CITY CLERK

Clause embodied in Report No. 6 of the Economic Development and Parks Committee, as adopted by the Council of the City of at its meeting held on June 18, 19 and 20, 2002.

17

Old Town Toronto Revitalization Action Plan “Putting Old Town Toronto in the Spotlight” (Ward 28 Toronto Centre-Rosedale)

(City Council on June 18, 19 and 20, 2002, adopted this Clause, without amendment.)

The Economic Development and Parks Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (May 13, 2002) from the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism:

Purpose:

To describe the background and activities of the South East Downtown Economic Redevelopment Initiative (SEDERI), to present the Old Town Toronto Revitalization Action Plan - “Putting Old Town Toronto in the Spotlight” and to discuss its implementation.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

The development of the SEDERI Action Plan is one of the initiatives included in the Small Business and Local Partnership Work Plan and has no immediate financial impact on the 2002 operating budget. There is a $30,000.00 Commercial Facade Grant program approved in the 2002 capital budget for East that is compatible with the recommendations in the Action Plan.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) City and senior government staff meet with the interim Chair of the South East Downtown Economic Redevelopment Initiative (SEDERI) to discuss the Old Town Toronto Revitalization Action Plan recommendations as input into existing and future work plan priorities;

(2) copies of the Old Town Toronto Revitalization Action Plan – “Putting Old Town Toronto in the Spotlight”, Attachment No. 1, be forwarded to appropriate staff in the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Waterfront Project Secretariat, Heritage Toronto, the Ministry of Colleges, Training and Universities, Human Resources Development and to interested parties in the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, North Market Redevelopment Initiative, St. Lawrence Neighbourhood BIA, Queen City Council2 Economic Development and Parks Committee June 18, 19 and 20, 2002 Report No. 6, Clause No. 17

Business Association (QUEBA), West Don Lands Committee, Citizens for the Old Town, St. Lawrence Works Coalition, Corktown Residents and Business Association and the Neighbourhood Association; and

(3) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect to the foregoing.

Background:

The South East Downtown Economic Redevelopment Initiative (SEDERI) began in 1999 and included three citizen organizations: Citizens for the Old Town, the West Don Lands Committee and the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood BIA. The purpose of this initiative was for these organizations to work together to address such issues as heritage preservation, streetscape improvements and to undertake several projects to revitalize the area as a place to live, visit and work and to do business. SEDERI covers an area bounded by Queen Street East on the north, the on the east, Lakeshore Boulevard and the rail lands on the south and Yonge Street on the west. Beginning in 2000, the SEDERI membership was enlarged to include the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, the Gooderham and Worts Neighbourhood Association, the North Market Redevelopment Initiative, the Queen East Business Association (QUEBA), the St. Lawrence Works Coalition and the Corktown Residents and Business Association. Also participating were representatives from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), Urban Development Services, Economic Development and Councillor Pam McConnell’s office.

With support from Human Resources Development Canada and considerable volunteer effort, SEDERI completed various studies which led to the Old Town Toronto Revitalization Action Plan in March 2002. These included a study of the West Don lands in November 1999; a compilation of economic, social and development trends in the Old Town Area in November 2000; an urban design study in September 2001; a conceptual design proposal for the north St. Lawrence Market in February 2002; and a redevelopment study for Toronto’s Old Town in March 2002.

Comments: In the summer of 2001, SEDERI retained Cumming and Company to develop a revitalization action plan for Old Town Toronto. The revitalization Action Plan, entitled “Putting Old Town Toronto in the Spotlight”, represents over six months of community consultation involving key stakeholders, separate meetings with the SEDERI associations, three half-day community workshops with over 100 people attending and one stakeholder breakfast forum. The Action Plan presents the strategic directions that emerged from the consultations and provides a five year revitalization action program for the SEDERI group.

The implementation of the Action Plan strategy will include six revitalization objectives: Community Identification, Area Promotion and Linkages

The Action Plan recommends that SEDERI develop a strong visual identity for the Old Town. This will involve: Toronto City Council3 Economic Development and Parks Committee June 18, 19 and 20, 2002 Report No. 6, Clause No. 17

(i) developing co-ordinated signage and way-finding programs with a strong graphic community identity for the area and working with the City to place directional signage for key landmarks such as the St. Lawrence Market on major roads into the downtown;

(ii) creating a marketing strategy to promote the Old Town with the involvement of local businesses, tourist businesses and neighbourhood associations;

(iii) fostering contacts with local media and advocating special articles on the community, promoting local retail business with special events and establishing annual competitions for various community achievements such as the best historic preservation project, best business successes, best downtown retail event among others; and

(iv) promoting community linkages by holding annual events to recognize and celebrate volunteers, launching the Action Plan with an event that encourages volunteer recruitment, creating a web site and exploring opportunities for partnerships with George Brown College and Ryerson University.

