CNU CHARTER AWARDS 2018
Highway 7 West Rapidway and Vaughan Metroplitan Centre Station
CNU CHARTER AWARDS 2018
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Fact Sheet: Highway 7 West Rapidway and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station
Highway 7 Submission Category LEGEND I. The Region: Metropolis, City and Town N Rapidway completed 3 Atkinson II. Neighborhood, District and Corridor Rapidway under constructionAve Centre St III. Block, Street and Building Spadina subway Helen St Pine Valley Dr Ansley Grove Rd Weston Rd Highway 400 Edgeley BlvdVMC Jane St Creditstone Rd Keele St Bowes Rd Note: The project takes place at the Neighborhood, District and Corridor level Vaughan Metroplitan Centre with impacts on the Region, and City of Vaughan, and the Block, Street and Highway 7 West Rapidway station Building. Highway 407 Highway
407 Dufferin St
onge St Bathurst St
MacArthur Ln VAUGHAN N. Promenade Best of? Pioneer Village Steeles Ave ork University Best rapid transit station, best complete street design, best rapidway design. TORONTO Finch Ave Finch West Project Characteristics Check all those that apply to your entry: 3 Public policy program What percentage has been built/implemented? 80% Temporary installation Estimated date of completion 3 Regional/town plan Part 1 opened for service January 2017Sheppard WestDownsview Park Transit-oriented development Part 2 including the VMC Station opened December 17, 2017, completion with 3 Incorporates universal design principles finishing touches expected in 2018 Infill/previously developed sites Project Cost (optional): $210.7 million Incorporates and meets AIA2030 Challenge Civic Uses (indicate type and size): transportation - bus rapid transit, driving, Greenfield/previously undeveloped site cycling, walking, 2.2 miles of rapidway and the VMC station which measures 328 feet by 65.6 feet and 30 feet high 3 Placemaking plan (exclusively public space, civic buildings, or Parks/Open Space infrastructure) (indicate type and size): green boulevards along 2.2 miles of rapidway Includes affordable/subsidized /social housing – if so, how much? Number of Residential Units: NA Qualifies for LEED-ND certification – if so, which level? Residential Unit Types: NA Qualifies for other LEED certification – if so, list here Retail, Office, Industrial Square Footage: NA Has your plan been adopted or your project broken ground? Transect zone(s) (optional): NA 3 Adopted 3 Broken Ground Neither Cover photo: Keele Station on the Highway 7 West rapidway. If neither, why? 2 CNU CHARTER AWARDS 2018
Project Description
The Highway 7 West rapidway and its flagship station at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is a transformation project. The construction of the rapidway’s dedicated bus rapid transit lanes reinvented this busy corridor as a “complete street” and upgraded the underground infrastructure. The new roadway aims to meet the needs of all users – riders, drivers, pedestrians and cyclists – while serving as a backbone for smart intensification as the region undergoes dramatic population and employment growth.
This new station is another example of the Region’s commitment to building a modern, efficient and affordable transit system for the benefit “of all our residents, and residents across the GTA. Transportation is the number one issue for individuals, families and businesses, so the Region is making significant investments to manage congestion and reduce travel times, while protecting our environment. REGIONAL CHAIRMAN AND CEO WAYNE EMMERSON
Fast facts: Highway 7 West rapidway
2.2-mile rapidway segment Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station on Highway 7 West. » runs from Edgeley Boulevard to Bowes Road in the City of Vaughan. » flagship Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station which measures 328 feet long by 65 feet wide + two smaller stations—all with customer focused design. » connects with the new TTC Line 1 subway extension and a regional bus terminal.
Timing » The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC] Station and the rapidway from Edgeley Boulevard to Jane Street opened December 17, 2017. » The rapidway between Jane Street and Bowes Road was completed in December 2016, and opened for service in February 2017.
Creditstone Road rapidway station Keele Street rapidway station
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Applewood
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ortage wy ortage wy
N S artCentres la e us Ter inal
underground pedestrian onne tion Apple Mill Road arnes Ct Edgeley l d
New ar la e M Cleary Ct
Millway A e Hwy 00 VMC Station ane St su way CN ridge eele St Creditstone Rd
Highway 7Rapidway under onstru tion Highway 7 nter hange Way VMC Station RT
Costa Rd
ane St
Co er e St Maple rete Rd Doughton Rd Map not to scale
Highway 7 West rapidway and connections at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.
VMC rapidway station is part of a transit powerhouse at the VMC The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC] rapidway station and Highway 7 West rapidway are a vital part of a new transit hub at the VMC, with the new TTC Line 1 subway extension and the SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal, which will provide regional bus services. The VMC rapidway station is an open, domed structure with elegant curves, fashioned in European architectural tradition. Designed to be a landmark, the station melds architecturally with the new VMC development, the new TTC station, and the bus terminal. Though larger, it’s clearly part of the same family of elegant, glass canopy-covered rapidway stations, with two on this rapidway, and several more in the larger rapid transit network.
