Report To: Development Services Committee Item: Date of Report: DS-07-246 September 5, 2007 From: Commissioner, Development File: Date of Meeting: Services Department B7200-0001 September 10, 2007 Subject: Highway 407 East Environmental Assessment Technically Recommended Route Alignment PUBLIC REPORT Ward(s): All 1.0 PURPOSE The purpose of this report is to: Provide Council with an update on the status of the Highway 407 Environmental Assessment (EA) process; Recommend that City Council endorse the technically recommended route alignment for Highway 407 in Oshawa for the subsequent Concept Design Phase of the EA Study; and Request that additional Highway 407 interchanges be provided at Thornton Road North and Townline Road North. On February 26, 2007, City Council approved a short list of route alignments for Highway 407 in Oshawa for further evaluation and assessment as part of the EA process. The short list of route alignments was subsequently adjusted and evaluated based on several factors, as well as public and stakeholder input, and a single route was recommended. On July 16, 2007, Totten Sims Hubicki Associates (TSH) overviewed the technically recommended route alignment to City Council. Exhibit No. 1 to this report shows the technically recommended route alignment in the Region of Durham. Exhibit No. 2 shows the technically recommended route alignment of Highway 407 in the City of Oshawa. Attachment No. 1 summarizes the key findings of the evaluation undertaken by TSH for the short listed route alignments in Oshawa. 98011-9901
Services Committee (Continued) - 2 - Meeting Date: September 10, 2007 2.0 RECOMMENDATION That the Development Services Committee recommend to City Council: 1. That City Council endorse the technically recommended route alignment in Oshawa, as shown on Exhibit No. 2 to the report of the Commissioner of Development Services, DS-07-246, dated September 5, 2007, for developing concept design plans as part of the next phase of the Highway 407 East Environmental Assessment (EA). 2. That additional full interchange connections with Highway 407 East be provided at Thornton Road North and Townline Road North as currently shown in the Durham Regional Official Plan and Oshawa Official Plan. 3. That a copy of the report of the Commissioner of Development Services, DS-07-246, dated September 5, 2007, be forwarded to the Minister of Transportation, Ministry of Transportation project staff and Totten Sims Hubicki Associates. 3.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Second Phase of the 407 East EA Study has recently been concluded and a technically recommended route alignment identified. The recommended route extends easterly from Brock Road to Highway 35/115 and includes two north-south highway/transitway links to Highway 401, as shown in Exhibit No. 1. In Oshawa, the technically recommended route alignment diverges from the route alignment established by the MTO in the early 1990 s just east of Simcoe Street North and is now proposed to remain north of Winchester Road and the existing Ontario Hydro corridor until east of Harmony Road North where the route runs in a southeasterly direction towards the Oshawa-Clarington boundary. The recommended route also identifies two full interchange/transitway station locations in Oshawa, one at Simcoe Street North and another at Harmony Road North (See Exhibit No. 2). Concept design plans detailing the recommended route alignment and interchange/transitway station locations are required to be undertaken by TSH as part of the next phase of the EA. Accordingly, it is recommended that the technically recommended route alignment of Highway 407 proposed by TSH through the City of Oshawa be endorsed and carried forward to the next stage of the EA process and that additional full interchange connections be provided at Thornton Road North and Townline Road North as currently shown in the Durham Regional Official Plan (DROP) and Oshawa Official Plan. 4.0 INPUT FROM OTHER SOURCES Transportation and Parking Services (Community Services Department) and Totten Sims Hubicki Associates (study consultant) were consulted during the preparation of this report.
