Planning Analysis Archives - Urban Strategies

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GO Transit- Station Access Strategies

In the winter of 2008 GO Transit unveiled its strategic plan - GO 2020. The plan outlines GO Transit’s vision for the next 12 years and includes a series of goals and objectives and a corresponding service strategy. One of its express objectives is the prioritization of walking, cycling and...

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Choice Properties REIT

Urban Strategies has been retained by Choice Properties REIT to provide ongoing planning services to advance several major development applications for a series of strategically important sites within the City of Toronto, including 1880 Eglinton Avenue East and 2280 Dundas St. W. On their own, each of these projects will...

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Toronto GM Mobility Campus

Urban Strategies has been retained by General Motors of Canada Company (GM Canada) to lead a consultant team for the redevelopment of 721 Eastern Avenue. The Site will be developed as a multi-use property to include the the Toronto GM Mobility Campus at the south end fronting on Lake Shore...

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Marché Central

Urban Strategies has been helping Bentall Kennedy identify opportunities for realizing the full development potential of their Marché Central property in Montreal. As part of this undertaking, our team developed a vision and master plan for a lifestyle centre that included a series of options for how the site could...

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Celestica Development Proposal

Urban Strategies Inc. has been retained to develop a conceptual Master Plan for Celestica’s approximately 60 acre global headquarters and manufacturing facilities site in Toronto, Ontario. Developed in support of an application to convert a portion of the site from employment use to mixed use, the conceptual master plan incorporates...

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Humber River Regional Hospital

Urban Strategies has provided ongoing planning services to Humber River Regional Hospital (HRRH) since it was created in 1997 through the amalgamation of three hospitals in northwest Toronto. After an initial restructuring phase, during which we sought municipal planning approvals for building additions, HRRH recognized the need for a new...

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Mimico Judson Regeneration Area Study

For the Mimico Judson Regeneration Area Study in Toronto, Ontario, Urban Strategies investigated options for appropriate land uses on former employment lands which are adjacent to an important regional rail yard and a GO Station. Balancing desires for redevelopment and residential intensification with the needs of existing businesses who wish...

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Sterling Road Redevelopment

Urban Strategies has been working with Castlepoint since 2010 on its development plans for the former Rio Tinto employment lands on Sterling Road in the City of Toronto. The Sterling Road site is nestled within the Junction Triangle mixed employment-residential area. Urban Strategies worked closely with the developer, City staff,...

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University of Cincinnati

Urban Strategies Inc. was retained by the University of Cincinnati to prepare a precinct plan for a proposed mixed use mid-rise residential facility located at the former site of the Sawyer Hall student residence building. The University of Cincinnati is an urban campus found in the heart of Uptown Cincinnati...

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New Toronto Courthouse

Urban Strategies was retained by Infrastructure Ontario to lead the planning approvals process for the zoning envelope of Ontario’s first tower courthouse, on an underutilized parking lot site in downtown Toronto. This process was undertaken concurrently with functional programming. The project required a high degree of coordination amongst several internal...

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Metrolinx Regional Express Rail (RER) and Initial Business Cases (IBCs)

Urban Strategies led a consultant team in preparing eight Initial Business Cases to examine the feasibility of proposed new Regional Express Rail (RER) stations across the GO rail network. Potential sites were evaluated using criteria across four business cases: strategic / planning, financial, economic, and operations / delivery. The project...

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The Well

In 2008, Osmington Inc. hired Urban Strategies to start the process of transforming the Globe and Mail lands into an iconic legacy project for the city. The site is one of the last high profile landholdings along the Front Street corridor. Urban Strategies prepared a planning policy review and master...

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CIBC Square

Ivanhoé Cambridge and Hines has partnered with Metrolinx to secure development approvals for a significant mixed-use office development at 81 and 141 Bay Street, known as CIBC Square formerly Bay Park Centre. In April 2017, CIBC was announced as the new anchor tenant for this development. The development includes two office towers, including 2.9...

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A Citizen’s Guide to Density

The density targets for Urban Growth Centres and Designated Greenfield Areas set out in Ontario’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, are intended to help shape dense and transit-supportive complete communities. In practice though, this concept has shown to be difficult to conceptualize. Noticing this problem in our planning practice has led us...

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Billy Bishop Toronto Airport Expansion Study

Urban Strategies was retained by the City of Toronto in Spring 2013 to assist in the City’s review of Porter Airlines’ proposal, put forward by the Toronto Port Authority (TPA), to extend the existing Runways 08 and 26 and to introduce jet-powered aircraft. Urban Strategies assisted City Staff in developing and designing an evaluation...

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City of Hamilton

In the late 1990s, Urban Strategies was retained by the City to prepare a Downtown Economic and Urban Design Strategy. We recognized immediately that Hamilton was rich in assets, including historic buildings, museums, restaurants, sports venues and an accessible waterfront. These became the foundation for a Downtown Strategy, followed by...

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The Big Move Regional Transportation Plan

Retained by Metrolinx, a transportation agency created by the Government of Ontario, Urban Strategies and the consultant team were charged with developing a bold, transformational and sustainable Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Framed around a series of discussion topics which create the basis for the RTP, Urban Strategies...

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Canada Life Headquarters

Adason Properties, the wholly-owned real estate arm of the Canada Life Assurance Company, is one of several development companies that retain Urban Strategies for ongoing planning and urban design advice. In 1988, Adason retained Urban Strategies to prepare a master plan for redevelopment of its head office property in downtown Toronto. Envisioning a campus-like...

