Item - 2024.IE12.5

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council endorse, in principle, the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan, Attachment 4 to the report (March 13, 2024) from the Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director City Planning, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Acting General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture.

2. City Council direct the Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Acting General Manager, Parks Forestry and Recreation and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and the General Manager, Toronto Shelter and Support Services, to establish an interdivisional advisory committee, with representation from The Bentway Conservancy and the Province, to provide guidance on the development of an implementation strategy for projects along the Under Gardiner corridor (from Dufferin Street to the Don River), identified in the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan, including identification of near-term priorities, a prioritization framework to support the long-term vision, a guide for implementation partnerships, funding strategy and a resource for reviewing future development applications along the corridor, which in the case of City financial contributions, will inform future budget submissions for relevant City Divisions.

The Bentway Conservancy ("The Bentway") and the City have collaborated to provide a vision for underutilized public space under and adjacent to the F.G. Gardiner Expressway ("the Gardiner") in the City of Toronto's downtown core. The findings of this work are summarized below and attached to this report as the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan. The Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan supports the City's Central Waterfront Secondary Plan and the Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan where key policies in the "Shoreline Stitch" are to improve north-south connections to the waterfront, as well as east-west linkages between the Fort York National Historic Site and the Don River Valley.

City Divisions including Transportation Services, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, City Planning, and Economic Development and Culture have been working closely with The Bentway in response to a Member's Motion from 2020 (MM24.18), requesting that the City review how The Bentway’s Under Gardiner proposals align with City plans, policies and programs, and report on how implementation could be realized through planning and development applications / approvals, rehabilitation / maintenance programs related to City roads, sidewalks and related infrastructure, and capital programs related to public realm improvements.

The Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan is a collaboration that was developed between the City's Divisions and The Bentway, and through extensive public consultation. The Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan provides a public realm vision with recommendations for "baseline" improvements that will provide a cohesive public realm; where residents and visitors could encounter amenities such as pedestrian lighting, public wi-fi, accessible seating, wayfinding and public art. Ideas for site specific improvements have also been included in the plan that respond to various qualities and features of the lands under and adjacent to the Gardiner. City staff, working with The Bentway, will develop an implementation strategy for the plan, including a prioritization framework and funding strategy. Further study is required to confirm the details of the proposed improvements and their feasibility and to integrate further public input. Council approvals, including any City finding contributions approved through the annual budget process, will be sought as necessary once feasibility is confirmed in order to advance detailed design and implementation. The implementation plan would be structured as a rolling near - term implementation plan, allowing for the flexibility to add and prioritize projects as opportunities arise and available funding is allocated.

The Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan is consistent with the vision for public realm improvements for Lake Shore Boulevard East Public Realm Plan that was developed along with the Gardiner East Environmental Assessment, and aligned with current City policies, plans, guidelines, and strategies, including: the City of Toronto's Official Plan (Central Waterfront Secondary Plan and Downtown Plan), the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, Toronto's Public Art Strategy, Visitor Economy Strategic Directions 2023-2028, TransformTO Net Zero Strategy, and Complete Streets Guidelines. The City's downtown core has been growing and moving organically towards Toronto's waterfront. Investment in the Gardiner and surrounding public spaces present an opportunity to further connect the downtown to the waterfront.

The Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan that was approved by Council is underway. As part of the "Ontario - Toronto New Deal", the City of Toronto is working with the Provincial government on the upload of the Gardiner. The City has communicated the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan to the Province, and preserving the public realm and programming as part of the upload is a priority for the City.

The Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan provides both a vision as well as an inventory of strategies, identification of opportunity sites and potential interventions to improve public space underneath and adjacent to the Gardiner that can be implemented over time, as opportunities and funding become available. This joint effort will guide public and private investment in the public realm in the underutilized spaces underneath the Gardiner and be structured to be implemented following rehabilitation work that is required for the Gardiner.