Agenda - Community Advisory Committee - 20211118Town of Aurora
Community Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
Date:November 18, 2021
Time:7:00 p.m.
Location:Video Conference
Pages
1.Procedural Notes
This meeting will be held electronically as per Section 19. i) of the Town's
Procedure By-law No. 6228-19, as amended, due to the COVID-19
situation, and will be live streamed on the Town's YouTube Channel.
2.Approval of the Agenda
3.Declarations of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof
4.Receipt of the Minutes
4.1.Community Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of April 15, 2021 1
That the Community Advisory Committee meeting minutes of April 15,
2021, be received for information.
5.Delegations
Note: Anyone wishing to provide comment on an agenda item is encouraged to
visit www.aurora.ca/participation for guidelines on electronic delegation.
6.Matters for Consideration
6.1.Memorandum from Manager, Economic Development and Policy; Re:
Aurora Promenade Streetscape Needs Assessment
5
That the memorandum regarding Aurora Promenade
Streetscape Needs Assessment be received; and
1.
That the Community Advisory Committee comments regarding
the Streetscape Needs Assessment be received and referred to
staff for consideration and further action as appropriate.
2.
7.Informational Items
8.Adjournment
1
Town of Aurora
Community Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes
Date:
Time:
Location:
Thursday, April 15, 2021
7:00 p.m.
Video Conference
Committee Members: Balpreet Grewal (Chair)
Laura Thanasse (Vice Chair)
Shivangi Bagga (arrived at 7:12 p.m.)
Chris Gordon
Denis Heng
Janet Mitchell
Jennifer Sault
Sera Weiss
Councillor Sandra Humfryes
Members Absent: Earl Cochrane
Other Attendees: Robin McDougall, Director of Community Services
Techa Van Leeuwen, Director of Corporate Services
Mat Zawada, Accessibility Advisor
Phil Rose, Manager, Library Square
Katrina Estacio, Marketing Creative Specialist
Ishita Soneji, Council/Committee Coordinator
_____________________________________________________________________
1. Procedural Notes
This meeting was held electronically as per Section 19. i) of the Town's
Procedure By-law No. 6228-19, as amended, due to the COVID-19 situation.
The Chair called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.
Page 1 of 9
2
2. Approval of the Agenda
Moved by Councillor Humfryes
Seconded by Laura Thanasse
That agenda as circulated by Legislative Services, be approved.
Carried
3. Declarations of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof
There were no declarations of pecuniary interest under the Municipal Conflict of
Interest Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.50.
4. Receipt of the Minutes
4.1 Community Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of February 18, 2021
Moved by Jennifer Sault
Seconded by Laura Thanasse
That the Community Advisory Committee meeting minutes of February 18,
2021, be received for information.
Carried
5. Delegations
None.
6. Matters for Consideration
6.1 Memorandum from Accessibility Advisor; Re: Engaged and Inclusive Project
Staff provided an overview of the memorandum and background on the
Engaged and Inclusive collaborative project involving Aurora, East
Gwillimbury, and Newmarket lead by the Neighbourhood Network. Kim
Clark, Gazelle and Company presented an overview of the project
highlighting the focus on building increased inclusion in our communities.
She further provided details on the objectives to better understand
inclusive engagement through an integrated approach across the three
municipalities and noted the next steps. The Committee expressed
Page 2 of 9
3
appreciation to the team for their efforts and provided feedback regarding
the project suggesting potential partnership with the local school board to
broaden engagement opportunities for the student population.
Moved by Laura Thanasse
Seconded by Janet Mitchell
1. That the memorandum regarding Engaged and Inclusive Project be
received; and
2. That the Community Advisory Committee comments regarding
Engaged and Inclusive Project be received and referred to staff for
consideration and further action as appropriate.
Carried
6.2 Memorandum from Manager, Library Square; Re: Library Square Renaming
Consultation
Staff provided an overview of the memorandum and background on the
intent to rename Library Square and the efforts thus far in gathering
potential names through internal and external consultation. Staff provided
a brief description and sought the Committee's input regarding the
following shortlisted names obtained through public engagement:
Constellation Square, Aurora Junction, Church Street Square, Town
Square, and C-Square.
