HomeMy WebLinkAboutECD 08-23Report to Council
Report Number: ECD 08-23
Date: November 27, 2023
From: Fiaz Jadoon
Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects
Subject: Consulting Services for a Highway Access Management Plan for Highway 7,
Pickering Innovation Corridor
-File: A-1440
Recommendation:
1. That Council approve the hiring of BA Consulting Group Ltd. to complete a Highway Access
Management Plan for Highway 7, the Pickering Innovation Corridor in accordance with
Purchasing Policy 10.03 (c) as the assignment is above $50,000.00;
2. That the fee proposal submitted by BA Consulting Group Ltd. for the preparation of a Highway
Access Management Plan for Highway 7, the Pickering Innovation Corridor in the amount of
$429,400.00 (HST Included) be accepted;
3. That the total gross project cost of $429,400.00 (HST Included) and the total net project cost of
$386,688.00 (net HST rebate) be approved;
4. That Council authorize the Director, Finance & Treasurer to finance the total net project cost of
$386,688.00 as follows:
a. The sum of $25,440.00 be funded by a transfer from Rate Stabilization Reserve as
approved in the 2023 Current Budget;
b. The sum of $127,200.00 be funded from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation;
c.The sum of $234,048.00 be funded by the Seaton Landowners Group;
5. That the City Clerk forward a copy of Report ECD 08-23 to the Region of Durham’s Office of
the CAO and Planning & Economic Development Department, the Ontario Ministry of
Transportation, and the Seaton Landowners group; and,
6. That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the necessary actions to
as indicated in this report.
Executive Summary: The Pickering Innovation Corridor, located between York Durham Line
(RR#30) to the west and Brock Road (RR#1) to the east and Highway 7 to the north and
Highway 407 to the south, is projected to be home to approximately 18,800 jobs in the coming
years. From York-Durham Line to Brock Road, Highway 7 is a high-speed two-lane major arterial
provincial highway. Due to the limited access points and planned intersections for vehicular and
truck movements, Highway 7 is expected to generate significant constraints for existing and
future users of the employment lands.
ECD 08-23
Subject:
November 27, 2023
Consulting Services for a Highway Access Management Plan
(HAMP) for Highway 7, Pickering Innovation Corridor Page 2
Economic Development & Strategic Projects and Engineering Services staff have discussed and
investigated several solutions with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to address traffic
concerns. However, due to the existing width of Highway 7 and variations of land requirements
from end-users, both the City, the Seaton Landowners Group (SLG) and the MTO agreed that a
comprehensive Highway Access Management Plan (HAMP) study would assist in future proofing
the City’s ability to market the Innovation Corridor to end-users.
BA Consulting Group Ltd has been retained by both the SLG and the Northeast Pickering
Landowners Group (NPLG) to manage and develop the North Pickering Transportation Project
(NPTP). This project is comprised of studying the municipal & regional road and transit networks
required to accommodate vehicular, truck, pedestrian and transit traffic for lands that are currently
and/or planned to be developed in the years to come. While this work commenced several months
ago, City and MTO staff feel that it is critical to have the same consulting group develop the HAMP
for Highway 7, as this plan correlates to the North Pickering Transportation Plan. Significantly,
both City and Regional staff are actively participating as non-funding partner s on the NPTP study
team. Notably, Highway 7 was not included in the scope of work for the NPTP which is under the
jurisdiction of the Province of Ontario. Thus, the HAMP study is a necessity in integrating a plan
for Highway 7.
In accordance with Item 10.03 (c) of the Purchasing Policy. Manager, Procurement may obtain the
services of a particular consultant selected by the initiating Director, when going through a
competitive process, and where funds are applicable in the approved budget. Where the project
cost of a consulting assignment is more than $50,000.00, the award is subject to the approval of
Council. The HAMP will be a total of $429,400 (HST included). The Total Net Project Cost to the
City will be $25,440.00, which will be funded from the Economic Development & Strategic
Project’s Consulting Budget (502230.10050).
