Markham & McNicoll development

Beginning in 2007, there has been an application on the books at the City for two parcels of land at Markham Road and McNicoll Avenue in northeast Scarborough. This is no ordinary application, rather it is for a massive convention centre, with retail and office space. From the January 24 preliminary staff report:

The current proposal contemplates developing the subject lands with additional employment uses and associated floor area in one, 3-storey, 23 372 square metre (251,586 square feet) mixed use building that will include a convention centre, office, restaurant uses and retail permissions. The applicant is proposing a density of
approximately 1.3 times the area of the lot. A total of 1,195 parking spaces are proposed as follows: 108 at-grade; 551 below-grade; and, 536 on the proposed 5-storey parking deck.

You can see the site and its current uses here. There are presently two industrial buildings on the site, as well as a gas service station right on the corner. All buildings would be demolished for the purposes of this development.

The proposed building looks something like Richmond Hill’s Times Square, but obviously with different uses. About half the site in the proposal is taken up by parking, both at-grade and in a 5-storey parking deck as described above. This is a substantial amount of parking.

I was unable to find out anything about the applicant (Evans Planning) or the owner of the property (David Chi-Leung Lam), as they both seem to lack an internet presence.

In an October 30th report, planning staff recommended to Scarborough Community Council that:

1. City Council amend the zoning by-law for the Tapscott Employment District West Zoning By-law No. 24982 substantially in accordance with the draft zoning by-law amendment, Attachment No. 5.
2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft zoning by-law amendment as may be required.
3. Before introducing the necessary Bills to City Council for enactment, require the owner to enter into an agreement pursuant to Section 37 of the Planning Act to secure the following public benefits and matters for convenience:
i) prior the issuance of the first above-grade permit, pay the City the sum of $400,000 towards the works associated with the expansion of the Milliken Park Community Recreation Centre;
ii) require that the cash amount identified above be indexed in accordance with the Non-Residential Construction Price Index for the Toronto CMA, reported quarterly by Statistics Canada in Construction Price Statistics Publication No. 62-007-XPB, or its successor, calculated from the date of execution of the Section 37 agreement to the date of submission of the funds by the owner to the City.
iii) the Owner(s) shall construct or provide securities equal to 100 percent of the cost of the implementation, of transportation improvements identified in the Traffic Impact Study, as may be revised to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Technical Services.
4. Authorize City officials to take all necessary steps, including the execution of agreements and documents, to give effect to the above-noted recommendations.

As you can see, under Section 37 of the Planning Act, the City has requested $400k for help in expanding the Miliken community centre. This is great news for the community.

Now, let’s take a look at the revised proposal compared to the January proposal:

• 20 788 square metres vs. 23 372 square metres
• 965 vs. 1195 parking spaces
• Lot density of 1.13 times lot area vs. 1.3

Fairly substantial differences, especially in floorplate. This is generally what occurs in city planning applications, as the city staff reconcile the application with existing by-laws and regulations.

Interestingly, there was a public meeting April 17, 2008 regarding this by-law change, and the report states “no members of the public attended”. I would surmise that either has to do with the lack of publicity undertaken by the city, as well as the lack of interest in a by-law change in an industrial area not close to any homes.

That being said, I am having trouble thinking of any downsides to this project. It will bring jobs to the area, retain employment lands for employment purposes, intensify a corridor that desperately needs it, and overall it will contribute to an improved aesthetic appearance in the area (a $100 000 public art piece is a requirement). From the elevations provided in the staff report, the building does not look too bad either. Will it be well-executed?

The truth about the Guildwood meeting

A very well-written letter published in the Scarborough Mirror and written by former provincial and federal NDP candidate Gary Dale came to our attention this past week. In it, Mr. Dale responds to a heated letter previously published by the Mirror and written by one Joe Trentadue. He eloquently deconstructs Mr. Trentadue’s arguments and makes a strong case for the viability of the anemometer, and even the possibility of a wind farm. We particularly liked this paragraph:

“Trentadue’s letter makes it clear that he doesn’t want an offshore wind farm. The behaviour of his fellow NIMBYs in interrupting the presentation and booing and interrupting people who spoke in favour of the study shows who was really attempting to hijack the meeting. They were hoping to use the meeting not to gather information about the study but to shut it down.

Fortunately, the majority of the people from the area, along with a number from outside the area, put the good of the community ahead of their own narrow interpretation of their interests.”

Thank you Mr. Dale, for giving us a more reasonable take on the meeting.

