Mid-Rise Buildings on Toronto’s Avenues

City Planning2011 CIP/API Conference, St. John’s NL

Lorna Day, City of Toronto

Bloor Street West

R FreedmanR Freedman

This is Toronto…

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.

Canada’s Largest City

POPULATION

Ontario: 12.5 M 39%

GTA: 5.5 MToronto: 2.5 M

Almost half of Toronto’s population is foreign-born (2006 census)

POPULATION

Population Growth / Immigration:

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 world’s cities with the

largest percentage of foreign-born population (2004)

Greater Toronto Area

GTA

Amalgamated

City of Toronto

USA

Canada

Lake Ontario

Introduction:

Design City Toronto – A Work In Progress

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

A. Design Policy

1. Culture of Design

2. Urban Design Policy / Development Review

3. Design Review Panel

40 km

20 km

162 kms of Avenues

Toronto’s Geography

1998 Amalgamation & Ward Politics

Amalgamation: 10 years laterControversial union promised savings – instead it set

city on path to fiscal failure.

BY ROYSON JAMES CITY COLUMNIST –

The Toronto Star

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 government’s policy is

still a matter for debate.

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

Kingston Rd.

Sheppard St. W Wilson Ave.

Eglinton Ave. W

Outer suburbs

Short History Lesson

• Amalgamation – January, 1998

• City’s 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 Hubs…linking

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

Toronto’s 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 don’t feel disadvantaged if you don’t 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

The Queensway Ro

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F. G. Gardiner Expressway

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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 Council’s 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 SAS InstituteFallingbrook

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

• façade treatment

Intent of the PS – 3 Scales

2. Continuous Streetwall

• Up to 6 storeys

• Continuous street wall

• Contextual stepbacks

• Façade alignment, design &

articulation

• Balconies and projections

• Consistent cornice lines

3. Shadow, Transition and Skyview

• Upper storeys setback

from front, rear and sides

• Mechanical penthouse

• Angular planes

• 5 hours of sunlight

Intent of the PS – 3 Scales

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

paving trees medians lighting furniture

Streetscape Manual

Implementation 1:50

City of Toronto’s Design Review Panel

Goals:

• Design Excellence

• Creative Design

• Public Discussion

• Quality of Life

March 8, 2011:

PANEL’S 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

*

• 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

Applications Along the Avenues: 2002 -2004

It’s 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