Item - 2021.PH20.5

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1.  Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to initiate a Secondary Plan planning process along Bloor Street West, west of Bathurst Street, the exact study boundaries to be determined in consultation with the affected local Councillors. The findings from this local area study will be used to inform the delineation of Major Transit Station Areas, as part of the ongoing Municipal Comprehensive Review.

Communities located west of the downtown core in Toronto are experiencing significant growth related pressures. Numerous developments of unprecedented scale for these communities are being proposed in light of policy directions originating with the provincial government around Major Transit Station Areas and the City’s current Municipal Comprehensive Review process. The City of Toronto is planning to accommodate over 650,000 additional residents in our city by 2051 as required by the Provincial Growth Plan. We need to be proactive about preparing for this growth.  This includes working with community members to ensure that we create complete communities that include employment uses, the provision of affordable housing and address population density issues as well as ensuring that they are well served by transit and that they are connected to the services and amenities we need in our daily lives. Furthermore, with the amount of change that is forecast to occur, it is important to plan at multiple scales and I believe this secondary plan will respond to the needs of this diverse and yet distinct part of our City.