- 9 hours ago
This took place at the David Appleton Seniors Community Center.
The place was small, so it was already pretty much full-house once I arrived. I provided feedback before and after the presentation.
The place was small, so it was already pretty much full-house once I arrived. I provided feedback before and after the presentation.
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LearningTranscript
00:00My name is Jessica Krishnitsky and I'm a senior planner with the City of Toronto
00:05and I'm helping lead the Riding Land Study. I'm joined by several of our team members
00:11which you've probably spoken to already today. I'll introduce them as I finish the presentation in case
00:18there's more questions or comments to share. So this meeting is being hosted by the City of Toronto.
00:24It's the first public meeting for the Riding Land Study and since we're still pretty early in the
00:29study process we're really here to introduce the study to everyone, say a bit about what the study
00:34will include and how you can stay involved and of course receive your input. So before we get started
00:42it's important to honour the land and Indigenous presence on it dating back over thousands of
00:48years. I'm a fourth generation settler from Toronto and I know many of us have come here as settlers,
00:55immigrants or newcomers. I invite you to join me in recognizing the enduring presence and resilience
01:01of Indigenous peoples past and present and reflecting on our accountability to honour these relationships.
01:07So we acknowledge the land that we are meeting on today is the traditional territory of many nations
01:13including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Initial Bank, the Chippewa Law, the Haudenosaunee,
01:19and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, MĂ©tis, and Inuit.
01:25We also acknowledge that Toronto is covering Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit.
01:31We acknowledge all treaty people, including those of us who came here as settlers, as migrants
01:37in this generation or generations past, and those of us who came here involuntarily, particularly
01:43those brought to these lands as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery.
01:48We pay tribute to those ancestors of African origin and descent.
01:53So we're going to begin the presentation portion of this evening with some opening remarks by Councillor
02:01Nansgata. I will then take us through a brief slide deck on the Rhineland study, which will
02:06probably take about 20 minutes. And then we're going to encourage you to continue the conversation
02:15through one-on-one chats with members of our team. If you haven't already done so, we have sticky notes
02:20throughout the room, so please do write down your comments. We have a little dot, sticky
02:25dots to use, and comment forms. So, yeah, please do share your thoughts.
02:29But I'll now welcome Councillor Nansgata to share some of the things.
02:32Thank you very much, and it's good to see so many people out on a nasty evening.
02:38And thank you for coming. And as it was mentioned, this is a writing land study that the staff has
02:45been working on for quite a while. And tonight is the first of many future public meetings.
02:50And the planning, writing land study will establish a planning framework for how the area will
02:57grow. And so we're talking about land use, mobility, and community services in this area.
03:04So tonight is the opportunity to go around to the boards, and we do have city staff to answer
03:09the questions. And we have, I think that everyone was giving some of those notes that they can put on the
03:17board for your comments. And also we have, we also, everything that you see on the boards tonight
03:23is on our website. It will be. It will be after this meeting. So just to make it clear, this is a study,
03:30okay? There's no development applications that have been applied or submitted into the city,
03:37but this is just a study and a framework for that in the future, if there is a development application,
03:43what the community would like to see in their community. And ensure that we get the proper
03:49facilities that we need in this community. With intensification, you need community services,
03:57and you need recreation. And so that is all part of the whole study. So I want to thank everyone for
04:03attending. This is really important to get input, not only from the landowners, but as well as the
04:10community, the people that live in this community. There's a lot of change happening in this community,
04:15not just this community, but citywide. And so thank you for attending. And then if you have a lot of
04:22questions, you can ask the staff questions. But we'll go through the presentation, and then you can have
04:27one-on-one with staff asking specific questions. And then we'll go from there. And like I said,
04:35this is the first of many future public meetings. So this is not the only meeting we're having.
04:41There'll be a lot more meetings as the process goes on. So if we're not talking about something
04:49happening immediately, it would take quite a while. And any development applications that come in,
04:56until this planning study is complete, then there won't be, you know, any applications
05:03coming in until the planning study is complete. Correct?
05:08Well, they come in, but they can't be...
05:11They can't be processed. So just to let you know that, so it's not that we have tons of applications
05:17coming in, we don't. So thank you for coming, and I'll pass it on to staff for the presentation.
