City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
Memo
Date:
Project:
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
To:
Eric Turcotte, Leigh McGrath, Christine Fang-Denissov
From:
Elizabeth Szymanski, Jonathan Chai, Adam Beausoleil
Subject:
Phase 2: Parking and Loading Policy Review DRAFT #2
The following memorandum documents existing and future parking and loading conditions in the
Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area, and identifies options for adopting lower parking standards
to reflect recommended changes to land use in the area. A review of the current zoning by-law
and policy area categories was undertaken and options for modifying these categories and
policies based on the redevelopment are identified.
Existing Parking and Loading Conditions
Judson Redevelopment Site
Parking for businesses within the Judson Area is provided on site for each separate business.
Parking is also permitted on both sides of Judson Street, east of St George Street and west of a
point 100 metres west of Royal York Road. It appears that all parking for the businesses within
the Judson site is intended to be accommodated on site, with street parking serving only as
overflow parking and as parking for the residential neighbourhood to the north.
Loading facilities within the Judson site are generally located at the south (rear) of the sites, or
on the sides (eastward and westward faces) of the buildings. This is likely to remove the loading
areas as far as possible from the residences on the north side of Judson Street. This is
consistent with the City’s standard practices and zoning by-laws.
Mimico Triangle Redevelopment Site
Parking and loading areas for businesses within the Mimico Triangle site are provided directly in
front of the buildings between the building and roadway. Curbs are depressed throughout, to
allow vehicles to mount the curb, drive across the sidewalk (when provided) and park
perpendicular to the building façade. In most cases this perpendicular parking is only deep
enough to accommodate one vehicle, however, some lots have greater distances between the
roadway and the building façade and tandem parking is used (often for storage purposes).
Loading areas are similarly accessed directly off-street such that trucks would reverse from the
roadway into the loading area. Some loading areas are recessed into the buildings so that
longer trucks will not extend into the roadway when docked.
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
1
hdrinc.com
City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
Parking and loading at the rear of the buildings is provided for some of the buildings, but is
limited.
On-street parking is permitted in some locations within the Mimico Triangle site, with the
majority observed on Newcastle Street. Although parking restrictions are not always posted
along Windsor Street, Buckingham Street, and Audley Street, the depressed curbs effectively
create driveways along the building frontages which mean on-street parking is not permitted.
Preferred Redevelopment Scenario
Preferred options for both the Mimico Triangle and Judson redevelopments have been selected.
This memorandum assesses the preferred option in terms of the general approach to parking
and loading policies. The site statistics for the preferred options are summarized in Table 1
below.
Table 1: Preferred Redevelopment Scenario
Redevelopment
Mimico Triangle
Redevelopment
Judson
Redevelopment
Retained
Industrial
6,633 m
0m
2
2
New
Industrial
0m
2
10,288 m
2
New Office
Total Jobs
Residential
Mid-Rise
Total
Residents
49,555 m
2
1,924
1,686 units
3,489
10,288 m
2
518
0 units
0
The Mimico Triangle redevelopment will include a new residential component, while the Judson
redevelopment site will remain industrial and office land uses only. To determine if any change
to parking or loading requirements is warranted for the proposed redevelopment, the City’s
current zoning by-law and special policy areas were reviewed.
Future Parking and Loading Conditions
Without more detailed site layouts, this section only provides high-level guidance.
Judson Redevelopment Site
The Judson redevelopment site concepts indicate that there will be a laneway on the south side
of the proposed buildings, accessible through southward extensions of north-south roadways
such as O’Donnell Street and St George Street. Parking and loading activity would ideally be
located at the rear (south side) of the buildings and accessed through this ‘laneway’. This
improves on the current setup by providing additional separation between the existing
residences north of Judson Street. This is particularly important for the loading areas. This will
also help improve the aesthetics of the redevelopment from the perspective of residents and
traffic on Judson Street. Parking and loading area locations and access should adhere to the
Zoning By-law 569-2013 for the Employment Industrial (E) Zone Category which is the current
Zoning Category.
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
2
hdrinc.com
City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
Mimico Triangle Redevelopment Site
Since the Mimico Triangle site is mixed-use, parking and loading areas should be carefully
located and separated accordingly. Parking for the residential high-density component should
be provided in a parking lot (likely underground) that can accommodate the full parking
requirements for that component. Parking for the residential low and medium density
components should be provided individually to separate driveways or garages (potentially
accessed through rear laneways), as is the case with the townhouses on Peelar Mews.
