Mid-Rise Buildings on Torontos Avenues

2011 CIP/API Conference, St. Johns NL Lorna Day, City of Toronto

City Planning

Bloor Street West

This is Toronto

R Freedman

and this is Toronto

and so is this

Challenge: Mid-Rise Urbanism

The Avenues vision calls for beautiful tree-lined streets and sun-lit sidewalks, framed by carefully articulated mid-rise buildings providing a variety of retail and community uses at the sidewalk level, with residential and commercial units above. . Combined with investments in the streetscape and public realm, the setting for a vibrant community life will emerge.

Canadas Largest City

POPULATION POPULATION
Ontario: 12.5 M 39% GTA: 5.5 M Toronto: 2.5 M

Greater Toronto Area

GTA

Population Growth / Immigration:

Almost half of Torontos population is foreign-born (2006 census) Annually, almost half of all immigrants to Canada settle in the GTA United Nations Development Program ranked Toronto second, behind Miami, Florida, in its list of the worlds cities with the largest percentage of foreign-born population (2004)

Amalgamated City of Toronto

Canada

USA
Lake Ontario

Introduction: Design City Toronto A Work In Progress

A. Design Policy 1. Culture of Design 2. Urban Design Policy / Development Review 3. Design Review Panel B. Designing the Public Realm 1. Great Streets Make Great Cities C. Design Action 1. Competitions & Charrettes 2. City-Wide Design Initiatives: Mid-Rise & the Avenues Transit City Tower Renewal

Torontos Geography

40 km 20 km

162 kms of Avenues

1998 Amalgamation & Ward Politics

Amalgamation: 10 years later

Controversial union promised savings instead it set city on path to fiscal failure. BY ROYSON JAMES CITY COLUMNIST

The Toronto Megacity 10 Years Later Wendell

Cox Ten years ago, the Mike Harris government forced six municipalities to amalgamate into the megacity of Toronto. What drove the Harris governments policy is still a matter for debate.

The Toronto Star

Pre-war fabric

Dundas St. W

Queen St. W

St. Clair Ave. W

Yonge St.

1911 Civic Improvements Committee

1943 Master Plan

1991 Housing on Main Streets

Post-war fabric

Sheppard St. W

Wilson Ave.

Kingston Rd.

Eglinton Ave. W

Outer suburbs

Short History Lesson

Amalgamation January, 1998 Citys Official Plan adopted November 2002, July,
2006

Ontario Places to Grow June 2005 Mid-Rise Building Symposium November 2005 Avenues & Mid-Rise Building Study 2008-10 Streetscape Manual Online June 2010

Emergence of the Greater Golden Horseshoe

Intensification Corridor policies to achieve increased residential and employment densities Mobility Hubslinking transportation and land use

Avenues & Higher Order Transit

(2002) 2006 Official Plan

A. Protect Neighbourhoods
B. Balance Growth

C. Provide Transportation Options

Understanding the OP

Land Use Open Space

Land Use Institutional Areas

Land Use Employment Areas

Land Use Mixed Use

OP Map 2 - Urban Structure

Avenues: Reurbanizing Arterial Corridors

Torontos Avenues:

are selected corridors along major transit routes where transit-supportive reurbanization is encouraged is intended to create new jobs and housing while improving local streetscapes, infrastructure and amenities. intended to gradually accommodate development as Toronto continues to grow
framework for change established to through preparation of local Avenue Studies that involve local residents, business and other stakeholders

Mid-Rise Objective: Intensification/Reurbanization

Streets as vibrant urban places/neighbourhood Centres Strengthen neighbourhood retail/restaurants Support transit & other forms of transportation - A City where you dont feel disadvantaged if you dont own a car Create Urban Housing options Condos, NORCs

Mid-Rise defined
1:1 maximum height to Right-of-way width ratio
(Most Avenues fall within 20, 27, 30 or 36m R.O.W. width) 10.5 metre and 3-storey minimum height

(Number of storeys varies with building use, generally between 3-11 storeys)

Avenue Studies

19 Studies to date 17 Completed 38.4 Km (24%) studied

Avenue Study Example: The Queensway - 2003

Islington The Queensway
Royal York

Kipling

F. G. Gardiner Expressway

The Queensway - Vision

July 2008 - The Queensway - Reality

Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study

City Wide Study to look at 162 kms of Avenues more and better designed mid-rise buildings clarity of Councils vision more as-of-right zoning

Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study

Consultant Study initiated in October 2008: Brook Mcllroy Planning + Urban Design/Pace Architects with E.R.A. Architects, Quadrangle Architects Limited and Urban Marketing Collaborative Staff Report adopted by City Council July 2010:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2010/pg/bgrd/background file-29910.pdf

Study Components

City Planning Staff Interdivisional Staff (Fire, Buildings, Technical Services, etc) Industry Stakeholders Public consultations

The St. James

Fallingbrook

SAS Institute

Table of Contents

Commercial Retail at Grade Required

Character Areas

19 Performance Standards

Intent of the PS 3 Scales

1. Pedestrian (Eye) Level - Grade Related

sidewalk zone street trees building entrances faade treatment

Intent of the PS 3 Scales

2. Continuous Streetwall

Up to 6 storeys Continuous street wall Contextual stepbacks Faade alignment, design & articulation Balconies and projections Consistent cornice lines

Intent of the PS 3 Scales

3. Shadow, Transition and Skyview

Upper storeys setback from front, rear and sides Mechanical penthouse Angular planes 5 hours of sunlight

Key Components

20 metre R.O.W. .today

Illustration of the potential evolution of a 20 metre wide Avenue through mid-rise built form.

20 metre R.O.W. short term

Illustration of the potential evolution of a 20 metre wide Avenue through mid-rise built form.

20 metre R.O.W. long term

Illustration of the potential evolution of a 20 metre wide Avenue through mid-rise built form.

Implementation and Next Steps

Ontario Building Code changes:

Official Plan Review Report back to Council

Implementation
Streetscape Manual

paving

trees

medians

lighting

furniture

Implementation 1:50

City of Torontos Design Review Panel

Goals: Design Excellence Creative Design Public Discussion Quality of Life
March 8, 2011: PANELS KEY COMMENTS The panel felt the study was of very high quality and should become a very useful tool for the development of the main streets in a coherent, humane and predictable way. A well constructed well designed document.

How are we doing so far?

*
32 %
28 %

20 %

10 %

10 %

* Between June 2006 and December 2010

Applications Along the Avenues: 2002 -2004

November 2002 - Council adopted the new Official Plan Dec 2004 City received 1300 residential or mixed use applications Good News: 91,600 units = 18% of all residential applications on the Avenues. However much of this development = Townhouses not Mid Rise Buildings

Its about getting to.

In the news.

The right form for Toronto?

Proposed Mid-Rise

Urban Design Awards

14 Mid-Rise Submissions for 2011

Built Mid-Rise

http://www.toronto.ca/planning/midrisestudy.htm

The End