05:23Thank you so much, Councillor. Thank you.
05:28So as I take you through our presentation, I'm going to first provide some information on the
05:33study context and process. So essentially the where, why, and what of the study. And take a
05:39closer look at the scope that we're going to be looking at. I'll also touch on how this project
05:45fits within Ontario's planning framework. And then we'll go over the areas where we, in particular,
05:49are looking for your feedback and end with next steps.
05:56So what area are we talking about and what are we doing? So the purpose is to set out a renewed
06:02vision for the study area and establish a planning framework for how the area will grow over time.
06:08So this includes things like what types of uses make sense in the lands and how people can move
06:14through the area. So the study area you can see is in the orange boundary to the left of the slide.
06:20It is 3.15 hectares, which is just over, or just under six foot off fields in size. That's easier.
06:28And it consists of 99 to 142 Riding Avenue and to 90 Ethel Avenue, which are currently occupied by
06:37employment buildings and to prepare a neat processing facility. So also on this map, you can get a sense
06:44of what is in the area. I mean, I'm sure some of you are very familiar. But you can see the Renny
06:51Park and George Valerina are just to the west of the lands. Close to the lands to the south are the
06:58rail line and rail yard. Up to the north are the buildings frugging on the south side of St. Clair
07:04Avenue West. And then looking east, we have the Metro grocery store and other big box retailers.
07:11Also in the area, we have the Kiel St. Clair Secondary Plan. You can see that's the area up to the
07:19right in the turquoise. So this is a plan that was prepared to help guide development in that area. It
07:26was recently approved by the province just in August. And it is centered around the future St. Clair,
07:33Old Weston Road on Up Express Station.
07:38So getting to the why. So in 2021, the property owners for the Riding Lands submitted a request
07:46to convert their lands from the employment area land use destination in the city's official plan
07:52to allow for uses that are not normally permitted in employment areas. So this could include things like
07:57residential and take care facilities. In 2023, City Council adopted a change to the official plan,
08:05what we call an official plan amendment, or OPA, in this case number 653, to redesignate the study area
08:13from employment areas to mixed use areas, which is what it is right now. And coming with that was a
08:20site and area specific policy, or SASP, we like our acronyms, of 832. And these are specific policies for
08:28just these lands that require the completion, or that include requiring the completion of a local area
08:35study, among other things. And so OPA 591, or sorry, OPA 653, sorry, and SASP of 832 were then sent to the
08:45province for approval. And that approval came earlier this year in January. The province approved
08:52the OPA and SASP policies with modifications. So those modifications included changing a requirement
09:00for affordable housing to encouraging affordable housing. And this sets the stage for the Riding
09:06Lands Study to begin. If you're interested in kind of the details of those modifications,
09:12the details of the policies, we do have printouts available at the room for you to take a look at.
09:20So as I mentioned, when the land use designation was changed from employment areas to mixed use areas,
09:26it also came with specific policy requirements through SASP 832. So these requirements largely
09:34guide what the Riding Lands Study will be looking at. So of note, these policies say that until our study
09:41is completed, there can be no residential or live work use is permitted. It also encourages the provision
09:48of a specific amount of affordable housing, as you can see the numbers there on the slide,
09:54when redevelopment occurs. And it also requires the provision of the equivalent of at least one times
10:03the site area or 15% of the gross floor area that is in these 15% of the building for non-residential uses,
10:12whichever of those options is less. You can also see the list of studies that are identified in the
10:20policy. So things like land use plan and community services and facility strategy, that sort of thing,
10:26that were also identified to be included. So in terms of how the Riding Lands study will unfold,
10:34there are four key phases. Although as you can see, there's a lot of work that will be done concurrently
10:40as the tasks feed into each other. So we are currently in phase one, which includes doing background work,
10:47compatibility and mitigation study, starting the economic development study, and why we're here today,
10:53our public launch event. We're also starting to touch on phase two, which involves developing,
10:59evaluating and testing options for the site. Thinking about all the background we've been doing so far,
11:07as well as what we're going to hear tonight. And then that's going to lead to preparation of
11:12population and job estimates based on that option, which will feed into, again, more of the background work.
