Members of Council and Staff:  Please keep this agenda and the accompanying material until the City Council meeting dealing with these matters has ended.  The City Clerk’s Office will not provide additional copies.

Special Assistance for Members of the Public:  City staff can arrange for special assistance with some advance notice. If you need special assistance, please call 416-397-7768, TTY 416-338-0889 or e-mail pgmc@toronto.ca.

Closed Meeting Requirements:  If the Planning and Growth Management Committee wants to meet in closed session (privately), a member of the committee must make a motion to do so and give the reason why the Committee has to meet privately. (City of Toronto Act, 2006)

Notice to people writing or making presentations to the Planning and Growth Management Committee: The City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the City of Toronto Municipal Code authorize the City of Toronto to collect any personal information in your communication or presentation to City Council or its committees.

The City collects this information to enable it to make informed decisions on the relevant issue(s). If you are submitting letters, faxes, e-mails, presentations or other communications to the City, you should be aware that your name and the fact that you communicated with the City will become part of the public record and will appear on the City’s website. The City will also make your communication and any personal information in it – such as your postal address, telephone number or e-mail address – available to the public, unless you expressly request the City to remove it.

The City videotapes committee and community council meetings. If you make a presentation to a committee or community council, the City will be videotaping you and City staff may make the video tapes available to the public.

If you want to learn more about why and how the City collects your information, write to the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto ON M5H 2N2 or by calling 416-392-7340.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Confirmation of Minutes - April 21, 2010

Speakers/Presentations – A Complete list will be distributed at the meeting

In the event that City Council decides to amend the Official Plan to permit a mix of land uses, including residential uses, on the lands municipally known as 30 Ordnance Street, City Council may:

1.         Amend the Official Plan for the City of Toronto substantially in accordance with the draft Official Plan Amendment in Attachment No.1 of the report (April 29, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2.         Authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Official Plan Amendment as may be required.

The City Planning Division recommends that:

1.         City Council amend the Official Plan substantially in accordance with the draft official plan amendment in Attachment 1 of the report (April 27, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2.         City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft official plan amendment as may be required.

The City Planning Division recommends that:

1.         No Avenue Studies be undertaken in 2010.

2.         The Chief Planner report to the  Planning and Growth Management Committee in the first quarter of 2011 recommending which Avenue studies should be undertaken in 2011.

3.         No Avenue study be undertaken on Weston Road between Humber Boulevard and Ray Avenue at this time.

The City Planning Division recommends that:

1.         City Council request staff to use the "Mid-Rise Building Performance Standards" contained in Section 3 of the report entitled "Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study (May 2010)" and attached as Attachment 5 to the report (May 4, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in the evaluation of all new and current mid-rise development proposals on the Avenues and in the implementation of future Avenue studies so that the Avenues “vision” can be realized more quickly and effectively.

2.         The effectiveness of the Mid-Rise Performance Standards referred to in Recommendation 1 above, be monitored by staff during a ‘monitoring’ period of approximately two years.

3.         Staff report as soon as possible, and prior to the end of the ‘monitoring’ period, respecting the implementation of the Mid-Rise Building Performance Standards to the Planning and Growth Management Committee.

4.         The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning incorporate the following matters into the 2011 statutory 5-Year review of the Official Plan:

a.         a review and potential expansion of the Avenues identified on Map 2, Urban Structure Map, of the Official Plan and their underlying Land Use Designations;

b.         a review of Map 4, Higher Order Transit Corridors and Map 5, Surface Transit Priority Map, in light of any changes to Map 2 and Transit City;

c.         a review of the Avenue policies in Section 2.2.3  of the Official Plan and identification of any Official Plan amendments required to implement the recommendations of the Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study, including the future role of Avenue Studies and segment studies;

d.         a review of the Built Form policies of Section 3.1.2 of the Official Plan to include the creation of new policies for mid-rise buildings and public realm improvements to implement the recommendations of the Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study;

e.         a review of policies relating to the preservation and enhancement of public lanes on the Avenues;

f.          a review of Secondary Plans and Site and Area Specific Policies  relating to areas that overlap with Avenues to identify any appropriate amendments to implement the recommendations of the Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study where necessary; and

g.         a review the Housing policies of Section 3.2.1 of the Official Plan and the thresholds for demolition and conversion of rental housing units in the implementing By-law 885-2007.

5.         The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning develop a process and criteria for identifying Avenues or portions of Avenues where further study is needed to determine if Enhancement Zones or other appropriate solutions or applications should be considered.

6.         The Mid-Rise Buildings Interdivisional Team maintain an ongoing role during the two year phase in period.

The purpose of this report is to update the Planning and Growth Management Committee on the status of the ‘Avenues and Mid-Rise Building Action Plan’.

The Action Plan consists of a number of components to encourage the reurbanization of Toronto’s Avenues.  It includes the Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study prepared by Brook Mcllroy Planning + Urban Design/Pace Architects with E.R.A. Architects, Quadrangle Architects Limited and Urban Marketing Collaborative, and consultations with members of the Mid-Rise Buildings Interdivisional Team, various stakeholders and the public. This report provides updates on these initiatives and makes recommendations related to implementation.

Toronto's Avenues are an integral part of the urban fabric.  Avenues serve as social and commercial centres and are intimately linked to the identity and vitality of the neighbourhoods that surround them.  They are also part of Toronto's Official Plan growth management strategy and therefore it is important to anticipate and set the stage for an appropriate, typically mid-rise, form of development.  In the City of Toronto, mid-rise buildings are defined in relation to the adjacent street or Avenue and can rise no taller than the street ‘right-of-way’, which is generally between 4 and 11 storeys.

