[Northern Light]

A report is coming to the next Planning and Housing Committee Mtg which recommends a massive new 'H' or holding provision on prospective redevelopments next to rail corridors throughout Toronto.

This is in service of a plan by the City to adopt new, unified, standardized requirements for developments in proximity to rail that would apply across the entire City, rather than a current patch-work of requirements.

The 'H' would apply to properties within 30M of any active rail line (above grade).

The intent is that it would be short-lived, with new requirements in place before summer of 2021.

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2020/ph/bgrd/backgroundfile-158799.pdf

 

[abovetoronto]

More red tape! Everyone gets paid (except for future residents)

 

[DSC]

More red tape! Everyone gets paid (except for future residents)

You would rather there were no clear requirements and that new residents in their new homes (or old homes) get mowed down by trains going off the tracks? Frankly, they seem to be trying to reduce red tape (or at least standardise it) which would seem like a very good idea to me,

 

[crs1026]

More red tape! Everyone gets paid (except for future residents)

An ounce of prevention. The railways have been communicating the need for these standards since 2013. The engineering and additional structural work to collision-proof a new building within that 30-meter exclusion zone is not cheap. Simplest solution: just don’t build there.

- Paul

 

[drum118]

An ounce of prevention. The railways have been communicating the need for these standards since 2013. The engineering and additional structural work to collision-proof a new building within that 30-meter exclusion zone is not cheap. Simplest solution: just don’t build there.

- Paul

Want to built residential next to an RR, built a 2/2.5 foot thick reinforce x 20' high wall for the full length of your property. Anything above the wall needs to be set back 10-20 feet and don't support the 100' requirement. All building windows facing the RR need to be sound proof as well the walls.

Industrial buildings will have to be a different standards.

If RR want more distance from their ROW fox X, time for them to buy that land and make it a green belt.

 

[WislaHD]

You would rather there were no clear requirements and that new residents in their new homes (or old homes) get mowed down by trains going off the tracks? Frankly, they seem to be trying to reduce red tape (or at least standardise it) which would seem like a very good idea to me,

There are already tons of regulations surrounding building next to railroads, so it's not like new development near railroads have those concerns. Standardizing it would make sense, but the trend whenever the City gets involved in something tends to be adding bureaucracy rather than simplifying it.

I guess we'll have to see what comes of this.

 

[crs1026]

^Don’t blame the railroads.... or the City. Instead....

Try to insure one of those buildings.

- Payl

 

[crs1026]

If anyone cares, here's some reading material on the topic

A 2011 Legal Review

2013 Guidelines prepared jointly between the railroads and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities

2019 Land Use Study - City of Toronto

It would be difficult to argue that this is a sudden knee-jerk without lots of discussion between the railways and municipalities. It really is finally getting around to a logical, well-discussed solution.

- Paul