RE: Support for TOCore, the…

RE: Support for TOCore, the City's new Downtown Secondary Plan Much time and effort has gone into the TOCore Secondary Plan by politicians, businesses and residents of the Toronto. The Plan’s essential components are listed below: •Expansion of the Financial District and establishment of a Health Sciences District where non-residential uses will be prioritized; •Refinement of the current single Mixed Use Areas designation into 4 Mixed Use Areas designations to provide clear guidance on the appropriate scale of development based on existing and planned context; •Requirement for the submission of a Complete Community Assessment to ensure all developments contribute to the creation of liveable and complete communities; •Requirement for all developments to address the priorities contained within the Downtown Community Services and Facilities Strategy; •Protecting Downtown parks and open spaces from shadow; •Increased building setbacks to expand the public realm in areas of growth; •Prioritization of a “Land First” approach to maximize opportunities for new parkland through the development process, along with incentives for developers to work together to consolidate the provision of parkland; •Direction to use a new framework to improve the quality, quantity and connectivity of parks and the public realm in Downtown; •Prioritization of walking, cycling and transit use on Downtown’s streets; •Requirements for 2- and 3-bedroom units in most developments, along with protection of dwelling rooms; •Retention of cultural spaces and support for live music and filming; •Encouragement of low-carbon and resilient infrastructure and buildings; and •Partnerships with Indigenous communities, stakeholder groups and community groups as part of implementation. As a Board member of Cawthra Mansion Co-operative, member of the Grange Community Association and concerned citizen of Toronto, I fully support the TOCore 25-year Plan for the development of Toronto’s downtown core and hope that the Ministry will endorse its implementation.