Item - 2023.TE3.23

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:  

1. City Council authorize for purposes of construction at 1 Bloor Street West the temporary closure to vehicular traffic of a 5 metre-wide portion of the northbound curb lane and to pedestrian traffic on the east sidewalk on Balmuto Street, between a point 29 metres south of Bloor Street West and a point 12 metres further south, from April 1, 2023 to April 1, 2024, inclusive.

2. City Council authorize for purposes of concrete pouring on at 1 Bloor Street West, the intermittent temporary closure to vehicular traffic of Balmuto Street, from the first public lane south of Bloor Street West to Bloor Street West, from April 1, 2023 to April 1, 2024, inclusive.

3. City Council authorize for purposes of construction at 1 Bloor Street West the temporary closure to pedestrian traffic of the west sidewalk and to vehicular traffic of a three-metre-wide portion of the southbound curb lane, both on Yonge Street, between Bloor Street West and a point 66 metres south, from April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025, inclusive.

4. City Council direct the applicant to continue posting a 24-hour monitored construction hotline number on the hoarding board, which must be prominently placed and legible from 20 metres and on all elevations from the construction site.

5. City Council direct the applicant to continue providing and installing public art, including mural artwork, onto every elevation of the hoarding board with adequate spotlighting for night-time illumination, at their sole cost, to the satisfaction of the Ward Councillor.

6. City Council direct the applicant to continue sweeping the construction site daily and nightly, or more frequently as needed to be cleared of any construction debris and made safe.

7. City Council direct the applicant to continue pressure washing the construction site and adjacent sidewalks and roadways weekly, or more frequently as needed to be cleared of any construction debris and made safe.

8. City Council direct the applicant to continue ensuring that the existing sidewalks or the proposed pedestrian walkway have proper lighting to ensure safety and visibility at all times of the day and night.

9. City Council direct the applicant to continue consulting and communicating all construction, parking and road occupancy impacts with local Business Improvement Areas and resident associations in advance of any physical road modifications.

10. City Council direct the applicant to provide a sufficient number of traffic control persons as determined by the Work Zone Traffic Coordinator and the Toronto Police Construction Liaison Officer, on a daily basis to control construction vehicle access and egress to and from the site and maintain a safe environment for the public.

11. City Council direct the applicant to provide a sufficient number of pay-duty Police Officers as determined by the Work Zone Traffic Coordinator and the Toronto Police Construction Liaison Officer during large scale concrete pours and large scale material deliveries to control vehicle access and egress to and from the site and maintain a safe environment for the public.

12. City Council direct the applicant to continue installing appropriate signage and converging mirrors to ensure that pedestrians, cyclists and motorists safety is considered at all times.

13. City Council direct that Balmuto Street, Bloor Street West and Yonge Street be returned to their pre-construction traffic regulations and lane configurations when the project is completed.

14. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to issue a Temporary Street Occupation permit to Mizrahi Development Group (The One) Inc. for the period of April 1, 2023 to April 1, 2024, inclusive, for a portion of Balmuto Street, from a point 29 metres south of Bloor Street West and a point 12 metres further south, without Mizrahi Development Group (The One) Inc. having to comply with certain requirements of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 743, Streets and Sidewalks, as more generally described in the report (February 6, 2023) from the Director, Traffic Management, Transportation Services and, where the approval conflicts with Chapter 743, Streets and Sidewalks, Use of, the approval of the General Manager, Transportation Services shall prevail to the extent of the conflict.

15. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to issue a Temporary Street Occupation permit to Mizrahi Development Group (The One) Inc. for the period of April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025, inclusive, for a portion of Yonge Street, between Bloor Street West and a point 66 metres south.

16. City Council direct the applicant to continue ensuring adequate winter maintenance of all the areas that are not accessible by the City of Toronto Contracted Services, within the affected area designated on the construction management plan.

17. City Council direct the applicant to continue visually improving the pumping station fence by providing and installing public art, in a manner that does not block sightlines for vehicles exiting the laneway.

18. City Council direct the applicant to continue only placing additional bollards and traffic signage on the street fifteen minutes prior to operating the pump, to removing them within fifteen minutes of discontinuing use of the pump and to not placing them in legal parking areas.

19. City Council direct the applicant to continue ensuring that cement trucks and other construction vehicles and equipment do not queue or park on Balmuto Street, and that they do not block access for service vehicles accessing the properties at 21 and 35 Balmuto Street, except during concrete pouring operations.

20. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, to negotiate, enter into and execute an updated indemnity agreement with Mizrahi Development Group (The One) Inc. to address the City's interests with respect to any and all temporary street occupations and closures on Balmuto Street on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

21. City Council direct that Parts 1 to 19, inclusive, above, be subject to Mizrahi Development Group (The One) Inc. entering into the indemnity agreement in Part 20 above.

As the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates a transit service on Yonge Street, City Council approval of this report is required. Further, since this report contains recommendations that do not comply with City policy or by-laws, City Council approval of this report is required.

Mizrahi Development Group (The One) Inc. (the "developer") is constructing a mixed-use development at 1 Bloor Street West (Mizrahi Project). The site is located on the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Bloor Street West. The development will consist of an eight-storey high retail podium and an 86-storey high residential tower.

A five-metre-wide portion of the northbound curb lane and east sidewalk on Balmuto Street from a point 29 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 12 metres further south is currently closed to accommodate construction staging operations for the development. The west sidewalk and a three-metre-wide portion of the southbound curb lane on Yonge Street, between Bloor Street West and a point 66 metres south are also closed. The previous closure of the south sidewalk and a 1.2-metre-wide portion of the eastbound curb lane on Bloor Street West, between Yonge Street and a point 49 metres west, is no longer required. Pedestrians have access to the existing sidewalk on the south side of Bloor Street West, abutting the construction site, which is covered and protected. Existing vehicle and bicycle lanes are maintained for both directions on Bloor Street West.

Toronto and East York Community Council, at its meeting on November 25 and 26, 2020, approved the construction staging area on Balmuto Street from November 30, 2020 to November 30, 2022. In a separate meeting on March 10, 2021, Toronto and East York Community Council approved an extension of the construction staging areas on Yonge Street and Bloor Street West from September 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. In a meeting on December 14 and 15, 2022, City Council approved an extension of the construction staging areas on Yonge Street, Bloor Street West and Balmuto Street, from December 14, 2022 to March 31, 2023. At the time, the developer indicated they would require the staging areas until June 30, 2025.

Transportation Services is requesting authorization to extend the duration of the construction staging areas on Balmuto Street and Yonge Street for an additional 27 months, from April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025, to allow for the construction of the development to be completed. Transportation Services is also requesting authority for the intermittent closure of Balmuto Street during concrete pouring operations, from the first public lane south of Bloor Street West to Bloor Street West, from April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025.

For the maintenance of the concrete pump on Balmuto Street, Transportation Services is also requesting the authority for the General Manager of Transportation Services to issue a Temporary Street Occupation permit for Balmuto Street to the developer, notwithstanding that not all the criteria within the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 743, Streets and Sidewalks, Use of, for so doing would be met.