It is therefore recommended that Council award the consulting services to BA Consulting Group
Ltd. for the HAMP Study for the amount of $429,400 (HST included).
______________________________________________________________________________
Financial Implications:
1.Proposal Amount
Proposal $ 380,000.00
HST (13%) 49,400.00
Total Gross Proposal Cost $ 429,400.00
ECD 08-23
Subject:
November 27, 2023
Consulting Services for a Highway Access Management Plan
(HAMP) for Highway 7, Pickering Innovation Corridor Page 3
2. Breakdown of Costs by Budget Year 2023
Total Project Cost
Proposal $ 380,000.00
HST (13%) 49,400.00
Total Gross Project Cost $ 429,400.00
HST Rebate (11.24%) (42,712.00)
Total Net Project Cost $ 386,688.00
3.Approved Source of Funds- 2023 Current Budget
Expense Code Source of Funds Budget Required
502230.10050.0000
Rate Stabilization
Reserve $ 60,004.00 $ 25,440.00
502230.10050.0000
Third Party Contributions-
Ministry of Transportation 0.00 $ 127,200.00
502230.10050.0000
Third Party
Contributions- Seaton
Landowners 0.00 $ 234,048.00
Total Funds $ 60,004.00 $ 386,688.00
The participating third parties will be billed on a periodic basis to help fund the consulting
projection costs.
ECD 08-23
Subject:
November 27, 2023
Consulting Services for a Highway Access Management Plan
(HAMP) for Highway 7, Pickering Innovation Corridor Page 4
Discussion: Highway 7, a Provincially owned and maintained highway, serves as a
major connector road between the Regions of Durham and York. Highway 7 is a two-lane road
between Brock Road (RR#1) and York-Durham Line (York RR#30), currently operating at over
capacity during peak travel times. Existing and future developments in the Pickering Innovation
Corridor are set to create 18,800 jobs. As City staff work with end-users to accommodate their
development and operational needs, Highway 7 is already showing signs of becoming a traffic
bottleneck due to insufficient access and intersection points for safe vehicular and truck
movements.
The Innovation Corridor currently represents over 5,000 jobs, and is home to companies such as
Kubota, Lastman’s Bad Boy, and FGF Brands. FGF Brands alone represent over 4,000 jobs at full
build-out, with phase one set to be operational in Q4 2024. With the addition of high-quality jobs,
the need for safe and efficient transportation movements along Highway 7 increases, especially
as the traffic flow is predicted to rise significantly.
While MTO staff have been accommodating in most cases for the review and approvals of
development applications for the Innovation Corridor, MTO staff must follow specific guidelines
and policies for approving applications that require access directly to Highway 7, including the
locations of traffic signals.
Access to the Innovation Corridor lands directly from Highway 7 is constrained by the narrow
width of the existing highway. In an ideal scenario, a single East-West road bisecting the
employment lands on both the north and south side of the innovation corridor would be developed.
This collector road would limit the access points off of Highway 7, and flow traffic through new
primary collector roads. The width of the employment lands between Highway 7 and Highway 407
is approximately 500 meters. Moreover, the constrained space and the demand of larger industrial
buildings by the end-users that require a larger development envelope, make the development of
a new East-West collector road even more difficult to construct. The final design of the future
interchange at Peter Matthews Drive and Highway 407 has yet to be completed. Thus, this study
influences a design that accommodates an efficient traffic plan for vehicular and truck movement
entering and exiting the Innovation Corridor.
Through ongoing discussion with MTO staff, it has been determined that a Highway Access
Management Plan (HAMP) is needed to create a consolidated transportation program along
Highway 7.
Economic Development & Strategic Projects and Engineering Services staff are actively
participating in the ongoing North Pickering Transportation Project (NPTP) that is currently being
undertaken by BA Consulting Group Ltd. on behalf of the Seaton Landowners Group and the
Northeast Pickering Landowners Group. BA Consulting Group Ltd. was retained by both
Landowner Groups to work collaboratively with various stakeholders to ensure the creation and
adoption of transportation policies, physical plans, and operational strategies in support of existing
and future development plans. Furthermore, BA Consulting Group Ltd. has a long history of
working to resolve development-related transportation issues across the Greater Toronto Area
(GTA) and North America.
