The Lawrence Allen Revitalization Project

Content

Project Phases

Time and Cost Requirements

Nature of the Risk

Keys to Success

Assessment of Probability of Success

Endnotes

The Lawrence Allen neighbourhood, which was built in the post-war years using high-density building design, is facing new challenges in today’s society. Years of neglect and poor design layout have resulted in unsuitable conditions for habitation by its current tenants. The majority of the housing in the neighbourhood is in declining physical condition and requires replacement or renewal to provide current residents with an acceptable standard of living. Toronto’s population is also expected to grow in the next two decades which will facilitate the need for new housing in the city. The area represents one of Toronto’s inner-city areas, which contain some of the city’s most economically disadvantaged residents. The revitalization of the Lawrence-Allen area and the Lawrence Heights community provides the opportunity for social and economic change in this economically marginalized neighbourhood. It will allow for a previously isolated and disconnected neighbourhood to integrate back into the broader community. Through public and private investment the revitalization of the Lawrence-Allen area will increase the quality of life in the urban core, decrease high crime rates, and provide new housing for Toronto’s projected population growth.

As reported in the Toronto Star, the article “Massive Plan to Revamp Troubled Lawrence Heights,” articulates that the Lawrence Heights neighbourhood, which is currently a low-income housing project, known as “The Jungle,” suffers from high rates of criminal activity and destitution, and is set to be revitalized as part of the Lawrence-Allen Revitalization Project into a newly livable, environmentally friendly, pedestrian community with new mixed-income housing, new parks, retail and commercial centres, and schools. The area in question covers approximately 340 hectares between Lawrence Avenue West, Bathurst Street, Dufferin Street, and Highway 401.^[1] The core area of the revitalization covers 75 hectares of land, and encompasses the aforementioned “Toronto Community Housing’s Lawrence Heights neighbourhood and lands owned by the Toronto District School Board, the City of Toronto, and Riocan.”^[2] It is similar in scale to the revitalization project currently in progress in the Regent Park area. Both areas share similar tenant populations, demographic profiles, crime and gang statistics, and design of land as well. Approximately 7,500 tenants were residing in the Regent Park development area before the revitalization project began, compared to 3,500 currently living in Lawrence Heights.^[3] The plan is expected to be a long-term development of 20 years, which will include a mixed-income, mixed-use community with housing, employment, social and recreational opportunities for all of the communities residents. It will renew and increase the current stock of government housing in the area, build new public infrastructure, improve community facilities and municipal infrastructure as well as active parks, and schools, and redevelop a balanced transportation system which prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists and transit users.

The Lawrence-Allen area falls into a desirable area of land in the urban core of Toronto with a close proximity to the city’s downtown. It has been identified by the City of Toronto as one of the city’s “Priority Neighbourhoods” in need of social and infrastructure improvements.^[4] Instead of remaining a concentration of government housing, a mixed-housing plan will be introduced to the area with public and private owned housing, as well as commercial and transportation development. The subsequent reduction of the subsidized units, and creation of new rental and owner units will bring in more revenue for the city in addition to the other revitalization objectives mentioned. The project is similar in scale to the Regent Park revitalization project, which saw a reduction of the area's proportion of assisted units from 100 per cent to 30 per cent.^[5] Once completed, the redeveloped Lawrence Heights community will serve as a model of inner-city community housing design for future revitalization projects in the city of Toronto.

Project Phases

There is expected to be four major phases for the project over a 20-year lifecycle:

Phase 1: 2012 – 2016

Estimated New Market Units: 800 – 1000, Estimated TCHC Replacement Units: 233, Parks and Facilities: New neighbourhood park, Baycrest park improvements, potential facilities in new buildings at Allen/Ranee intersection, potential new and/or replacement Child Care centres.^[6]

Phase 2: 2017 – 2021

Estimated New Market Units 800-900, Estimated TCHC Replacement Units: 213, Parks and Facilities: New community park (east side), rebuilt Flemington elementary school, potential new community recreation centre and pool, potential facilities along Flemington road, renovations to Barbara Frum library, potential new or replacement child care centre.^[7]

Phase 3: 2022 – 2026

Estimated New Market Units 1300 – 1400, Estimated TCHC Replacement Units: 377, Parks and Facilities: New community park (west side), new TCDSB elementary school, potential New Community Recreation Centre and pool, potential new replacement Child Care centres.^[8]

