| Phase | Progress | Milestones |
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| Round One of Consultation |
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| Round Two of Consultation |
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| Round Three of Consultation |
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| Study Completion |
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| Future |
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On February 3, 2021, City Council adopted the yongeTOmorrow Recommended Design Concept (Attachment 8 – Recommended Physical Design), which increases sidewalk widths by reducing the existing four driving lane cross section to two lanes. City Council authorized the City to file the yongeTOmorrow Environmental Assessment (EA) Notice of Completion and post the study report for a 30-day review period.
The operational approach (pedestrian priority areas, turn movements/restrictions, one-way/two-way driving access etc.) will continue to be consulted upon and refined during detailed design. Prior to the completion of construction, a report would be brought forward to Infrastructure & Environment Committee (IEC) recommending an operational approach.
City Council adopted the following amendments to yongeTOmorrow item IE19.11:
Rewatch the questions to staff (6:35:25), speakers (6:57:28), voting on motions (7:58:59):
All City Council meetings are archived on the Toronto City Council YouTube channel.
The Environmental Study Report (ESR) will be finalized and submitted to the Ministry the Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP) and will be subject to a 30-day public review period. A copy of the ESR is expected to be available this spring on the project web page for public and agency review and comment.
During the 30-day review period, interested persons may provide written comments to our project team. All comments and concerns should be addressed to City staff listed on the notice and the project team will attempt to find a mutually acceptable resolution.
Following the review period, the project enters into the Detailed Design phase which includes:
Planning for construction will include advanced early works by utilities and telecoms providers as well as reporting to IEC and Council on the operations approach. Prior to construction, a Construction Liaison Committee (CLC) will be established with stakeholder groups and individual property owners/operators to discuss site-specific construction impacts and coordination.
There has been extensive community interest in this project including online discourse about the project from other sources. To stay informed about the project, please visit the official City of Toronto project web page at toronto.ca/yongeTOmorrow and join the project email list.
On January 11, 2021, the Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC) of City Council endorsed:
IE19.11 – yongeTOmorrow Recommended Design Concept (Attachment 8 – Recommended Physical Design), which would increase sidewalk widths by reducing the existing four driving lane cross section to two lanes
the request to file the study Notice of Completion and proceed with a 30-day public review period
As outlined in IE19.11, the operational approach (pedestrian priority areas, turn movements/restrictions, one-way/two-way driving access etc.) will continue to be consulted upon and refined during detailed design.
Prior to the completion of construction, a report would be brought forward to IEC recommending an operational approach and the associated bylaw amendments necessary to implement.
The decision included the following information:
Rewatch the yongeTOmorrow presentation (22:44), deputations (28:12), questions of staff (2:11:08), speakers (2:28:18) and voting on the amendment and item (3:03:35).
City Council will be asked to authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to publish a Notice of Completion and file the Environmental Study Report for the yongeTOmorrow Schedule “C” Municipal Class Environmental Assessment on the public record for a minimum of 30 days, in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Act.
The supplementary report, as requested in #1 of the IEC decision, and meeting agenda are now available.
Hello yongeTOmorrow Stakeholders,
Thank you for your ongoing interest and participation in designing the future of downtown Yonge Street. As you know, yongeTOmorrow is about creating an economically-vibrant and flexible street which improves the pedestrian experience between College Street and Queen Street.
We understand there has been some confusion about what Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC) is being asked to approve on January 11 through report 19.11, given that the Recommended Design Concept 4D includes a physical design (reduction of driving lanes from four to two) and also references an operational approach (i.e. pedestrian priority zones, one-way segments, and turning movements etc).
To help clearly communicate the physical design elements which are subject to the Environmental Assessment process and require IEC and Council approval, Attachment 8 of the staff report “Recommended Physical Design” has been revised to clearly show the recommended physical design. As has always been the plan, the City will continue to consult with local stakeholders on an operational approach during the detailed design phase (2021-2023), and an Operational Plan will be brought forward for Council approval at a future stage prior to proposed construction (2023-2025+), when COVID-19 recovery is underway and local needs are better understood.
The team appreciates your ongoing involvement to date and we look forward to continued collaboration in the next phases of design and operational planning.
Sincerely,
Barbara Gray
General Manager, Transportation Services, City of Toronto
Our next step in this study is to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC) of City Council with a staff report outlining the study recommendations and a request to proceed with a 30-day public review for the study report. The yongeTOmorrow report will be presented at the committee meeting on Monday, January 11, 2021.
A copy of the Staff Report is now available and also posted on the Toronto City Council and Committees Meetings, Agendas and Minutes (TMMIS).
