City Council asked to commission transportation study for Downsview area before major roads built

transit

City Council asked to commission transportation study for Downsview area before major roads built

Councillor James Pasternak is proposing that the city commission a transportation planning study for the Downsview redevelopment area before proceeding with major street extensions planned as part of the Downsview Major Streets Environmental Assessment. The DUKE Heights Business Improvement Area, which represents over 4,000 businesses and 32,000 jobs south of Sheppard Avenue, argues the current plan will create traffic congestion that threatens business viability. The motion asks the city to study solutions for traffic flow in the area bounded by Sheppard Avenue, the Barrie GO Transit tracks, Allen Road, and Steeprock.

not yet heardToronto City Council · Wed, Jul 29You can weigh in

Who did what

Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 6, York Centre) movedMoved the motion requesting a transportation planning study for Downsview before major road construction.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza (Ward 7, Humber River-Black Creek) secondedSeconded the motion.

Also in this item

• The Downsview redevelopment is projected to add 115,000 residents and 52,000 jobs across 15 neighbourhoods over 30 years, with major street extensions planned as part of the environmental assessment.

• The DUKE Heights Business Improvement Area represents over 4,000 businesses and 32,000 jobs, and claims the current traffic plan threatens their viability.

The journey

Wed, Jul 29 · Toronto City Council · not yet heard

Time to act

You can weigh in

Deputation at this council meeting if the speaker list is still open; contact your councillor before the vote.

Why is this story here?

ContainedThe motion requests a study, not a binding decision on the roads themselves. A transportation planning study is a bounded, reversible action that informs future decisions on major infrastructure in one employment area. The study itself does not commit the city to any particular outcome, though the underlying redevelopment (Downsview) is large. Stakes rest on the substance of what is being asked: a study, not the infrastructure.Touches a narrow groupThe item affects the DUKE Heights Business Improvement Area directly (4,000 businesses, 32,000 jobs) but is indirect for most residents. A transportation study produces no immediate change to commutes or streets this week. The concern is real for the BIA but touches a specific employment zone, not a broad recognizable group in an ordinary week.

Stories are ordered by how much weight a decision carries and how directly it reaches daily life. They rise as a decision date approaches and fall as they age.

Official title: Avoiding the Allen Road and Eglinton Redux: Getting People Where They Want to Go in Downsview - by Councillor James Pasternak, seconded by Councillor Anthony Perruzza · meeting video