Exploring Innovative Adaptive Reuse of the Scarborough Rapid Transit Elevated Guideway and Assets - by Councillor Jamaal Myers, seconded by Councillor Paul Ainslie

Scarborough residents have the longest Toronto Transit Commission commutes, the least amount of biking infrastructure and the highest rates of pedestrian deaths in the City. This linear park will help residents to safely and conveniently gain expanded year-round access to jobs, affordable housing options, culture and entertainment, shopping, green space and other neighbourhoods along the existing corridor, and would significantly improve the quality of life in Scarborough while supporting Council's ambitious housing, employment, quality of life and fiscal sustainability goals. During hybrid public consultations conducted in late November and early December 2023 by the Toronto Transit Commission at the request of Council to support work on the Line 3 Busway, respondents noted the potential for local markets, sustainable access to neighbourhoods, direct connections to the Scarborough Town Centre, employers, government buildings and civic assets, and the opportunity to transform McCowan Station into a space which better serves its community. Given that Line 3 has now closed, there is an urgent need to act on previous Council decisions in order to quickly establish an innovative strategic plan which explores options for low-cost financing and supports Council's strategic decisions.

the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission, the Executive Director, Transit Expansion, the General Manager, Transportation Services, the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning or their designates to urgently complete a preliminary assessment of the potential for the adaptive reuse of the right-of-way and station assets which comprised the Scarborough Rapid Transit (Line 3) between Ellesmere Station and McCowan Station, and Kennedy Station to McCowan Station, and report back to Council by the end of the third quarter of 2024 outlining: a. initial findings and the additional detailed feasibility studies needed to evaluate: 1. opportunities for the development of a new linear park and active transportation corridor leveraging the existing Scarborough Rapid Transit infrastructure, informed by similar projects including the High Line in New York, the Beltline in Atlanta, Cuernavaca's Railway Linear Park in Mexico City, and the Potrero Yard Modernization Project in San Francisco; 2. high-capacity mobility solutions along the corridor to meet ongoing resident and business needs in partnership with Metrolinx; and 3. commercial and housing development potential along, adjacent, and integrated into the existing Scarborough Rapid Transit corridor, including opportunities to support city-building objectives facilitated by the provision of people and goods movement solutions along the existing corridor. b. anticipated costs to complete detailed due diligence work referenced in recommendation 2. a., and consideration of funding opportunities, including the Canada Infrastructure Bank. c. an approach for broader engagement and consultation to promote innovation and human centred design excellence, specifically with academia (University of Toronto Scarborough), architecture and design experts via a charette or competitions, and local public engagement.