Item - 2025.IE19.3

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council endorse the Preferred Design identified in the Street A Environmental Assessment Study, as generally shown in Attachments 1 through 6 to the report (February 12, 2025) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, to direct the Owner of the Christie's site to prepare the Environmental Study Report for the Street A Environmental Assessment, issue the Notice of Completion, and post the Environmental Study Report in the public record in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process for Schedule C projects.

3. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to work with the Owner of the Christie's development and Metrolinx on agreements necessary to complete detailed design and construction of Street A, including its associated rail underpass, between Park Lawn Road and Lake Shore Boulevard West, and authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to negotiate, enter into, and execute the necessary agreements, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services, in relation to the detailed design, construction, cost-sharing, and warranty of Street A, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

The Park Lawn Road and Lake Shore Boulevard West area is a vibrant waterfront community that has experienced considerable growth over the last two decades. With the planned revitalization of the former Christie's cookie factory site, the area will continue to transform into a more walkable, transit-supportive, mixed-use residential and employment district anchored by a new higher-order transit hub, potential new schools, parks, and a community centre.

Continued growth in the area requires new and improved multi-modal transportation infrastructure that accommodates people of all ages and abilities, with vibrant and complete streets that complement the planned transit hub, consisting of the new Park Lawn GO Station and new Toronto Transit Commission streetcar loop internal to the Christie's site that will connect to the dedicated streetcar right-of-way on Lake Shore Boulevard West.

The Council-endorsed Park Lawn Lake Shore Transportation Master Plan (TMP) completed in 2023 supports this long-term vision and identified several transportation infrastructure projects required to help achieve it, including Street A - a new public street and associated rail underpass between Park Lawn Road and Lake Shore Boulevard West. The Transportation Master Plan completed Phases 1 and 2 of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process and identified Street A as a Schedule C project requiring an Environmental Assessment Study to complete Phases 3 and 4 of the Environmental Assessment process.

Street A will be an important new street connection in the area that will accommodate motor vehicle traffic, encourage safe pedestrian and cycling activity, support street trees and green infrastructure, provide required underground municipal servicing infrastructure as well as a new grade-separated rail underpass crossing. Street A is required to support Phase 1 of the Christie's development and the proposed Park Lawn GO Station.

The Street A Environmental Assessment Study has been undertaken following the “integrated approach” (as outlined in Section A.2.9 of the 2023 Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process) in co-ordination with the 2150 Lake Shore Boulevard West Draft Plan of Subdivision application on the former Christie's site, to satisfy both Environmental Assessment Act and Planning Act requirements. The Street A Environmental Assessment Study has also been co-ordinated with the Site Plan Application for the new Park Lawn GO Station, being designed and constructed by the Owner of the Christie's development site.

The Street A Environmental Assessment Study focused on developing design alternatives for Street A and the associated rail underpass, undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of the design alternatives to identify a preferred design alternative, as well as community interest group and public engagement.

This report summarizes the Street A Environmental Assessment Study process to date and seeks Council endorsement of the recommended Preferred Design. This report includes high-level order of magnitude construction cost estimates, and outlines a number of next steps related to the further detailed design and construction of Street A, to be undertaken in the future, in co-ordination with Phase 1 of the Christie's development and the new Park Lawn GO Station.

The entirety of Street A is proposed to be constructed as part of the first phase of the Christie's development, with the City's share of the cost front-ended by the Owner and is proposed to be offset by Development Charge credits as part of the Christie's development approval process, subject to future Council approval.

Construction cost estimates for Street A were provided to the City in 2021 by the then Owner of the Christie's site (First Capital). The cost estimates ranged from $182 million to $197 million and included a 25 per cent contingency. The City's share of the construction cost of Street A was included in the City's review of the Development Charges By-law.

An updated construction cost estimate of $270 million was provided to the City in October 2024 by the new Owner group, Lakeshore Development Inc., based on the Preferred Design identified in the Street A Environmental Assessment Study. As part of its Development Charges By-Law update process, the City will continue to update its Development Charges By-Law to reflect construction estimates for City transportation infrastructure projects, including Street A.

The City is continuing to negotiate with the new Owner of the Christie's site for the cost-sharing of the construction of Street A, following the cost-sharing principles previously outlined in the July 2021 Interim Staff Report for the Park Lawn Lake Shore Transportation Master Plan and included in Attachment 7 in this report (with the name of the previous developer "First Capital" replaced with "Owner of the Christie's site").

Street A significantly benefits the redevelopment of the Christie's site and provides access to the north building of the new Park Lawn GO Station. The Owner, Lakeshore Development Inc., acknowledges the need for continued discussions related to cost-sharing for the delivery of this new public street and associated rail underpass.

As negotiations with the Owner of the Christie's development site proceed, funding for the City's share of transportation costs associated with Street A, if required, would be requested at the appropriate time through future budget processes.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.