Services Committee (Continued) - 3 - Meeting Date: September 10, 2007 5.0 ANALYSIS 5.1 Technically Recommended Route Alignment and Interchanges A technically recommended route alignment has been put forward by TSH for the Highway 407 east-west transportation corridor and the proposed north-south links to Highway 401 through an evaluation of the short listed route alignments. In Oshawa, two alignments were previously short listed, including: A Southern Alignment which was established by the MTO in the early 1990 s and is currently shown in the Regional and Oshawa Official Plans. An alternative Northern Alignment (see Exhibit No. 2) which enters the western limit of Oshawa just south of Winchester Road East and proceeds in a north-east direction. The route then crosses over and remains north of Winchester Road East from just east of Thornton Road North until east of Harmony Road North where the route runs in a south easterly direction towards the Oshawa-Clarington boundary. The route alignments were screened through a process which involved: Identifying the net effects of each alternative alignment on the environment; A reasoned argument approach to compare the differences in the net effects; An arithmetic evaluation to complement the reasoned argument methodology by providing a comparison of the net effects using scores and weights; and A sensitivity analysis to confirm the evaluation results by using various weighting scenarios provided by the public and stakeholder groups. The Northern Alignment has now been recommended by TSH as the technically recommended route in Oshawa for the following primary reasons (see Attachment No. 1 for more details): Impacts fewer residential, business and recreational properties; Impacts fewer large, high investment agriculture operations; Impacts fewer sensitive receptors in the influence area with noise and air pollution; Impacts fewer hydro towers in the existing Ontario Hydro corridor; and Requires minimal realignment of Winchester Road. In Oshawa, the technically recommended route includes two full interchange/transitway station locations at Simcoe Street North and Harmony Road North. The technically recommended route alignment is approximate only and may be subject to adjustment during the next stage (Concept Design Phase) of the EA process. TSH has advised that additional full/partial interchange locations (e.g. Thornton Road North and Townline Road North), although not currently proposed, will be further considered as part of the detailed traffic modelling exercise to be conducted in the next stage of the EA process.
Services Committee (Continued) - 4 - Meeting Date: September 10, 2007 5.2 Staff Comments The technically recommended route alignment: Results in additional land south of Highway 407. These lands may be able to be designated for urban land uses, but this would need further consultation with the Region of Durham and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal regarding urban land needs in relation to implementation of the Provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. These lands comprise about 364 hectares (900 acres) in area. Amendments to both the DROP and Oshawa Official Plan would need to be approved in order to permit urban development on these lands. Requires a slight re-alignment of Winchester Road in proximity to Thornton Road North and Simcoe Street North. This is a significant reduction in the extent of realignment of Winchester Road associated with the earlier 1990s alignment. On February 11, 2002, City Council passed a resolution requesting the Ministry of Transportation to review the previously Technically Recommended route for Highway 407 east of Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, with particular emphasis on the essential preservation of the Kedron Dells Golf Course and currently viable farm operations. The present technically recommended route does not bisect the golf course. In addition, by aligning Highway 407 adjacent to the Ontario Hydro corridor for a longer distance, impacts on farm operations will be reduced. It is recommended that the technically recommended route alignment of Highway 407 proposed by TSH through the City of Oshawa be endorsed and carried forward to the next stage of the EA process. The Highway 407 interchanges at Simcoe Street North and Harmony Road North are supported and are required to support existing and planned development. Interchange connections with Highway 407 at Thornton Road North and Townline Road North in Oshawa are not presently proposed by TSH. This will have a significant negative impact on the future development of the Northwood Area and other lands along the future Highway 407 corridor. These interchanges were identified in the 1990 s Highway 407 study and have been designated in the DROP and Oshawa Official Plan. With only two interchange connections proposed in Oshawa, all future traffic volumes will have to be served by Simcoe Street North and Harmony Road North with disproportionately higher volumes to be expected on Simcoe Street North alone. This inappropriate distribution of traffic will create operational issues with a trickle down effect through these corridors. The City of Oshawa and the Regional Municipality of Durham are currently preparing a Northwood Transportation Master Plan which will determine the preferred transportation network to service the needs of the Northwood Area. The findings of the
