Item - 2021.IE24.7

Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to incorporate the priority studies, master plans, detailed streetscape designs and implementation projects contained in Tables 3 to 6 in the Comments section of the report (August 30, 2021) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and the Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in the development of the 10-year Capital Budget and Plan each year as part of the budget process to advance the implementation of the Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan.

2. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to advance opportunities to implement the priority studies, master plans, park improvements, detailed streetscape designs and implementation projects contained in Tables 3 to 6 in the Comments section of the report (August 30, 2021) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and the Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture through the evaluation of development applications in the Downtown, and adjacent areas as relevant.

3. City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the Interim General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, working collaboratively with the Director of the Indigenous Affairs Office, in partnership with Indigenous leaders and organizations, and in alignment with the Parks Wayfinding Strategy and TO360, to explore opportunities to celebrate Indigenous cultures and histories through Indigenous placekeeping and placemaking initiatives and through a refresh to the Discovery Walks storytelling program within the priority projects contained in Tables 3-6 in the Comments section of the report (August 30, 2021) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and the Executive Director, City Planning, and the Interim General Manager, Economic Development and Culture.

Tables 3 to 6 from the report (August 30, 2021) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and the Executive Director, City Planning, and the Interim General Manager, Economic Development and Culture:

Table 3 Core Circle

Table 4 - Great Streets

Table 5 - Shoreline Stitch Actions

Table 6 - Park Districts

4. City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation with the City Manager's Office, to pursue partnership and funding opportunities with Federal and Provincial governments to support Rebuild and Recovery efforts in the implementation of the Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan.

5. City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to report back in 2024 on an update to the implementation strategy for the Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan, and a summary of achievements to date.

6. City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to identify opportunities to secure large parks in and adjacent to the Downtown, undertake due diligence and report back as required to advance implementation of these initiatives.

7. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to consider, as part of the Great Streets plan for University Avenue, potential safety and public realm upgrades to Queen's Park and Avenue Road, north of Bloor Street.

8. City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Transportation Services, and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to prepare a scope of work and include a submission for City Council's consideration in the 2022-2031 Capital Budget, and to work in consultation with the Ward Councillor to identify the use of available Section 37 funds to advance the following projects: 

a. the Bay Cloverhill Green Loop; and

b. the Garden District greening opportunities to connect Moss Park to Allan Gardens on Pembroke and George Streets from Dundas Street to Gerrard Street.

9. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office in consultation with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting on December 2, 2021 on the impact of the proposed Ontario Line construction on the existing TOcore Implementation Strategy - Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan and related facilities including known financial and scheduling impacts, recognizing that any delays could create additional inconvenience and cost to the City and may conflict with other capital projects.

This report identifies a strategy to continue to advance and plan the implementation of the Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan.

The Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan was adopted by City Council in May 2018. It was adopted to serve as a vision for the Downtown and to guide implementation and future review of the Downtown Plan. It is one of five infrastructure plans and strategies supporting the Downtown Plan (Official Plan Amendment 406), which came into force on June 5, 2019. The Parks and Public Realm Plan sets out a new way of thinking about the integrated design of parks, streets and other publicly accessible open spaces in an intensifying Downtown, to achieve a bold and lasting legacy for future generations. It establishes a vision and framework for achieving an expanded, improved and connected network of public spaces within the mature urban fabric of Downtown. It was developed through a comprehensive, city-wide three-phase engagement process, which involved the public, stakeholder groups and Indigenous communities. Many of the initiatives recommended in the Parks and Public Realm Plan are already underway in terms of planning, design and implementation. This approach to rolling implementation is essential to enhancing the quality of public spaces in parallel with Downtown's rapid growth.

The implementation of the Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan is well-positioned to contribute to recommendations number 68 and number 66 advanced by the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild on accelerating progress toward a green and less car-dependent city, envisioned as a network of connected complete communities that enhances future access for those least able to access greenspace.

Quality public space is essential to keeping the growing heart of the city an attractive place to live, work, learn, play, visit and invest. Downtown's population is projected to double from nearly 238,000 people in 2016 to a potential population of 475,000 by 2041. Employment in Downtown (together with the "shoulder" areas of South of Eastern and Liberty Village) has the potential to reach between 850,000 and 915,000 jobs by 2041, up from approximately 500,000 jobs in 2016.

