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Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown (ESC) Light Rail Transit

December 12, 2012 – Public Meeting

Environmental Assessment and

Mobility Hub Update:

Mount Dennis Area

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Objectives

• Provide overview of ongoing studies for Eglinton Scarborough

Crosstown

• Environmental Assessment Update (West)

• Review updates to concept design for LRT facilities

• Get public input on the updated concept, potential impacts and

mitigations

• Mobility Hub Study

• Place new transit in context of wider neighbourhood

• Present existing conditions and opportunities

• Get public input on opportunities and design directions

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was created in 2006 for the

purpose of providing residents and

businesses in the Greater Toronto

and Hamilton Area (GTHA) a

transportation system that is

modern, efficient and integrated.

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Metrolinx LRT Projects in Toronto

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Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown

• Project $4.9 B (2010$), funded by the Province of Ontario

• 19 kilometres east-west LRT from Kennedy to Mt. Dennis,

including 10 kilometres of tunnel

• New Transit Connections to Yonge, University-Spadina

Subway, Scarborough RT and GO Stouffville

• Up to 26 stations

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Project Schedule

• Delivered using Public Private Partnership and

Alternative Financing + Procurement (AFP)

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Project Schedule

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What is a Mobility Hub?

51 mobility hubs identified in The Big Move

Mobility hubs are major transit station areas within the GTHA

that are particularly significant given the level of transit service

planned for them and the development potential around them.

9 Mount Dennis is a hub in the growing regional transit system

Terminal station of

Phase 1 of the new

Eglinton Crosstown

LRT line

10 Mount Dennis is a hub in the growing regional transit system

Future GO Transit

connection

11 Mount Dennis is a hub in the growing regional transit system

New and existing

bus routes

connecting through

Mount Dennis

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Mt. Dennis Mobility Hub Study Objectives

• A fully integrated transit station to

facilitate transfers between rail and bus

services, and the surrounding area

• Re-purposing the Kodak building

• Improvements to the public realm

including streetscaping

• Enhanced pedestrian/cyclist connectivity

• Potential uses of lands adjacent to

Metrolinx property for transit oriented

development

• Phasing of implementation of the mobility

hub components

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How will the Mobility Hub Study be

Implemented?

• Metrolinx will:

• Incorporate recommendations into the concepts for LRT

facilities and stations

• Work with the City of Toronto to support zoning updates

to reflect study recommendations

• Work with the City of Toronto to prioritize infrastructure

and public realm improvements recommended

14 DRAFT

What are the key elements of the new public transit?

15 DRAFT

A new LRT station with two entrances

16 DRAFT

A new transit overpass over Black Creek Drive

17 DRAFT

A new bus facility

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A maintenance and storage facility (MSF)

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Future GO Transit connection

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A passenger pick-up

and drop-off area

21 DRAFT

The Mobility Hub Study is focusing on five areas

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4. Eglinton Ave and

Black Creek Dr Triangle

1. Kodak Lands

5. Black Creek Business Area

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• Former Kodak land

• Site of Kodak Building No. 9

• Large contaminated site to the east of the rail corridor

• Station area includes Keelesdale Drive

1 Kodak Lands

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1 What is it today?

Kodak Lands

•Vacant

• Isolated from Mount

Dennis by the rail

corridor

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What is it today?

Kodak Lands

•Contaminated from

former industrial uses

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What is it today?

Kodak Lands

•Separated from

Eglinton by significant

grade changes

•Site of Kodak

Building No. 9

1

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What is it today?

Kodak Lands

•Site of Kodak

Building No. 9

1

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What are the opportunities?

