Revised TTC Plan Will Call For Partial Expropriation Of Residents’ Properties
Posted July 12, 2010 5:34 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A controversial plan to add more exits to TTC subway stations caused an uproar in the community when it was revealed that four families near Donlands station could have been forced to move from their homes if the proposal passed.
That fear was somewhat alleviated on Monday night, when the TTC came up with a revised plan that would prevent their ousting at the hands of the transit commission.
As it stands now, the plan for Greenwood station would involve tearing down an abandoned home to build the second exit. But at Donlands things aren’t as cut and dry. While TTC Chair Adam Giambrone stressed that no one would have to leave their home, there are still concerns that several residences will be affected after the TTC said Monday that they are now seeking to ‘partially expropriate’ some property.
“We will have to refine this, but I think the key point is we’ve eliminated the need to take peoples’ entire houses,” Giambrone said.
Donlands resident Lisa Dymond doesn’t think the new plan is much better.
“We believe that a number of properties, probably 12 of them, will be partially expropriated. This is still going to be in our community and it’s not acceptable to our neighbourhood.”
The issue came to a head when the Fire and Life Safety Assessment found fourteen high priority stations that require an alternative exit from station platform to street. One of them was Greenwood station and another was Donlands station.
The plan would involve the following changes:
- The construction of new stairs from each platform
- a connecting passageway over station.
- The construction of a street level exit building.
- Landscaping, streetscape and sidewalks.
The second exits must:
- Provide a separate route for exiting the station that is remote from existing exits.
- Maintain 25 meters minimum distance from the existing exit.
- Provide minimum 2.4 meters wide path from each platform
Construction is set to begin at the end of 2011, and should wrap up by mid-2014.
The revised plan will still have to be voted on before it can move ahead.
Donlands Second Exit – Community Response