Services Committee (Continued) - 5 - Meeting Date: September 10, 2007 Master Plan to date show that the majority of traffic to/from the Study Area is, will continue to be oriented to the south and the west. The future Thornton Road North interchange at Highway 407 is expected to provide significant relief to east-west travel through north Oshawa. Accordingly, this study is investigating a re-alignment of Stevenson Road North to connect to Thornton Road North to access the future Thornton Road North interchange. It is understood that interchange connections at Thornton Road North and Townline Road North have not been identified, in part, due to limited spacing between successive interchanges. A preferred interchange separation of 2 km has been identified by TSH even though other recommended Highway 407 interchanges in the City of Pickering and the Town of Whitby do not meet this spacing criteria. Similar conditions also exist along Highway 401 where several closely spaced interchanges in urban conditions operate at an acceptable level of service. It should be noted that the Geometric Design Guide for Canadian Roads suggests that if the arterial roads are spaced closer than 2 km, alternative means of combining interchanges may be considered to provide the overall interchange ramp capacity to serve the arterial system. The spacing associated with the requested additional interchanges in Oshawa is not considered to be an insurmountable problem. It is recommended that Highway 407 interchanges be provided at Thornton Road North and Townline Road North as currently shown in the DROP and Oshawa Official Plan in consideration of: Economic impacts to land use and development; and Traffic impacts. On February 26, 2007, City Council considered the report of the Commissioner of Development Services, DS-07-32, dated February 7, 2007, and passed a motion requesting, among other matters, that the Ministry of Transportation be requested to develop, as part of the EA study, a property securement and funding strategy, in consultation with the City of Oshawa and the Region of Durham, to facilitate the implementation of any potential City and Regional road re-alignments associated with the Highway 407 technically recommended route alignment in Oshawa. It is anticipated that this will be considered during the next phase of the EA study. 5.3 Next Steps in Highway 407 East EA Study MTO and TSH will be proceeding with the following steps: Confirm the technically recommended route alignment based on public and stakeholder input. Initiate Concept Design Phase. Contact all directly impacted property owners. Continue to develop the Community Value Plan with stakeholder input. The final EA report is expected to be completed and submitted to the Ministry of Environment by the end of 2008/early 2009 for approval.
Services Committee (Continued) - 6 - Meeting Date: September 10, 2007 6.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS There are no City financial implications arising from the Recommendation. 7.0 RESPONSE TO THE COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN The ultimate development of Hwy 407 through Oshawa would advance Goal A (A Vibrant, Strong and Progressive Community) and Goal B (A Green and Sustainable Community) of the City s Community Strategic Plan by developing new job opportunities, protecting heritage buildings, natural features and agriculture lands, by working with the Province and Durham Region to reduce traffic congestion, managing growth and using land wisely and improving transportation modes. Thomas B. Hodgins, B.E.S., M.A., RPP, Commissioner Development Services Department DB/jm/c Attachments
K:\adobe\exhibits\407East_ex1.ai\29-08-07 Exhibit No. 1 N City of Oshawa DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
K:\adobe\exhibits\407East_ex2.ai\29-08-07 Exhibit No. 2 N City of Oshawa DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
407 East EA Key Considerations: DS-07-246 Attachment No. 1 Factor Area Southern Alignment Northern Alignment (existing 1990 s alignment) Natural Environment Ranked 1st Ranked 2nd Water Crossings One Two - at a confluence near Harmony Road Wetlands 0.4 ha impacted 4.6 ha impacted Core Habitat Area Low effect No effect Affected ESA Encroachment 1 ESA encroachment 2 ESAs affected (3 severances and 1 encroachment) Social Environment Ranked 2nd Ranked 1st Noise Effects High Effect greater number of sensitive receptors within influence Low Effect fewer sensitive receptors within influence area area Residential 17 15 Displacements Recreational Impacts Displaces portion of golf course No Effect Air Quality Effects Economic Environment: Compatibility with Provincial, municipal and regional goals, objectives & Policies Business Effects High Effect greater number of sensitive receptors within influence area Ranked 2nd High Effect - Does conform with the City of Oshawa s Official Plan High Effect - Displaces 6 holes of Kedron Dells Golf Course; impacts 30 employees Low Effect fewer sensitive receptors within influence area Ranked 1st Moderate Effect - Does not conform with the City of Oshawa s Official Plan No Effect Agricultural Operations 1 dairy/livestock operation affected 2 dairy/livestock operations affected Technical Considerations: Ranked 2nd Ranked 1st General Requires significant realignment of Winchester Road Less desirable crossing of hydro corridor directly impacts 9 towers Estimated Construction Cost = $140 M Higher property costs (~$75,000 - $100,000/acre) + cost to purchase golf course Requires minor realignment of Winchester Road More desirable crossing of hydro corridor directly impacts 3 towers Estimated Construction Cost = $133 M Lower property costs (~$75,000/acre)