Questions about the next steps for Toronto’s Port Lands

This is a critical time for our waterfront. On Thursday, May 24, the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative (PLAI) heads into its final public meeting before a report about the future of the area is submitted to Toronto’s City Council.

Members of CodeBlueTO want to share some of the questions that we feel the meeting should address. Please let us know if you feel there are other matters to consider. And speak up about what you’d like to see in the Port Lands. Details about how you can get involved and informed are included at the end of this document.

CodeBlueTO would like to acknowledge the value and importance of public involvement as Toronto moves forward. Together, we are shaping the future of our city. It is crucial that this evolution comes from the people of this city, and not just a few well-positioned players.

We are here to be heard.

Has the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative resulted in concrete strategies for acceleration?

  • Does this include acceleration of the naturalized river mouth and other key elements of public infrastructure such as transit?
  • Will all development be structured so as to secure appropriate and dedicated contributions to the cost of infrastructure, including flood protection, naturalization of the river mouth and transit?

Has the PLAI process added value to the City Council-approved plan for the Lower Don Lands?

  • Does the proposed amendment of the original, approved “4WS” treatment of the river course, green-way, and naturalization deliver a comparable or improved plan for public space?

How does the parkland component of the now-amended river mouth compare to the parkland in the approved plan?

  • Is there still a priority to ensure that parkland has a direct relationship with the river and lake?
  • What has been gained, from a public-use perspective?
  • Has anything been lost?
  • Will the award-winning MVVA team that developed the approved Lower Don Lands plan be invited back to work on any proposed modifications to the river naturalization and related green space?

Assuming that the revised 4WS model is recommended to Council, would this option require amendments to the Lower Don Lands Framework Plan? And, if so, will the City commit to incorporating the four core principles for building Toronto’s waterfront as set out in the Central Waterfront Plan? These include:

  • removing barriers and making connections;
  • building a spectacular network of waterfront parks and public spaces;
  • promoting a clean and green environment; and
  • creating dynamic and diverse new communities.

Is the proposed sequence of the phasing appropriate?

  • In what order should we protect south Riverdale, naturalize the mouth of the river or provide flood protection for the quays?
  • Is there anything about the phasing that could not be achieved under the approved Lower Don Lands Framework plan?

Has there been any significant attention paid to the Port Lands beyond the Lower Don Lands?

  • Will there be a transparent, public-oriented precinct planning process for areas such as Keating Channel East and the Pinewood studio precinct?
  • Will Waterfront Toronto be the lead in planning throughout the Port Lands?

Has the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative fully identified the costs and benefits of modification to the approved Lower Don Lands plan?

  • Has this process provided a clear comparison of the cost of flood protection under the City Council-approved Lower Don Lands plan and the proposed changes?
  • What are the net savings, and how significant is that saving in relation to the estimated total $2.5—$3 billion needed for infrastructure?
  • Does this cost saving make reclamation, naturalization and development of the Port Lands easier to finance and/or phase?
  • Is there a summary of the costs and benefits for both the original, approved 4WS plan and the proposed revised 4WS now being considered by the PLAI?
  • Do we run the risk of cheapening an iconic, award-winning design for a relatively insignificant practical benefit?

Has this process moved the infrastructure financing discussion ahead?

  • Have value capture methods such as TIFs, TIEGs or a Community Revitalization Levy been taken off the table?
  • If so, why – can we afford to ignore these as sources of revenue?
  • What is the status of thinking about site-specific development charges?
  • Has consideration been given to granting Waterfront Toronto the power to borrow and raise capital in other ways?
  • Will the financing structure include securing funds committed to completion of the naturalized river mouth?

What is the process going forward for approval of the Environmental Assessment by Ontario’s Minister of the Environment?

  • Will there be additional public consultations before the EA study recommendations are finalized?

The final public consultation meeting about the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative is:

  • Thursday, May 24
  • 6:30pm – 9pm
  • Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building, Room 105, Constitution Hall, 255 Front Street West

May 24 is your chance to say what you want to see for the waterfront’s Port Lands district, and what our priorities should be there. If you are unable to attend this final meeting about the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative in person, you can also participate online: http://www.portlandsconsultation.ca/.

Key background material:

  1. Explore Projects: The Port Lands, Waterfront Toronto (web page)
  2. Planning the Lower Don Lands, Waterfront Toronto (web page)
  3. Making Waves: principles for building Toronto’s waterfront (summary), City of Toronto (PDF)
  4. Port Lands Consultation, “your portal for learning about and participating in the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative”(PLAI website)
  5. Environmental Assessment Executive Summary, Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project, (PDF) 
    See option 4 of Table E-2. “Alternative Discharge Points and Descriptions” on Pg 13 (ES11), later named 4WS. This table offers comparisons with the other original options that were considered for the naturalized river mouth.