11:20In phase three, that's where we're finalizing all the studies and starting to draft policies based
11:28on that work. And then we'll be coming back for a more public engagement to get feedback on those
11:33policies. And then in phase four, draft instruments, that's when we are preparing the formal official plan
11:42amendment, so that's the instrument, as well as the accompanying staff report. And we're going to
11:47Etobicoke York Community Council and City Council, and we're targeting that to happen by the end of Q2,
11:532026. And all this will lead to a policy framework to guide development.
11:59So diving more into what the study will include, the scope covers a wide range of topics,
12:07but we generally organize them under these four buckets. So we have land use and built form,
12:13mobility and public realm, community services and facilities, and servicing. And I'm going to go
12:18into these in a bit more detail in a couple slides. And as I mentioned, at the end of the study, we'll be
12:24preparing an official plan amendment, and that is going to replace the current site area specific
12:29policy 832, which I mentioned a couple of slides ago. So while the focus of the riding land study
12:40is the riding lands, and that's the area that is shaded at the center, so a bit of this color,
12:45we do have to look at the larger area to evaluate the potential. So the general boundaries for some
12:53of the supporting work, you can see here on the screen. So the kind of mid-level area, so this one
13:02here in orange, is what we're looking at for mobility and public realm. So these are things like streets
13:09and open spaces. And the larger square area there is for community services and facilities. And so
13:17this looks at facilities such as libraries, schools, child care, community rec centers, and community
13:24agency space. And it's quite a bit larger because some of these facilities have large catchment areas,
13:29so we want to make sure we include those.
13:31So getting into a bit more detail on those four buckets of work, the scenario of land use and built
13:41form. This is where we're looking at what types of uses make sense on these lands. So this could
13:46include uses like retail, residential, light industrial, cultural uses, etc. And what types of buildings are
13:55most appropriate here. In the case of residential uses, we'd also be looking at what types of housing
14:01options should be included. And there are two key inputs into this work. The compatibility and mitigation
14:08study looks at whether there are any compatibility issues between the existing and potential future
14:15industrial uses in the area, and any future development on the riding lands, just because we don't want to
14:22create a conflict. And an example of this in this case is, for instance, the rail line and rail lands are
14:30quite nearby to the south of the riding lands. And so we are looking at impacts like noise, vibration, dust,
14:37odors, that sort of thing. And we also have an economic development study, which is getting underway,
14:44and that'll help to understand how to set up non-residential uses on these lands for success.
14:51As we want to ensure that there continues to be a mix of uses on the site, and to make access to good
14:56jobs in the area. In terms of mobility and public realm, this is looking at things like streets,
15:04lock sizes, pedestrian and cyclist routes, etc., to ensure that we put a network in place that makes
15:10it easy to get around for all types of transportation. And as you'll see on the information board over there,
15:18you know, one example of this is the idea of potentially connecting the riding street through the site,
15:26which would make it easier to get from Rename Park, George Bell Arena, all the way to Kiel.
15:32You know, we've also noticed on our site walks that there's not sidewalks everywhere, for instance,
15:37on Ethel Avenue, so something else to think about. And then we'll also look at where it makes sense to locate
15:43park space as development would generate a plan dedication. For community services and facilities,
15:51this is about identifying what facilities are currently in place, as well as what potential future
15:57needs would be generated by development. And then looking at servicing, we're looking at what servicing is
16:05also in place, but also any improvements or upgrades that might be needed to improve capacity.
16:10And when I say servicing, what I'm talking about is water, wastewater and stormwater management facilities.
16:20So in terms of where all this fits in the planning system, this is a quick backgrounder for anyone
16:25who might not be familiar with how planning works in Ontario. So starting at the top, the province sets
16:31out the rules for land use, planning and development in Ontario, including the tools available to us,
16:39the overall policy direction and priorities, as well as high level standards that must be met.
16:45So examples include, for instance, directing higher densities near transit and protecting agricultural areas.
