MARCH 9, 2010 - 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
MINUTES
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE
Meeting No. 7
All
Members of Council
Development
Services Economic
Development
Chair: Councillor J. Webster Chair:
Vice-Chair: Councillor D. Horchik Transportation Issues
Chair: Regional Councillor G. Landon
PART A
Presentations, Major Studies, and Issues Agenda
9:00 a.m. – Canada Room
Attendance
|
Regrets
Councillor A. Chiu
|
J. Livey, Chief Administrative
Officer
J. Baird, Commissioner of
Development Services
B. Librecz, Commissioner of
Community & Fire Services
A. Brown, Director of Engineering
C. Conrad, Town Solicitor
B. Karumanchery, Senior Development
Manager
V. Shuttleworth, Director of
Planning and Urban Design
A. Tari, Committee Clerk
|
The Development Services
Committee convened at 9:00 AM in the Canada Room with Councillor
J. Webster in the Chair.
DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST
None disclosed.
1. DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES COMMITTEE MINUTES
- FEBRUARY 9, 2010, Part A (10.0)
Minutes
Moved by Regional Councillor J. Jones
Seconded by Regional Councillor J. Virgilio
That the
minutes of the Development Services Committee meeting, Part A, held February 9,
2010, be confirmed.
CARRIED
2. RAPID TRANSIT/MOBILITY HUB UPDATE (5.0)
407
Transitway Rapid
Transit Hydro
Undergrounding Mobility
Hubs
Yonge
Subway Extension
Mr. Alan Brown, Director of Engineering, addressed the
Committee and provided some history related to the outstanding transportation
issues.
Mr. Neal Irwin, Chairman Emeritus, IBI Group,
delivered a PowerPoint presentation regarding the evolution of the Rapid
Transit Plans in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Mr. Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies, delivered
a PowerPoint presentation regarding the Mobility Hubs.
Ms. Mary-Frances Turner, Vice-President, York Region
Rapid Transit Corporation, delivered a PowerPoint presentation regarding the
Yonge Subway Extension.
Mr. Rob Minnes, Project
Manager, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario addressed
the Committee and provided some opening remarks regarding the 407
Transitway. Mr. Khaled El Delati,
Project Manager, Delcan delivered a PowerPoint presentation with respect to the
Environmental Study, planning and preliminary design process for the 407
Transitway.
Mr. Alan Brown delivered a PowerPoint presentation
regarding the findings of the retained consultant and Hydro One comments on the
feasibility and costs of undergrounding the 500KV and 230KV Hydro transmission
lines north of Highway 7 from Yonge
Street to Bayview
Avenue.
Mr. Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services
thanked all the transportation representatives for coming today and providing
updates to the Development Services Committee.
He provided the Committee with an overview of the discussions that took
place at the York Region office on February 18, 2010 with
Regional Chair Bill Fisch, Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow, Mayor Frank
Scarpitti, Regional Councillor Jim Jones, John Livey, Jim Baird, Alan Brown,
senior staff at the Region, representatives from MTO, VIVA , Metrolinx and the
Provincial Facilitator.
The Committee suggested that the proposed station
location for the 407 Transitway at Leslie Street be re-examined to ensure it is
functional for the existing residential and commercial communities. There was discussion with respect to moving
it north of Highway 407 and possibly west of Leslie
Street. The Committee inquired why the average speed
cannot be faster than 65 km/hr. Mr. El
Delati confirmed that the maximum speed is 100 km/hr and that the main constraint
is the slowing down time at the stations.
He indicated that in order to increase the average speed you would need
fewer stations along the Transitway. The Committee also inquired why the proposed
407 Transitway is being diverted off the right-of-way at the stations. Mr. El Delati emphasized that the 407
Transitway is being designed with the platforms as close as possible (within
100 metres) to the subway stations and other transit providers and the highest
density land uses.
The
Committee inquired about the estimated operational date for the Yonge Subway
extension if the funding is confirmed shorttly.
Ms. Turner advised if funding is available immediately it would be
expected to be operational in 2018.