The Committee and staff discussed about the importance of the name
being representative of the current stakeholders, partnerships, and the
expected collaboration of art, music, culture, heritage and recreation
activities, special events, and other community events that would happen
at the space. The Committee provided feedback regarding the proposed
shortlisted names including the pros and cons of each name and provided
alternate suggestions that would best represent the space. It was
mentioned that further name suggestions from the Committee members
could be forwarded to staff post the meeting.
Moved by Shivangi Bagga
Seconded by Janet Mitchell
1. That the memorandum regarding Library Square Renaming
Consultation be received; and
Page 3 of 9
4
2. That the Community Advisory Committee comments regarding
possible names for Library Square be received and referred to staff for
consideration and further action as appropriate.
Carried
7. Informational Items
None.
8. Adjournment
Moved by Sera Weiss
Seconded by Janet Mitchell
That the meeting be adjourned at 8:14 p.m.
Carried
Page 4 of 9
100 John West Way
Aurora, Ontario
L4G 6J1
(905) 727-3123
aurora.ca
Town of Aurora
Memorandum
Planning & Development Services
Re: Aurora Promenade Streetscape Needs Assessment
To: Community Advisory Committee
From: Lisa Hausz, Manager, Economic Development & Policy
Date: November 18, 2021
Recommendation
1. That the memorandum regarding Aurora Promenade Streetscape Needs Assessment
be received; and,
2. That the Community Advisory Committee comments regarding Streetscape Needs
Assessment be received and referred to staff for consideration and further action as
appropriate.
Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to seek the input of the Community Advisory Committee
on the review of the Aurora Promenade Streetscape Plan. The purpose of the
Streetscape Needs Assessment is to validate the original proposed improvements while
taking into consideration new policies, technologies and needs. It is intended that staff
will gather ideas and input from the Town’s various advisory committees as well as the
public.
As outlined in the Aurora Promenade Streetscape Plan, several action items were
identified to improve the public realm of the Promenade. The majority of the proposed
streetscape improvements are proposed to be implemented on Yonge Street and
Wellington Street. These activities also align with the initiatives planned by the Aurora
Downtown BIA.
Page 5 of 9
Streetscape Needs Assessment
November 18, 2021 Page 2 of 4
Background
The Aurora Promenade Streetscape Design & Implementation Plan was presented to
Council at the Public Planning Meeting held in January 2013, where Council resolved
the following:
THAT report PL13-003 regarding the Aurora Promenade Streetscape
Design and Implementation Plan be received; and,
THAT staff report back with a multi-year capital project for some of the
priority projects that staff will further refine and bring forward to Council
for further discussion.
Following the January 2013 Public Planning meeting, staff evaluated implementation
options and phasing with an emphasis on maximizing the potential impact of
improvements and minimizing costs and disruptions. Based on this evaluation, the
several recommendations (as articulated in the Plan) were identified for
implementation. Some of the recommendations were implemented, or altered to
accommodate current conditions, while other recommendations were never
implemented and require further investigation as to their feasibility. Examples of the
2013 public realm improvements included:
Updating all concrete sidewalks with decorative concrete paving that extend
from the curb zone to building face.
Implementing hanging baskets on light poles.
Installing street furniture throughout the pedestrian street zone that is both
respectful of the heritage character and the new town square.
Developing historic downtown promotional banners for area, events and
seasons.
Plant street trees with 6 metre spacing (maximum) where there is adequate
setback for the pedestrian zone to borrow sidewalk width from the frontage
zone. Trees should be planted in appropriate tree pits, with optimum soil
conditions, protective grates, and tree guards.
Relocating traffic signs from rebar poles onto street poles where possible.
Landscaping mid-block connections similar to the existing mid-block
connection at the town square.
