Item - 2022.NY30.41

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council direct the Director of Community Planning, North York District to initiate and complete by the end of 2023, a Zoning by-law amendment for the following properties in order to protect the Allen Greenway:

a. East side of Allen Road:

1. City-owned lands being used as a public north south walkway between Allen Road and the west side of 12 Flemington Road, Unison Health & Community Services (to O zone);

2. City-owned lands being used as a public north south walkway between Lawrence Avenue West and Dell Park Avenue (to O zone);

3. City-owned lands being used as a public open space between Fraserwood Park and Glengrove Avenue West (to O zone);

4. City-owned lands being used as a public north south walkway between Glengrove Avenue West and Glencairn Avenue (to O zone);

5. City-owned lands being used as a public open space between Glencairn Avenue to the east west section of Hillmount Avenue (to O zone);

6. City-owned lands being used as a public north south walkway between the east west section of Hillmount Avenue and Viewmount Park (to O zone); and

7. City-owned lands being used as a public north south walkway between Elm Ridge Drive and Eglinton Avenue West (to O zone); and
 

b. West side of Allen Road:

1. City-owned lands being used as a north south walkway between Lawrence Avenue West and east side of 25 Elway Court (to O zone);

2. City-owned lands being used as a public open space between the east side of 672 Coldstream Avenue and Glengrove Avenue West (to O zone);

3. City-owned lands being used as a public open space between the east side of 200 Glen Park Avenue to the east west section of Hillmount Avenue (to O zone);

4. City-owned lands being used as a public north south walkway between the east west section of Hillmount Avenue to Viewmount Avenue (to OR zone);

5. City-owned lands being used as a public open space between Ridelle Avenue and Elm Ridge Drive (to O zone); and

6. City-owned lands being used as a north south walkway between Elm Ridge Drive to Eglinton Avenue West (to O zone).

The Allen Greenway is a 3 km long linear open space and park system on both sides of Allen Road between Highway 401 and Eglinton Avenue West (see:

Allen-Greenway-Guidebook_C.-Bucksbaum_Summer-2020_pages-compressed.pdf (ecologicaldesignlab.ca) ). The north section is secured by the Lawrence Allen Secondary Plan (see: https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/907d-cp-official-plan-SP-32-LawrenceAllen.pdf ). The Allen Greenway forms the central section of the 25 km long Northwest Cultural Trail (see: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/aa/bgrd/backgroundfile-169568.pdf ).

The Allen Greenway connects with the 9 km long east west York Beltline Park/Kay Gardner Beltline Park.

The Allen Greenway is an active transportation route and cultural corridor extending through the Lawrence Heights, Marlee Ville and Little Jamaica communities. These communities are deficient in parkland and are subject to many development applications.

There are Transportation Services owned and maintained lands which form part of the open space system. Some of these lands are zoned O (Open Space) but some lands are zoned for uses which do not protect for the open space system. In order to protect these City owned lands from being sold off, these properties need to be zoned as O (Open Space).