Parking for the commercial-employment uses could be provided in surface lots and augmented
by on-street parking. On-street parking can be expanded compared to the existing condition,
since driveways and curb depressions will be limited under redevelopment. This will require
removal of a limited number of existing signage since it is the curb depressions and driveways
that currently restrict the amount of available on-street parking. This should be revisited when a
more detailed site layout is determined. Parking and loading area locations and access should
adhere to the Zoning By-law 569-2013 and the applicable Zone Category (see Zone Category
recommendation below).
Zoning By-law Overview
Zone Category Review
Zoning definitions control what land uses are permitted. Loading requirements also vary by
zoning definition in terms of locations, and accesses. As an example, industrial / employment
areas require larger loading spaces to accommodate larger trucks, however the rate at which
loading spaces must be provided does not change based on Zone Category. Parking rates are
mostly impacted by policy area designations, although zoning definitions define location, and
access.
The City of Toronto’s Zoning By-law 569-2013 is currently being supported and implemented by
City staff for new developments. Both the Mimico Triangle and Judson redevelopment sites are
currently zoned Employment Industrial (E). The current zoning for these areas is illustrated in
Exhibit 1. One parcel within the Mimico Triangle development remains under the Former
General Etobicoke Zoning Code. If this parcel is to be retained as is – as shown in Table 1 as
‘retained industrial’ – then the zoning could be grandfathered and maintained. However, if the
parcel is to be redeveloped, then the zoning should be updated accordingly.
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
3
hdrinc.com
City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
Exhibit 1: Current Zoning for Mimico Triangle
Zoning Category Recommendations
Since the Mimico Triangle redevelopment proposes mid-rise residential towers, the zoning
should be updated accordingly to permit these uses. An appropriate zoning appears to be the
‘Commercial Residential Employment’ Zone Category (CRE). As the Zoning By-law states:
(2) Purpose of the Commercial Residential Employment Zone Category
The Commercial Residential Employment Zone category permits uses associated with the
Regeneration Area designation in the Official Plan. This zone category includes a mix of
commercial, residential, light industrial and institutional uses, as well as parks.
(3) Purpose of the Zones in the Commercial Residential Employment Zone Category
The purpose of each zone in the Commercial Residential Employment Zone category is as
follows:
(A) Commercial Residential Employment (CRE)
The purpose of the CRE zone is to provide areas for a range of retail, service
commercial, office, residential and limited industrial uses in single and multiple use
buildings.
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
4
hdrinc.com
City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
For the Judson redevelopment site, the current Employment Industrial (E) zoning appears
appropriate for the proposed redevelopment since it will remain primarily industrial.
Policy Area Review
Policy areas affect parking space rate requirements but do not have an impact on loading space
rates.
Policy Areas reflect the urban structure in terms of transit availability and population density.
The downtown core of the City is mostly Policy Area 1, meaning that it has the lowest parking
rates and therefore also the smallest parking supply requirements relative to the rest of the City.
Parking rates are increased incrementally for Policy Area 2, 3, 4, and are the highest for ‘all
other areas of the City’. Policy Areas 1 to 4 also dictate maximum parking rates, since
oversupplying parking spaces can encourage a higher vehicle modal split.
Both the Mimico Triangle and Judson currently fall under ‘all other areas of the City’ as defined
by the City Zoning By-law, illustrated in Exhibit 2.
This review focuses on the rates at which the spaces must be provided, rather than the space
dimensions or placement, since it is the rates which most commonly impact site design. Site
specific reductions in parking space rates are also commonly the objective of Zoning By-law
Amendments (ZBA) to reduce the amount of parking on-site, often in an attempt at
intensification by replacing parking areas with additional building area.
Exhibit 2: City of Toronto Policy Area Map
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
5
hdrinc.com
City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
As seen in Exhibit 2, Policy area 1 is limited to the downtown core due to the high transit
coverage, dense population, and mixed uses; Policy Area 2 is limited to the Mt Pleasant Road
and Eglinton Avenue neighbourhood; Policy Area 3 is mostly limited to areas with good subway
accessibility (Bloor Street and Yonge Street) and other limited areas; and finally Policy Area 4 is
the most highly distributed Policy Area, mostly concentrated along arterial roadways with good
transit coverage. Population density, land use, and transit availability and accessibility are the
primary factors in defining Policy Areas.
