Queens Quay Number Two Ugly to Great Waterfront Street: A Story in Five Acts

TCAT Complete Streets Forum 2014 Brent Raymond OALA CSLA ASLA MCIP RPP : A Story in Five Acts

I. Early Years / Number Two Ugly II. Creating the Vision III. Testing the Vision IV. Charting New Territory V. Building a Great Waterfront Street

I: Early Years The Industrial Waterfront 1910 1917: Harbour Commission 1918

Union Station

Harbour Commission 1927 1930s 1931 1960 1967 1970s 1980s 1985

Railway Lands Rogers Centre Site

Queens Quay Spadina Wavedeck HTO Park Site Waterfront: 1858 : 1884 Toronto Waterfront: 1910 Toronto Waterfront: 1930 Toronto Waterfront: Present Toronto Waterfront: 1858 to 2014

Toronto Waterfront Significant Redevelopment Areas Queens Quay in Context

Can Queens Quay Become a Beautiful Boulevard?

Let’s think of the ugliest places in Toronto... …Number Two Ugly is Queens Quay West from York to Spadina…[It] risks becoming one of the most unlivable, ugly and dysfunctional districts in any modern city, because no one was responsible for beauty.

Joe Berridge Landscapes Paysages Magazine (Spring 2006).

II: Creating the Vision Planning Policy Context: City of Toronto Initiatives

City of Toronto Official Plan (Toronto City Council, November, 2002) Plan in ‘next generation’ terms to make transit, cycling and walking increasingly attractive alternatives to using the car and to move towards a more sustainable transportation system.

Planning Policy Context: City of Toronto Initiatives

Central Waterfront Secondary Plan (Toronto City Council, April, 2003) Queens Quay will become a scenic waterfront drive The Martin Goodman/ will be completed and connected to the city-wide trail or pathway system

2006: Innovative Design Competition

Central Waterfront Innovative Design Competition Launched March 30, 2006 2006: Innovative Design Competition – WEST 8 + DTAH 2006: Waters Edge Promenade 2006: Footbridges 2006: Wavedecks 2006: Queens Quay 2006: Queens Quay

2006: Queens Quay

2006: Competition Jury Report

“Their proposal was the only one of the five competition schemes “the team put that chose to keep the streetcar forward a scheme tracks in its existing location…this practicality has enormous that could be advantages. implemented immediately.”

Quay to the City: August 2006

Quay to the City: August 2006

Results Summary Enriched public realm experience Increased volume of pedestrians and cyclists More visitors overall to the waterfront Area residents generally support redesign of Queens Quay, but… Significant concerns regarding safe and efficient access to residences and businesses, and parking

Traffic and access are the main challenges Require complete traffic and transit operations functional plan to fully understand impacts of any redesign of Queens Quay.

III: Testing the Vision

Two Environmental Assessments Study Area: Queens Quay Revitalization EA Study Area: Transit EA Joint EA Study Area Accommodate a Satisfactory Landscape Accommodate a Generous Pedestrian Realm Accommodate a Great Cycling Environment and… …Mend the … …By Closing the Gap… …By Closing the Gap… …and Connect to the Larger Network Improve Streetcar Operation Accommodate Vehicle Travel with Fewer Conflicts Accommodate Bus Parking with Fewer Conflicts and … … Accommodate On-Street Parking with Fewer Conflicts Provide Sufficient Access to Properties Centre Transit Option Southside Option Transit Plan Bicycle Plan Pedestrian Plan Access Plan Service and Loading Plan Bus Plan Public Parking Plan

After 3 Years (2006 to 2009)

The Vision passed the test # 2 Environmental Assessments # Over 100 meetings with staff and key stakeholders # 3 public meetings with over 1000 participants # Reduced conflicts and improved operations # A balanced and complete street

Now had approvals to move on to Act IV… IV: Charting New Territory 2010-2012

Detailed Design Construction Documentation and Tender The Challenge

How do you design and detail a street that’s never been done before? Multiple Stakeholders Involved

City Departments and Agencies # Urban Design # TTC – System Planning # Parks, Urban Forestry & Recreation # TTC – Street car Way # Urban Forestry # TTC – Electrical # Utilities # EMS # Toronto Hydro # Technical Services – Third Party # Bell Review # Rogers # Technical Services – Third Party # Cogeco Review – Utilitiesw # Enbridge # Technical Services – Structures & Expressways Public Stakeholders # Toronto Water # Queens Quay Working Group meeting # Transportation Services # Waterfront BIA # Transportation Planning # Community update meetings # Community Planning

Non–Standard Items

# Granite curb # Concrete pavers in TTC ROW # Granite cobble paving # Grass in TTC ROW # Granular subgrade # Granite pavers an curb on platform # Pavers in roadway # Trees in platform # Cobble in roadway # Trees adjacent to TTC ROW # Table top intersections # Side TTC power # Crosswalk markings in cobble # New Signal Timing Algorithm # Granite tactile marking # Silva Cells for trees and storm water # Curb inlets collection # Manhole/Catch Basins # Tree ring # Offset manholes # Tree species # LED Traffic Signals # Passive Irrigation # Signal Backing Colour # Light fixture/pole/armature/shroud # Intersection Bike Controls # Bench # Bike Box/Dedicated Bike Crossings # Trash receptacle # Combined ped/bike signal # No right on red control Intersection Studies Intersection Studies Intersection Studies Intersection Studies Intersection Studies Entrance to Park/ Car Park Inner Street

September 2010

January 2011 February 2011 July 2012 V: Building a Great Waterfront Street Groundbreaking November 2012 Groundbreaking November 2012

South Side Promenade

Double row of London Plane trees

Composition of Leaf Figures

Cobble Texture

Two-tone granite mosaic - outline DIMENSIONS

median MGT promenade 2.70m 4.20m 7.20m

10.00m

TREE PLANTING - STRATEGY

6.00m

Creating the ideal conditions to plant a tree

Transit Infrastructure DIMENSION TTC RIGHT OF WAY

TTC ROW 1.00m 6.10m 2.70m Transit Platforms DIMENSION PLATFORMS

Platform TTC ROW Platform 2.80m 5.810m 2.80m EXTRA WIDE PLATFORM EXTRA WIDE PLATFORM Illustration of the platform Road KEY DIMENSIONS ROAD – 1 LANE IN EACH DIRECTION + DEDICATED TURNING LANES

6.60m 9.60m

Typical road dimension Road dimensions near an intersection TYPICAL INTERSECTION

North Sidewalk

VAR. WIDTH GRANITE PAVING BUILDING FAÇADE TO CURB

What It Takes: Below and Above

Below # 30 new hydro chambers # Hundreds of metres of new duct work # 12000m of new storm sewers and catch basins # 750m of gas line upgrades # 700m of new sanitary sewers # 5000m new phone, cable and internet lines # 4000sm soil cells for healthy tree growth

Above # 200 new streetlights # 240 new trees # 2.5 million granite unit pavers

Epilogue Queens Quay - The First Eight Years: Lessons Learned

1. Think big 9. Senior management need to make decisions at key points 2. Great ideas are the easy part 10.Understand cost and budget, 3. Building capacity and support is especially related to aging critical infrastructure

4. Pilots are essential 11.Cost is not everything

5. No one really knows what is 12.Open cut excavation over test underground pits. Close one street section at a time, and do everything at 6. High quality data and surveys once are essential 13.Time is wasted correcting 7. Clarify the rules and procedures mistakes 8. Coordinate better: internally and between agencies Eight years from this… …to this…and more to go. It’ll be worth it.