Scarborough wind anemometer blown out of proportion

A couple of days after the heated public meeting, we have all had a chance to reflect and consider what has happened.

What is clear is that the entire proposal has been blown out of proportion, and both sides are guilty of it. Both the proponents and opponents believe a wind farm in Lake Ontario to be the end result of the installation of a research station.

All this about an anemometer

The dust has not settled yet and Councillor Paul Ainslie (Scarborough East) is calling for another, more intimate meeting with community members. It remains unclear just how intimate this meeting will be, and more importantly how “community members” will be selected to attend the meeting. What is commendable is Toronto Hydro’s willingness to let the public have their say, even if what they are saying has little to do with their proposal.

What is obviously needed is a more reasonable approach to this debate. As strongly stated by an editorial in the Star, the anemometer test would run for two years and only after this test would wind turbines even be considered. There is a distinct possibility that wind turbines in this location would be found unviable. Even if the study shows turbines here would be successful, there is no chance of those going through without several public meetings. It is unfortunate and regrettable that many people have now been misled. The two sides have created unnecessary debate about wind farms, when the real debate should be about whether or not a wind anemometer is useful and necessary.

There is little harm to be done by this measuring station; to fish, to birds, to humans, to anything. This is why it should be allowed to go ahead.

TTC nixes ferries, mulls express routes

Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all.

A consultant’s report done for the TTC has completely destroyed the idea of the TTC running ferries from Humber Bay and the Scarborough Bluffs to downtown Toronto. Not only would it be prohibitively expensive, it would compete and lose with the GO Lakeshore line in time and fares.

A pet topic of Adam Giambrone, (who still says “it’s interesting to note they compete”), this one is pretty much dead in the water. Richard Soberman’s report states that the trip from the Bluffs to downtown would take 39 minutes (24 minutes from Humber Bay), which is significantly slower than the GO train. The system would likely cost more than $38 M to set up ($8 M x 4 350-person capacity boats, $6 M for terminals) and cost $13 M or more per year to operate. Not only that, but the taxpayer would be on the hook, subsidizing each ride at an astronomical $39 from Scarborough ($11/ride from Humber).

The weather was also cited as a potential issue, especially in winter months. The only thing Giambrone said that made sense in defence of his idea was that it would be wise to study the idea for longer- distance commuting, such as the commute from St. Catharines. This, however, is beyond the TTC’s reach, and the report was forwarded to Metrolinx. Judging by the daily jam of cars pouring into Toronto on the QEW every day, a ferry from the St. Catharines area would be a brilliant proposition.

The TTC also made news the other day when it revealed the rollout of significantly improved bus service throughout the city, the largest such increase in service since 1974. Riders should not have to wait any longer than 30 minutes for their next bus, according to the TTC. Whether these service improvements lead to less crowding, particularly on our beloved (hated) Scarborough routes, remains to be seen.

In conjunction with the massive bus rollout, the TTC also revealed that they would discuss premium express routes that would criss-cross the city (PDF) at their meeting on Wednesday. At his blog, expert advocate Steve Munro has shown that the Star article was in fact largely different from the actual report. What is being proposed is improved service on existing express routes, not entirely new ones. The improvements being considered are where GO does not operate or is operating at capacity. The idea is that these routes will be temporary (over a number of years) until GO makes improvements in capacity, such as train frequency and Lakeshore electrification. However, the routes have to go where people want to go, and passengers have to be willing to pay the double fare for the privelege.

This is something worthy of consideration, as many have wondered upon seeing VIVA buses in York Region, or Transitway buses in Ottawa, why the TTC does not have an equivalent. The execution is crucial, as many “express” routes of the TTC operate in mixed traffic and only eliminate a small number of stops. What is encouraging to see is the TTC thinking about how their service and GO service can be better co-ordinated, and serve the customer better. More of this would be welcomed.

Works committee recommends massive bike lane

Recently, the city’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommended to council that it approve one of the largest bike lane projects to date in this city. The Lawrence Avenue East Bikeway is to span from Victoria Park Ave. in the west all the way to Rouge Hills Drive (Rouge Beach Park) in the east, for a total of 16.1km, or 32.2 lane-km (Details in the city background report).

A work in (slow) progress

Scarborough Centre councillor Glen De Baeremaeker, chair of the committee and cycling advocate, says the bike lane will open up a cycling commute not just to residents of Toronto and Scarborough, but to the entire GTA. With an eastern portion of the Waterfront Trail being completed, in addition to this bike lane, Scarborough will have a relative bounty of cycling options. Lawrence Avenue, currently a 7-lane auto behomoth, should be a more gentle road to all involved once the lanes are finished. While not to be completed before 2010, this represents a major victory for those who advocate for cycling as a viable commuting alternative.

