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Graffiti Alley Project

4/18/2019

The alleyway just west of Portland running north-south from Queen West to Rush Lane is soon to have a “make-over”. With input from various players … City staff, electricians, commissioned architects and sculptors, the Queen West BIA, adjacent residents/businesses, Project Laneway, the GDNA and graffiti artists … plans can be viewed here:

If you zoom in on the “landscape plan” you will note:
1.Paving, with good drainage construction, in an irregular weave pattern.
2.Lighting on poles. The diagram shows 4, but my notes say 5.
3.Metal (bronze?) inlays. TBD but I like an idea proposed by Allan (aka Uber500) that the inlays should contain the “handles” of the Toronto graffiti artists who have made the Alley what it is.
4.One bollard at the south end and removal of a curb cut at the north end of the lane to prevent vehicular access.
5.Two light pillars, one on Queen Street and the other in Rush Lane, denoted by triangles on the diagram, within sculpted steel assemblies.

As for the practical aspects, the BIA will be responsible for maintenance of the laneway (the City will add a line item in the BIA's budget). the BIA will have access to electrical outlets on the lighting poles should they want to use the laneway for special events. Original architectural renderings included seating in the laneway but local businesses said they would prefer to pull out temporary tables and chairs for occasions requiring such.

This “no name” laneway needs a name. I have confirmed that suggestions collected in 2017 have not been lost … so maybe this laneway will not be nameless for long. As for timing, the City and the BIA want to move quickly but the project will probably not be completed before next spring.

One of the goals of this project was to set a “standard” for other lanes going forward. So I expect we will be asked for feedback when this phase of the project is compete.

Brant Street One-Way Northbound

10/30/2018

On July 23, 2018 City Council adopted item MM41.110 with the effect of converting the block of Brant Street between Adelaide Street West and Richmond Street West to one-way northbound vehicular travel. This change helps to accommodate the increasing level of demand for curbside activities in the neighbourhood by permitting one lane of traffic to continue unobstructed around vehicles engaged in deliveries or passenger pick-up and drop-off. Brant Street is a short local road but because it connects Richmond Street West and Adelaide Street West, the City's busiest cycling routes, it is an important link for safe cycling in the neighbourhood.
Transportation Services staff reviewed the dimensions of Brant Street and determined that a southbound contra-flow cycling lane can be installed without displacing any existing lanes of traffic. There is a No Stopping regulation already applied to the affected curbside due to its adjacency with St Andrew's Playground and numerous curb cuts, so the contra-flow lane will not affect any parking spaces.
Expect changes to be in place by summer 2019.

All-Candidates Meeting for City Councillor in Ward 10

10/2/2018

There are 14 candidates running for the position of Councillor in Ward 10 (Spadina - Fort York) in the municipal election on October 22nd. The GDNA and seven other resident associations who call Ward 10 their home have organized an All-Candidates meeting on Tuesday October 9th at 6:30pm at OCAD University (100 McCaul Street).

Click below to open flyer with active links and RSVP to Eventbrite:

TOcore - almost there

5/6/2018

On May 1st, at a meeting of the Planning and Growth Management Committee, the long-awaited TOcore report (here, as submitted) was adopted with amendments (here, the amendments). The amended Downtown Plan will be submitted to City Council at its May 23-25 session.

The GDNA gave input into the May 1st meeting by way of this comment from Valerie, cc Joe Cressy’s office, as follows:

The curb has become the most contested part of city streets. "Where is my Uber, UPS, PizzaPizza support to stop?"
As someone who has raised this issue at numerous community consultation meetings and OMB hearings, I was hoping to see something in the Downtown Plan under 8. Mobility ... Parking and Curbside Management.
Existing buildings (both residential and commercial) must somehow adapt to the new reality of bike lanes, e-commerce, and ride-hail services. But City Planning, with input from Transportation Services, needs to assess new development on the basis of its ability to "internalize" rather than "externalize" such activity ... in other words assess its ability to accommodate UPS/Uber/PizzaPizza pick-ups and drop-offs within its own site rather than adding to curbside chaos.
Could this translate into policy with additional wording (in italics) such as this?
8.28. Pick-ups and drop-offs, loading and parking activity shall be encouraged off-street wherever reasonable and practical to free up curbside space. New development applications in the downtown shall be assessed from the perspective of internalizing rather than externalizing curbside activity.

Cressy’s office worked hard to incorporate various resident and stakeholder comments into the long list of resultant amendments. The short italicized amendment suggested by Valerie was revamped as a new policy to read as follows:

Development will generally be required to limit and/or consolidate vehicle access points and will be encouraged to provide facilities for passenger pick-up/drop-off, loading and parking in off-street locations and/or within building footprints, in order to free up on-street curbside and public realm space and improve safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

That’s one for the good guys!

An inventory of development applications in our community

4/17/2018

Here is a list of applications we are following and where in the application cycle each one sits. Six applications have filed with the OMB:

Of the remaining four applications in our catchment, two were submitted only recently and, if they are contested at all, will need to appeal to the new LPAT (Local Planning Appeal Tribunal) rather than the OMB. Both these applications make their "debut" at a Community Consultation Meeting scheduled for April 30th.