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Deerhurst Resort Village Centre Plan

Deerhurst Resort is popular retreat in Ontario’s Muskoka region. Established in 1896, it now encompasses 760 acres and includes several remarkable natural assets, such as a shoreline along Peninsula Lake and the Muskoka River. Despite its history in the region and its amenities, the Resort lacks a clear vision for future development. Today, it...

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Toronto Waterfront Revitalization

Introduction The site contains 2,000 acres of largely vacant and underutilized industrial lands and open space resources including over 170 hectares (400 acres) of new parks, a continuous waterfront promenade, new cultural and tourism facilities, 40,000 new housing units and 10 million square feet of new space to feed new...

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Humbertown Master Plan

Responding to a design competition hosted by First Capital Realty, Urban Strategies and Levitt Goodman Architects joined forces to create a winning proposal that built upon the spirit of the original 1950s plaza design while responding to contemporary planning objectives to create more complete communities. The result is a fully...

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Allenbury Gardens

Since 2010, Urban Strategies has been providing master planning and development approvals support to Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) to advance the master planned redevelopment of Allenbury Gardens. The Allenbury Gardens community is located in north Toronto and has been a part of TCHC’s social housing portfolio since 1965. Like...

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Casey House – 571 Jarvis Street

In 2011, Urban Strategies Inc. was retained to secure approvals for the redevelopment of 571 Jarvis Street in order to accommodate Casey House’s expansion. Urban Strategies was responsible for shepherding the approvals of the project, which was given Gold Star priority because of its high profile and value to the...

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York University Development Corporation Planning Services

Image Above: ARK Architects York University is one of the leading universities in the GTA. Continued student growth and the construction of the Spadina Subway extension represent opportunities to transform the campus of York University, improve its relationship with the rest of the city and help attract and retain more...

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Toronto Community Housing Vendor of Record

Urban Strategies has been retained as a planning consultant for Toronto Community Housing, to provide advice on the management, assessment, disposition of the Corporation’s real estate portfolio management needs. Specifically, we are assisting in the evaluation of numerous TCHC properties that have been identified as potential redevelopment sites, providing site...

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Centre for Addiction & Mental Health

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), a World Health Organization Centre of Excellence, was created in 1998 through the amalgamation of four separate mental health and addiction facilities. CAMH decided that its Queen Street site, in a residential neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, would be the hub for the...

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Toronto Lands Corporation Site Planning & Land Disposition

Urban Strategies has been working on an ongoing basis with Toronto Lands Corporation (TLC) since 2011 to assist in the marketing of TLC’s real estate assets. TLC is responsible for redeveloping underutilized Toronto District School Board (TDSB) lands. Building on Urban Strategies’ relationship with TDSB, Urban Strategies has provided TLC...

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Lawrence Allen Public Realm Master Plan

Urban Strategies worked with the City of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation department and Scott Torrance Landscape Architects to complete the Lawrence-Allen Public Realm Master Plan. The Public Realm Master Plan builds on many years of ongoing planning and community engagement which have resulted in Toronto Community Housing’s Revitalization Plan...

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Downtown Pickering Intensification Study

Urban Strategies was retained by the City of Pickering to undertake what was first referred to as the Downtown Pickering Intensification Study in January 2011. Over the course of a two year study period, the project team engaged stakeholders and the general public to develop a framework for intensification, investment...

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Build Toronto Downsview Development Site

The Downsview Secondary Plan area comprises approximately 530 hectares in total and is generally bounded by Keele Street to the west, Wilson Heights Boulevard to the east, Sheppard Avenue to the north and Wilson Avenue and Highway 401 to the south. Since the approval of the Downsview Area Secondary Plan in...

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Exhibition Place Festival Plaza & Strategic Plan

As part of the Strategic Plan for 2009-2012, the Exhibition Place Board of Governors established a goal of developing a master plan for Festival Plaza as part of a broader desire to, “enhance our public assets by addressing infrastructure deficits.” The master plan is intended to present a vision and...

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University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is Canada’s largest university. It is known for its excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching and outstanding research, all within a comprehensive range of disciplines, professional schools, and institutes. The University has three campuses, including the historic St. George campus in the heart of downtown Toronto,...

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Places to Grow

Urban Strategies was a major contributor to the development of a growth management plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region of Ontario. This mega-region of 110 different municipal jurisdictions (with Toronto at its centre), is expected to grow by 3.7 million people and 1.8 million jobs by 2031, making it one...

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Midtown Oakville

Oakville Midtown Core In 1999, the Midtown Core was recognized by the Town of Oakville as a diverse area with substantial potential for regeneration, and Official Plan policies were adopted to promote higher intensity mixed land uses. Several initiatives have occurred, including the relocation of GO commuter parking that will help improve opportunities for...

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Brampton Environmental Master Plan

Over the last seven years, the City of Brampton has implemented numerous environmental initiatives and achieved impressive results. Building upon this success, the City is taking another strategic leap forward through the development of an Environmental Master Plan (EMP). This initiative will establish sustainable directions that will guide and consolidate...

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Advent Health Care Seniors Community

Urban Strategies was retained by Advent Health Care Corporation to develop a Master Plan for a retirement community on a former Hospital site in Toronto. Though responsibility for the governance, management and operation of the facility had been transferred to North York General Hospital in the early 1990’s, Advent Health Care and The Ontario...

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City of Guelph

Guelph is a historic city of 125,000 located between the regions of Toronto and Waterloo. Committed to growing sustainably and revitalizing its downtown, the City hired us to prepare a city-wide Urban Design Action Plan and facilitate a visioning charrette for the core. The Action Plan focuses on strategic “areas...