The rapidway forges connections that amplify the power of rapid transit along the Highway 7 corridor and in the region The rapidway made a historic inter-regional transit connection, opening on the same day as the new TTC Line 1 subway extension. It meets the new subway extension, seamlessly connecting rapidway passengers to the subway below with stairs, escalators and elevators. Aerial of Vaughan Metroplitan Centre transit hub—VMC rapidway station and rapidway at bottom.
Page 5 photo: Heated passenger waiting area at Creditstone Road Station. 4 CNU CHARTER AWARDS 2018
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to Barrie
East Gwillimbury GO Station reen ane
Green Lane
Hwy 404 Bonshaw Yonge / DavisLongfordMain SouthlakeHuron HeightsLeslie Highway Da is Dri e Newmarket Eagle GO Station
Mulock NEWMARKET Savage-Sawmill
A bus rapid transit network that connects the Open Rapidway
Orchard Heights Highway 0 region’s centres and corridors Rapidway Construction (2015-2019 / 2020) Wellington St E Aurora Rd Wellington The Highway 7 West rapidway segment is the Rapidway Construction (2016-2019) Golf Links third finished section, furthering the plan for Rapidway Construction (tbd-2021) AURORA Henderson a bus rapid transit network [BRT] along the Future Rapidways region’s busiest roads, connecting urban centers Existing / Future Viva Curbside loo ington Rd Spadina Subway Extension (2011-2017) Bloomington as per the region’s Centers and Corridors Lincolnville Proposed onge Subway Extension Strategy. Regatta Terminals [current and future] King WHITCHURCH- STOUFFVILLE » Total funded rapidway projects built or under GO Transit Rail Lines
athurst Street ay iew A enue
construction amount to 21.5 rapidway miles, Stou ille Rd and another 31+ miles are planned. Jefferson RICHMOND HILL
onge Street » Finished sections amount to 7.5 miles: 1.6 19th-Gamble
eslie Street Highway 0
ennedy Road Ninth ine Heritage Bernard Highway 8 miles on Davis Drive, 3.7 miles on Highway 7 Area Elgin Mills East and the new 2.2-mile section on Highway MARKHAM Crosby
McNaughtonKeele Maple Peter RupertDufferin BathurstHarding NewkirkBayview 7 West. Major Mackenzie Leslie / Major MackenzieMa or Ma en ie Dri e
Jane / Major Mackenzie Highway 27 Greenhill/Staples Yonge Norwood Weldrick Headford/Orlando
16th Avenue Springside East Beaver Creek 16th-Carrville Wilmot Vaughan Mills Mall VAUGHAN Highway 00 Bantry-Scott Richmond Hill BayviewChalmersValleymede LeslieEast BeaverAllstate CreekWoodbine ParkwayMontgomeryTown CentreWarden Blvd.Village SciberrasParkwayMain St.Kennedy UnionvilleBullock McCowan GalsworthyMain St. Markham Markham Stouffville Hospital Langstaff Centre West Beaver Creek Wooten Way Bur Oak Bathurst/ or Durha ine
Highway 0 Highway Hwy 7
Pennsylvania Highway 7 Cornell Highway 07 Highway 50 Highway 427Highway 27Martin GroveKipling Islington Wigwoss-HelenPine ValleyAnsley GroveWeston Commerce Creditstone Keele Dufferin Taiga Atkinson Cedarland Langstaff Leslie/Hwy 7 Unionville / Longbridge Warden Green Lane Post Rd. GO Station Enterprise Highway 7 Vaughan Disera- Commerce onge Street Metropolitan Promenade Valley Centre John MARKHAM Highway 07 Hwy 407 Clark
Pioneer Village eslie Street Steeles Steeles A enue Steeles Steeles A enue Hilda to Kitchener Bathurst York University McNicoll Cummer/Drewry TORONTO New Westminster TORONTO
Finch ane Street in h A enue in h A enue Finch West Finch This station is an example of how transit service Station
Don Mills Road Downsview Park integration across municipal boundaries can support Leith Hill Don Mills improved mobility in the region. We’re working with Sheppard A enue Station Sheppard A enue “ Sheppard municipalities like the Region to move forward on West Subject to change transforming communities across the GTHA. Map not to scale Rev. 11 / 2017 BRUCE MCCUAIG FORMER PRESIDENT AND CEO OF A FUNDING AGENCY
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Highway 7 West transforms to a complete street, designed for all users With the rapidway, Highway 7 West in Vaughan has transformed from a suburban thoroughfare with no sidewalks to a “complete street” – visually appealing and welcoming not just for transit riders, but also for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Design excellence includes expansive boulevards, bike lanes, elegant rapidway stations with arched glass canopies reminiscent of European architectural traditions, tree-lined streets and upgraded underground infrastructure.
