60118979-111853_23ra_Sept17-10_App Title Pages.Docx

Appendix D

Agencies Correspondence

)ConserRvaoonfor The Living City

March 9, 2010

BY MAIL AND EMAIL (Iito.romano@ttc.ca)

Mr. Lito RomanoToronto Transit Commission5160 Yonge Street, 13th FloorToronto, ON M2N 6L9

Dear Mr. Romano:

Re: Response to Notice of Public Open HouseAshbridges Bay Fleet Maintenance and Storage FacilityMunicipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA)Don River Watershed, City of Toronto; East York

CFN 43736

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) staff received notice of the Preliminary PlanningPublic Open House scheduled for February 18, 2010.

Staff has reviewed the study area associated with this Environmental Assessment and advises that thesubject site is located within the floodplain of the Don River and within the Lower Don Special PolicyArea. Staff understands that the proposed works involve fill and floodplain management on thenorthwest corner of the property to prepare the site for the construction of a new Light Rail TransitVehicle (LRV) Fleet Maintenance and Storage facility.

The project will be reviewed through Site Plan and TRCA's Ontario Regulation 166/06 permit process.The EA review fees have been waived as the site plan and permit review fees will be applied and theissues are minor.

While staff is unable to attend the meeting, please forward one copy of any handouts or display materialsfrom this meeting for our files. Please include a digital copy of all materials as part of your submission.Should you have any questions, please contact me at extension 5311, or by email atsheuchert@trca.on.ca.

~ruf!~Steve Heuchert. ~TPIManager, Development, Planning and RegulationPlanning and Development

BY EMAILcc: TIC:

TRCA:Adrienne Long, (adrienne.long@ttc.ca)Carolyn Woodland, Director, Planning and DevelopmentBeth Williston, Manager, Environmental AssessmentsKeri McMahon, Project Manager, Don River Watershed

F:\Home\Public\Development Services\EA\Letters for Mailing\TTC Ashbridges Bay Fleet Maintenance and Storage Facility.doc

Member of Conservation Ontario

5 Shoreham Drive, Downsview, Ontario M3N 1S4 (416) 661-6600 FAX661-6898 www.trca.on.ca -a.;~;.,"",~s'

Let_CS - Prelim Pub Meeting Comments (Mar 4)_v2.doc - 3/4/2010

LEA Consulting Ltd. Consulting Engineers & Planners Suite 900, 625 Cochrane Drive, Markham, ON, L3R 9R9 CANADA Tel: 905-470-0015 Fax: 905-470-0030 www.LEA.ca

4 March 2010 Our Ref.: 8782-200 Mr. Lito Romano TTC Community Liaison Officer Transit City Department – Toronto Transit Commission 5160 Yonge Street, 13th Floor Toronto, ON M2N 6L9 Dear Mr. Romano: Re: Ashbridges LRV Maintenance & Storage Facility Transit Project Assessment 17 Leslie Street, Toronto, ON As you may be aware, we are the transportation consultants retained by Loblaw Properties Limited and this letter is written in response to the transit project assessment being conducted for the Ashbridges Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) Maintenance & Storage Facility and connecting track to the existing streetcar network. Loblaw Properties Limited owns and operates a food store located at the northeast corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard (17 Leslie Street, Toronto, ON) and as such has an interest in the proposed plans. The food store has a main driveway on Leslie Street with secondary driveways on Eastern Avenue. The main entrance on Leslie Street is signalized and is located 120 metres north of the Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard intersection. This intersection is shared with the retail plaza on the west of Leslie Street. Currently at this intersection, Leslie Street has a four-lane cross-section permitting with shared left-through and through-right lanes for the north and south approaches. The northbound traffic also has an advanced left-turn phase. Currently, as we understand it, the transit project assessment is proposing two options for connecting the maintenance and storage facility to the existing streetcar network, extending the track in mixed traffic or constructing exclusive LRV lanes in the centre of Leslie Street. Through extending the track in mixed traffic, it is understood that the four-lane cross-section and all existing turning movements would be maintained at the intersections along Leslie Street. Comparatively, in order to construct exclusive LRV lanes, the two centre through lanes would be replaced with a raised median for the transit vehicles. It is understood that this raised median will be interrupted at Eastern Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard, to permit the east-west traffic flow. However, based on the material presented at the

