Item - 2022.RA28.5

The Board of Directors of CreateTO:  

1.  Authorized the public release of the information in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (December 21, 2021) from the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO following the approval of the City's 2022 Capital Budget and at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO.

The Board of Directors of CreateTO recessed its public session to meet in closed session to consider the item as it pertains to financial information supplied in confidence to the Board of Directors of CreateTO, which, if disclosed, could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons, or organization.

The purpose of this report is to provide the Board of Directors of CreateTO (the "Board") with an update on the work completed for Phase Three of the Major Capital Project Approval Process (including planning approvals, detailed design, contract documents and tender).  An update on the business plan, capital costs and the capital investment for construction of the new Etobicoke Civic Centre ("ECC") at 3755 Bloor Street West, Block 4 of the Bloor-Kipling (Six Points) is contained in Confidential Attachment 1. 

The report continues to support the relocation of the existing, outdated ECC, at 399 The West Mall, to the newly created Housing Now Bloor-Kipling (Six Points) Area, a group of seven City-owned blocks that have been created through the decommissioning of the Six Points Interchange to support the development of Etobicoke Centre as a vibrant mixed-use, transit-oriented community. The new ECC is the cornerstone of realizing a complete community for the Housing Now Bloor-Kipling (Six Points) area.  The co-location of community facilities and municipal governance, with direct access to public transit, will support a new mixed-use, mixed-income community of 2,500 plus residential units, informed by the Housing Now initiative. 

The new ECC will also house the west district municipal offices which are required to support the City's strategic office optimization plan and the ModernTO initiative - a Council-approved program to modernize the workplace and build infrastructure to support a mobile workforce.

The new ECC will achieve the following key city objectives: 

-   Replacement of a functionally obsolete and costly ECC facility at 399 The West Mall which does not meet the locational and space criteria for modernized civic centres established by the office optimization plan and ModernTO program;

-   Relocation of municipal services to a transit-oriented site (the new Kipling Mobility Hub, a convergence of  transit services with the terminus of the Line 2 TTC Subway, Kipling GO Station and Kipling bus terminal with TTC and Mississauga MiWay bus service) to support the mobility criteria for the office optimization plan, and improve access to services for residents, City staff and visitors, while reducing vehicle congestion and environmental impacts;

-   Rationalization of the City's office portfolio with the collapsing of City office leases and relocation of city services to a modernized, primary city office assets with direct access to transit;

-   Implementation of a District Energy Plant at ECC to service all seven development blocks; enabling the Housing Now Bloor-Kipling (Six Points) development to achieve near-zero and eventually zero carbon emissions, and a high level of resiliency in support of the City's Transform TO's climate action plan to reduce emission from buildings; and

-   Development of new civic and community infrastructure, including a City-operated Community Recreation Centre with gymnasium and swimming pool, a Toronto Public Library, a child care centre, multi-purpose community rooms and a public square, to support the Housing Now initiative and the growth and development of the Etobicoke Centre, one of four urban centres identified in the City's Official Plan as a complete community.

The next steps will require approval of capital funding for ECC through the City's 2022 Budget process; completion of Contract Documents (September-July 2022); Tender (August - December 2022); and Tender approval by City Council (January/February 2023).  Subject to City Council's approval of funding in the 2022 Capital Budget and tender award, construction is planned to commence in March 2023 with projected substantial completion March 2027, staff move-in, April-November 2027 and total occupancy December 2027.