Phase 4: 2027 – 2030

Estimated New Market Units 1400 -1500, Estimated TCHC Replacement Units: 385,

Parks and Facilities: Potential facilities along Flemington Road, potential new replacement child care.^[9]

Other Phases: Lawrence Square Mall and Bathurst Heights

Estimated New Market Units: 1200 – 1500, Parks and Facilities: New neighbourhood park, potential replacement of existing community facility space, potential new non-profit facility hub, redeveloped secondary school with schoolyard, other potential facilities located with school include pool and child care if not addressed in other phases.^[10]

The total new market units for each phase equates to approximately 5500-6300 plus the total TCHC replacement units 1208, for a grand total after the 20-year development cycle is completed of 6700-7500 units.^[11]

The project is currently in the planning stage of the Project Life Cycle. Project objectives have already been defined and established by the project’s management staff. The scheduling of the phases of the project is currently taking place, with decisions being made as to when to begin construction. The preliminary budget has also been completed, with a further secondary budget to shortly follow, as well as associated implementation plans and staff reports. Each project phase represents a milestone in the project’s lifecycle. These milestones are crucial points in the project development timeline, where review can take place.

Being such a large and complex project, it has been in development since 2005 when Toronto City Council designated “Lawrence Heights as one of 13 priority neighbourhoods targeted for infrastructure investment and community service improvement.”^[12] In 2008, planning initiatives by the City of Toronto, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), and Toronto District School Board (TDSB) began in the form of a two year coordinated planning study. This plan, which was completed in 2010, has formed the basis for the current Secondary Plan which is currently nearing completion.

Time and Cost Requirements

The plan is expected to be completed in a 20-year period of development and cost a minimum of $240.60 million. The first phase of the project is expected to commence in 2012, with four phases of development and an excepted completion date around the year 2030. The first phase is expected to cost approximately $40.33 million, the second phase $95.77 million, the third phase $61.90 million and the last phase is projected to cost $40.24 million. Although the final budget of the revitalization project has not been set, a preliminary analysis and budget can be seen in the table below:

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

^[13]

Source: The City of Toronto, City Planning, Lawrence Allen Revitalization Plan Staff

Report – June 3, 2010, Sept. 2010, Web, table 1.

Also, the following assumptions have been considered during formulation of the table:

“Costs are:

Based on 2010 dollars;

Include a 15% engineering fee;

Include a 30% contingency;

Include the removal of existing municipal infrastructure;

Exclude the removal, replacement, relocation and installation of utility infrastructure;

Exclude all applicable taxes.”^[14]

[...]

^[1] The City of Toronto, City Planning, The Lawrence-Allen Revitalization Plan: Executive Summary (Toronto: City Planning, 2010) 7.

^[2] The City of Toronto, City Planning, The Lawrence-Allen Revitalization Plan: Executive Summary (Toronto: City Planning, 2010) 7.

^[3] Donovan Vincent, “Massive Plan to Revamp Troubled Lawrence Heights,” The Toronto Star [Toronto] 25 Feb. 2010.

^[4] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Lawrence-Allen Revitalization Project: Frequently Asked Questions (Toronto: City Planning, 2008) 7.

^[5] Donovan Vincent, “Massive Lawrence Heights Overhaul Planned,” The Toronto Star [Toronto] 11 May 2007.

^[6] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Anticipated Growth Over 20 Years (Toronto: City Planning, 2011) 1.

^[7] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Anticipated Growth Over 20 Years (Toronto: City Planning, 2011) 1.

^[8] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Anticipated Growth Over 20 Years (Toronto: City Planning, 2011) 1.

^[9] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Anticipated Growth Over 20 Years (Toronto: City Planning, 2011) 1.

^[10] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Anticipated Growth Over 20 Years (Toronto: City Planning, 2011) 1.

^[11] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Anticipated Growth Over 20 Years (Toronto: City Planning, 2011) 1.

^[12] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Lawrence Allen Revitalization Plan Staff Report – June 3, 2010 (Toronto: City Planning, 2010) 5.

^[13] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Lawrence Allen Revitalization Plan Staff Report – June 3, 2010 (Toronto: City Planning, 2010) 22.

^[14] The City of Toronto, City Planning, Lawrence Allen Revitalization Plan Staff Report – June 3, 2010 (Toronto: City Planning, 2010) 3.