Downtown has one of the lowest parkland provision rates in the city at 5.5 m2 per resident (utilizing the 2016 Census) and 1.8 m2 per resident and employee compared to a city-wide average of 28 m2 per resident and 18 m2 per resident and employee. As the population continues to increase, and if no new parkland is added, parkland provision rates will fall even lower. To address this challenge, the City has to improve and optimize existing parks and public spaces and acquire new parks, especially large parks to serve the Downtown.

This report highlights parkland acquisitions, capital projects and other improvements achieved and underway since the launch of the TOcore initiative. The Implementation Strategy for the Downtown PPR Plan supports ongoing integrated planning and design and alignment of capital budgeting for parks, streets and public space initiatives across four City divisions -- Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Transportation Services, Economic Development and Culture, and City Planning -- with the aim of developing complete communities in the core. It sets out priorities for investing in parks, streets and public spaces over the near term (2021-2025) towards achievement of the Downtown Plan's 25-year vision, along with evidence-based methodologies to evaluate new opportunities as they arise. It offers an equity-based and consistent framework for identifying, on a year-over-year basis, where, how, and when to invest in public space. By overlaying and mapping the capital plans of multiple City divisions and agencies, the Implementation Strategy helps identify opportunities to bundle the work of different groups into single initiatives. It also points to opportunities for partnerships with city-building partners, such as major institutions, agencies, boards and commissions, and to continue to achieve new parks and other improvements through development.

This Implementation Strategy focuses equally on the importance of investing in state of good repair for existing infrastructure, and on the provision of new and improved parks, streets and public spaces. Through maximizing the lifecycle and efficiency of existing infrastructure, and by ensuring new investments meet high environmental standards, the Strategy supports city-wide sustainability objectives as articulated in the City's Resiliency Strategy and the TransformTO climate action strategy.

Strategic investments are recommended for consideration in future divisional Capital Budget Plans, and several projects already underway or budgeted are highlighted that will support implementation.

Key projects recommended for advancement on a priority basis in the next five-year period (2021-2025), which would include public and stakeholder engagement as necessary, are:

Core Circle – Undertaking a concept plan for the Core Circle to advance an integrated design for a continuous walking and cycling route connecting the pre-settlement landscape system encircling Downtown. This work would build on study work underway (such as the Toronto Island Park Master Plan and Ravine Strategy) and significant investments soon to proceed (such as new parks in the vicinity of the new Garrison Crossing) and focus on addressing the remaining gaps. Importantly, it would involve partnerships with Indigenous communities to identify place-keeping and place-making opportunities.

Great Streets – Advancing the design for significant public realm improvements on 5 of the 12 Downtown Great Streets to make them outstanding civic places and connectors. These include permanent cycling infrastructure on Bloor Street, a permanent design for the King Street Transit Priority Corridor, implementation of the future vision set out in the YongeTOmorrow Environmental Assessment, a feasibility study for creating a potential linear park along University Avenue in the future, and implementing streetscape improvements to Front Street West via coordination and partnerships with the development industry.

Shoreline Stitch – Moving forward key next steps in weaving the waterfront back into the fabric of Downtown by continuing to explore opportunities to deck over the Union Station rail corridor for public parkland, and exploring the potential for future phases of the Bentway/Under Gardiner initiative. This would weave together the 3 threads of the Stitch, including Queens Quay, the Bentway and the rail corridor, and enhance access to new parks currently being developed on the waterfront.

Civic Precinct – Undertaking a Civic Precinct public realm and public art master plan to improve connections between the significant public spaces in the precinct, building on forthcoming investments in the Indian Residential School Survivor Legacy Project, the new Courthouse, the return of Old City Hall to public use and the planned Ontario Line subway stations.

Park Districts – Advancing planning in 6 park districts within Downtown to improve their focus for public life and community use by expanding and improving parkland and making connectivity improvements to streets and public spaces. These Park District studies will include the northern portion of the Grange-John Street-Roundhouse Park Park District via the Grange Precinct Plan, the southern portion of the Kensington Market-Alexandra Park Park District via the Bathurst-Dundas Precinct study, the Christie-Bickford Park District, the Civic Precinct mentioned above, the West Rail District and the Garrison Parks-Fort York Park Districts.

This Implementation Strategy will be monitored and updated every five years to reflect the changing needs of the population relative to growth patterns and to direct capital funds in a strategic manner.