Stage 2 ION: Light Rail Transit (LRT) from Kitchener to Cambridge
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PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES NORTHFIELD St. RESEARCH AN Jacobs TECHNOLOG Lakeshore Laurelwood Columbia St BOARDWAL D Y 20 THE W 2 201 K UNIVERSITY Northfield Dr OF WATERLOO to London via Stratford Westvale Erb St CONESTOGA 20 W 1 d 202 University Ave N E King St 202 LAURIER - WATERLOO PARK W Ira Needles Blv Westmount Eastbridge Highland 204 West WILLIS WAY Highway 85 WATERLOO 20 PUBLIC 2 SQUARE E Highland Rd Fischer-Hallman Rd University Ave ALLEN Mary Allen Lexington PLANNING, HOUSING ANW D University Ave Forest 201 GRAND RIVER E COMMUNITYHeights SERVICES HOSPITAL Bechtel 202 Park 20 Highway 7/ Mount 4 Kiwanis CENTRAL STATION - Hope Park INNOVATION DISTRICT F orest 8 Hill KITCHENER Grand River 205 VICTORIA PARK Fischer-Hallman Rd Stage 2 ION: CITY HALL Queen St S Meinzinger QUEEN FREDERICK B ridgeport Park KITCHENER 204 Williams- MARKET burg Ottawa St Light Rail TransitVictoria St N (LRT) 201 S BORDEN 7 205 205 Block Line Rd Bingemans Alpine MILL Highway Rosemount 204 from KitchenerOttawa St to Cambridge PLANNING, HOUSINGCountry AND Hills 201 N Heritage to Toronto via Guelph, Brampton 8 Park COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK LINE 205 Vanier Stanley Lackner Blvd Public ConsultationHighway Centre No. 3 Park Fairway Rd Cambridge CityFAIRWAY Hall, NovemberGrand 21, River Breslau 2 – 8 p.m. Idlewood e 20 Preston Memorial3 Wilson Av Auditorium, NovemberG rand 28, 4 – 8 p.m. River Manitou Dr Centreville- South Chicopee Hidden B rigadoon Valley r 3 Region of 20 Rive Waterloo Deer d Int’l Airport PublicRidge Information Package Gran SPORTSWORLD Doon 203 E Maple Grove Rd CONESTOGA Cambridge COLLEGE Business King St Homer Watson Blvd Park Highway 401 203 203 Preston Heights Speed River Fisher Mills Rd Silver Blair Heights Village PRESTON Preston Grand River Centre Speed River Highway 401 CENTRECAMBRIDGE MALL PINEBUSH 3 20 Hespeler Village CAN-AMERA Franklin Blvd Blair L.G. Lovell R oad 203 Industrial Park DELTA Southwood Fiddlesticks Grand River to Toronto via Milton AINSLIE ST TERMINAL East (future) Galt * November 2017 PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES Table of contents PLANNING, HOUSING AND Section Page COMMUNITY SERVICES 1 ............Light Rail Transit in Waterloo Region ........................................1 2 ............Why are we here? .....................................................................2 3 ............How will my input be used? .....................................................2 4 ............What we heard at Public Consultation Centre No. 2 ...............2 5 ............Development of new route alternatives ...................................3 5.1 .....South Kitchener ........................................................................3 5.2 .....North Cambridge .....................................................................3 5.3 .....South Cambridge and Downtown Cambridge Terminal ..........7 6 ............What are the next steps? ..........................................................8 6.1 .....Public consultation ...................................................................8 7 ............How do I stay involved? ...........................................................9 8 ............Contact information .................................................................9 Appendices: A – Evaluation process and criteria B – Study timeline C – Preliminary potential route, February 2017 D – Route alternative maps List of maps: Map C-1: Preliminary potential route as presented at PCC No. 2 (February-March 2017) Map D-1: South Kitchener – Route alternative Map D-2: North Cambridge – Route suggestions Map D-3: North Cambridge – Route alternatives Map D-4: North Cambridge – Route challenges Map D-5: South Cambridge – Route alternatives • ION project website: regionofwaterloo.ca/rapidtransit • Stage 2 website: www.stage2ION.ca • Phone: 519-575-4400 ext. 3462 • facebook.com/rideION • TTY: 519-575-4608 • @rideIONrt • Email: [email protected] • @rideION PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES 2.0 Why are we here? PLANNING, HOUSING AND In February and March 2017, the Region held COMMUNITYStage SERVICES 2 ION: its second Public Consultation Centre (PCC No. LRT from Kitchener 2) for Stage 2 ION to present the evaluation results and the Preliminary Potential Route from to Cambridge Kitchener to Cambridge. The Region received significant feedback on the North Cambridge segment between Sportsworld and Hespeler Public Consultation Centre No. 3 Road (see Map C-1). In response to that feedback, the Region is examining additional alternatives for this segment. Since March 2017, the Region has also developed new routes Public