*RESCHEDULED* final public Port Lands meeting May 24!

The date for this has been changed to Thursday, May 24. It will also be held in a different room than originally planned. This will be the last public meeting to discuss planning for the Lower Don Lands and the Port Lands before a written report is prepared and submitted to City Hall.

Date: Thursday, May 24 
Time: 6:30 pm – 9 pm

Metro Toronto Convention Centre
North Building
Room 105, Constitution Hall
255 Front Street West

If you are unable to attend this final meeting about the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative in person, you can also participate online: http://www.portlandsconsultation.ca/.

CodeBlueTO will send out further information about our position on the plans in advance of the meeting. For late-breaking news and comments, follow the Twitter hash tag #CodeBlueTO. Specific to the Port Lands consultation process, follow #portlandsconsult.

Background material is also available through Waterfront Toronto:

http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/explore_projects2/port_lands
http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/explore_projects2/lower_don_lands

SUNDAY: Jane's Walk of the West Don Lands Parks and River Walk

Want to get a better sense of what a Waterfront Toronto project looks like? Please join the West Don Lands Committee this Sunday at 11 am as it guides you on a tour of the West Don Lands site. Meeting Place: 573 King St East, Southwest corner of King and St Lawrence Streets.

The tour includes: Toronto Community Housing and River City development sites; Lawren Harris Square; the intriguing and innovative Underpass Park; the stunningly beautiful Don River Park, and; the site that will be home to the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games Athletes’ Village. This portion of the walk will be lead by James Roche, Director of Parks for Waterfront Toronto.  Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash. This section of the walk is Fully Accessible.

Then we will take a short walk back up to the Queen St. bridge and take the staircase down to the path along the Don River.   Our guide to the history, present and future of the river will be Mark Wilson, former chair of the Task Force to Bring Back the Don and current chair of Waterfront Toronto.  We’ll be able to watch canoes in the annual Paddle the Don event as they and we approach our destination at the Keating Channel where refreshments will be available. The long staircase down to the river from Queen St. could present accessibility problems.

Check out this great video

Ken Greenberg talks about the balanced, beautiful vision being created for Toronto’s waterfront.

The video was produced by My City Lives and was first posted by Spacing Toronto.

Ken Greenberg is an architect and urban designer residing in Toronto. Instead of redevelopment, Greenberg believes in revitalization, and the protection of Waterfront’s historic identity. In the video, Greenberg addresses the importance of redefining the Waterfront neighbourhood in terms of ecology, economy, and society. Greenberg realizes that this community is in need of an integrated set of solutions, that involves creating local shopping spots, schools, playgrounds, and other locations that can shape Waterfront into a real community.

Hey Toronto! Your Feedback on the Port Lands is Needed!

You have until April 15 (yes, that’s this Sunday) to comment online or by email about the work done to date for the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative.

Why? Because, as we explain below:  

  1. Accelerating development on the Port Lands isn’t possible. 
  2. Prime parkland is at risk. 
  3. Flood protection should not be compromised.
  4. Naturalizing the Don River might well be set aside. 
  5. The integrity of the Environmental Assessment is now in question. 
  6. What kind of catalyst will “spur development”? 

Maybe you thought debate about the future of the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project and development of the Port Lands was resolved last fall. What really happened was that a review process – the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative – was started. The review has been underway for several months and final recommendations are going to City Council in July.

There are lots of questions to be asked about just where the Acceleration Initiative is going. Here are just a few of the things that concern CodeBlueTO:

1. Accelerating development on the Port Lands isn’t possible. We’re happy that the review’s “market soundings” have confirmed there’s only so much development on the Port Lands that the market can absorb at any given time. As CodeBlueTO always maintained, it is not wise to expect that a site as large as the Port Lands can be developed within a decade – nor is it possible. (See slide 15 in this presentation to see how big the Port Lands actually is.) In fact, the development of the Port Lands will take decades to complete. That’s why the Port Lands need a well-planned, sequential planning and development process informed by an overall vision – and by high-quality public consultation. This is the kind of process that Waterfront Toronto has used so far in all its projects.

2. Prime parkland is at risk. The “revised” plan for the Don River realignment removes approximately 40 acres of prime public parkland as it was positioned in the council-approved plan. Again, a reminder: this original plan went through years of public input, public consultation, and expert design that won several awards of excellence, in Canada and around the world. Prime parkland next to the river and the lake cannot be substituted with parkettes scattered throughout the interior of the Port Lands.

