Item - 2026.TE32.47

The Toronto and East York Community Council:

1.  Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with relevant City Divisions and Waterfront Toronto, to report back on the following items to the July 8 and 9, 2026 meeting of the Toronto and East York Community Council:

a. an assessment of how the landscape treatment for Lake Shore Boulevard East, west of Carlaw Avenue, will align with the existing landscape treatment east of Carlaw Avenue, as designed by DTAH and delivered as part of the early-2000s Gardiner Expressway removal, including, but not limited to the following:

1. multi-use trails;

2. lighting fixtures;

3. trees and planting; and

4. public art elements; 

b. confirm whether the Variable Message Sign was included as part of the approved or proposed landscape plan, or provide a rationale and explanation of when the Variable Message Sign was introduced and its design and operational considerations separate from the landscape plan; and

c. input from Waterfront Toronto on whether a Variable Message Sign would be desirable and appropriate within the landscape plan associated with the current Gardiner Expressway removal project from west of Carlaw Avenue to Cherry Street.

The removal of the Gardiner Expressway created a grand boulevard along Lake Shore Boulevard East from Don Roadway to Leslie Street, with the first phase completed under a public realm plan designed by DTAH.

As future phases move forward, including the construction of a multi‑use trail connection to close the existing gap between Cherry Street and the Don River bridge, there is an opportunity to review the public realm and ensure continued consistency with the award‑winning DTAH design established through the original Gardiner takedown.

The presence of a large Variable Message Sign (VMS) within this corridor should also be reassessed as part of this work, to determine whether it remains appropriate within the context of long‑term public realm investments and design objectives.