Not included on either list are developments that have already been approved either by the City (ie Waterworks) or by the OMB (ie the James). 379 Adelaide is not listed because an application has not yet been submitted ... what we saw last summer was a pre-application presentation only.

Then we follow other proposals that are actually outside our catchment but located on the periphery:

And lastly we follow some big developments which, though several blocks away, promise to affect our neighbourhood substantially:

P.S.

Urbantoronto.ca does an excellent job of keeping tabs on developments in Toronto in general. This article really demonstrates how much activity there is in our larger neighbourhood (Simcoe/Bathurst/Queen/Front):
http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2018/01/growth-watch-2018-entertainment-district

Update on Planning Initiatives Involving our Neighbourhood

11/4/2017

TOCore, King-Spadina Secondary Plan, King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District ... yes, we are involved in all these initiatives. And all three initiatives are moving quite quickly and in tandem.

TOCore

The TOCore Proposed Downtown Plan was adopted without amendment at the City Council session on October 2, 2017. This means that the principles espoused therein were ratified by the City but stakeholder and public consultation (open houses, round-table discussions, public meetings) are still required before the Plan is "passed", presumably mid-2018. Nevertheless, even in its "proposed" form, it will be something to work from when assessing current and upcoming development applications.
Here is are links related to the Plan in question:

King-Spadina
Secondary Plan

Attached here are the presentation slides from a public meeting held October 11, 2017. Draft policies will be submitted in a report to Community Council in November, final policies to Community Council in January then to City Council in February.
Comments should be addressed to Lynda Macdonald (Acting Director of Community Planning downtown) whose contact information is on the last slide.
The content of the K-S Secondary Plan mirrors that of the TOCore Proposed Downtown Plan. Boundaries of the Secondary Plan mirror those of the Heritage Conservation District.

King-Spadina
Heritage Conservation District

On October 4th, City Council adopted this item without amendments, the result being By-law 1111-2017, which designates the King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. As one can garner from the By-law notice, there is an expectation that one or more parties may object via the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). If no such objection (notice of appeal) is received on or before December 1, the By-law will come into force on December 2, 2017.
Under this By-law, owners of property are required to apply for a heritage permit before demolishing any building in the District or making alterations that are visible from the street (interior work, painting and repairs using the same materials will not require a permit). New (infill) construction will be required to contribute to the heritage character of the District, as per the District Plan. If City Council refuses the permit, the applicant may appeal to the OMB.
Take this link for detailed documentation on the KSHCD.

To appreciate the meaning of terms such as "listed" and "designated", "Part V" and "Part IV', Toronto Planning and Development has produced this document of Frequently Asked Questions.

The Ontario Government has two publications that provide additional information on designation:

King Street Pilot - a Reality!

11/4/2017

As a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Group, the GDNA has access to additional information and material. Attachments available here are:

The Project Website can be accessed here.
Information on Monitoring can be accessed here.

Rail Deck ... park or condo complex?

9/4/2017

Those of you interested in what happens to the Rail Deck area will want to attend one or both of these upcoming meetings.

Click on image to view entire pdf.

The first, on September 12th, will present details of a private application known as the ORCA Project, a mixed-use and open-space development that includes a parking structure for 1,225 vehicles and 9 buildings up to 59 storeys tall.

Click on image for link to official application. Expand "Supporting Documentation" for details of the proposal.

At the other, on September 25th, the community will hear about City plans to turn the area into a park. This proposal has been widely covered in the press. This meeting will lay out the details and give our broad community the opportunity to ask questions and/or express opinions.

TIFF 2017 is around the corner

9/2/2017

TIFF 2017 starts next Thursday, September 7, and runs through until Sunday, September 17. This means a lot of exciting activities and spectacles to enjoy, as well as some changes that may require residents and businesses to make advance preparations or alternative arrangements.

Please see the website below for some general information about road closures and TTC diversions during the opening weekend "Festival Street" on King Street between Peter and Simcoe, from September 7 to September 10: http://www.joecressy.com/tiff_2017_festival_street_and_other_important_information.

Generally, during Festival Street the 504 King streetcars will be using Queen Street between Spadina Avenue and Osgoode Subway Station. Visit the TTC website for detailed descriptions, maps, and information about Wheel-Trans service changes: http://ttc.ca/Service_Advisories/Route_diversions/TIFF_2017.jsp.

During Festival Street, there will be free outdoor performances and film screenings to enjoy, including Wayne's World, The Truman Show, and Mean Girls. Many restaurants and cafes along King Street will also be offering expanded outdoor patio seating.

TIFF is a very busy time for our community when many people visit from other neighbourhoods, across the country, and around the world. Please anticipate crowding, congestion, and noise. Toronto Police will be monitoring pedestrian crowding throughout the entire duration of TIFF and they will take necessary safety precautions, including emergency street closures, if crowding is too severe at red carpet events or any other times.