STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE #3 - East...

STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE #3 ‘PROJECT 21’

MEETING SUMMARY

Wednesday, June 17th, 2015

Ralph Thornton Center Toronto, Ontario

Meeting Summary Stakeholder Committee #3 – Wednesday, June 17

th , 2015

Ralph Thornton Centre

2

This meeting summary is a compilation of questions and feedback received during the Stakeholder

Committee #3, held on June 17th, 2015 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm at the Ralph Thornton Centre.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the summary, please contact either:

Dana Roebuck Development Coordinator First Gulf Phone: 416-773-7143 [email protected]

Julia Bubrin Public Consultation Coordinator Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited Phone: 416-944-8444 ext. 224 [email protected]

OR

Contents

1. Welcome ............................................................................................................................... 3 2. Review of SC #2 ..................................................................................................................... 3 3. Constraints and Opportunities………………………………………………………………………………………………..3 4. Your Ideas: Infrastructure Elements, Options .......................................................................... 4 5. Next Steps ........................................................................................................................... 12

Appendix A – Interactive Exercise, Post-it Notes Appendix B – Port Lands Bioswale Canal System Presentation Appendix C – Presentation

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


th , 2015


3

1. Welcome The third Stakeholder Committee meeting was held at the Ralph Thornton Centre, 765 Queen Street East. As stakeholders arrived, they were welcomed by Derek Goring and Dana Roebuck from First Gulf and Dr. Charlotte Young, Julia Bubrin and Jeremiah Pariag from Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited (HSAL). The purpose of Stakeholder Committee #3 was to enable stakeholders to brainstorm potential infrastructure elements that could be present at the site. Representatives from the following organizations attended this meeting:

First Name Organization/Affiliation

Michael Holloway Ward 30 of Cycle Toronto

Dina Graser Toronto Arts Council

Saleem Hall WoodGreen Employment Services

Mike Jones Walk Toronto

Erik Cunnington Waterfront Toronto

John Wilson West Don Lands Committee

Angela Stea City of Toronto

Alim Rhemtulla Corktown Residents and Business Association

The following organizations sit on the Stakeholder Committee, but were unable to attend the meeting:

Leslieville BIA

Ralph Thornton Community Centre

Riverside District BIA

Dixon Hall **Stakeholder Committee members represent broad interests and representation from the community. The following summary provides an overview of the discussion and represents the active participation of participants listed above, and not necessarily the full consent. First Gulf will seek to ensure active participation and is taking a solutions-focused approach to public consultation.

2. Results from SC #2 The first portion of the meeting was a recap of the second Stakeholder Committee Meeting, which took place on May 27th, 2015. Dr. Charlotte Young and Julia Bubrin reviewed the ideas and input we received from Stakeholder Committee #2, Vision.

3. Infrastructure: Constraints and Opportunities Derek Goring presented PowerPoint slides which included a series of photographs of potential infrastructure elements. The photographs served as an invitation to start brainstorming potential infrastructure opportunities that exist on the site. The photographs did not reflect any commitment to actually build these specific features; they were being used in order to engage the committee in an active discussion and note their feedback.


th , 2015


4

4. Stakeholder Ideas: Infrastructure Elements, Options For this portion of the meeting, Dr. Young recapped the meaning of the terms “community assets” and “community deficits”, as well as the process of developing a vision for the site. She explained that the next step was to delve deeper into vision and develop some ideas for infrastructure. She informed the stakeholders that there were 6 “stations” around the room that focused on categories of infrastructure (connectivity, mobility, sustainability, public amenities, and public realm), plus one that asked participants to suggest criteria that should be used in choosing the most appropriate infrastructure. Each of the infrastructure stations had assorted photos related to the five categories which were used to spark stakeholders’ ideas about potential infrastructure for the site. Over the next 45 minutes, the stakeholders visited every station in a gallery-walk and shared their thoughts on post-it notes. Based on the thoughts identified on the wall, the Stakeholder Committee discussed the observations that were listed and openly discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the ideas. Stakeholders noted several options of infrastructure elements that would benefit the site, and noted that Project 21 has the opportunity to create a world-class site with progressive infrastructure elements. Additional ideas gathered from the gallery-walk exercise can be found in Appendix A. In adhering to the principle of traceability and feedback loops, the feedback and input that stakeholders offered are shown in the following three columns:

1. Yes – Information that will be formally integrated into the community engagement plan or future engagement activities.

2. No – Information that will not be integrated into the community engagement plan and a rationale will be provided for that response.