The IEC will meet to discuss the staff report, hear from the public and make recommendations to City Council. Once the Committee agenda is published one week prior to the meeting date, members of the public can arrange to speak or submit comments to the Committee by contacting the Committee Clerk or the IEC web page.
To learn more about this process and how to participate, visit Have Your Say.
The third and final round of public consultation took place from September 2, 2020, to October 6, 2020, with a virtual public meeting held on September 16, 2020.
Questions and Answers received during the virtual meeting and the Round Three Consultation Report are available on the Past Consultations page.
A range of feedback has been received from different stakeholders:
Some participants were concerned about the level of confusion for all road users as the road operation changes from block to block. There was support for a more consistent operation throughout the focus area to reduce confusion for road users. SAG participants in particular noted that their priorities for yongeTOmorrow (e.g. improving pedestrian and cycling experience and vehicle access for businesses) had not changed given COVID-19. Business stakeholders expressed ongoing concern about the economic impacts of removing daytime vehicular access on sections of Yonge Street.
To learn more about what people said about the pedestrian and cycling experience, vehicle access, space for patios and street retail as well as space to festivals and events, visit the Past Consultations page.
Yonge Street is an iconic destination in the heart of downtown Toronto. Today, downtown Yonge Street is booming with development and high volumes of pedestrian activity.
The City of Toronto is studying ways to increase pedestrian space and improve the way people move through and experience Yonge Street between College/Carlton Street and Queen Street.
The watermain beneath Yonge Street will soon need replacing and this construction provides an opportunity to consider a new street design to better serve everyone.
Thanks to public feedback, we now have a recommended plan for Yonge Street which:
Based on the expert advice of our Medical Officer of Health to practice physical distancing to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of Toronto residents and our staff, Round Three Consultation will be conducted online, by phone and by mail only.
Pick up hard copies at Central YMCA, 20 Grosvenor St., Toronto, ON M4Y 2V5
Wednesday, September 16, 2020, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The meeting will include a brief overview of the study and an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.
Participants are encouraged to call 416-338-6866 and leave voicemail questions by 5 p.m. on September 16th.
Starting at 6:20 p.m., join the meeting:
Dial: 416-915-6530
Access Code: 133 110 3327
Participants by phone will not be able to ask live questions during the meeting.
Fill out the paper questionnaire picked up from Central YMCA and return it via the postage-paid envelope.
Comment deadline: October 5, 2020 (extended from September 30, 2020)
For over a century, Yonge Street has been an iconic destination in the heart of downtown Toronto for both residents and visitors. Today, downtown Yonge Street is booming with development and high volumes of pedestrian activity. The City of Toronto is conducting a study that will consider a number of opportunities to increase pedestrian space and improve the way people move through and experience Yonge Street between Queen Street and College/Carlton Street.
Thanks to public feedback, three street design options have been short-listed for downtown Yonge Street:
We invite you to attend the second drop-in event to learn more about the street design options, how they can be applied to Yonge Street block by block and the preliminary recommendation. Staff will be available to answer your questions and receive your comments.
November 21, 2019
Drop-in anytime from 4 to 8 p.m.
Central YMCA, Auditorium, 20 Grosvenor Street (just south of Wellesley St. W.)
Comment deadline: December 6, 2019
We are making progress in the evaluation of alternatives to increase pedestrian space and improve the way people move through and experience downtown Yonge Street (between Queen Street and College/Carlton Streets). At our last public event in May, we focused on people’s future priorities for moving through and enjoying Yonge Street in addition to a review of a long list of potential alternatives (i.e. car-free, one driving lane, two driving lanes, three driving lanes).
We updated the Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC) of City Council (IE8.11) with a staff report outlining the emerging alternatives for Yonge Street. These alternatives will form the basis of a short list of alternatives to be presented and discussed at the next round of public consultation coming this November.
The staff report was considered and adopted.
Yonge Street is an iconic destination in the heart of downtown Toronto where residents and visitors come to live, work, learn and play. Currently, the sidewalks on Yonge Street have some of the highest pedestrian volumes in Canada. There has also been a considerable amount of development in the neighbourhood and the current population and employment are projected to double by 2041. City Council has identified Yonge Street as one of Toronto’s Great Streets – a significant retail and civic corridor to be developed as a pedestrian priority urban destination.
The City of Toronto is carrying out a study that will focus on the section of Yonge Street from Queen Street to College/Carlton Street. A number of opportunities will be considered to increase pedestrian space and improve the way people move through and experience Yonge Street.
We invite you to attend a drop-in event to learn about the City’s study, the work completed to date and the next steps in this process:
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Open House 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Courtyard Marriott Toronto Downtown, The Alexander Room, 475 Yonge Street (just north of Carlton Street)
Comment deadline: May 24, 2019