The Official Plan vision for Toronto's Avenues is one of vibrant, tree-lines streets, wide sun-lit sidewalks, framed by well designed and contextually sensitive mid-rise buildings that support an active street life by providing a variety of retail and community uses at the ground floor level.  Mid-rise buildings are an integral part of the City’s past, present and future built form and they also help to achieve the growth targets while enhancing and revitalizing existing neighbourhoods.

The implementation of the Avenues’ vision has been dependant on individual Avenues Studies, sixteen of which have been completed across the city to date. Even with new as-of-right zoning in those areas, there has been a slow response from the development community. A faster and more pro-active ‘Action Plan’ was deemed appropriate to put new housing and jobs close to existing transit and infrastructure.  This report, the Consultant study, the ongoing work of the Mid-Rise Building Interdivisional Team, and other related city initiatives together form the ‘Action Plan’.

The consultant’s Avenues & Mid-Rise Building Study provides guidance about the future built form of the Avenues through suggested Performance Standards which will provide the foundation for new zoning regulations and urban design guidelines for mid-rise buildings that respect individual characteristics.

This report recommends that staff use the Mid-Rise Performance Standards in reviewing proposals for a two year monitoring period. During the monitoring period, an implementation strategy will be developed which will include a review of existing zoning, the statutory 5 year review of the Official Plan, and the new Urban Design Handbook, in order to incorporate the Performance Standards in guidelines, policies or new as-of-right zoning.

By the end of the two year monitoring period, staff will report back to the Planning and Growth Management Committee on the effectiveness of the Performance Standards and potential implementation measures as appropriate and necessary.

The City Planning Division recommends that:

1.         Staff be directed to schedule community consultation with interested representatives from stakeholder groups, such as the Toronto Industry Network and the South Etobicoke Industrial Employers Association, and the public at-large to obtain their comments on Employment Areas policies and the proposed Official Plan Amendment in Attachment 1 of the report (May 3, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2.         Notice for the public meeting under the Planning Act be given in accordance with the regulations under the Planning Act.

3.         The appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary actions to give effect thereto.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning Division recommends that:

1.         Notice for a public meeting under the Planning Act be given in accordance with the regulations under the Planning Act with the public meeting targeted for the August meeting of Planning and Growth Management Committee.

2.         The proposed Official Plan Amendment be substantially the same as that in Attachment 1 of the report (May 4, 2010) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

The City Planning Division recommends that:

1.         City Council postpone the Heritage Tax Rebate Program for the 2010 tax year until such time as a full review of the program is completed and presented to Council and any changes to the program can be implemented.

The Toronto Preservation Board recommended to the Planning and Growth Management Committee that:

1.         City Council postpone the Heritage Tax Rebate Program for the 2010 tax year until such time as a full review of the program is completed and presented to Council and any changes to the program can be implemented.

It is recommended that:

1.         City Council authorize the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning Division and the City Solicitor to send staff to Ontario Municipal Board hearings on matters of concern to the City, as needed, during the Council Election.

2.         City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning Division to submit a status report to the Planning and Growth Management Committee and to each Community Council on the use of delegated authority during the election period.

3.         City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to consult with City Councillors on any Ontario Municipal Board attendance, and that individual Councillors who wish to have the City initiate an appeal, support or oppose an appeal or request a deferral, may formally file requests with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning on matters that are time sensitive.

4.         The appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

The General Manager of Transportation Services recommends that City Council approve the following recommendations:

1.         The amendments to City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges, and to City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 693, Signs be adopted substantially in the form set out in Attachment 1 of the report (May 3, 2010) from the General Manager, Transportation Services, subject to such minor stylistic and substantive changes as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the General Manager of Transportation Services or the City Solicitor.

2.         No fees in addition to the fees currently in place for the erection and placement of construction hoarding and/or covered sidewalk within the public right-of-way be required to obtain a permit for display of signage on construction hoarding.

3.         Staff be directed to take any necessary actions to implement and otherwise put into effect the above recommendations.

The Planning and Growth Management Committee of April 14, 2009 requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with appropriate staff to report further on:

1.         definition of hoarding specifying that it must be a continuous enclosure;

2.         a provision which regulates the timing of the erection of construction hoarding in relation to the applicant obtaining demolition and building permits, so that hoarding cannot be erected prematurely or remain when no construction activity is taking place; and

3.         information on the market value of first party advertising on hoarding, to assist the Committee and Council in the event that it wishes to increase revenue for the use of City property for first party advertising on construction hoarding.

This report recommends amendments to Chapter 693, Signs, of the Toronto Municipal Code implementing a harmonized, City-wide approach to permit first party project specific graphics and information on construction hoarding erected within the public right-of-way.

The attachment to this report contains the "Building Permit Fees 2009 Annual Report" for the 12‑month period ending December 31, 2009.

Under the Building Code Statute Law Amendment Act, the City is required to report on the 2009 budget year outlining how new revenues collected have been used to cover the direct and indirect costs of administering and enforcing the Building Code Act and the Building Code.

It is recommended that:

1.         This matter be referred to the City Manager to undertake, in co-operation with Planning, Real Estate and Parks, a review of our Public Space Policy that will determine what we would like Toronto, from a public space perspective, to look like in 2050.

2.         Staff consider:

a.         What mechanisms are currently available to permit that to happen.

b.         What changes in policy will be required.

c.         What amendments, if necessary, will be required to the official plan to allow this to happen.

d.         Who, other than the Parks department, should administer this new public space and how.

It is recommended that:

1.         The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, undertake a planning study of Oakwood Avenue from Eglinton to St. Clair Avenues to establish the necessary planning framework to further encourage the area to evolve into an “Arts District” such as permitting live-work studio space.

2.         Because this Study will involve more than two community council areas the matter be processed through the Planning and Growth Management Committee of Council.

3.         The Study be completed for consideration by Committee no later than September 2010.