3. Exploring – Idea that will be further explored over the course of the community engagement program to see how best to integrate or use the information.

What we heard: Yes No Exploring

Connectivity

Consider “pedestrian permeability” or ease of pedestrians being able to walk through the site. Toronto is a ‘J-walking’ community and more 6-lane streets will be a barrier to walkability. The site should limit large streets.

Connect the site to the Distillery District.

Define spaces for bikes so they do not cross paths with cars.

Avoid dangerous pedestrian paths.

Consider building a bridge to the Harbor Lands.

Consider the elevation of the planned bridge. The elevation would be too high


th , 2015


5


Connectivity

for it to go above trains.

Integrate wireless technology into the site at the infrastructure and Master Plan conceptual development stage not after the site is built.

Install a fine grained street grid.

Do not “off-load” parks -- Ensure that creating access points to other park lands in the area does not mean that park and open spaces are minimized on site.

The site will include open green space

and will also ensure access to

surrounding park spaces.

Consider a bridge on the SW corner of the site as a way to connect to the Harbour.

After the naturalization, the distance across the river will be quite large and likely too large for a bridge. There will be another connection from Villiers Island to north Keating.


Mobility

Consider that drone delivery will likely be a norm in the future.

Provide weather-protected transit stops.

Allow cars to be able to drive only underground.

Provide electric vehicle charging stations throughout the site.

Design roads for cyclists so they are conflict free (i.e. cyclists coming down hill or commuting at fast speeds cannot be in close proximity to pedestrians using the same path). Consider designs similar to those in Werndorf, Austria.

Implement complete streets design (i.e. Queens Quay), including room for diverse modes of transportation -- bikes, cars, someone with a stroller, on rollerblades, pedestrians. Also consider


th , 2015


6


Mobility

streets with certain functions (e.g., Broadview as a through fare, and then more pedestrian friendly emphasis on other streets.)

Look at the final design of the cycling/ pedestrian bridge in Riverdale (that the Local Councillor recently announced), as a model design since it will incorporate a range of users.

First Gulf will explore this once it

is built.

Design for multiple left-turning lanes in larger roads as well as multiple driveway exits to improve the flow of traffic.

Offer public parking. Make it exclusively underground.

Consider a cyclist and pedestrian ramp, similar to Riverdale Bridge.

Restrict large vehicles and delivery trucks.

The current

thinking is that delivery trucks

would access the underground of

the facility with a central

underground loading space that connects to all of

the buildings.

Link the transit system directly to the Union/Pearson line.


Sustainability

Consider potential regulation issues related to sustainability in the planning phase.

Use our emerging capability to collect big data to monitor sustainability activities in the office suites. (This idea ties back to “connectivity.”)

Make all buildings on site at least LEED-certified.

First Gulf plans on

achieving LEED


th , 2015


7


certification on all buildings. First Gulf is

also currently investigating other

third-party programs that measure sustainbility.

Implement specific practices on top of LEED, such as setting standards for utility usage.

Plan for extreme weather events.

Consider placing a reflective pool for capturing water in extreme weather situations. It can also serve as a natural feature and/or art piece.

Consider and evaluate the flood plain. See Appendix B.

Consult with scientists on leading-edge developments in infrastructure and in creating new innovative public spaces.

Include diverse ways of managing storm water, including permeable surfaces and bioswales.


Public Realm

Consider vertical parks because they will help the site be carbon neutral.

More thoroughly consider transportation within the site -- how will people get from one side of the site to another?

Provide site uses other than just offices. This site cannot be a ghost town or a vacuum during overnight and weekend periods.

Retail, hotel and

institutional uses are being considered

Also plan to actively program the public

spaces.

Provide “opportunistic” and “destination spaces” at the site.

Allocate space specifically for virtual reality activities.


th , 2015


8


With over 50,000 people on the site at a given time, create a strategy to deal with garbage.

Intention to

centralize in the

underground.

Generally office

buildings generate a

lot less garbage than

residences. Retail

will probably

generate more than

office.

Create an immediate identity for the space through evolving public spaces (i.e. Rideau Canal in Ottawa transitions to a skating rink).

There are a lot of potential interim uses with future

phased lands that could be used.

Consider an observatory close to the lake, at the top of a building. This should include a telescope and a viewing platform.

Create interactive public realm activities to make people feel engaged and involved.

Include a public realm aspect that reflects the aboriginal heritage.

Animate evening activities to ensure safety of site users.

Safety on the site will be important and this will be

accounted for in design.

Offer ongoing and active programming and events to bring people to the space beyond typical working hours.