Maintenance and

storage facility (MSF)

New station with two

entrances

Bus

facility

Potential new street or

pedestrian link

Realigned retaining wall

Expanded park land

Kodak Lands

Future GO Rail platforms

Passenger pick-up and

drop-off

1

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

Re-purposing the Kodak

Building as the station

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

Connecting from the station

down to Eglinton Avenue

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

Setting back the retaining wall and

creating a new green wall and more

generous sidewalk

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

Incorporating artwork to enliven the

street

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

A more animated structure that

celebrates the activity of the station

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

A more animated structure that

celebrates the activity of the station

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Key Plan 4 Mount Dennis Station

What are the opportunities? Creating a light and airy LRT

overpass

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

Designing the overpass as an

interesting feature with

opportunities for public art

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

Extending the parks west of

Black Creek

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

Preserving for a new complete

street to Industry Street and Black

Creek drive…

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4 Mount Dennis Station What are the opportunities?

… or possibly a pedestrian and

cycling only connection

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• Primary east-west link through the neighbourhood

• Location of the future station

• Designated an “Avenue” in the Official Plan

• Connects the major parks at Black Creek and Humber

• Important cycling connection

Eglinton Corridor 2

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Key Plan

Eglinton Corridor What is it today?

• Fast moving street

• Lacking sidewalks in

locations

•No cycling facilities

2

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Key Plan

Eglinton Corridor What is it today?

•Busy street

•Major intersections

are unfriendly to

pedestrians

2

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Key Plan

Eglinton Corridor What is it today?

•Narrow sidewalks

•Poor pedestrian

environment

•No active (retail or

residential) uses

• Limited streetscaping

and no street trees

between Weston

Road and Black

Creek

2

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Key Plan

Eglinton Corridor What is it today?

•Six lanes of car traffic

•No active (retail or

residential) uses

• Limited streetscaping

and no street trees

between Weston

Road and Black

Creek

2

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Key Plan

Eglinton Corridor What is it today?

• Large intersection

with long crossing

distances

•Extension of

Keelesdale park’s

green edge

•New community

centre

2

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Eglinton Corridor What are the opportunities?

Cycling connections

Streetscape improvements

Enhanced pedestrian crossings

Widening the public realm

New green connections

Future York

Community Centre

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1 Enhancing pedestrian crossings Eglinton Corridor What are the opportunities?

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1 Creating a 4-lane street to provide a more

generous pedestrian environment

Eglinton Corridor What are the opportunities?

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1 Extending the Eglinton multi-use path east of

Weston Road to link the Humber River Trail

with the Community Centre and Beyond

Eglinton Corridor What are the opportunities?

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1 Adding new street trees, furniture and

pedestrian lighting

Eglinton Corridor What are the opportunities?

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1 Extending the park-like setting Eglinton Corridor What are the opportunities?

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• Neighbourhood main street

• Primary north-south route through the neighbourhood

• Designated an “Avenue” in the Official Plan

• Location of many of the community uses (churches, social services)

Weston Road 3

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Weston Road What is it today?

•Smaller sites and a

fine grain of low-rise

buildings

3

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Weston Road What is it today?

•Narrow sidewalks

• Inconsistent

streetscaping

•On-street parking

•Vacant storefronts

3

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Weston Road What is it today?

•Storefronts being

converted into new

residential

3

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Weston Road What is it today?

•New station entrance

3

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Weston Road What are the opportunities?

Streetscape improvements

Enhanced pedestrian crossings Possible future development sites

Entrance to the future station

3

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Developing a new station plaza at Eglinton

and Weston Road

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Landscaping the plaza to add some green

relief to Weston Road and extend the park

like setting along Eglinton

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Locating smaller retail and community uses

adjacent to the station plaza

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Filling vacant stores and refreshing the retail

presence

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Encouraging a range of redevelopment

opportunities

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Encouraging a range of redevelopment

opportunities

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Preserving for active uses at street level

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• Large retail site

• Partially owned by the City of Toronto

• Primary neighbourhood food store

• Faces onto an “Avenue” and has permissions for increased density

• Adjacent to future community centre

• One of the largest potential areas for redevelopment along Eglinton

Eglinton Ave and Black Creek Dr Triangle 4

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•Existing grocery store

• Large areas of

surface parking

What is it today?