A backbone for smart intensification as the region undergoes dramatic growth The rapidway is planned with the new urbanism in mind, designed to foster transit-oriented development along the corridor, and at the VMC. This project contributed place-making and city-building to the City of Vaughan. The transit powerhouse of subway station, rapidway station and bus terminal provide a foundation for the new downtown at the VMC – an exciting mix of offices, restaurants, residences and entertainment that exemplifies the future of transit-oriented development. High-density, mixed used developments are also beginning to flourish along The complete street near Keele Street Station for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and transit riders. the rapidway corridor. The rapidway paves the way for livable, walkable and desirable communities, where people come to live, go to school, work and thrive. It acts as a catalyst to knit communities together and provides consistency and legibility in a changing context. The jury felt that the project was “well-designed from beginning to end with the experience of transit users in mind… The distinct identity of the project anchors a green and civic presence, and makes the everyday experience of transit a beautiful one. JURY COMMENTS, VAUGHAN URBAN DESIGN AWARDS
Page 8 photo: Retaining walls on Highway 7 at Keele Street Station further the complete street aeshthetic, melding the roadway with the urban environment.
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Response to Charter Principles
Principle 8 The physical organization The project takes place at the Neighborhood, District of the region should be supported by a and Corridor level with impacts on the region, and the framework of transportation alternatives. Transit, pedestrian, and bicycle systems City of Vaughan, and the Block, Street and Building. should maximize access and mobility The rapidway aims to provide faster, convenient throughout the region while reducing dependence upon the automobile. transit, increasing the allure of the bus by providing more consistent travel times with dedicated centre Principle 22 In the contemporary rapidway lanes separated from regular traffic. With metropolis, development must adequately accommodate automobiles. It should do so enhanced transit connections forged by this rapidway, in ways that respect the pedestrian and the we expect transit to become a more attractive option, form of public space. reducing dependence on the automobile. [Principle 8] Principle 23 Streets and squares should The holistic approach of a “complete streets” be safe, comfortable, and interesting to the pedestrian. Properly configured, they philosophy to rapidway design is forward-thinking, encourage walking and enable neighbors part of the legacy approach to transportation to know each other and protect their infrastructure. Highway 7 West was rebuilt for the communities. rapidway but also to serve multiple purposes beyond The Region: Canon 3 The physical transit. The roadway is better for everyone: conducive organization of the region shall promote to cycling with dedicated bike lanes integrated at the transit, pedestrian and bicycle systems to maximize access and mobility while road construction stage, and designed for pedestrians reducing dependence on automobiles and with wide sidewalks separated from traffic by trees Creditstone Station with Expo Condos development in the background. trucks. and greenery, and an appealing streetscape. The Principle 4 Development patterns street will be safer for drivers as well, with dedicated should not blur or eradicate the edges left turn signals and U-turns instead of mid-block of the metropolis. Infill development turns, which have helped reduce traffic collisions by within existing urban areas conserves environmental resources, economic over 40 percent on two other rapidway projects in the investment, and social fabric, while region. [Principles 22 and 23 and The Region: Canon reclaiming marginal and abandoned 3] areas. Metropolitan regions should develop strategies to encourage such infill The rapidway is designed to serve transit passengers development over peripheral expansion. but also to facilitate connections with these other uses. [Principle 8]
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Principle 5 Where appropriate, new development contiguous to urban boundaries should be organized as neighborhoods and districts, and be integrated with the existing urban pattern. Noncontiguous development should be organized as towns and villages with their own urban edges, and planned Response to Charter Principles for a jobs/housing balance, not as bedroom suburbs. The Highway 7 West rapidway, and the entire bus The developments underway at Vaughan Metropolitan Principle 10 The neighborhood, the district, and the corridor are the essential elements of rapid transit network, are a realization of the region’s Centre serve as a model for the future of transit- development and redevelopment in the strategy to encourage infill development. If we build oriented development. Along the rapidway corridor, metropolis. They form identifiable areas that it, they will come. [Principles 4, 10 and 14]. Regional mixed-used development is beginning to flourish. encourage citizens to take responsibility for planners linked the rapidway plan to land use policies their maintenance and evolution. Beyond the transportation benefits realized by the that will result in more transit-oriented development rapidway come a range of socially significant benefits: Principle 11 Neighborhoods should be along the corridor. These policies will likely mean compact, pedestrian friendly, and mixed- more businesses, jobs and housing; a healthier use. Districts generally emphasize a special that most of the new development built around environment; and more welcoming urban centres. single use, and should follow the principles of the rapidway stations will be compact and mixed- neighborhood design when possible. Corridors use, providing housing, employment, retail, dining, Design excellence of the rapidway shapes the are regional connectors of neighborhoods and services and recreation, all within a walkable distance community. The rapidway design is welcoming to districts; they range from boulevards and rail the eye, enhancing the visual appeal of the corridor, lines to rivers and parkways. of rapid transit. [Principles 5, 12, 14, 15, 16 and The Neighborhood Town and City: Canons 1-2, and 4 and defining the street as a “place of shared use” for all Principle 12 Many activities of daily living The Region: Canon 4] users: transit riders, pedestrians, drivers and cyclists. should occur within walking distance, [Principle 19] The rapidway links seamlessly to its allowing independence to those who do not drive, especially the elderly and the young. surroundings, as the design planned not just for the Interconnected networks of streets should be rapidway, but for the complete street. [Principle 20] designed to encourage walking, reduce the number and length of automobile trips, and conserve energy.