Add a large space (concert venue). NOTE: Some participants felt we needed this type of space; others did not, and thought the important element was more “creative space.”

Provide benches throughout the site.


th , 2015


9


Set the tone with the built form. If you have TD towers that are huge black pillars, the site may not be that welcoming. Everything else cascades from the architectural design.


Public Amenities

Make the site and buildings welcoming and inviting.

Make the site friendly to cyclists (no ‘cyclists must dismount’).

Offer amenities to both the public and tenants (Most of what has been noted are tenant amenities, not necessarily public amenities.)

The intention of this category would be for the public, and not only for the people that work here.

Offer several types of bicycle parking (including underground like in Tokyo Japan).

Have a central square to promote the common area.

Consider having climbing walls, as buildings are great climbing features, as well as potential habitat features.

Allocate space specifically for co-op students for on-site businesses.

Have places of faith to accommodate those who need to pray during the day (i.e. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport).

Include signs and educational materials that educate individuals about the site (e.g., the river, the history, heritage).

Include showers, lockers, and change rooms built into the buildings for active transport users.

Include a bike repair shop.

Make the first floor of every building very friendly so the space encourages walking, biking, community.


th , 2015


10


Criteria

Add “ease of maintenance” and “durability” (especially in the design phase. Using these criteria will make the site more cost effective and sustainable.)

Define “sustainability” more clearly for this project.

Integrate the height of the office buildings to be consistent with surrounding communities.

The tallest buildings will be close to the

transit areas and the height will decrease

when approahing neighbouring areas.

Attract various types of businesses to the location.

First Gulf is not

trying to target a specific industry.

Rather there will be a mix of various

businesses.

Make the site aesthetically-pleasing. The built-form impacts the cultural activities and sense of place created. The design of the built-form should be done with the intent of creating community and making people want to be in the space.

Consider key words that drive the

infrastructure developments --

‘opportunistic’ and trying to create

‘destination space’.

5. Clarifications In addition to input that stakeholders offered, they had a few questions of clarification regarding the site

as follows.

Question Answer

There are older street networks on the north of the site with old areas – is it the intention to extend all of the street areas? Perhaps this is an opportunity to reflect the built form?

The city is working on Broadview, but as far as we know, there is no plan to bring any other streets across the rail berm.

Just south of Queen and north of the Broadview is going to be a main street. Others may


th , 2015


11

Question Answer

development, many of the streets are one or two lanes. Will this arrangement be continued?

be narrower, local style streets. In itself, this reduces speed, as wider roads increase speed. First Gulf expects that most of the vehicular traffic will come from major thoroughfares. The design will connect people as much possible to the underground parking areas.

What is the rationale for a bridge on the northwest corridor? Commuters coming down (south) want a space for them to cut over the Don river, without having to go all the way down to the Lakeshore.

The main purpose is the connection to the Don Valley trail and the West Don Lands. The bridge is an opportunity to connect to transit and to help with safety of people getting to the site and access to the site. There is also too much going on south of the tracks (Don mouth naturalization, Gardiner reconfiguration, rail infrastructure, hydro transformer, etc.) so north of the rail bridge is the only place we can land the bridge.

Does First Gulf know how many office buildings there will be and the height of these buildings?

There will be approximately 15-20 buildings of varying heights.

Prehistoric civilization remnants may be discovered on site. Is there a plan to deal with them?

These relics have the potential for a great design attribute. Also, the area has been under heavy industrial use for years, so they might not find anything.

Flooding of the Don Valley is a huge problem. How will we find ways to address this situation?

Naturalization of the Don River Mouth is the plan to address this situation (TRCA/Waterfront Toronto project).

Even with naturalization, the BMW location will still be in the flood plain. How can we extend Broadview without getting into the flood plain?

This still needs to be worked out.

6. Next Steps a. Community Workshop #3 will be on Tuesday, June 23rd at 7:00PM b. The website will be up mid-July. c. The next Stakeholder Committee Meeting has not yet been scheduled, but it will likely

be at the end of September. The times for Stakeholder Committee Meetings are flexible, and First Gulf will look more closely at alternative meeting times to accommodate all stakeholders.


th , 2015


12

Appendix A: Interactive Exercise, Post-it Notes

Criteria

Safety for 24 hour uses

Cost of operations and maintenance to the City/public

Spend time defining sustainability. It overlaps other areas here because it should be central

Isn’t this criteria a given?

