Yonge Subway North - Mixed messages

NRU
June 15, 2016
By Geordie Gordon

Despite a recent provincial announcement on the funding of studies for the Yonge North Subway extension, York Region staff is concerned about the timing and commitment by the province to build rapid transit along the Yonge Street corridor in the region. Regional staff says the delivery of transit infrastructure is critical if the region is to meet the proposed amendments to the Growth Plan that will increase the minimum intensification target.

The proposed amendments to the Growth Plan, announced by the province May 10, would set the residential intensification target at 60 per cent, up from the current 40 per cent.

In a report scheduled to be considered by the committee of the whole June 16, staff points out that the proposed amendments to the Growth Plan Schedules 2 and 5-removing the priority transit corridor designation on the Yonge corridor between Finch and Highway 7-would have the effect of reducing the extent of higher order transit in York Region. The Highway 7/Yonge intersection is the Richmond Hill/ Langstaff Urban Growth Centre and the proposed location for the terminus of the Yonge North Subway extension.

York Region policy research and forecasting manager Paul Bottomley told NRU that one of the proposed amendments being analysed by staff is the impact of the increased residential intensification rate on proposed infrastructure. That infrastructure includes the Yonge North Subway extension.

“If the province is advocating a 60 per cent target, we’re saying we’re going to need that subway in place,” he said. Vaughan deputy mayor and York Region planning and economic development chair Michael Di Biase told NRU in an email that in light of the June 2 provincial announcement of $55-million for detailed planning and engineering studies for the extension, council is optimistic. He suggested that the omission of the Yonge Street corridor between Finch and Highway 7 in the amended Growth Plan schedules could be unintentional.

Bottomley said that the report was prepared prior to the provincial announcement, and now staff is more confident that the subway will proceed. He said that the subway is necessary to support the development of Richmond Hill/ Langstaff Urban Growth Centre, which is being planned to accommodate 48,000 residents and 31,000 jobs. The area is also being planned to be a “Union Station of the north” because of the linkages to GO service, VIVA rapid transit, and York Region Transit, as well as freeways running through the area.

Richmond Hill mayor Dave Barrow echoed staff concerns in an email to NRU that Yonge Street between Highway 7 and Finch is not included in the proposed amendment. He is seeking clarification from province regarding its absence from the schedule.

“We continue to look for the province to invest in regional scale infrastructure to support the intensify cation that is mandated in [its] policy. Policy alone won’t do it, the vision will not be met if [it doesn’t] invest in the infrastructure to support it,” he wrote.

Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Bob Nichols told NRU in an email that priority transit corridors are those higher-order transit corridors “where construction is already underway, or for which capital construction funding has been committed... the Yonge North Subway extension project is currently in the planning phase and does not have a capital funding commitment at this time.”

“As such, additional priority transit corridors (once funded) may be identified over time and Schedule 5 can be updated,” he wrote.

York Region chairman Wayne Emmerson pointed to the recent announcement as evidence of the province’s commitment to the project in an email to NRU.

“The Government of Ontario announced funding of more than $55-million to continue planning and design work on the Yonge Subway north extension project. This demonstrates a significant commitment to this priority project,” he wrote.

Both Di Biase and Emmerson voiced their support for the proposed increased residential intensification rate, while acknowledging that the proposed 60 per cent rate is higher than the 40 per cent scenario that council had recently directed staff to pursue. Both noted that the higher rate is only achievable with provincially funded transit infrastructure. The region is working to bring its official plan into conformity with the updated employment and population forecasts of Growth Plan amendment 2.

“Although 60 per cent intensification exceeds what council directed staff to pursue, the region is well positioned to deliver higher levels of intensification, particularly with provincial support of essential transit infrastructure,” Di Biase wrote.

Bottomly said that the proposed Growth Plan amendments will impact the timeline for bringing the region’s official plan into conformity. The process was initiated in 2014 and must be completed by June 2018.

Ministry of Municipal Affairs spokesperson Conrad Spezowka indicated to NRU in an email that the municipal affairs minister Bill Mauro “is proposing to extend the timeframe for Growth Plan conformity to a date that is five years after the Growth Plan, 2016, if approved, takes effect. ... If approved, municipalities would no longer be required to bring their official plans into conformity with Amendment 2 by June 17, 2018, rather the requirement to conform with the updated forecasts in Schedule 3 would be a component of their work to conform with the proposed Growth Plan, 2016, if approved.”

Staff are expected to report back to council with additional analysis of the proposed amendments in September, prior to the September 30 deadline for comments on the coordinated review.