Whereas the Green Lane/John Street/Bayview Avenue area of Thornhill is and has been in transition for several years and contains a wide range of low-density employment lands; and,
Whereas there is the possibility that with a comprehensive and sophisticated level of urban planning, all stakeholders could see their land use priorities realized to their satisfaction; and,
Whereas significant traffic volumes are a concern with new development applications like Tridel (167 units) on the eastern edge of the Ladies Golf Course, Liberty Development proposed (1,287 units) development on the Shouldice lands and Timbercreek proposed (579 units) redevelopment of the Thornhill Square Shopping Centre lands; and,
Whereas significant amounts of land needed by GO Transit for traditional park and ride solutions are unavailable and/or not viable due to the high price of land at TOC GO Stations; and,
Whereas medium and high-density condos and office development will be in and around the TOC GO Station, minimal or no parking will be available at the station and mobility solutions will be walking, cycling and autonomous (minibus) vehicles to get around the “Village of Green Lane” community and GO Station; and,
Whereas YRT buses coming from the east will drop transit riders off at Green Lane / John Street GO Station and the potential Yonge Subway Stations at Royal Orchard Blvd. and/or Clark Avenue; and,
Whereas merging different modes of transit into one service to suit the mobility needs of individual customers is now an established business model, known as mobility-as-a-service (MaaS); and,
Whereas in the future, autonomous vehicles will have a role as an F/L/O mile option. People switch if they experience transit as fast, convenient, and affordable. People do not typically switch to sustainable modes of transport for their green credentials. They switch if the overall experience is fast and convenient. F/L/O mile options led to more sustainable mobility if they make the public transit experience as good as or better than that of using a car; and,
Whereas community planners need to be thinking about autonomous vehicle (like the Olli minibus) solutions because of the significant impacts they will have on travel within the TOC and to and from the GO transit station; and,
Whereas autonomous (minibus) vehicles would provide the F/L/O mile connectivity to transit users, increasing mobility options for people within a ¾ mile radius of the station and will greatly benefit the disabled, seniors, and children too; and,
Whereas construction of the Yonge North Subway Extension (YNSE) is scheduled to start 2022-23 near the Langstaff GO Transit Station; and,
Whereas Metrolinx in the latter part of 2021 or 2022, is planning to study the Richmond Hill GO Transit Line and prepare an initial Business Case; and,
Whereas the Richmond Hill GO Transit line, may have the potential to add several new TOC GO Station stops including Bloomington, Gormley, Elgin Mills Road, Major Mackenzie Road, 16th Ave, High-Tech Road, Green Lane/John Street, Steeles Ave, Finch Ave, York Mills, Eglinton Ave, Bloor Street, Queen Street and Corktown (Distillery District) in the future; and,
Whereas all RH TOC GO Stations should be planned as complete, integrated destination stations. Before the pandemic, ridership was 10,500 passengers a day. Every station should be planned as destination TOC Stations with a ridership target for the RH GO line by 2051 of 300,000 passengers a day; and,
Whereas these lands are in a very strategic location with frontage on Green Lane/John Street, and abutting two rail lines, one of which is the Richmond Hill GO Transit Line going from Richmond Hill to Union Station, as well as being contiguous to, or a short distance from low and medium density residential uses; and,
Whereas this 65+ acres of employment lands at Green Lane and John Street is a strategic parcel for residential intensification infill, as well as for a significant increase in non-industrial employment opportunities for the residents of Markham; and,
Whereas there are few locations of this size in the GTA available for both residential intensification and non-industrial employment opportunities, leading to the conclusion that these lands should be thoroughly studied with the intent of having a comprehensive Green Lane / John Street TOC Secondary Plan; and,
Whereas with proper urban planning, it is extremely important that prior to any new development occurring a comprehensive local road and pathway network and land use plan be established; and,
Whereas the Village of Green Lane goal is to be planned as a net-zero green community, with district energy, automatic waste collection, energy from waste, solar and geo-thermal solutions be investigated; and,
Whereas it is in the interest of the city, local businesses, and residents to have this plan cover all the relevant lands and have an interactive planning process involving landowners, ratepayers, Metrolinx, I/O, MTO, YRT and professional world class TOC urban design and planning consultants; and,
Now Therefore Be It Resolved:
- That staff be directed to report back on an estimated cost for the studies, timing, and potential financial resources; and,
- That Staff engage consultants determined by Staff to be necessary, such as urban design architects, TOC urban planners, transportation engineers, landscape architects and retail consultant to complete a secondary plan study for the lands shown on the attached Appendix A; and,
- That Staff investigate the feasibility of being part of the City of Toronto Transit Commission and Metrolinx automated vehicle trial at the Rouge Hill GO Station as it represents a key role in the establishment of complete destination rail transit integrated community station at Green Lane / John Street and other TOC rail stations in Markham and York Region, and further;
- That a copy of this resolution be sent to:
• Hon. Caroline Mulroney, Minister, Ministry of Transportation;
• Hon. Kinga Surma, Associate Minister of Transportation;
• Hon. Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure;
• Hon. Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation & Parks;
• Hon. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing;
• Hon. Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade;
• Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities;
• Phil Verster, President and CEO, Metrolinx;
• John MacKenize, CEO, Toronto, and Region Conservation Authority;
• Chris Raynor, Regional Clerk, Regional Municipality of York;
• All Members of Federal Parliament in the Regional Municipality of York;
• All Members of Provincial Parliament in the Regional Municipality of York; and,
• All Members of Regional Council in the Regional Municipality of York