Don’t preclude risk and innovation. If you think it’s the future, don’t settle for the past

East of maintenance

Durability

Enhances the tenant/user experience

Long term value

Sustainability is #1. It includes cost, multiple functions, and design excellence

Broader plan integration

Adds value

Sustainable storm water management

Integrated

Transportation sustainability

Does not include traffic

Value or psychological values

Design excellence

Sustainability

Can perform multiple functions

Public Realm

Near childcare space

Tie back to carbon neutral

Or events?

Over used?

Wild space is important

Education about food security

Only as usable space i.e. Needs bench

Dog management

Complement streets – means room for all modes

Integrate art and design into site buildings and amenities as well as stand-alone pieces

Habitat features (especially birds)

Trees

Cultural spaces

Smoking area


th , 2015


13

In 30 years, we’ll have spaces for virtual reality. Build spaces for high-tech, interactive

Elements and programming

Design consistency

Large sidewalks

Advocate for removal of DVP connect site to the natural realm

Mobility

Straight connections, not maze

Thru movements, East/West + North/South

Airport connection?

UPExpress?

Car-free area, put underground

Assume drone delivery is status quo. Where do they land? How do they affect other forms?

Truck delivery

Bike rentals

Multi-use space or gallery/musical/interactive exhibits, etc.

Accessibility Assessment

Electric vehicle (EV) stations

Multiple exits and entrances

Driveways

2 left turn lanes

Underground parking + public

Integrated mobility room for many modes in some space (complete streets)

Permeable paving

Design to enhance the user experience

Weather-protected transit stops

Short blocks – walkable people-sized urban space

Connectivity

Forward compatible

Off-loading public parks?

Bikes and Walking need defined space, not the same

Free wireless everywhere

Options to link to Distillery District – people mover?

Fine grain street network

Intelligent communities

Pedestrian permeability

LSB/LDRT connection south-north is dangerous (Sight-lines and long-signal phase) – Better?

Martin Goodman Trail connection at Don Roadway is dangerous and long signal phase – better?


th , 2015


14

What is the rational for the pedestrian bridge from north-west corner to Corktown Common

Tunnel?

Big fat pipes/fibre optics/allow and attract high-tech industries or can be done in buildup, on

site, virtually

Create meetup places/spaces for interactivity to facilitate connections between people research

(e.g. Canary, DMZ, Innovation, Policy Lab, etc.)

Logan has bike infrastructure “slow street” north of Gerrard. Integrate? (i.e. 1 block east of

Booth)

Public Amenities

Storage

Emergency Services

Gym

Places of faith

Bike lockers

Showers

Pet area

Design new to “respect” heritage

Training Centre

Education (heritage, environmental – river)

Education class space

Common training space + community

Amenities for all ages

Short term retail space

United Way Hub model

Business incubator

Co-op

Build this from start as park of community benefits package

Public/private computer labs

Light industrial Scale include first-grain retail and streel-level interest

Healthcare centre/drop-in clinic

Light industrial with exhibit area

Climbing walls

Farmers markets, night markets, craft markets, etc. (Market program)

Theatre or multi-use space/rehearsal space

Need/secure playground or associated outdoor space

Office tenants will need shower/change room infrastructure for active transportation

Art space

Pop-up shops


th , 2015


15

Sustainability

Tree canopy

High bird-friendliness standards

Light pollution

Animal passage

Make “hard” spaces as permeable as possible (paved, etc.)

Storm water management on site as a resource

Intelligent feedback systems

Energy performance measurement and verification

Big data – suite monitoring

District energy

Geothermal

Cooperation with neighbouring development, deep lake cooling, etc.

Bioswale canals benefits: Transport, brownfield reclamation, health and well-being, land value,

mitigates carbon

Natural drainage is NW SE. Existing drainage basins could become bio-swale edge canals

through site

Don Valley extreme storm flood pools

Side result of carbon neutral and renewable energy

Submission to First Gulf Project 21 as per the June 17, 2015 SAC meeting at Ralph Thornton Centre.

Bioswale-Edged, Open-Water Canals through the fist Gulf Project 21 site which reflect the natural stratigraphy of historical rivers under Lewis and Saulter Streets.

During the PLAI Charrette (July 2014) I proposed storm water management system that included canals wherever possible. My bioswale-edged, open-water canal idea resembles the Charrette consultant team, Public Work's Lineal Stormwater Park on Commissioners Street.

A bioswale-edged, open-water canal proposal also resembles the approved Naturalization of the Mouth of the Don River (NMDR) in the Villiers Island Precinct in that it includes an extreme weather stormwater spillway which cuts the north wall of the Shipping Channel (and perhaps the south wall - continuing south to Lake Ontario Park at Unwin Ave, and then south to Lake Ontario).

