~CJ Report brompton.ca Planning, Design and Flower (tty Development Committee Committee of the Council of The Corporation of the City of Brampton Date: November 19, 2013 P~NN I NG, DESIGN &DEVELOPMENT COMMITIEE File: N14.NAT DATE: fu.e&.her 1 1 20fg Subject: Status Update: City of Brampton Initiatives within the Claireville Conservation Area

Contact: Henrik Zbogar, Acting Director, Planning Policy & Growth Management Planning & Building Division OVERVIEW: • This report provides a status update on City of Brampton initiatives currently underway in the Claireville Conservation Area. • The need for these initiatives is identified in the recent update of the Claireville Conservation Area Management Plan undertaken by the Region Conservation Authority and include: o an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law that implements the "nature first" vision and recommendations of the Claireville Conservation Area Management Plan; and, o the development of a heritage tourism trail within the Claireville Conservation Area along the planned expansion of the West Humber Trail.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. THAT the report from Henrik Zbogar, Acting Director, Pl anning Policy and Growth Management, dated November 19, 2013, to the Planning Design and Development Meeting of December 9, 2013 RE: Status update: City of Brampton Initiatives within the Claireville Conservation Area, be received; and,

2. THAT a copy of this report and Council resolution be forwarded to the Toronto Region Conservation Authority and Ministry of Natural Re sources for information.

BACKGROUND:

The Claireville Conservation Area (Ciaireville) is an 838 ha (2, 100 acre) parcel of land owned by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and provides opportunities for public recreation, tourism and educational programs. Claireville is located primarily in th e City of Brampton, with a small portion in the City of Toronto. Claireville is bounded by Finch Avenue to the south, Goreway Drive to the west and Highway 427 to the east. Highway 407, and East (Region Road 107) transect Claireville(see Figure 1).

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~ 1­ ~~~ BRAMPTON ~ X~ ~~ Fl wer City bPLraAmptNNING,an.co DE QSIGN & DEVELOPMENT Figure ~ - rvation Area ""'~" 0.0 0.5 1.0 cIairevllle Conse c•mm._eo,._A•ooJ•' ·'~ Kilometres The Claireville Conservation Area Management Plan (CCAMP) was first endorsed in 1997. Since the CCAMP came into effect, Claireville has been experiencing the pressures of increasing urbanization from the surrounding area. In recognition of these concerns, an update to the CCAMP was endorsed by the TRCA in March 2011.

The CCAMP Update includes detail on the planned expansion of the West Humber Trail north of Queen Street, as part of the completion of the inter-regional trail system. Construction of the trail in accordance .with the preferred trail alignment (see Appendix A) is subject to funding from the City, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and TRCA. The MOU is currently on hold, pending a permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

This report presents an update on: • the City-initiated Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment that implements the "nature firsf' vision of the CCAMP; and, • the trail extension within Claireville.

CURRENT SITUATION

City-initiated Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law

The City-initiated Official Plan Amendment proposes to implement the nature first vision for Claireville by designating it as Open Space. The Bram East Secondary Plan will be amended to designate lands in Claireville as "Open Space - Conservation Lands and Valleyland." This will ensure that any existing commercial recreation uses do not expand beyond their current limits. The City-initiated Zoning By-law will accordingly be updated to prohibit uses that would adversely impact the ecological health and diversity of the natural heritage system, consistent with the direction of the CCAMP Update.

Planning and Infrastructure Services staff will circulate the changes proposed to the City's planning documents to TRCA and agency stakeholders in 2014 before presenting the documents at a statutory public meeting. A summary of the proposed changes is available in Appendix B. This approach implements the earlier direction from the December 10, 2010 Planning Committee Meeting that requires staff to implement an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment in consultation with stakeholders (BEPAC, Friends of Claireville, Humber Watershed Alliance, Claireville Stewardship Committee, etc.) and the TRCA to process the amendments in accordance with the Planning Act.

West Humber Trail Extension

The City and TRCA are working on expanding the trail system in Claireville and connecting it to the rest of the West Humber Trail system that exists along portions of

2 the West Humber within the Claireville Conservation Area. More detail about the proposed trail extension is available in Appendix C. The West Humber Trail in Toronto currently term inates at Highway 427. The TRCA and the City of Toronto are working with the Ministry of Transportation to facilitate a connection under Highway 427. Once the connection is determined it will enable the TRCA and Brampton to link into the southern leg of the West Humber Trail with the Trail.

The City and TRCA previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand the West Humber Trail northward from Queen Street East to Cottrelle Boulevard. A second MOU, to be signed by TRCA and the City, is required to acknowledge that the City will maintain the interregional trail and associated bridges and requirements for the extension of the West Humber trail. The TRCA's role will be to identify suitable locations for educational nodes, assist in providing supplementary information for the interpretive signage and promote the trail. The trail extension will be designed to meet both TRCA and City of Brampton trail design standards and requirements. The construction of this trail will begin once the second MOU is signed. The MOU is currently on hold, awaiting a permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

CONCLUSION

The initiatives described in this report will enhance the profile of the Claireville Conservation Area and reinforce its role as a tourism destination. The progress of these initiatives will be reported to a future Committee of Council meeting.

--=C7~Dan Kraszewski, MCIP, RPP Senior Executive Director, Planning & Building Division

Authored by: Natasha Rea, Land Use Policy Planner Ill

Appendices: Appendix A: Map of West Humber Trail Appendix B: Summary of proposed City-initiated Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Appendix C: Additional detail on the proposed West Humber Trail Extension

3 Appendix A Map of West Humber Trail

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Summary of proposed City-initiated Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law

The Claireville Conservation Area (CCA) is owned by the TRCA and designated as "Open Space" and "Conservation Area" in the City's Official Plan.

