Item - 2020.GL11.8

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:    

1.  City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, or their designate, to continue negotiations for the acquisition of the Property Requirements in Appendix A to the report (December 18, 2019) from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, municipally known as 16 Linnsmore Crescent and 18 Linnsmore Crescent, near Greenwood Subway Station, and grant authority, if necessary, to initiate expropriation proceedings for the Property Requirements, if the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, deems it necessary or appropriate to proceed in that manner.

2.  City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, to execute, serve, and publish Notices of Application for Approval to Expropriate the Property Requirements in Recommendation 1 above, to forward any requests for hearings to the Chief Inquiry Officer, to attend any hearings in order to present the City of Toronto's position, and to report the Chief Inquiry Officer's recommendations to City Council for consideration.

As part of the Easier Access Phase III Project (the "Project"), the Toronto Transit Commission ("TTC") is proposing to construct two elevators at Greenwood Subway Station on Line 1 providing accessibility to and from each of the eastbound and westbound platforms to the street level.

This report seeks authority to acquire Property Requirements near Greenwood Subway Station, as identified in Appendix A, shown approximately in Appendix B, and more particularly detailed on the Draft Reference Plan in Appendix C (the "Property Requirements"), for the purposes of the Project. The Property Requirements will enable the relocation of utility pipelines from the public right of way to 16 Linnsmore Crescent.

Negotiations for the acquisition of the Property Requirements have been ongoing with the property owners, however, in order to protect the Project timeline, this report seeks authority to acquire the Property Requirements and, if necessary, to initiate expropriation proceedings.

This report is the first stage of the expropriation process. After the application for approval to expropriate is authorized, staff will serve and publish notice on the registered owners of the Property Requirements. Registered owners will have 30 days to request an inquiry into whether the proposed takings are fair, sound, and reasonably necessary.

If no inquiry is requested, City Council may approve the expropriation by a subsequent Stage 2 report. At that time, staff will report to City Council with further details on the anticipated costs, based on appraisals. Following the Stage 2 report, the Expropriation Plan will be registered and Notices of Expropriation served. Statutory offers of compensation must be served prior to the City taking possession of the expropriated Property Requirements.