Save Strachan!

As business owners, residents, and citizens of Toronto and Ontario, we insist that Metrolinx reverse their decision to build a rail overpass on Strachan Avenue and adopt the City of Toronto’s recommendation to lower the railway corridor under Strachan.

We support the expansion of transit in the Greater Toronto/Hamilton Area and will hold Metrolinx accountable to their mission statement: “[to] enhance prosperity, sustainability, and quality of life.” Their planned superstructure on Strachan Avenue is not consistent with those values.

We believe that the City’s proposal to lower the tracks under Strachan Avenue is a balanced, practical, and achievable solution that sustains the area’s growing vitality and livability and also meets Metrolinx’s needs for high-speed transit.

CONCERNS
Impact to Communities
Strachan Ave is one of the busiest and most vital connections in the city. It joins the waterfront and Lakeshore Avenue to Fort York, the Exhibition grounds, and the neighbourhoods of King West Village, West Queen West, Liberty Village, the Niagara Neighbourhood, and the condominiums along Lakeshore Boulevard and Fleet Street.

The section of Strachan Avenue south of King has traditionally been a manufacturing and industrial zone, but over the past ten years there has been a remarkable transition to residential and commercial uses. In particular, the lands immediately north and south of the Georgetown Railway Corridor have been developed into high-density residential townhouses and condos, and the new Liberty Village has brought thousands of residents and businesses to a new and dynamic neighbourhood.

All of these historic and growing communities will be negatively impacted by Metrolinx’s proposed overpass. Connections between these areas will be cut off by an imposing bridge only 2 meters shy of the Gardiner Expressway; there are homes on Strachan that will have a concrete wall built outside their front door. All these factors will only serve to destroy the growth and vibrancy gained over the past ten years.

Impact to Businesses
While the area has seen huge residential growth over the last few years, there are still industrial uses in the neighbourhood. Quality Meats is the city’s last functioning abattoir: it employs over 700 people and is the 2nd largest facility of its kind in the province.

As part of its daily operations, Quality Meats has dozens of 18-wheel trucks enter and exit using Strachan Avenue. The Metrolinx plan will cut off access to Wellington, and these trucks will be routed through residential streets – if such routes are even possible. The impact to this business is massive and is not addressed by Metrolinx’s proposal.

Businesses on King, Queen, and in Liberty Village would also be adversely affected: they depend on Strachan for deliveries and easy customer access from neighbouring communities. Their operations could be seriously affected by the Metrolinx overpass.

These businesses are essential to the continued growth and vitality of the area: the unforeseen and unconsidered impacts of this massive change pose serious risks to their continued success.

Impact to Development
The areas surrounding Strachan Avenue have been experiencing explosive growth: there are dozens of projects both planned and underway in the area that could bring in thousands of new residents.
For these homebuyers and taxpayers, the main draw is the appeal of city living: ease of access to shops, parks, culture, and transit by foot or bike. These attractive elements of the area are threatened by the presence of an imposing overpass along a critical route. The failure or decline of development in this neighbourhood could stop its growth, restrict its potential, and irreversibly alter its current livability.

Pedestrian and Cycling Impacts
Strachan’s connection to parks and recreational attractions like the CNE, Fort York, Ontario Place, BMO Field, and the waterfront creates extensive pedestrian and cycling traffic. The existing southern rail bridge and the looming Gardiner Expressway already present challenges for pedestrians and cyclists; building an overpass with minimal to no pedestrian and cycle access and a steep incline will only make access to these important attractions more difficult and dangerous.

The proposed bridge also doesn’t accommodate bike lines and has only single-file sidewalks, resulting in unsafe and forbidding passage for cyclists and pedestrians.

Traffic Impacts
Strachan Ave is heavily used by more than 14,000 cars, trucks, and buses every day; it’s one of the busiest streets in Toronto. Raising it to Gardiner-like heights will increase noise as vehicles struggle to climb and brake on a bridge several stories in the air. Combined with the existing bridge, Strachan will resemble a roller coaster: it can easily result in unsafe driving conditions.

Construction Impacts
Construction will be inconvenient, noisy, and dirty – regardless of whether it’s an underpass or a bridge. These temporary costs are worthwhile as long as they’re in the interest of both GTHA transit plans and the Strachan neighbourhoods.

Finances
Metrolinx states cost as the primary driver behind their rejection of the city’s plan – and based solely on their own project costs, an overpass is less expensive in the short-term. But practical and responsible use of taxpayers’ money is vital – and practical, responsible, and thoughtful consideration of ALL costs is the hallmark of good development.

We no longer consider environmental and social impacts as externalities to development: there are real costs to bad development that go far beyond construction budgets. To focus solely on Metrolinx’s short-term budget and ignore the real costs to businesses, neighbourhoods, and homeowners is simply short-sighted and fails to accurately reflect the real costs of this development.

There are real, tangible costs – both short- and long-term – to local neighbourhoods and to the city that aren’t being considered. The city’s proposed rail underpass ensures the continued growth of local businesses, property values, and the social connections that bring them together.

The growing and healthy neighbourhoods in the Strachan area need smart development: by spending more on an underpass now ensures current and new businesses thrive, property values increase, residential development continues – and that all levels of government benefit from the increased tax revenue and the draw of a vibrant, livable area.

By any real measure, the long-term benefits of an underpass far outweigh the short-term savings of an overpass. By investing in our future now, Metrolinx, our community, and the city all win.

Safety and Security
By discouraging foot and cycling traffic on Strachan, and creating an imposing underpass connecting Douro and Wellington, the Metrolinx proposal creates an unsightly area that raises safety concerns. Because this design discourages “eyes on the street”, there will likely be issues with graffiti, trash, and “blind spots” that could endanger those people who do walk in the area.

Lost Opportunities
While Strachan Avenue is heavily used, it is not well-loved. The road is badly in need of repair and aesthetic improvements, and removing the at-grade intersection is a golden opportunity for the city to improve connections between thriving neighbourhoods and our waterfront with a public street that is as vital and beautiful as its surroundings.

The at-grade problem can be a catalyst for making Strachan into a Grand Avenue: to build an overpass would instead do the opposite.

CONCLUSION
We strongly oppose Metrolinx’s large-scale overpass on Strachan Avenue. It will cause significant, irreparable disruption to businesses, property values, communities, pedestrians, cyclists, and commuters.

Traffic noise will increase due to the elevated roadway; trucks will be forced into adjacent neighbourhoods and quiet residential streets. Homes on Strachan will live under the shadow of the bridge and open their doors to a concrete wall.

Instead of seizing the opportunity to build a Grand Avenue, the Metrolinx overpass offers a grey superstructure that brings no benefits and untold long-term harm to neighbourhoods that are growing and thriving.

We call on Metrolinx to live up to their mission statement and move forward with the City’s plan for an underpass.