Our Plan Toronto: Recommendations on Five Deferred Employment Area Conversion Requests - Final Report

Council authorized the commencement of the Municipal Comprehensive Review and Growth Plan Conformity Exercise known as "Our Plan Toronto", on August 4, 2020. As part of the Municipal Comprehensive Review, the City Planning Division received approximately 150 requests to convert lands designated Core Employment Areas or General Employment Areas in the Official Plan for non-employment uses, including some of which were City-initiated. As part of the Municipal Comprehensive Review, City Council has considered over 145 conversion requests in three final reports, which resulted in staff recommending the conversion of over 60 conversion requests. The implementing Official Plan Amendments (OPA 591, OPA 644 and OPA 653) were considered under Section 26 of the Planning Act, where the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is the approval authority. All three Council adopted Official Plan Amendments are with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for final decisions. Staff's final recommendations on these five conversion requests were originally included in PH5.3 Our Plan Toronto: Recommendations on Seventy Employment Area Conversion Requests and Chapter 7 Site and Area Specific Policy Review - Final Report, which was the third in a series of Final Reports that provided staff recommendations on Employment Area conversion requests as part of the Municipal Comprehensive Review of the Official Plan. These five sites were considered at a Special Public Meeting under Section 26 of the Planning Act regarding the City's phased Official Plan and Municipal Comprehensive Reviews at the July 5, 2023 Planning and Housing Committee. This report reiterates the staff recommendations for four of the five deferred conversion requests and recommends that Council continue to defer consideration of the lands described as 2450 Finch Avenue West to enable staff to continue ongoing discussions and consideration of additional materials.

Conversion Request 041 for 21 Don Roadway, 30 Booth Avenue, and 375 and 385 Eastern Avenue (East Harbour lands); 3. City Council further defer consideration of Conversion Request 104 for 2450 Finch Avenue West and request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning Division direct staff to report directly to the November 8 to 10, 2023 meeting of City Council with a final recommendation. 4. City Council request that the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning Division consider how 2444 Finch Avenue West and 4 Milvan Drive may be incorporated into an Official Plan Amendment respecting Conversion Request 104 for 2450 Finch Avenue West, and to report back to the Planning and Housing Committee in the first quarter of 2024.