3. Flood protection cannot be compromised. The consultants have determined that flood protection can be done in stages, through a phased plan for building the new Lower Don Lands and Don River Mouth (see slides 17-22 in this presentation). But the phasing plan could leave residents and businesses in South Riverdale unprotected for a number of years, since the greenway and berm are only built in phase 2. And it could also mean that naturalization of the mouth of the Don River never gets done – after phase 2 is built, the impetus to getting the rest accomplished may well wane. Comments made during one of the public meetings by a Waterfront Toronto official indicate that phasing could cost 50-100% more than if the entire Don Mouth Naturalization and Flood Protection project is built all at once.

Flood protection for South Riverdale is long overdue. Flood protection is the key that unlocks the ability to develop the Port Lands. The political will must be found to get the job done. And done properly.

4. Naturalizing the Don River might well be set aside. The original plan for revitalizing and naturalizing the new Don River contemplated a 10- to 20-year timeframe (after the funding is found). Now, with the new phasing plan, it’s unclear how long, if ever, it will take before the Don River actually becomes a proper river again. It’s not until Phase 5 of the plan that the mouth of the river emerges. Until then, we are left with a greenway that can channel storm water when needed, and a river mouth that empties into a shipping slip.

In regards to the reconfiguration for the Don River, CodeBlueTO believes that what is now identified as phases 3, 4, and 5 should in fact be approached as one cycle from beginning to end, ensuring that the Don River is built to meet Lake Ontario.

5. The integrity of the Environmental Assessment is now in question. The changes to the originally approved 4WS realignment for the Don River (see this presentation) might well be more than “tweaks.” We wonder whether losing 40 acres of prime parkland conforms to the requirement for “city building” in the original Environmental Assessment (EA). We also wonder whether having the river enter the lake through a narrow green space with no surrounding wetlands or transitional areas conforms to the requirement for “naturalization.” And we wonder whether delays to flood protection meet the terms of the EA.  We wonder if this new plan has to go back through another Environmental Assessment for its findings to be valid.

6. What kind of catalyst will “spur development”? There’s been lots of talk of creating a “catalytic development” that would act as the springboard to developing significant portions of the Port Lands. Some kind of major project that would bring all levels of government together with the private sector to get the job done, and done quickly.

CodeBlueTO would like to remind the City that a catalyst has already been found: the approved plan for revitalizing and naturalizing the Don River was supposed to spur development on the Port Lands. And Waterfront Toronto is configured to make this happen: with all three levels of government working together through an agency dedicated to ongoing public consultation, with the mandate to attract private sector interest in developing the city’s long-neglected Central Waterfront.

During this latest round of discussions, CodeBlueTO members have heard about the Port Lands possibly featuring a major shopping complex, or big box stores (see slide 9 here), or maybe a casino that acts as an anchor for a “golden mile” – an entertainment district on the waterfront. It is our belief that any catalyst for development can only be developed based on the direction of the people of Toronto, created through a transparent public process. It can’t be imposed by outside interests – whether they be developers, the provincial or municipal government, or from any other party insisting on shaping the Port Lands without hearing from Torontonians first.

CodeBlueTO also wonders – and we hope you do too – if the slight cost savings ($175 million in a total revitalization budget of $2.5 to $3 billion) is worth minimizing the original vision for the Lower Don Lands and the Don Mouth naturalization project. We know many of you will agree that losing 40 acres of prime parkland, increasing the size of the development lands, unnecessarily delaying flood protection, and putting off naturalizing the Don River aren’t what Torontonians expect for their waterfront.

We want you to be heard during this process. It’s very important that the voice of the people of Toronto is heard on what we want for the future of this jewel on the waterfront.

BE HEARD! Your comments are needed by April 15 for this second round of the Port Lands Consultation.

CONTACT:
Online: https://portlandsconsultation.ideascale.com/
Email: info@portlandsconsultation.ca
Fax: 416 572 3736
Mail: Neutral Community Facilitator’s Office, 720 Bathurst Street, Suite 308, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2R4
Phone:  647 723 6648

And stay engaged – the final public meeting is scheduled to be held some time in late May.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Get more details from the Acceleration Initiative information open houses and feedback workshops.

Information about the Port Lands, Lower Don Lands, and Don Mouth projects: 

Check these recent media stories:

CodeBlueTO is a coalition of individuals, organizations, and groups who have come together in the shared belief that Toronto’s waterfront should be revitalized in the most beautiful, ecologically sensitive, and financially astute ways possible, using processes that are transparent and engage the broader community.