In the vicinity of the study area there are currently lands shown as Policy Area 4 along Lake
Shore Boulevard to the west and east of Royal York Road. These areas include high density
residential condominiums as well as general retail along Lake Shore Boulevard. Streetcars are
currently operating along Lake Shore Boulevard.
Train frequencies at the Mimico GO Station are planned to be increased in the future, and will
be comparable to streetcar frequencies along Lake Shore Boulevard. Thus, the Mimico Triangle
and Judson sites currently have similar transit availability to those Policy Area 4 sites located
along Lake Shore Boulevard since they are served by both GO Transit and the TTC (on Royal
York Road and Portland Street). The Mimico and Judson sites will also have the opportunity to
connect to transit along Lake Shore Boulevard (1.6 km to the south) or the Bloor subway line
(3.5 km to the north) by connecting via the Royal York Road bus routes (Route 76).
Policy Area Recommendations
The Mimico Triangle and Judson redevelopment areas are both within 500 metres of local
transit services in the form of bus service along Royal York Road. Another transit route currently
operates along Portland Street which runs directly adjacent to the Mimico Triangle. These
routes provide connections to streetcar service on Lake Shore Boulevard as well as the Bloor
subway line. In addition to local transit, Mimico GO Station is also located at the south-west
corner of Mimico Triangle, and at the easterly end of the Judson site (across Royal York Road).
Given the proximity to local and regional transit, in addition to the intensification and mixed use
nature of the proposed redevelopments (including industrial, employment, and residential uses),
the Mimico Triangle has the potential to be designated as Policy Area 4. This designation would
relax the current parking requirements as per Zoning By-law 569-2013, which currently
designates the site as “all other areas of the City” and imposes the highest parking rates with no
maximums.
Designation as Policy Area 4 will promote non-vehicle modes of travel and will provide
opportunities to intensify the land by removing the need to accommodate additional parking.
Furthermore, designation as Policy Area 4 would apply a maximum parking rate to development
so that oversupply and encouragement of auto use is reduced. This will help attract tenants who
do not own cars, or possibly do own cars but prefer to rely on transit as their main mode of
travel, specifically for home-based work trips.
A comparison of parking requirements, by Policy Area, for select land uses which may be
contained within the Mimico Triangle is shown in Table 2. Only minimum rates are shown for
Policy Areas; no maximum rates are established for ‘all other areas of the City’. Only Policy
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
6
hdrinc.com
City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
Areas 1 and 4 are shown in comparison to ‘all other areas of the City’ to clearly show the
spectrum of parking rates.
As shown in Table 2, parking rates increase marginally for each Policy Area, with Policy Area 1
having the lowest rate requirements, increasing towards Policy Area 4, and the highest rates are
required for ‘all other areas of the City’. Even visitor parking rates for a residential apartment are
increased to reflect better transit coverage.
Parking rates for non-residential uses are more highly impacted by Policy Area designations
than for residential uses. For example, the office parking rate in ‘all other areas of the City’ is 4.3
times higher than it is in Policy Area 4, and only 1.5 times higher than in Policy Area 4. Parking
rates for 3 bedroom units only increase by 20% when comparing Policy Area 1 to ‘all other
areas of the City’.
Table 2: Parking Rates by Policy Area
Land Use
Policy Area
1
All Other Areas
of the City
4
2
Apartment
Building
0.3 per bachelor ≤ 45m
2
1.0 per bachelor > 45m
0.5 per 1 bedroom
0.8 per 2 bedroom
1.0 per 3 bedroom
0.1 per unit (visitor)
Office
0.35 per 100 m GFA
2
2
0.7 per bachelor ≤ 45m
2
1.0 per bachelor > 45m
0.8 per 1 bedroom
0.9 per 2 bedroom
1.1 per 3 bedroom
0.15 per unit (visitor)
2
1.0 per 100 m GFA
2
0.8 per bachelor ≤ 45m
2
1.0 per bachelor > 45m
0.9 per 1 bedroom
1.0 per 2 bedroom
1.2 per 3 bedroom
0.2 per unit (visitor)
2
1.5 per 100 m GFA
2
1.5 per 100 m GFA
Retail Store
2
1.0 per 100 m GFA
2
1.0 per 100 m GFA
(or greater, depending
on gross floor area)
The density of the proposed residential uses and degree of intensification will be a balance
between the need to provide parking facilities versus providing more units and/or a larger
employment-commercial component. Designation as Policy Area 4 and an ambitious
redevelopment concept would help encourage transit use.