Information Package for Downtown Cambridge and explored the option of using part of Highway 8 in South 1.0 Light Rail Transit in Waterloo Region Kitchener (see Map D-1). In June 2011, Region of Waterloo Council Public input is important to the Region and approved a staged approach to implement there are several opportunities for you to light rail transit (LRT) from Waterloo to comment on the project. The purpose of this Cambridge. In 2014, Regional Council Public Consultation Centre (PCC) is to: awarded GrandLinq the contract to design, • Summarize the comments received at build, finance, operate and maintain Stage PCC No. 2 and how these comments have 1 ION LRT. Stage 1 ION (currently in testing influenced the route selection process phase) includes LRT from Waterloo to Kitchener and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from • Present new routes for South Kitchener, Kitchener to Cambridge (launched September North Cambridge and South Cambridge 2015). Stage 1 LRT service is expected to • Describe how all of these routes are being launch in 2018. evaluated Stage 2 ION will see BRT service replaced by • Hear your feedback LRT, creating a continuous LRT system across the Region’s three urban centres. 3.0 How will my input be used? For more information on the background and Feedback received at PCC No. 2 has helped history of rapid transit in the Region please shape the direction of this study and has refer to The ION Story handout, available at resulted in the examination of new routes for this Public Consultation Centre and online ION. Your comments will be used as input to www.regionofwaterloo.ca/rapidtransit. the evaluation of these route alternatives. 1 PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES 4.0 What we heard at Public Consultation • Transportation: Residents approved of Centre No. 2 (PCC No. 2) the Preliminary Potential Route avoiding Public Consultation Centre No. 2 was held in busy intersections such as King Street at PLANNING, HOUSING AND Fairway Road, Hespeler Road at Pinebush COMMUNITYFebruary SERVICES and March 2017. Approximately 350 people attended the PCCs. Local residents Road and at the Delta. Residents support were notified of the PCCs through emails, an alternative to automobile travel with letters, on-street advertising, social media posts, increasingly congested roads in the Region. and newspaper advertising. Around 380 written The affordability of a stronger transit submissions were received during and after network in comparison to automobile travel the PCCs. Of the comments received, several was identified as well. common themes were identified. Most of the comments that identified challenges Of the comments that were generally or concerns were area-specific. Of these area- supportive of the Preliminary Potential Route, specific concerns, a majority were focused on residents most often cited these reasons: the Preliminary Potential Route segment in the Preston community (N3). The most frequently • Coverage: Residents were in favour of the cited concerns with N3 included: areas serviced by light rail transit (LRT) including commercial or residential areas, • The extent of property acquisition (primarily the connections to transit hubs, or site residential) to accommodate LRT on Moore specific areas such as Preston, Galt, Fairview Street and Eagle Street Park Mall, Sportsworld and Hespeler Road. • Effects on the character of the community They were also in favour of the regional along Moore Street and Eagle Street connection the route would provide – • Impacts to existing traffic, as well as connecting residents of Cambridge to additional auto and/or freight traffic Kitchener and Waterloo. • Heritage conservation • Environmental Benefits: Residents identified the environmental benefits that LRT would • Potential intrusion into natural areas, and bring, such as pollution reduction by providing the need to relocate or realign walking and a more sustainable transportation option, as a cycling trails reason for supporting the Stage 2 route. • Noise and aesthetic impacts. • Redevelopment Potential: A number of residents were in favour of the growth and development that LRT would attract, included transit-oriented development that focuses on walking, cycling, and transit- friendly communities. 2 PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES 5.0 Development of new route What options are being considered? alternatives Map D-1 shows the new LRT route alternative along the west side of Highway 8 (F2b-K3b). PLANNING,5.1 HOUSING South AND Kitchener COMMUNITY SERVICES The Project Team explored options on both Why examine an additional route alternative? sides of Highway 8, and in the median. The Preliminary Potential Route, named Options on the west side of Highway 8 have F2a-K2, was presented at PCC No. 2 and