Item - 2015.PG8.9

The Planning and Growth Management Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to initiate a planning study along the Finch Avenue West corridor, focussed on the area around Keele Street and Finch Avenue West.

2.  City Council approve two subsequent areas for future planning studies along the Finch Avenue West corridor focussed on Jane Street and Finch Avenue West and focussed on Albion Road, Kipling Avenue and Finch Avenue West.

3.  City Council extend an invitation to Metrolinx to participate, support, and contribute to the area planning studies along the corridors. 

As a result of investment in rapid transit along the Finch Avenue West and Sheppard Avenue East corridors, City Planning initiated a review of these corridors. This report  recommends areas for planning study on a priority basis in order to leverage investment in rapid transit and to encourage transit supportive development. The recommended future studies will implement the Official Plan's policy direction to integrate land use and transportation. 

To prioritize areas along the corridors for future planning study, each corridor was divided into segments and reviewed through three streams of work: corridor profiles consisting of demographics, employment and built fabric; a real estate market conditions study; and a planning overview, social equity scan and case studies of similar rapid transit lines. These three streams of work represent background research in the prioritization process, which was completed in partnership with Metrolinx. The next step involved analyzing findings based on an evaluation matrix, consisting of criteria in four categories: social equity, planning framework, city building objectives and market potential. The final step in this process is a prioritization approach and schedule for conducting future planning studies along each corridor. 

For the Finch Avenue West corridor, staff recommend that the area around Keele Street and Finch Avenue West be studied first, followed by areas around Jane Street and Finch Avenue West and the area around Albion Mall. For the Sheppard Avenue East corridor, work is already underway through the recently commenced ConsumersNext study at Sheppard Avenue West and Victoria Park and the on-going transit planning initiatives for the Scarborough Subway and SmartTrack/Regional Express Rail (RER). Outcomes of these transit planning initiatives will help inform future planning study work in the Agincourt and McCowan segments.