Restricted parking supplies can have a positive impact on mode split, while oversupply can
have the opposite result. This is specifically common for residential condominiums, and the
positive effects of this phenomenon could be reinforced by the proximity to Mimico GO Station.
Summary of Recommendations
Within the Judson redevelopment area the parking and loading areas should ideally be placed
to the south of the proposed buildings to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the
redevelopment from the perspective of residents to the north, and traffic on Judson Street, as
well as to reduce noise from the loading operations. Minimal visitor parking could be provided in
front of the buildings along Judson Street. On-street parking can be maintained as it is today.
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
7
hdrinc.com
City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
Within the Mimico Triangle redevelopment area the location of parking and loading areas is
more sensitive due to the mixture of uses. Parking for commercial-employment uses should be
provided in surface parking lots and augmented by on-street parking. This will be possible after
redevelopment by removing the boulevard parking currently being used throughout the Mimico
Triangle, and construction of raised curbs. For the residential components parking should be
provided in underground lots (high density) and in individual garages (low to medium density),
depending on the type of residence.
For both the Judson and Mimico Triangle redevelopments the parking and loading area
locations and access should adhere to the City Zoning By-law 569-2013 based on the
respective Zone Categories. The exact locations of parking and loading areas should be
revisited when more detailed site layouts are developed.
It is recommended that the Judson and Mimico Triangle redevelopment areas be zoned
Employment Industrial (E) and Commercial Residential Employment (CRE), respectively, as per
Zoning By-law 569-2013. This would require an amendment to the Zoning By-law for the Mimico
Triangle site to permit the residential land uses. As mentioned, an existing parcel on the Mimico
Triangle site could be grandfathered to remain under the Former General Etobicoke Zoning
Code if it is to be retained as-is.
It is also recommended that the Mimico Triangle site be designated as Policy Area 4. This
designation:




is consistent with mixed-use intensification and transit availability in the surrounding area,
specifically for lands near Royal York Road and Lake Shore Boulevard already designated
Policy Area 4,
is consistent with the character of the redevelopment sites as envisioned by the City,
will help encourage a larger transit modal split, and
will encourage tenancy by residents who do not own many vehicles and prefer to travel by
transit, specifically for home-based work trips.
The zone category dictates loading space requirements in terms of size, location, and
accessibility. The zone category primarily dictates parking space requirements in terms of size,
location, and accessibility, while the number of spaces is dictated by the Policy Areas. The zone
category and policy area recommendations do not have any impact on loading space rate
requirements.
The current and recommended Zone Categories and Policy Area Designations are summarized
in Table 3 with an explanation for the recommended change.
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
8
hdrinc.com
City of Toronto | Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
PHASE 2 MOVEMENT STUDY – PARKING AND LOADING
Table 3: Zone Categories and Policy Area Designation Summary
Area
Current
Zone Category
Recommended
Purpose
Current
Policy Area
Recommended
Purpose
Mimico
Triangle
Employment
Industrial (E)
Commercial
Residential
Employment
1
(CRE)
To permit
residential
land uses.
‘All
other
areas of
the City’
Policy
2
Area 4
Reduced
parking
requirements
to reflect high
transit
coverage,
high density
residential, and
mixed uses.
Judson
Employment
Industrial (E)
Employment
Industrial (E)
Same land
uses
proposed.
‘All
other
areas of
the City’
‘All other
areas of
the City’
Same parking
requirements.
Notes:
1) Rezoning the Mimico Triangle to Commercial Residential Employment (CRE) will permit residential land
uses and may affect loading requirements. The parcel contained within Mimico Triangle which currently falls
under the Former General Etobicoke Zoning Code could be grandfathered if the parcel is not redeveloped.
2) Designating the Mimico Triangle Redevelopment to Policy Area 4 instead of ‘all other areas of the City’
will permit the use of slightly relaxed parking rates more applicable to higher density mixed-use
developments with good transit coverage.
100 York Boulevard, Suite 300, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
P 289-695-4600
9
hdrinc.com