Item - 2019.TE7.19

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council support the proposed changes to the Queen-River Secondary Plan substantially in accordance with the revisions attached as Attachment 3 to the report (June 19, 2019) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District.

2. City Council authorizes the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the proposed changes to the Queen-River Secondary Plan as may be required.

3. City Council authorize the City Solicitor, together with appropriate staff, to appear before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal in support of City Council’s decision on the proposed changes to the Queen-River Secondary Plan.

This report proposes changes to the Queen-River Secondary Plan (the "Secondary Plan"), which was approved by City Council on February 10, 2015, as Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 287 and is now under appeal to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). The Secondary Plan area is bounded by Dundas Street East to the north, River Street to the west, Queen Street East to the south and Bayview Avenue to the east (see Attachment 1). 

The Secondary Plan was created to provide an area-specific planning framework for the subject lands that are designated Regeneration Areas on Land Use Map 18 of the Official Plan. The changes proposed by City Planning are largely in response to feedback from the appellants, other parties and the local community. The proposed changes are anticipated to allow the City to settle some or all of the appeals on the Secondary Plan and allow the LPAT to bring some or the entire Plan into effect.  

Key changes being proposed include the following:

• Creation of a new Mixed Use Area ("Mixed Use Area E") on the lands at 83-125 River Street, 1-11 Mark Street, 16-18 Defries Street and 2-10 Labatt Avenue to allow for mid-rise mixed-use development and the potential for one or two towers up to 106 metres (approximately 33 storeys) in height; and
   
• New affordable housing policy for future developments In Mixed Use Areas 'A', 'D' and 'E'.

The proposed changes to the Secondary Plan are consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2014) and conform with A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019).