May 29, 2018 By David Nickle, Toronto.com
Danforth Avenue could be in for a massive planning makeover in 2019.
That's if Toronto Council approves the money for a comprehensive, overarching study of the seven kilometres from Broadview to past Victoria Park Avenue. On May 28, Toronto's budget committee sent a letter from Ward 30 (Toronto-Danforth) Coun. Paula Fletcher to senior city staff to come up with the plan for a study that would fold in ongoing work from three city departments.
“This would make the Danforth an even greater street than it is now — a greater Avenue,” said Fletcher following the vote. “It's about seven kilometres we need to study — that includes five business improvement areas. The co-ordination would be immense.”
The study would be looking at the health of the commercial strips along Danforth through the city's Economic Development Department, at the same time as it studies road safety through the city's Transportation department.
City planners, meanwhile, would look at land use planning between Broadview and Coxwell Avenue.
Fletcher said that the retail strips along the Danforth will be facing particular challenges as more shoppers turn to e-commerce to fulfil their needs.
Fletcher said she brought the proposal for the co-ordinated study forward now because she worried that the long legislative hiatus during the municipal election could mean that the issue might fall off council and city staff's radar.
She said that when the study gets underway, it will be important to engage both the residential and business communities along the stretch.
“This has to have a really big public involvement,” she said. “It's not going to be a small study or a small planning study.”
Major items at City Council this week included the Vacant Home Tax, island airport and traffic congestion management.
Read Councillor Fletcher's latest update for details on the newly opened Leslie Lookout Park along with engagement and enforcement activities at Tommy Thompson Park.
Read my latest update for details on the upcoming TRCA Butterfly Festival along with engagement and enforcement activities at Tommy Thompson Park.
