Whereas the Yonge Street Subway was envisioned after the Second World War along with the highways 400, 401, and 402 by the then Premier of Ontario; and
Whereas the initial construction of the Subway was from Union Station to Eglinton Ave in 1954; and
Whereas this initial section was under Yonge Street and not considered the Terminus; and
Whereas further extensions of the Yonge Street Subway were constructed under Yonge Street from Eglinton to York Mills in 1973, and from York Mills to Finch Ave in 1974, neither of these were designed to be a terminus; and
Whereas the extension of the Yonge Street Subway to Highway 7 has been an ongoing conversation for decades; and
Whereas the Premier of the Province in 2011 announced the extension of the Yonge Street Subway to Highway 7 (Richmond Hill Centre/Langstaff Gateway) to be opened in the year 2020, and did not announce this as a terminus; and
Whereas the preliminary design appears to indicate that the design with the Subway for the first time is removed from under Yonge Street some distance to the East in the Richmond Hill Centre Lands; and
Whereas this has resulted in a station at Longbridge Ave on the west side of Yonge Street and in front of the graveyard on the East side of Yonge Street, not in front of the Langstaff Gateway (407/7) as would be expected; and
Whereas the Richmond Hill Centre Station being off Yonge Street for the first time, gives the appearance of a terminus; and
Whereas the Province has announced that the Province will assume the design, building and maintenance of the subway system; and,
Whereas the Province will have an opportunity to study the design and the location of the Richmond Hill Centre station and the Langstaff Gateway (407/7 Station; and
Whereas on April 2019, the Province of Ontario announced that the Yonge Subway extension will be one of 4 projects benefitting from Provincial investment in higher order transit; and
Whereas the Province has accelerated the completion of the Yonge Subway extension to a target timeframe of 2027; and
Whereas geotechnical and design work for the Yonge Subway extension has already commenced; and
Whereas several immediate actions can be undertaken in the planning of the Yonge Subway extension that will maximize the significant public sector investment in this project, including:
- Fully aligning the Yonge Subway extension by staying on Yonge Street from Longbridge to High Tech Road and 16th Avenue beyond;
- Burying hydro lines, from Red Cedar on Highway 7 to the Valley west of Yonge Street, south of Highway 407 to open additional lands for development;
- Revising existing and proposed infrastructure, such as stormwater ponds and Highway 407 interchange ramps at Yonge Street, to create a more urban pedestrian friendly environment;
- Studying the urban realm, densification opportunities and land value uplift resulting from these changes;
- Locate the integrated destination transit hub in the lands between Highway 407 and Highway 7 east of Yonge Street at the Langstaff Gateway;
- Plan the Vaughan lands west of Yonge Street as Rail Integrated Communities (TDD) instead of a 2,000-car parking lot;
- Amend the 407 Transitway Environmental Assessment (also upgrade the EA to rail transit)
- Amend the Yonge Subway Extension Environmental Assessment to stay on Yonge Street;
- Conduct an environmental assessment to bury the 407 High Voltage Transmission Lines from east of Bayview to the valleyland west of Yonge Street;
- Engage a world class Architectural, Engineering, Urban Planning and Design Firm to plan the communities and the integrated destination transit hub;
- Set-up a Tri-city Task Force to make this proposal happen (Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan); and,
- Investigate a process to obtain expression of interest to building, maintaining and owning the multi-use destination integrated hub.
Now therefore be it resolved that the Council of the City of Markham request through the Premier’s office that the Environmental Assessments for the Yonge Subway Extension and the 407 Transitway be reviewed so that:
- The Yonge Street Subway Extension be constructed under Yonge Street North of Highway 407/7; and
- That the Longbridge station be relocated from in front of the graveyard North to the Markham Langstaff Gateway (407/7) under Yonge St as an integral part of the Langstaff / Richmond Hill Gateway; and
- That the Richmond Hill Centre Station be relocated to Yonge Street at a location to provide service to the Richmond Hill Centre (High Tech Road or Bantry or 16th Avenue) and other High Density development on Yonge Street while still allowing for further extensions.
And further, be it resolved, that Infrastructure Ontario or MTO be requested to study the feasibility of a revised Yonge Subway extension and take appropriate action, including revisions to the environmental assessment process, to maximize the public-sector investment in the Langstaff/Richmond Hill area.