16:53For the city, the overarching planning policy document is the official plan next on the list. And that sets
17:00out the overall vision for the city to direct growth. And this deals with elements such as land use,
17:06housing, transportation, and so on, all at a relatively high level. And all planning decisions made by the
17:15city must conform to the city's official plan. The city also has city-wide strategies, which our council
17:22adopted plans to guide a wide range of city activities. These include strategies addressing
17:28things like reconciliation and climate change. But we also have guidelines that focus more on development,
17:35such as our growing up guidelines, which guide how to design multi-unit buildings to better suit the
17:41needs of families and children, as well as tall building guidelines, which provide guidelines for
17:46designing tall buildings. And then where we are today is the secondary plans and site area-specific
17:53policies. So they are part of the official plan, but they establish more detailed development policies
18:00for specific areas of the city. So they build on the city-wide policies, but dive into more detail
18:06to respond to the local context, or to respond to particular development practices in a certain area.
18:14So as I said, this is kind of where we're going to land with the Riding Land Study, and also the
18:19Field St. Clair secondary plan I mentioned earlier also falls in this category.
18:24And then lastly, we have zoning by-long as best detailed regulations, such as the lease of land,
18:31the type and height of buildings and structures, and other standards, which set conditions for
18:37housing or land may be used. So this could include things like how far a property needs to be set back
18:42for the property line, how much landscaping is needed, that sort of thing.
18:50So as you can see from all these previous slides, a number of decisions have already been made,
18:55leading up to the Riding Land Study. And the planning system on the previous slide already provides a lot
19:01of direction for how development should occur in the city. So we wanted to be clear about the areas
19:07that we're looking for able to put on, because we wanted to be transparent and efficient use of
19:11your time. So in particular, we're looking for ideas, for instance, where should new streets,
19:17lanes, or pedestrian connections be through the site to make it easier to get around the area?
19:24How should density be distributed? For instance, does it make sense to have fewer taller buildings,
19:29or should it be more spread out? What types of non-residential uses make sense in this area to
19:36making access to good jobs and to meet your daily needs? Where could a new park be located on the site?
19:43Like where does that make the most sense? And then is there anything unique or important about the area
19:50that you should know about that we haven't thought about yet? Because this could be considered in the future
19:55design of public or private spaces. So for instance, things like local heritage or areas of cultural
20:02importance, we definitely want to hear about that.
20:07So in terms of next steps, the background studies have already begun or will be getting underway shortly,
20:15after which we'll begin drafting policies based on all that work as well as the input that we've heard
20:20tonight. We're just doing our second public meeting to occur in the spring of next year,
20:28and that's where we'll present and seek your input on the draft policies as well as the other work that
20:33we've been doing. And I'll also note that following this meeting, we're going to be reviewing all the
20:39comments we've received, the post-it notes, the comment forms, notes that our team has been taking,
20:44and we'll be putting all that together as part of a high-level summary that will be also posted on
20:50our project webpage. And then as the Councillor mentioned, we'll also be posting all the boards
20:55and presentations there as well. So let's stay connected. You can see all of our contact information
21:03on the slide, so we definitely encourage you to reach out to us and also share this with anyone else
21:08who might be interested. In particular, I do want to make a pitch for our email updates. You can find
21:16that sign-up link on our project webpage. Just scroll down to the arriving tab and it should be under there.
21:23And just admin advice, there is a little checkbox that you have to check and then you'll receive a
21:30confirmation email that you have to say yes to. So please do sign up and we'll use that to send out
21:37project updates at Major Milestones, including we'll let you know when all the materials on the webpage.
21:43So on that note, since that concludes this presentation, I just want to introduce the team
21:50that we have here now so you know who to go to for your questions. So for questions about development
21:56applications or development generally in the area, please speak with Prevat and Nebra.
22:02For questions about parks, please speak with Nathan. For questions about transportation, we have Matt.
22:16For economic development, we have Cheryl. And if you have just more general questions about the
22:22arriving land study or planning in general, you can please speak with myself, Matt, Michael, or Zahara at the back there.
22:30So thank you everyone so much. And please feel free to stay for the rest of the open house,
22:35which will go until 8.30.
22:37But what I want to say too, so if you have questions at the end that maybe you didn't
22:43get an opportunity to ask and put on the board, you can always email staff.
22:47Absolutely.
22:48The presentation following this meeting will be on the website.
22:51We'll be putting it up.
22:52And if you have any questions that you can contact my office directly, because we want input from you.
22:58So maybe after tonight's open house, you might think of something that you never asked
23:02or you want to comment and then be free to do that.
23:07Absolutely. Yes. Please reach out. Thank you everyone.
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