Heritage Development The Action Plan also recommends that SEDERI conserve, enhance and celebrate the area’s historic resources. This will include several steps:

(i) encouraging investment in the Old Town’s heritage buildings, cultural corridors and archaeological sites through incentives, tax relief, grants and loans;

(ii) working with the City to encourage the implementation of the King-Parliament heritage interpretation plan, initiate a program of historic walks, develop educational material to highlight the area’s uniqueness and encourage the installation of night-lighting of old buildings and historic sites; and

(iii) developing a heritage promotion strategy that will draw attention to local landmarks and destinations, will host an annual preservation week and will initiate a public program of permanent and temporary art to tell the community’s heritage story.

Tourism Development The Action Plan recommends that the Old Town become a major tourism destination. This will provide an opportunity to build a focused tourism strategy for local heritage attractions, spark reinvestment, create jobs and improve the viability of the area. This will involve:

(i) approaching different levels of government for assistance in developing tourism; (ii) developing a local guide brochure of historic walks, properties and areas of interest; (iii) creating with the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood BIA commemorative merchandise for the area; (iv) formulating a program of activities and events for the Old Town; and

(v) seeking opportunities to locate new public attractions within the area. Toronto City Council4 Economic Development and Parks Committee June 18, 19 and 20, 2002 Report No. 6, Clause No. 17

Job Creation and Local Labour Market Conditions

The Action Plan recommends that jobs be created in the Old Town through:

(i) developing strategies to connect businesses with the community by creating a directory of all businesses and employment sectors in the area;

(ii) promoting awareness of the labour resources within the community;

(iii) creating a no-cost job board on the proposed SEDERI web site;

(iv) holding job fairs; and

(v) seeking assistance from Human Resources Development Canada and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to develop a youth employment program with community focused training and placement programs.

Physical Improvements and Place Making

The Action Plan recommends creating a positive environment for business investment by enhancing the built environment through infrastructure improvements through such means as:

(i) creating attractive well-defined public spaces and corridors;

(ii) securing capital funds for future streetscaping, pedestrian and green space improvements including the phasing and implementation of the recommendations outlined in the 2001 Urban Design Strategy for the Old Town of York; and

(iii) promoting new locations for public space in conjunction with heritage and tourism development.

Services to Support Business Expansion and Residential Growth

The Action Plan recommends that SEDERI encourage the expansion of services needed to support business and residential growth by lobbying for accessible and affordable community services and by continuing its support for both private and public initiatives to make the areas safe, diverse and inclusive. This will involve:

(i) developing a strategy to improve business services and linkages;

(ii) identifying any shortcomings in existing community services and devising strategies with the City to correct such deficiencies;

(iii) encouraging the provision of more off-street parking to support the commercial areas east of Parliament Street; and

(iv) encouraging the provision of more indoor and outdoor recreational services. Toronto City Council5 Economic Development and Parks Committee June 18, 19 and 20, 2002 Report No. 6, Clause No. 17

In summary, the Old Town Toronto Revitalization Action Plan comprises six interrelated themes with actions to be implemented in three phases over the next five years. Potential funding sources for the revitalization actions have been identified in the appendices. Addressing the issues and implementing the initiatives, as described in the strategy, will require significant commitment from community volunteers, property owners and tenants, federal and provincial governments, community police officers, the City and agency staff.

Conclusions:

Old Town Toronto is one of the City’s prime heritage neighbourhoods. It contains among many uses, a new vibrant residential live-work condominium community, a furniture-fixture design business node, the St. Lawrence Market complex, historical, religious and cultural buildings and important entertainment and tourism attractions. While these are beneficial, various background studies as described in this report have identified such issues as tourism promotion, community branding, streetscaping, job creation and community services as lacking in the area.

During the last three years, SEDERI members have completed an urban design study, a heritage landscape guide, a development study of the 80-acre West Don Lands site, a redevelopment plan for the North St. Lawrence Market building, a pilot youth program and an old town heritage protection study. The development of the Action Plan strategy and the aforementioned studies, resulting from significant community involvement, volunteer time and resources, completes the initial part of the employment revitalization of the Old Town Toronto area.

To build on the momentum generated by the Action Plan, including the community support generated from recent workshops and the volunteer commitment to the various projects, requires SEDERI to maintain and further build on its organization and to proceed with the recommended six revitalization objectives. This will include having the interim SEDERI Chair and the City’s Economic Development staff meet with various City departments and senior levels of government staff to discuss the resources necessary to implement the recommended actions and having SEDERI create task groups. Meetings have begun to address the first year objectives. It is, therefore, recommended that Economic Development staff facilitate the process by circulating the report to the various agencies and departments for comment and by supporting the interim Chair in holding meetings and consultations.

Contact Name:

Ms. Brenda Librecz, Managing Director Economic Development, Telephone: 416-397-4700, Fax: 416-397-5314, Email: [email protected].

(A copy of Attachment No. 1, entitled “Putting Old Town Toronto in the Spotlight” – Old Town Toronto Revitalization Action Plan, was forwarded to all Members of Council with the May 29, 2002 agenda of the Economic Development and Parks Committee, and a copy thereof is also on file in the office of the City Clerk.)