Item - 2017.PW21.3

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to install the proposed sidewalk for Pinedale Road, Strathgowan Crescent and Glenallen Road on the north side of the street to ensure connectivity and safe pedestrian access to Blythwood Junior Public School.

 
2.  City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to install the proposed sidewalk for Mildenhall Road on the east side of the street to connect to the existing sidewalk on Mildenhall north of Lawrence, provide safe pedestrian access to Cheltenham Park and the Toronto French School.

3.  City Council endorse the Lawrence Park Neighbourhood Investigation of Basement Flooding (Area 20) and Road Improvement Class Environmental Assessment Study Master Plan as summarized by the projects listed in Attachment 23 to the report (May 1, 2017) from the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, the General Manager, Toronto Water and the General Manager, Transportation Services, as amended by Recommendations 1 and 2 above.

4.  City Council authorize the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services to publish a Notice of Completion and file the Lawrence Park Neighbourhood Investigation of Basement Flooding (Area 20) and Road Improvement Class Environmental Assessment Study Master Plan report in the public record for a minimum 30 days, in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process.

5.  City Council direct the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, to establish a Construction Liaison Committee, comprised of local residents and city staff and modelled on the Construction Liaison Committee as part of the Hogg's Hollow Stormwater Management and Roads Improvement Class Environmental Assessment Study, to work in collaboration with city staff to determine construction mitigation measures, tree protection measures, and facilitate communication with neighbourhood residents, including communications on the potential by-law infractions for that can result for homeowners where sidewalks are being added. 

6.  City Council direct the appropriate City staff to follow the model of the Hogg's Hollow Stormwater Management and Roads Improvement Class Environmental Assessment Study and retain as many trees as possible during the detailed design and construction phases by researching and reviewing international best practices with regard to tree protection and construction, consulting with the Construction Liaison Committee, and using measures, including but not limited to:

a.  Localized road narrowing and/or shifting;
b.  Pinching the road;
c.  On-site supervision by certified arborists;
d.  Excavation techniques such as hand digging, and pneumatic and hydraulic excavation techniques;
e.  Root pruning techniques;
f.  Backfill techniques; and,
g.  Tree care during construction.

7.  City Council request that the General Manager, Transportation Services to prioritize the installation of the proposed sidewalk on Mildenhall Road due to ongoing pedestrian safety concerns.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:

1.  Requested the General Manager of Toronto Water to investigate disconnection rates in the Lawrence Park neighbourhood and undertake education, communication and outreach with the goal to achieve higher rates of disconnection to reduce the risk of basement flooding in the Lawrence Park Neighbourhood.    

2.  Requested the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services and the Director, Urban Forestry to work to promote the City's Proactive Tree Planting Program to property owners within the Lawrence Park Neighbourhood, to help ensure that a compensatory number of trees are planted by the City, within the municipal right-of-way, in advance of the construction of works identified in the Lawrence Park Neighbourhood Investigation of Basement Flooding (Area 20) and Road Improvement Class Environmental Assessment Study Master Plan.

The Lawrence Park Neighbourhood Investigation of Basement Flooding (Area 20) and Road Improvement Class Environmental Assessment Study was initiated in April 2012 to develop a Master Plan to address road infrastructure problems and mitigate the risk of basement flooding. 

The study was carried out in accordance with the requirements for a Master Plan, completing the first two phases of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) process.  The recommended Plan contains a series of recommended infrastructure improvements which were selected from a broad range of alternatives, based on current City policies and standards, the unique characteristics of the neighbourhood, and input received through an extensive public consultation process. The alternatives were evaluated against a comprehensive set of criteria.

Broad public consultation, over a four year period, was used to confirm the study objectives, establish the evaluation criteria to select and assess alternatives, select the preferred solutions and provide input on the development of the Master Plan.

The Master Plan, as summarized in Attachment 23, contains the following recommended infrastructure improvements:

-   Reconstruction of a number of streets, in whole or in part as shown on Attachment 10, with pavement widths of 7.2 metres, curb and gutter road drainage and underground storm sewers;

-   New sidewalks on one side of five of these streets; and,

-   New storm sewers on three streets (as shown in Attachment 11) and sanitary sewer improvements on five streets (as shown in Attachment 12) to reduce the risk of surface and basement flooding.
 

In accordance with the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process, a Notice of Completion must be issued and the Master Plan report, which documents the study process and decisions, must be filed in the public record for a minimum 30-day review period. If no concerns or objections are raised during the review period, the recommended projects may proceed to implementation.

While the exact timing of projects proceeding to implementation is subject to the availability of funding, prioritization and coordination with other projects, construction could begin in 2021.  Public consultation will continue through the implementation phases of these projects to provide input and ensure that potential impacts are minimized.