ECD 08-23
Subject:
November 27, 2023
Consulting Services for a Highway Access Management Plan
(HAMP) for Highway 7, Pickering Innovation Corridor Page 5
Through the landowners’ groups, BA Consulting Group Ltd. identified future population and
employment forecasts and utilized the data to conduct a transportation modelling base.
Additionally, the project identifies issues such as regional requirements, East-West roads not
under regional jurisdictions, and future transit opportunities.
The proposed HAMP will set out the proposed intersection configurations and private access
points along Highway 7, addressing the immediate needs of developments in the innovation
corridor while considering future growth.
The HAMP proposal submitted by BA Consulting Group Ltd. Includes preparing a consolidated
report along with a plan which address the following:
•Develop a plan for the layout of streets in the Innovation Corridor which meets access needs of
developers and the Federal Government as well as the guidelines of the City of Pickering and
the MTO. This plan will, where necessary and appropriate, include multiple options to allow for
flexibility as the needs of developers and end-users are determined.
•A functional plan for road improvements to support the planned street network.
•A review of the traffic impacts as well as mitigating measures for the communities of Green
River and Brougham.
•A summary traffic study researching the traffic impacts of the Innovation Corridor
Development, an operational review of Highway 7, and phasing strategies for improvements.
In accordance with Item 10.03 (c) of the Purchasing Policy, where the project cost of a consulting
assignment is more than $50,000.00, the award is subject to the approval of Council. The Total
Net Project Cost will be $429,400.00 (HST included) and will be funded from the Economic
Development & Strategic Project’s Consulting Budget (502230.10050.0000), along with financial
support from MTO, and the Seaton Landowners Group. The City of Pickering’s share will be
$25,440.00
Staff recommends that Council approve the fee proposal submitted by BA Consulting Group Ltd.
for the Highway Access Management Plan for Highway 7 and the Pickering Innovation Corridor.
Attachments:
1.Letter of intent to share cost from MTO
2.Letter of intent to share cost from Seaton Landowners
ECD 08-23
Subject:
November 27, 2023
Consulting Services for a Highway Access Management Plan
(HAMP) for Highway 7, Pickering Innovation Corridor Page 6
Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By:
Original signed by:Original signed by:
FJ:um
Cathy Bazinet, CPPB, NIGP-CPP
Manager, Procurement
Original signed by:
Richard Holborn, P.Eng.
Director, Engineering Services
Original signed by:
Stan Karwowski, MBA, CPA, CMA
Director, Finance & Treasurer
Original signed by:
Fiaz Jadoon, Ec.D., CEcD, MPM, B.COM
Director, Economic Development &
M
Strategic Projects
Usman Malik
Senior Officer, Economic Development &
Strategic Projects
Recommended for the consideration
of Pickering City Council
Original signed by:
Marisa Carpino, M.A.
Chief Administrative Officer
Ministry of Transportation
Central Operations Office
2nd Floor
159 Sir William Hearst Avenue
Toronto ON M3M 0B7
Tel: 416 235-XXXX
Fax: 416 235-5266
Ministère des Transports
Bureau des opérations pour le Centre
2e étage
159, avenue Sir William Hearst
Toronto ON M3M 0B7
Tél. : 416 235-5400
Téléc. : 416 235-5266
November 16, 2023
Fiaz Jadoon
Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects
City of Pickering
Dear Fiaz:
Please accept this letter as confirmation that the Ministry of Transportation is
accepting of the Highway 7, Highway Access Management Plan Proposal of October
2023, as received, and is committing to contribute up to $127,200 as our cost share
of the project, as requested.
Sincerely,
Becca Lane, P.Eng.
Director, Central Operations
Attachment – Highway 7, Pickering_Fee Proposal_oct 2023.pdf
Cc: Usman Malik
Tom Hewitt
Francesca Brown
Attachment #1 to Report ECD 08-23
Attachment #2 to Report ECD 08-23