforth Avenue are considered.
On May 10, 2016, Toronto and East York Community Council adopted a staff report and recommendations from City Planning staff to begin the Danforth Avenue Planning Study (Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue) and consult on the Terms of Reference.
On July 8, 2014, through item TE33.15, City Council adopted a motion to request the Chief Planner and the Executive Director, City Planning to undertake a planning study of Danforth Avenue in two segments, from the Don River to Coxwell Avenue and from Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue, and to report on the funds necessary to complete these studies. The motion was the result of Council’s review of a rezoning application at 2359 Danforth Avenue and with the intent of taking a proactive approach to managing change on Danforth Avenue.
Final Report – 2359 Danforth Avenue – Zoning Amendment Application
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