The City of Toronto is studying ways to improve transportation connections between Village Green Square, Sheppard Avenue East and the Agincourt GO Station, in anticipation of future development and growth in this area.
The transportation improvements being considered through this study include:
The study process includes an in depth evaluation of each of the potential improvements and design options, and two rounds of consultation with the public and relevant stakeholders.
The study is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
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In September 2020 the City of Toronto consulted the public on the potential transportation improvements being considered through this study. While some local residents are supportive of a new street and new multi-use trail connecting Village Green Square with Sheppard Avenue East, many residents have significant concerns about the potential impacts of these projects.
The Consultation Summary report provides a full summary of the feedback received from the public and key stakeholders through the first round of consultation. This feedback is being considered by the project team as part of the detailed evaluation of each transportation improvement option.
The results of the detailed evaluation will be presented to the public as part of a second round of public consultation in Summer 2021. The public and key stakeholders will have an opportunity to comment on the preferred improvements and provide feedback on the preliminary design options.
Following the second round of consultation, an Environmental Study Report with the final recommended improvements will be prepared, and the study recommendations will be presented to City Council for consideration.
A Virtual Public Meeting was held on September 23, 2020, to introduce the study, present the transportation improvement options that are being considered, and respond to questions from the public.
Notice of Public Consultation September 2020 (Simplified Chinese)
Notice of Public Consultation September 2020 (English)
If you were not able to attend, you can view the information panels that were presented at the meeting and review the Question & Answer Summary. The information panels are also available in Simplified Chinese.
The study Focus Area is bounded by Kennedy Road to the west, Village Green Square to the south, the Stouffville GO Train line to the east and Dowry Street to the north.
The lands between Highway 401 to the south, Kennedy Road to the west, Sheppard Avenue East to the north, and the Stouffville Metrolinx GO rail corridor to the east are experiencing significant development growth. The number of people living and working in this area will grow as a result of planned and anticipated developments.
As the number of people using the transportation network increases, improvements will be needed to ensure that people can travel through the area and reach key destinations efficiently and safely. Without alternative routes, particularly to and from the Agincourt GO Station, increased traffic from anticipated developments will lead to greater congestion. The need for a new north-south street connecting Sheppard Avenue East with the streets east of Kennedy Road is identified in the City’s Official Plan and the Council-approved Agincourt Secondary Plan.
Key objectives of the study:
Constructed and natural barriers in the area present a number of challenges. The transportation network is constrained by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Stouffville Metrolinx GO rail corridor and West Highland Creek, resulting in a disconnected local street network that limits the movement of people in the area.
Currently, people travelling to and from Cowdray Court and Village Green Square must use Kennedy Road. Given that congestion on Kennedy Road is an existing concern, as is the safety of people walking and cycling, this study aims to address existing and future needs for all modes of transportation.
Four areas of transportation improvements are being considered through this study:
A number of options have been identified for each of these improvements. There are four potential alignment options for the new north-south street that are being considered, and two potential alignment options for the new multi-use trail.
All of the options will be evaluated against detailed evaluation criteria in order to identify the preferred improvements.
The Southwest Agincourt Transportation Connections study is being carried out under Schedule ‘C’ of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA), which is an approved planning process under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.
Under this process, the study will:
Each potential transportation improvement (solution) will be assessed based on its anticipated impacts on the natural environment, traffic circulation, residents and property owners in the study focus area and the surrounding area, upfront and long-term costs.
An Environmental Study Report (ESR) will be prepared and made publicly available at the end of the study process in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class EA. Members of the public will have a 30 day period to comment on the ESR.
The study was initiated in June 2020 and is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2021.
The study will consider a number of factors to determine the location and alignment of the new north-south street:
Information used in the evaluation will be collected through existing reports, field studies, input from technical advisors and subject matter experts, and through public consultation.
The study will make recommendations for transportation improvements that will be presented to City Council for consideration. The final recommendation of this study could be a combination of improvements (e.g. a new north-south street, a new, separate multi-use trail, as well as improvements to the existing road network improvements) or a single improvement (i.e. just a multi-use trail). As a result, it is necessary to study the impacts of all potential improvements, both individually and collectively.
Some of the potential improvement options that are being proposed would involve impacts to residential and commercial properties. In some cases, the potential impact is to the City-owned right of way in front of a property, where in other cases, there is the potential for impact to private property.
The owners of properties that are potentially impacted by the improvement options have been notified directly by the City of Toronto. These property owners will be notified again, following the completion of the detailed evaluation.
Private property impacts will be considered as part of the detailed evaluation criteria used to determine the recommended improvements.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate ways to expand the future transportation network as identified in the Agincourt Secondary Plan. The secondary plan allows for growth which will increase the number of people using the existing and planned street network. It is not within the scope of this transportation study to evaluate the planned growth within the Agincourt Secondary Plan. Any comments or questions regarding growth in the Secondary Plan area will be received and addressed by City Planning at a later time.
The Agincourt Mall site falls within the secondary study boundary, and the proposed redevelopment of the mall will be considered as part of the broader impact analysis (e.g. impacts of the potential transportation improvements on traffic and the natural environment). Additional traffic that could be generated by the Agincourt Mall redevelopment will be considered as part of traffic modelling that is used to evaluate potential transportation improvement options.
The Agincourt Secondary Plan is the City’s guiding policy for growth and infrastructure development in the study area. An earlier version of the Secondary Plan identified a conceptual street network that included an east-west street connection from Midland Avenue to the employment lands formerly occupied by the Toronto Truck Sufferance Terminal. The Secondary Plan was amended in 2007 as part of an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) decision that approved a residential subdivision for what is now Village Green Square. As a result, the current Secondary Plan does not identify a new street connection to Midland Avenue.