4 March 2010 Mr. Romano Our Ref.: 8782-200 Page 2

public information centre on February 18th, 2010, it has been determined that turning provisions have not been provided for the north and south approaches at either Eastern Avenue or the signalized access to the food store. It is a concern that left turning provisions have not been presented at these locations. The signalized access on Leslie Street is crucial to the traffic operations of the Loblaws store. Specifically, the signalized access to the food store is the store’s only access to the main parking lot, as the main parking lot is segregated from the additional parking at the north, as there is no two-way connection on-site between the two lots. As a result, it handles the large majority of the trips generated by the site. The signalized full-move access is also required for the loading activities for the store, as loading vehicles are required to travel in front of the store in order to access the loading areas on the eastside of the building. Overall, when the signalized access on Leslie Street was constructed by the commercial development to the west of the Loblaws site as part of an Ontario Municipal Board settlement, it was done so in order to address the perceived constraints along Leslie Street, and facilitate the operations of both sites; today the requirement for this signal, and its associated turning movements, still exist. Constructing the exclusive transit lanes on Leslie Street has the potential to have significant traffic impacts to not only customers and deliveries coming from and going to the store, but to the overall traffic circulation in the area surrounding the Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard food store. It is our experience at other food store locations that large delivery trucks (e.g. tractor-trailers) will have difficulty manoeuvring in and out of the site if reduced traffic lane widths and/or transit right-of-ways are implemented directly in front of these delivery accesses. As such, Loblaw Properties Limited and LEA Consulting Ltd. would like to work with the TTC to review proposed roadwork plans and cross-section drawings (preferably in PDF and/or CAD format) that illustrate the potential designs of Leslie Street along the section that fronts the subject store as the designs are developed. As a result, any recommendation that would remove through traffic lanes on Leslie Street between Lake Shore Boulevard and Queen Street or restrict turning movements at Eastern Avenue and the food store traffic signal could have adverse impacts to the existing operations of the Loblaws food store. Considering this, constructing exclusive LRV lanes along Leslie Street would not produce acceptable traffic conditions for the Loblaws food store. As part of the transit project assessment process, it is crucial that Loblaw Properties Limited be included as a stakeholder and that the chosen solution for the connection of the maintenance and storage facility with the existing streetcar network not create any reduction in level of service or elimination of turning movements at either Eastern Avenue or the food store traffic signal. Further, as a stakeholder in the assessment process, it is important that the TTC, City and project consultant team, meet with Loblaw Properties Limited and LEA Consulting Ltd. to engage the above noted concerns in greater detail.

4 March 2010 Mr. Romano Our Ref.: 8782-200 Page 3

Should you have any questions, or would like to discuss the above mentioned matters, I can be contacted at 905-470-0015 ext. 282. Yours very truly, LEA Consulting Ltd.

Christopher Sidlar, M.Sc.Pl. Transportation Planner :cs cc: Mario Fatica, Loblaws Properties Limited Andrew Brown, LEA

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May 20, 2010 Public Consultation Unit Toronto Transit Commission 1900 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4S 1Z2 Good day, I am writing today because while FilmOntario is in support of the selection of the Ashbridges Bay site for the LRV Storage and Maintenance Yard, it has strong concerns over the consideration of Leslie Street as the preferred route for the connecting track. FilmOntario is a private sector consortium 30,000 strong, of companies, producers, unions, guilds and organizations within the Ontario screen-based sector (film & television and interactive media), that contribute over $1 billion in economic activity annually. Over the past 40 years, Toronto has developed a fully-integrated screen-based entertainment industry which is recognized as having among the world’s best crews, award winning talent and a full spectrum of service providers and physical infrastructure. It has become Canada’s English language Centre of Excellence in screen-based content. It employs tens of thousands and brings Toronto to the world. In 2007, City Council received and endorsed the Strategic Plan for Toronto’s Screen-based Industry (August 10, 2007). It reconfirmed the industry as a priority industry for the City of Toronto’s economic future. Council’s vote was the demonstration of its commitment to protect and enhance our competitive advantages at every opportunity. We recognize the expression of that commitment once again and appreciate the decision to designate the Ashbridges Bay site for the LRV site, instead of 629 Eastern Ave., in the Studio District. Had the selection of Eastern Avenue not been averted, the resultant noise and vibration would have severely impacted the operation of the neighbouring studios, and thus the health of the industry. As per our letter of June 25, 2009, both the LRV site and the track routes could have detrimental impacts on Toronto’s screen-based industry, if they are located too close to the Studio District. We understand that the preferred option for the track route is down Leslie Street. A newly renovated highly active studio exists at 721 Eastern Avenue. A track on Leslie Street could render that facility inoperable. It is important that the TTC has conducted a fulsome consultation to the satisfaction of the Studio owners in the Studio District. Without detailed engineering and environmental impact reports indicating that the vibrations

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created and sound levels produced and any potential traffic restrictions/prioritization will not affect the Studio’s ability to function, we must urge the Commission to remove Leslie Street from track route consideration, and limit the deliberations to those routes East of Leslie Street and away from the Studio District. Sincerely,

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Sarah Ker-Hornell Managing Director of FilmOntario Executive Board member, Toronto Film Board Member of the Economic Development Committee, Toronto Board of Trade cc Councillor Adam Giambrone, Chair, Toronto Transit Committee Councillor Paula Fletcher Councillor Shelley Carroll Michael Booth, Office of Mayor Peter Finestone, Toronto Film Commissioner Gary Webster, Chief General Manager, TTC

