Item - 2022.IE31.10

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council endorse the Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan as presented in the staff report and Attachments 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the report (June 23, 2022) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to prepare the Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan based on the preferred street, transit, cycling and pedestrian network solutions, issue the Notice of Completion and put the Transportation Master Plan in the public record in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process.

3. City Council direct that further study, through the Environmental Assessment process, be conducted on Preferred Solutions 23 and 34 from the Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan described in the report (June 23, 2022) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

4. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to report back on the outcome of the further study on Preferred Solutions 23 and 34, directed in Part 3 above, and include at that time initial recommendations on the preferred implementation phasing and prioritization for the Transportation Master Plan infrastructure improvements, and continue to work with Oxford Property-Yorkdale in combining their efforts to create an east-west cycling connection through Yorkdale that is mutually beneficial and agreed-upon.

5. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to report back on the feasibility on a plan to extend Dufferin Street north of Wilson Avenue to link into Allen Road going north and to report back to Infrastructure and Environment Committee in the third quarter of 2023.

The Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan study area is located in west-central North York. Today the area is comprised of a mix of commercial, residential and retail uses, including Yorkdale Mall. Yorkdale Mall is Canada’s leading regional shopping destination and a major attraction for residents and tourists in the Greater Toronto Area. The shopping centre attracts over 22 million annual visitors, is home to over 250 stores, and has 4,580 full time equivalent employees.

With significant plans for growth and development both on the shopping centre lands as well as areas along the Dufferin Street corridor, it is imperative that the Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan develop transportation programs, policies and infrastructure to address the current and future mobility needs of the area.

The area’s transportation network consists of Line 1 Yonge-University Subway Line, Yorkdale GO Bus Terminal, GO Barrie Rail Corridor, Highway 401, the Allen Road, and the following major arterials: Dufferin Street, Wilson Avenue and Lawrence Avenue.

In 2019, City Council directed Transportation Services to undertake the Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan. This report summarizes the outcomes of the Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan process under the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process to consider transportation needs and to support current and longer-term (20 plus years) redevelopment of the area. The Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan seeks to address current problems and meet future needs by:

- Improving travel connections through a finer street grid;

- Establishing Yorkdale Mall as a multi-modal transit hub by improving services, operational reliability and access to Toronto Transit Commission and GO Transit;

- Improving active transportation connections to promote walking and cycling;

Designing streets to safely accommodate all users;

- Improving access to / from municipal expressways and provincial highways while protecting for the safety of all users; and,

- Improving streetscapes and the public realm, consistent with the future vision for the area.

The recommended preferred solution provides a continuous, multi-modal transportation network that accommodates all users while supporting reinvestment of City-owned land for public objectives. The proposed street network, streetscape, and active transportation improvements associated with the preferred solution will provide a positive mobility environment for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, support the City’s Cycling Network Plan, and provide new routing opportunities for the Toronto Transit Commission and GO Transit. The preferred solution proposes a number of improvements to the transportation network including mobility hubs, two pedestrian and cycling bridges, a Dufferin Street transit priority lane, two-way bus service on Yorkdale Road, retention and expansion of the GO Bus Terminal at Yorkdale Mall, a modified Allen Road northbound on-ramp to westbound and eastbound Highway 401, and the extension of Caledonia Road under Highway 401.

The more complex projects will require completion of additional phases of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process to confirm a final design in anticipation of construction. Environmental Assessment Schedules associated with each improvement are identified in Table 2.

The Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan is a long-term plan. The majority of the improvements identified in the preferred solution are to be achieved in coordination with area development with the intention of shared costs through development charge credits. Capital costs include the implementation of the pedestrian and cycling bridge (north-south) over Highway 401 connecting Yorkdale Road to Billy Bishop Way, the pedestrian and cycling bridge (east-west) over Barrie GO Rail Corridor connecting Rustic Road to Cartwright Avenue, improvements to the Allen Road northbound on-ramp and the Caledonia Road extension under Highway 401. Third party contributions will be sought to assist with funding these larger infrastructure pieces.