Principle 14 Transit corridors, when properly planned and coordinated, can help organize metropolitan structure and revitalize urban centers. In contrast, highway corridors should not displace investment from existing centers.
Principle 15 Appropriate building densities and land uses should be within walking distance of transit stops, permitting public transit to become a viable alternative to the automobile.
Principle 16 Concentrations of civic, institutional, and commercial activity should be embedded in neighborhoods and districts, not isolated in remote, single-use complexes. Schools should be sized and located to enable children to walk or bicycle to them. 10 CNU CHARTER AWARDS 2018
The Neighborhood, Town and City, Canon 1 The balance of jobs, shopping, schools, recreation, civic uses, institutions, housing, areas of food production and natural places shall occur at the neighborhood scale, with these uses being within easy walking distances or easy Response to Charter Principles access to transit.
Canon 2 Wherever possible, new To enhance visual appeal and for the environment, Concrete tree planters and wide sidewalks separate development shall be sited on underutilized, poorly designed or already developed land. tree-lined boulevards were included as part of the pedestrians from traffic and the switch from mid- Sites shall be either urban infill. design, and also to define the corridor. [Principle block turns to U-turns at intersections makes it safer 18] Safety is built into the design at the stations, for drivers. The Region: Canon 4 The spatial balance of jobs and housing is enabled at the following the principles of Crime Prevention Through regional scale by extensive transit systems. Environmental Design [CPTED], a pro-active crime Development shall be primarily organized prevention strategy incorporated into the streetscape around transit lines and hubs. to provide monitoring capabilities and safety peace of Principle 18 A range of parks, from tot- mind for users. Pedestrian and driver safety is also lots and village greens to ballfields and incorporated. [Principle 21] community gardens, should be distributed within neighborhoods. Conservation areas and open lands should be used to define and connect different neighborhoods and districts.
Principle 19 A primary task of all urban architecture and landscape design is the physical definition of streets and public spaces as places of shared use.
Principle 20 Individual architectural projects should be seamlessly linked to their surroundings. This issue transcends style.
Principle 21 The revitalization of urban places depends on safety and security. The design of streets and buildings should reinforce safe environments, but not at the expense of accessibility and openness.
Bike lanes and boulevards are defining features of the Highway 7 rapidway.
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Lessons Learned
In Vaughan, the rapidways are already paying dividends to the community with smart growth and economic stimulus, and by providing a foundation for walkable, livable and desirable communities. The attention to design elevates the aesthetic of transit, enhancing the City’s allure for developers, businesses and prospective residents. Healthy, multi-use residential development is beginning to flourish along the corridor. >> Vaughan surpassed the $1 billion mark in building construction permits eight out of the last 10 years. >> At the VMC, 7,067 new residential units are proposed or underway now and a total of 12,000 residential units expected by 2031. We expect the rapidway project will serve as a future model for how transit fosters smart intensification.
Overcoming barriers One barrier to the creation of “good urbanism” is the stress that multi-year road construction puts on local businesses and the community. Getting the community on-side by explaining the future benefits of the project is a core strategy.
Keeping roads open as much as possible Greenery is part of the rapidway design for the environmental and aesthetic benefits. >> The project minimized construction impact with careful project planning to ensure Highway 7, a major thoroughfare, remained open as much as Community liaisons and communications possible. >> Community Liaisons served as the face of the project, answering questions Overcoming construction challenges and addressing concerns. Emailed construction bulletins kept everyone >> Connecting the VMC rapidway station to the subway construction below informed. with precision Business support program >> Timing construction to open the project with the subway >> A Business Support Program was developed in collaboration with local chambers of commerce in the impacted business areas. A public >> Widening a bridge over one the country’s busiest railyards. advertising campaign reminded the community that businesses are still open during construction.
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