AECOM 300 Water Street 905 668 9363 tel Whitby, ON, Canada L1N 9J2 905 668 0221 fax www.aecom.com

AECOM Response To Filmontario Letter.Docx

May 28, 2010 Paul Cecchetto Project Manager Toronto Transit Commission 5160 Yonge Street, 3rd Floor M2N 6L9 Dear Mr. Cecchetto: Project No: 60118979

Regarding: Ashbridges Bay Maintenance and Storage Facility Impact of LRV Connection Track on Leslie St. at 721 Eastern Avenue (FilmOntario) In response to the letter issued to the Toronto Transit Commission on May 20th, 2010, from FilmOntario, AECOM and Aercoustics Engineering Ltd. (AEL) have investigated the potential impact of streetcar activity with respect to noise/vibration and traffic operations at the newly renovated highly active studio located at 721 Eastern Avenue, which is part of FilmOntario.

Noise and Vibration

The studio is located at a distance of approximately 220m from the south-bound proposed streetcar on Leslie Street. At this distance, it is expected that there will be no significant noise and vibration impact beyond the current existing environment on the operation of the studio.

The results of AEL noise predictions models show that nightly averaged sound levels outside the studio due to streetcar activity will be in the range of 40-45 dBA. This sound level is approximately the same as what would be observed in a quiet office environment. Indoor sound levels will be less due to attenuation from the building structure. Furthermore, there are buildings located between the studio and Leslie Street that will provide partial acoustic shielding resulting in a further reduction of sound levels. Daily averaged outdoor sound levels are lower due to reduced streetcar activity on Leslie Street.

Long term community noise measurements were performed on Eastern Avenue on the East side of Leslie Street from February 3rd to 10th, 2010, where it was found that the existing environment due to activity in the area produced nightly average sound levels of 62 dBA, which is significantly higher than the predicted sound levels from the proposed streetcars on Leslie Street. A similar existing acoustic environment is expected on the West side of Leslie Street.

Vibration generated from streetcar activity on Leslie will be similar to activity already present in the area, such as the existing Queen Street streetcar which is located slightly further away than Leslie Street. Vibration levels from medium-heavy trucks travelling over pot holes or discontinuities in the road will likely generate vibration levels higher than what will be observed from the proposed streetcars along Leslie Street. Also, the existing heavy railway line which accommodates freight

Page 3 May 28, 2010

AECOM Response To Filmontario Letter.Docx

Attachments

28 May 2010

AECOM 300 Water Street Whitby, ON L1N 9J2

Attn: Cedric Barrera Re: TTC Lakeshore LFLRV Maintenance & Storage Facility Noise & Vibration Impact at FilmOntario

As a follow up from the letter issued to the Toronto Transit Commission on May 20th, 2010, from FilmOntario, Aercoustics Engineering Limited has investigated the potential impact of streetcar activity at the newly renovated highly active studio located at 721 Eastern Avenue, which is part of FilmOntario.

The studio is located at a distance of approximately 220m from the south-bound proposed streetcar on Leslie Street. At this distance, it is expected that there will be no significant noise and vibration impact beyond the current existing environment on the operation of the studio.

The results of our noise predictions models show that nightly averaged sound levels due to streetcar activity outside the studio will be in the range of 40-45 dBA. This is sound level is approximately the same as what would be observed in a quiet office environment. Indoor sound levels will be less due to attenuation from the building structure. Furthermore, there are buildings located between the studio and Leslie Street that will provide partial acoustic shielding resulting in a further reduction of sound levels. Daily averaged outdoor sound levels are lower due to reduced streetcar activity on Leslie Street.

Long term community noise measurements were performed on Eastern Avenue on the East side of Leslie Street from February 3rd to 10th, 2010, where it was found that the existing environment due to activity in the area produced nightly averaged sound levels of 62 dBA, which is significantly higher than the predicted sound levels from the proposed streetcars on Leslie Street. A similar existing acoustic environment is expected on the West side of Leslie Street.

TTC Lakeshore Storage and Maintenance Facility – Response to FilmOntario Page 2 of 2

aercoustics.com

Vibration generated from streetcar activity on Leslie will be similar to activity already present in the area, such as the existing Queen Street streetcar which is located slightly further away than Leslie Street. Vibration levels from medium-heavy trucks travelling over pot holes or discontinuities in the road will likely generate vibration levels higher than what will be observed from the proposed streetcars along Leslie Street. Also, the existing heavy railway line which accommodates freight trains located to south along Lakeshore at a similar distance (~230m) is likely generating significantly higher vibration levels than what is expected from the proposed streetcar line.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Tim Preager, B.A.Sc., P.Eng.