There was discussion regarding the required parking spots for commuters
coming to the Yonge Subway station at the Langstaff/Richmond Hill Centre, the
requirement for train storage (14 trains) and the importance of a people mover
to the north end of the station.
There
was brief discussion regarding the potential property exchange between 407
Transitway and Markham District Energy at Birchmount
Avenue.
The
Committee discussed the cost differential between Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and
Light Rail Transit (LRT). Mr. El
Delati advised that the cost for an LRT would be approximately 40% above the
BRT. He indicated that the main rationale
for the BRT is that it offers a lot of flexibility in implementation and has
the ability of acquiring substantial ridership in the first phase of
development. Mr. El Delati highlighted
that the 407 Transitway design allows for the future conversion to LRT.
There was discussion regarding alternative funding mechanisms
and the importance of an immediate funding strategy to ensure the delivery of
the required infrastructure. The
Committee stated concerns with meeting the Provincially mandated growth targets
without the Federal and Provincial commitment to deliver the required
infrastructure to support the growth forecasts.
The Committee discussed the bus movement that will
connect the Langstaff area east and west of the tracks to the main terminal.
There was brief discussion regarding the potential
surplus lands once the alignment for the 407 Transitway is finalized.
The Committee thanked all the transit representatives
for presenting an update to the Development Services Committee. The Committee stated some concerns with the
Town of Markham not having
the appropriate expert technical representation during the decision process for
the Richmond Hill/Langstaff Centre. The
Committee stated disappointment with the imbalance of funding provided to the
City of Toronto versus the
funding for the entire 905 area. The
Committee suggested that a comparative chart for the City of Toronto and the
entire 905 area that illustrates the forecasted residential and commercial growth
from now to 2031 should be prepared.
Regional Councillor Jim Jones believes that the issue
to underground the 500KV Hydro transmission lines is not a Hydro issue but rather
a political one. He indicated that Siemens
Ltd. has undergrounded Hydro transmission lines for far less than the estimated
costs provided by Hydro One. Staff emphasized that the main obstacle is not the
estimated cost to underground the 500KV transmission lines but rather that
Hydro One was adamant that they would not permit it due to network security and
risk. The Committee discussed whether
the undergrounding of the 500KV transmission lines would amend the interface of
the inter-modal. Staff pointed out that
if the Hydro transmission lines were undergrounded it would free up the land
for future development, but would only allow for minimal movement south on the
location of the subway station. The
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) indicated that moving the subway station
further south would be problematic because of the curve. The Committee suggested inviting Siemens Ltd.
to a future Workshop.
Moved by Mayor F. Scarpitti
Seconded by Regional Councillor J. Jones
1) That the presentations regarding Rapid
Transit/Mobility Hub Update be received, including:
- Neal Irwin, Chairman Emeritus, IBI Group
- Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies
Inc.
-
Mary-Frances Turner,
Vice-President, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation
- Mr. Khaled El Delati, Project Manager,
Delcan
-
Rob Minnes, Project Manager,
Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
- Alan Brown, Director of Engineering, Town
of Markham
- Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development
Services, Town of Markham; and,
2) That staff work with the representatives of
the 407 Transitway in re-examining the location of the Leslie Street station; and further,
3) That Staff be authorized and directed to do
all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.
Moved by Regional Councillor J.
Jones
Seconded by Councillor L.
Kanapathi
That the Committee consented to
introduce a new item for in-camera discussion dealing with rapid transit and
mobility hub.
CARRIED
Moved by Regional Councillor J. Jones
Seconded by Councillor L. Kanapathi
That, in accordance with Section 239 (2) (c) of the Municipal Act, Development Services
Committee resolve into an in-camera session to discuss the following
confidential matter
(12:03 PM):
1) Acquisition/disposition
of land - Highway 7 Sanitary Sewer Project
CARRIED
Moved by Regional Councillor J. Jones
Seconded by Regional Councillor J. Virgilio
That the Committee rise from the in-camera session (12:16 PM)
CARRIED
ADJOURNMENT
The Development Services
Committee meeting adjourned at 12:35 PM.
Alternate formats for this document
are available upon request.