It also represents some shrewd politics, as it allows (if approved) the city to say that it has approved the counstruction of more than 50km of bike lanes in 2008, its stated target.  However, only 91km have been built since 2001, which makes the 2010 finish date look highly ambitious. Add to this usual concessions sought by councillors (Scarborough East councillor Paul Ainslie and his (somewhat reasonable) road repair demands, for example) and this looks like it will be another slow city project. Councillor De Baeremaeker deserves much credit for strongly advocating for this specific project and doing the little things to make sure it has so far sliced through the red tape. Let’s hope that it continues.

Guildwood wind anemometer update

Since Toronto Hydro’s previous meeting was cancelled due to an overwhelming and unexpectedly large turnout, the meeting has been rescheduled and relocated. It will now take place on Monday, November 24, at Wilfrid Laurier C.I. (details here (PDF)). WLCI’s auditorium has a 900-person capacity, so it should be able to meet the demands of this meeting.

 

Just an anemometer

SUR was remiss in including more details from Toronto Hydro about the anemometer itself in the last post on this topic. There is plenty of useful information available on Hydro’s website, including the lovely diagram included in this post. You will note the anemometer platform sticks above the water level a total of 4m and is relatively inobtrusive to anyone at 1.8km offshore. SUR suggests that meeting attendants do not “blow” things out of proportion.

Also remember to think big picture– if Ontario is ever to successfully wean itself off dirty power generation options, then wind power will have to play a part. Yes there are some negatives, but take not of the enormous windmill near Pickering Nuclear and how it has become a signature element of Pickering’s skyline and identity.

Wind measuring device causes a stir

Sounds a little ridiculous doesn’t it? Well, it probably depends where you own property.

Hundreds of Guildwood and Scarborough Bluffs residents came to a public meeting on Oct. 27, most expecting to voice their great concern for the very future of their community. You see, Toronto Hydro was proposing to build a wind anemometer in Lake Ontario off the Scarborough Bluffs, with the expressed purpose of measuring the suitability of wind in the area for possible wind turbines.

This is where the energy crisis in Ontario gets localised. Those who believe turbines are a scar on the landscape are getting organised and seeing results. Unfortunately, this kind of action means that we will not be able to resolve our ongoing reliance on coal power. What is apparent in these kinds of events is that those in favour of such a project, usually the majority, do not feel inclined to show up to public meetings. This leaves those opposed to such projects the only voices heard at meetings. This happened not long ago in the same community, but the issue was a cell phone tower. This situation leads to websites such as this.

Some of the concerns voiced by residents, before the meeting had to be postponed due to crowding:

• aircraft warning lights would be attached to the turbines, turning the Bluffs into “an airport runway 24/7″
• councillor Brian Ashton chimes in saying putting turbines off the Bluffs would be “like throwing paint on the Mona LIsa”
• others were concerned about “the wildlife and pollution, the lake”

As you can see, most of the comments made were reactionary and unfounded. Many were also concerned about how the turbines would affect their view. This is the most outlandish and offensive argument of all.

While it is great that the Guildwood community is active and involved in local issues, their collective tendency to have knee-jerk reactions to any sort of change in the community must stop. It is dangerous in that it sends a message to businesses and other investors that they will have a rough ride if they ever want to try to do something that will in fact, benefit the community.

The fact that this was merely a research device is secondary to these individuals. They only see what they believe will be the end result, an imagery inserted into their minds by their own meetings and conversations with like-minded individuals.

The meeting is to be rescheduled to a later date by Toronto Hydro to accomodate the interest in wind anemometers.

TTC not deemed “essential”

In a close vote, Toronto city council has decided not to ask the provincial government to designate the TTC an essential service.

While on the surface, this may seem to be bad news to many riders, it was a good decision for the future of this city. Deeming the TTC essential would just add more fuel to union boss Bob Kinnear’s slimy fire and increase tensions between the union and the city, while not necessarily preventing strikes.

Not surprisingly, Mayor Miller and his Executive Council were advocating against the motion. This, along with the argument that designating the TTC essential would lead to increased costs to the city, eventually turned the vote against the motion.

Nothing will change now in this situation while we still have union-friendly Miller at the helm. However, this vote now leaves the door open for changes down the road. A research fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, Benjamin Dachis, advocated for an “entirely different direction” in the Sun before the vote. Dachis suggests that the city moves towards “abolishing the TTC monopoly” by allowing private operators to run routes. This, he says, would ensure service in a strike, drive down costs and improve ridership.