The City's Official Plan Amendment proposes to implement the nature first vision for the CCA. No land uses and activities will be permitted in the CCA that would adversely impact the ecological health and diversity of the natural heritage system and cultural heritage resources.

Official Plan

Claireville is designated "Open Space" on Schedule A and "Conservation Area" on Schedule E of the City's Official Plan, with the exception of the north-west corner of Queen Street East and McVean Drive which is designated "Residential on Schedule A. This designation remains under appeal to the Municipal Board. Based on the CCAMP Update, the "Residential" north parcel is actually intended for open space uses. As such, the City's Official Plan Amendment proposes to designate the north-west corner of Queen Street East and McVean Drive as "Open Space."

Secondary Plan

The Bram East Secondary Plan (Area 41) will need to be amended to accurately show the boundaries of the CCA. Those lands that are part of the CCA will be identified as "Open Space- Conservation Lands and Valleyland." Existing Special Policy Area 1 and 2 will be deleted and replaced with the "Open Space - Conservation lands and Valleylands" designation. Redesignating the commercial designation currently located north-west corner of Queen Street East and McVean Drive to "Open Space" will ensure that existing commercial recreation uses do not expand beyond their current limits, consistent with the direction of the CCAMP Update.

Zoning By-law

The proposed Zoning by-law will apply to the extent of the CCA and will prohibit uses that would adversely impact the ecological health and diversity of the natural heritage system, consistent with the direction of the CCAMP Update. Additionally, new mapping from TRCA will allow the City to update the existing open space and floodplain zones to recognize the actual extent of these designations.

Planning and Infrastructure Services staff will be circulating the draft planning amendments to TRCA and agency stakeholders next year before proceeding to present the documents at a statutory public meeting. This approach implements the earlier direction from the December 10, 2010 Planning Committee Meeting that requires staff to draft an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment in consultation with stakeholders (BEPAC, Friends of Claireville, Humber Watershed Alliance, Claireville Stewardship Committee, etc.) and consult with the TRCA to process the amendments in accordance with the Planning Act.

Following the public meeting, a recommendation report will be presented to Planning Design and Development Committee. Appendix C

Additional detail on the proposed West Humber Trail Extension

The Humber River Trail is located in the City of Toronto and City of Vaughan through the main Humber River Valley. A branch of the Humber River (the West Humber River) travels westward through Toronto into the City of Brampton. A trail exists along portions of the West Humber within the Claireville Conservation Area. The City and TRCA are working on expanding the trail system in this area and connecting it to the rest of the West Humber Trail system. The expansion of the West Humber Trail, along with enhancements celebrating the heritage of the area, is seen as an opportunity to create a tourism attraction in a truly unique area of Brampton.

The West Humber Trail in Toronto currently terminates at Highway 427. The TRCA and the City of Toronto are working with the Ministry of Transportation to facilitate a connection under Highway 427. Once the connection is determined it will enable the TRCA and Brampton to link into the southern leg of the West Humber Trail with the Humber River Trail. This will give trail users the opportunity to travel from Brampton all the way to the Waterfront Trail, along Lake Ontario.

The City and TRCA previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the West Humber Trail northward from Queen Street East to Cottrelle Boulevard. The inter­ regional trail is identified in the City's PathWays Master Plan and Brampton Council approved funds for its construction in 2007.

In June 2012, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority approved a Resolution which included recommendations for TRCA staff to work with both the City of Brampton and the City of Vaughan to create educational nodes along the extension of the West Humber Trail. The purpose of this initiative is to enhance user experience through celebration of the history of the area. The educational nodes would document the history of the area, including pre-contact Aboriginal habitations, pioneer settler habitations, agricultural heritage, and natural heritage and environment features.

A second Memorandum of Understanding, to be signed by TRCA and the City is required to acknowledge that the City will maintain the interregional trail and associated bridges for the extension of the West Humber trail, in additional to any other requirements for trail management that TRCA deems necessary. The trail extension will be designed to meet both TRCA and City of Brampton trail design standards and requirements. The West Humber Trail extension project proposes the development of approximately 10 to15 educational nodes along the trail, each of which will contain interpretive signage. The cost to construct each node is estimated at approximately $10,000 per location. The City has dedicated funding set aside for the design and construction of the interpretive signage. The existing capital budget allocation for the planned trail construction north of Queen Street (project # 085940-053) can sufficiently fund the cost of the heritage component.

The construction of this trail is anticipated to begin once the second Memorandum of Understanding is signed by the City and the TRCA. South of Queen Street, funding is available from capital project # 085940-066 - Valley Theming - Interpretive Signage Pilot. Additionally, to develop and market the West Humber Trail within Brampton, City staff can provide the following services to this project:

• Heritage Planning staff would liaise with the Brampton Heritage Committee, the Arts Council and the Humber Watershed Alliance to establish the story boards to be erected at each education node; • The Open Space Design and Construction Section would coordinate work with the TRCA for the design of the nodal features and provide oversight to the TRCA's construction; • The Economic Development Office would assist in the promotion of the heritage tourism trail, following construction.

The TRCA's role will be to identify suitable locations for the educational nodes, assist in providing supplementary information for the interpretive signage and promote the trail.

To date, the second Memorandum of Understanding has not been signed. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has confirmed the trail route is within the limits of protected redside dace fish habitat. TRCA is waiting for the permit and recommended actions from MNR to enhance the local fish habitat of the West Humber River in the Claireville Conservation Area. The trail extension project cannot progress until the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms the requirements on mitigating trail construction within the protected redside dace habitat area. Planning and Infrastructure Services staff expects a response from MNR within the next six months.