Eglinton Ave and Black Creek Dr Triangle 4

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•Photography Drive is

the only road

connection to the

station

What is it today?

Eglinton Ave and Black Creek Dr Triangle 4

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•High profile site

• The only big site

suitable for large-

scale development

•City owned parcel

What is it today?

Eglinton Ave and Black Creek Dr Triangle 4

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• Large unfriendly

pedestrian crossing

• Faces the new

community centre

What is it today?

Eglinton Ave and Black Creek Dr Triangle 4

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Key Plan

What are the opportunities?

Eglinton Ave and Black Creek Dr Triangle

New station with two

entrances

Potential

development

site

Future York

Community

Centre

Street and public realm

enhancements

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Key Plan

5 No Frills What are the opportunities?

Providing a greater mix of

uses integrated vertically

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Key Plan

Relating to the new York

Community Centre

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Key Plan

Orienting buildings to face the

park and community centre

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• Primary employment zone within the Mount Dennis Community

• Healthy employment area

• Contains a range of businesses from small office to larger warehouse

Black Creek Business Area 5

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• Industrial area in

transition to service

retail

• Few employee

services (restaurants,

etc.)

What is it today?

Black Creek Business Area 5

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•Predominantly car-

oriented

• Few/insufficient

sidewalks

What is it today?

Black Creek Business Area 5

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•Poor waiting areas for

transit users

What is it today?

Black Creek Business Area 5

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•Poor connections to

the surrounding

neighbourhood make

it feel isolated from its

surroundings

What is it today?

Black Creek Business Area 5

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Key Plan

What are the opportunities?

Streetscape improvements

Enhanced pedestrian

and cycling connections

New and enhanced

building frontage

Potential new link to transit

Black Creek Business Area 5

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Key Plan

Locating new buildings and uses along the

street edge

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Key Plan

Supporting employees with a greater mix of

uses

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Key Plan

Improving the pedestrian and cycling

environment

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The Big Picture

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Designing the MSF to contribute to

the image of industry street and

support the creation of new

neighbourhood connections

The Big Picture

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Transforming Eglinton into a new

“green” street that extends the

Humber trail network east to the

new community centre and beyond.

The Big Picture

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Encouraging the revitalization of

Weston Road as the Principle

community and retail spine centred

upon a new station and green plaza

space

The Big Picture

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Encouraging new mixed-use

development on the No Frills Site

that relates positively to Keeledale

Park and the Station.

The Big Picture

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Enhancing the image of the Black

Creek Business Area and improving

access for pedestrians, cyclists and

transit users

The Big Picture

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The Big Picture A hub in the regional cycling network

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The Big Picture A key connection in the regional green network

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The Big Picture

Designing the MSF to contribute to

the image of industry street and

support the creation of new

neighbourhood connections

Transforming Eglinton into a new

“green” street that extends the

Humber trail network east to the

new community centre and beyond.

Encouraging the revitalization of

Weston Road as the Principle

community and retail spine centred

upon a new station and green plaza

space

Encouraging new mixed-use

development on the No Frills Site

that relates positively to Keeledale

Park and the Station.

Enhancing the image of the Black

Creek Business Area and improving

access for pedestrians, cyclists and

transit users

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Next Steps

December 18th – 6:30pm

• Economic Development Workshop

Early 2013

• Community Liaison Group Meeting

• Mobility Hub Concepts Presented at Public Meeting

• Station Design Concept Public Meeting

Spring 2013

• Finalize Mobility Hub Study

Ongoing:

• Metrolinx will:

• Incorporate recommendations into the concepts for LRT facilities and stations

• Work with the City of Toronto to support zoning updates to reflect study recommendations

• Work with the City of Toronto to prioritize infrastructure and public realm improvements

recommended

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Thank you!