It is difficult to argue with this logic. The union, with its often unreasonable demands and relatively frequent strikes, has already cost the city more than it should. Dachis draws upon the example of London, UK, where “controlled competitive contracting” has helped the government save money and actually led to an increase in passenger trips. Unions and private companies are allowed to bid to run individual routes within the city every five years. York Region already has multiple operators, which meant that buses were still running when Viva drivers went on strike recently. The “strike that no one noticed” forced union members to accept a deal that they had previously rejected.

SUR agrees with this tried and true concept. Incremental change is necessary to improve the overburdened TTC system and to save a consistently cash-strapped city from increased costs. This is an advocation for privatization– the system would remain in the hands of the public. This is a plea for improved service and an end to the city being held for ransom by the union.

Durham: Whine Region

Led by Durham Region chair Roger Anderson, the whining and complaining over Metrolinx’s RTP has continued and promises to get worse as the plan is actually implemented.

An editorial published on newsdurhamregion.com today has a headline that reads “Metrolinx needs to include Durham, too”. Ideologues in Durham seem to be playing the weak little brother card– “let me join in, it’s only fair!” However, S.U.R. and others, even those living in the region, are not buying it.

The editorial lists what it calls a “laundry list” of projects that have been “left out” of the RTP: the 407 extension, 404 extension, widening of Hwy. 7, completing the Steeles-Taunton connection, better service to and from UOIT in Oshawa, and infrastructure improvements to support Seaton/Pickering Airport and a new Darlington Nuclear build.

Seaton: fields of dreams

The rhetoric of deception built by Anderson and followed more than willingly by local media can easily be corrected. While these projects may not be included in Metrolinx’s top 15 priorities (and one might have difficulty arguing that they should be, based on ridership figures and the fact that Seaton doesn’t even exist yet) most are included in the plan. In the first 15 years, the 407 and 404 extensions are listed, along with peak rail service to Seaton and some form of rapid transit along Hwy. 2 from Scarborough to Oshawa. Also included in the 15-year timeframe are rapid transit connectors from Pickering to Seaton and Oshawa GO to Oshawa downtown. Within 25 years, there will be rapid transit on Steeles-Taunton to coincide with growth in that corridor. Anderson and others also conspicuously fail to mention the electrification of the GO Lakeshore Line and the advent of 15-minute headways that will greatly benefit Durham.

While it is all well and good to fight for your constituents, Anderson stood almost alone on the Metrolinx board at their meeting last Friday in advocating for spending based on equality of regions rather than where the need is. It was evident he enjoys his role as a a squeaky wheel of sorts, but it is useless in the regional context. As you have read above, his complaints are mostly baseless rhetoric.

It is quite rich to see the regional leader with the weakest regional transit system in the GTHA complain about lack of transit connections in his region. Better get your own house in order first before you claim “they’re not paying attention to Durham”, Mr. Anderson.

Red again

Once again, Scarborough has gone Liberal red in the federal election. All six ridings in Scarborough elected or re-elected Liberals, many who have been in the House of Commons since 1993. Derek Lee (Scarborough-Rouge River) has been an MP consistently since 1988, an impressive record for any politician.

In fact, the only riding that did change hands was Scarborough Southwest– from Liberal to Liberal. Tom Wappel retired and Michelle Simson was victorious with 41% of the vote, the lowest popular vote among Scarborough Liberals (all others were near or above 50%). Lee was voted in with Alberta-like dominance at 58%. This is partly do to nightmarishly low turnout rates in some ridings (see Star map here).

So what does this mean for Scarborough? Well, very little. For starters, the federal government has very little to do with urban areas (a point arguably emphasized by Jim “Potholes” Flaherty and the Conservatives). Apart from making the piddly gas tax transfer permanent, the governments of the past 5 years have done little to improve the situation in Canada’s urban areas. Many make the argument that this is due to the fact that Toronto has no one at the cabinet table. This writer believes that if that is the reason for inaction on crucial urban issues, then we have a poor excuse for a government in Ottawa. Over 80% of Canadians live in urban areas, and politicians should be made to believe that they are ignoring us at their peril.

Look for Dan McTeague to continue to tell you about gas prices. The rest of our representatives will be working hard (no doubt) in the background, and you probably won’t hear much about them. Encourage your MP to pressure the government on urban issues– especially the $6 billion in federal funding that is required to complete the first phase of the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan. Despite not having any MPs in the government, they can still make a difference.