In the weeks after the Charrette I continued developing my bioswale-edged, open-water canal idea by walking the landscape along Eastern Avenue (as well as points north) looking for signs of historical rivers and their valleys, that have been buried under fill in the past 100 years of urban development there.

Using historical maps and an eye for the original landscape especially apparent in the surface topography of the urban built form (neighbourhood roadways and alleyways - all roads which have not been graded extensively for TTC rail), I was able to pin-point the location of several glacial run-off valleys on the northern edge of the study area.

The idea is to bring back to the surface with a bioswale/canal system, some of those natural water coarse under the neighbourhoods adjacent to the study area (the built form on the northern extent of the regulatory floodplain), and then extend these bioswale/canals south across the Port Lands across the shipping Channel and ultimately to the lake front.

This idea expands on the vision for Commissioners Street that describes a Lineal Stormwater Park; and expands the idea to other roadways (existing and planned) to such a degree that the feature comes to represent the overarching character of a new Port Lands.

The bioswale-edged, open-water canal proposal has multifaceted and interdependent benefits and provides sustainable solutions to 8 of the 11 elements noted in the Land Use and Urban Structure Elements diagram in the documents (page 7/30):

• Biodiversity - check• Character/Heritage - check• Affordable Housing• Movement Access - check• Views - check• Built Form - check• Sustainability - check• Community Infrastructure• Integrated Stormwater Management - check• Public Realm - check• Pipes (Water/Sanitary)

Below are a list of benefits of a bioswale-edged, open-water canal implementation:

1. Reduces the cost of maintenance of stormwater infrastructure;2. health and safety - complete soil remediation over time; 3. Greatly increases land values - buildings with views to these massive human-made natural features will be more valuable than those that do not; overall, an increase in land value on the Port Lands generally;

4. Land to the north of the study area will greatly benefit, the canals will remediate the basement flooding problem there;

5. Great benefits to health and well being in a dense urban environment;

6. Would likely become a global tourist destination (Venice, Rotterdam);

7. Canal system could be developed as an alternate north-south transportation option which could solve the problem of the Shipping Channel as a barrier - and thus help to connect the City to the Lake.

I imagine a series of bioswale-edged, open-water canals siding the public street network at various places. These constructions would cut the shipping channel wall where they intersect - which would allow transportation systems to be developed along, and in them (gondolas, floating cycle tracks, permeable surfaced multi-use paths in the bioswales) this better connecting the City to the waterfront.

These canals can be seen as extensions of the Shipping Channel; or, the other way around, extensions of the Lake into the City.

Last summer I did a lot of research, walking and writing towards this vision. Below are some of the research materials that I used to determine the starting points of a Bioswale, Open-water Canal System

for the Port Lands.

The Ancient Creeks and Rivers of the South Riverdale Drainage System

On the historical contour map of East Toronto from 1921, I've drawn blue lines which indicate the ancient valleys in South Riverdale. I've added labels along the left and bottom edge of this map which indicate the approximate position of the modern road network.

(Up-to-date contour maps of Toronto do not seem to be available online. It might be beneficial to this project to compare the natural topography with the urban built form topography - in order to better understand the natural drainage system which exists to this day under the modern, human-made storm water sewer system.)

(Via University of Toronto Libraries - Don Valley Historical Mapping Project - Contour map of Toronto district - Lazenby, Paul H.; Toronto Transportation Commission,1921 - Call Number: G3524.T6 C222 19 1921 R - http://maps.library.utoronto.ca/dvhmp/maps.html)

With the aid of a 1902 Map of East Toronto that indicates the position of valleys and rivers at that time ...

http://maps.library.utoronto.ca/dvhmp/maps.html

Villiers Sankey Map of Toronto 1902_G_3524_T61_1902 - University of Toronto Libraries - Don Valley Historical Mapping Project -

http://maps.library.utoronto.ca/dvhmp/maps.html)

.. I have transposed the position of the now underground rivers onto a Google Map which includes a modern street grid layer. These three

http://maps.library.utoronto.ca/dvhmp/maps.html

sources layered together provide a very accurate picture of where the lost rivers of East Toronto run under the modern built form.

South Riverdale Drainage System Google Map

Link to the live map updating as investigations continue: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zZMlzwviuib8.kTuPjHTMznXo

Written byMichael HollowayApril 10, 2015Ward 30 Bikes / PLAI SAC

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zZMlzwviuib8.kTuPjHTMznXo

STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE #3 - East...

Documents

Transcript of STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE #3 - East...