In February 2014, staff presented a report recommending that the Town focus the
planned improvements within the “Main Streets” area. This approach ensured that a
Page 6 of 9
Streetscape Needs Assessment
November 18, 2021 Page 3 of 4
critical mass of improvements could be completed within a relatively short timeframe in
a focused geographic area. In October 2019, Council partially lifted a conditional hold
on a previously approved capital project to fund some of the removable public realm
streetscape elements of the 2013 plan including container landscaping, new street
furniture and promotional banners that can be relocated in the event construction
occurs.
The completion of a Streetscape Needs Assessment study will detail the design
requirements for street lighting and other improvements.
Several factors informed the need to evaluate and recommend the increasing the scope
of the Streetscape Design and Implementation Plan including:
condition of infrastructure to accommodate future signage and lighting needs;
current developments underway in the area; connectivity and broadband
availability;
parking requirements;
accessibility needs;
and the involvement of the local businesses and residents in the area.
Therefore, a Streetscape Needs Assessment is being completed that will inform an
updated robust design and construction plan that will include the following
considerations:
• Street light pole replacements along Yonge Street
• Entry feature/signage/lighting/public art infrastructure requirements
• Sidewalk improvements
• Crosswalk improvements/enhancements
• Accessibility elements along Yonge Street
• Parking improvements in the Downtown BIA catchment area
• Broadband/high speed internet and cell service in the area
The Town has engaged The Planning Partnership (TPP) to facilitate the Streetscape
Needs Assessment project and to engage stakeholders.
Due to tight timelines to inform engineering requirements in 2022, staff retained The
Planning Partnership (TPP) team to facilitate the project and engage various
stakeholder groups. TPP was the originator of the Aurora Promenade Plan, have worked
on several projects within the Promenade and are engaged as part of the Aurora Town
Square project.
Page 7 of 9
Streetscape Needs Assessment
November 18, 2021 Page 4 of 4
The Project Team consists of:
Lisa Hausz, Manager, Economic Development & Policy, Town of Aurora
Anca Mihail, Manager, Engineering, Town of Aurora
Sara Tienkamp, Manager, Parks, Town of Aurora
Janine Cik, Policy Student, Town of Aurora
Wai Ying Di Giorgio, The Planning Partnership, was involved in the preparation of
the Stable Neighbourhoods Urban Design Guidelines and will manage the
development of the Streetscape Needs Assessment report;
Donna Hinde, The Planning Partnership, was responsible for managing and
leading the public consultation for both The Promenade Plan and the Library
Square and will be in charge of developing and leading the consultation for this
exercise;
David Leinster, was responsible for the development of the Promenade Design
Guidelines and is currently leading the public realm design for Library Square.
Attachments
Attachment 1 – Subject Area Map
Reference Documents
Promenade Concept Plan, Urban Design Strategy; 3.1 Public Realm (2010)
Promenade Pamphlet (concept highlights) (2013)
Promenade Streetscape Design and Implementation Plan (2013)
Page 8 of 9
Tyler Street WaltonDriveEdwardStreetSpruceStreetFleury StreetBirch
CourtChurch Street
Mosley Street
GurnettStreetIrwin Avenue
Metcalfe Street
Catherine Avenu
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Wells StreetBerczy StreetLarmont StreetVictoria StreetConnaught Avenue
Centre Street
Harrison Ave nueTemperance StreetWELLINGTON STREET EAST
YONGE STREETAXURUD %,$DQG6WUHHWVFDSH6XEMHFW$UHD
Map created by the Town of Aurora Planning & Development Services Department, September 12, 2018. Base data provided by York Region and Aurora - GIS.
¯0 50 100 150 200
Metres
Aurora Business Improvement Area
6WUHHWVFDSH6XEMHFW$UHD6WUHHWVFDSH1HHGV$VVHVVPHQW6XEMHFW$UHD6WUHHWVFDSH6XEMHFW$UHD6WUHHWVFDSH1HHGV$VVHVVPHQW6XEMHFW$UHDHHWVFDSMMAttachment 1 Page 9 of 9