2. Expansion Of Urban Transit Area Into New Developing Areas

Extension Du Secteur De Transport Urbain Aux Zones En Voie D’aménagement

committee recommendation

That Council approve the revisions to the boundary of the Urban Transit Area detailed in this report to be effective on January 1, 2010, to provide for the provision and funding of transit service in expanding areas of the city, and that Council enact an implementing By-law.

Recommandation du comité

Que le Conseil approuve les révisions à la limite du secteur de transport urbain décrites dans le présent rapport de façon qu’elles entrent en vigueur le 1^er janvier 2010, afin d’assurer l’extension du service de transport en commun aux secteurs en expansion de la ville de même que le financement de ces services; et que le Conseil adopte un règlement de mise en oeuvre.

Documentation

1. Deputy City Manager Report, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability dated 9 November 2009 (ACS2009-ICS-TRA-0018).

2. Extract of Draft Minutes, 18 November, 2009

Report to/Rapport au :

Transit Committee

Comité du transport en commun

and Council / et au Conseil

09 November 2009 / le 09 novembre 2009

Submitted by/Soumis par: Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe,

Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability/Services d’infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Alain Mercier, General Manager/Directeur général

Transit Services/Services du transport en commun

613-842-3636 x2271, Alain.Mercier@ottawa.ca

City-wide / A l’échelle de la ville

Ref N°: ACS2009-ICS-TRA-0018

SUBJECT:	EXPANSION OF URBAN TRANSIT AREA INTO NEW DEVELOPING AREAS
OBJET :	EXTENSION DU SECTEUR DE TRANSPORT URBAIN AUX ZONES EN VOIE D’AMÉNAGEMENT

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That the Transit Committee recommend Council approve the revisions to the boundary of the Urban Transit Area detailed in this report to be effective on January 1, 2010, to provide for the provision and funding of transit service in expanding areas of the city, and that Council enact an implementing By-law.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité du transport en commun recommande au Conseil d’approuver les révisions à la limite du secteur de transport urbain décrites dans le présent rapport de façon qu’elles entrent en vigueur le 1^er janvier 2010, afin d’assurer l’extension du service de transport en commun aux secteurs en expansion de la ville de même que le financement de ces services; et que le Conseil adopte un règlement de mise en oeuvre.

BACKGROUND

At its meeting of July 11, 2001, Council approved a report entitled Financing Methods – Funding City Services, which directed that “properties…be automatically included in the Urban Transit Area (UTA) as they receive the defined level of service.” Staff identify the areas to be added to the UTA through the normal development approval and transit planning processes, however, the by-law to define the UTA needs to be approved by Council.

DISCUSSION

Current Transit Levies

Property taxes to fund the net capital and operating costs of transit service are now collected at different rates in four different areas, and different service standards apply in each of these areas. The four areas are:

• Urban Transit Area (UTA)
• Town Transit Area (TTA)
• Rural Transit Area A (RTA-A)
• Rural Transit Area B (RTA-B)

The Urban Transit area is the subject of this report. The transition of the Stittsville TTA into the UTA is not part of this report and will continue, with fare reductions and accompanying tax rate increases in 2010, as per the strategy approved by Council at its meeting of October 31, 2008, with the intent that Stittsville will be included as part of the UTA for all purposes in January 2011.

Expanding the Urban Transit Area

The UTA, currently defined by By-law No. 2008-469, sets the area within which regular transit service is provided and within which a tax levy to contribute to the costs of transit service is applied. The UTA encompasses the central, urban parts of the city, generally from Kanata to Orléans and as far south as South Nepean and Riverside South.

Within the UTA, transit service is provided to bring 95 per cent of the population within a five-minute walk of transit service in peak periods and within a 10-minute walk at other times of the day. Taxes are collected to cover the net operating costs of transit service provided in the UTA (total operating costs less fare revenue) and to cover the net capital costs of transit equipment and infrastructure (total capital costs less contributions from other levels of government). In 2009, the UTA levy for a typical residential property assessed at $292,750 was $506.

Council and the former Regional Council have approved revisions to the boundary of the UTA from time to time to keep pace with the growth of the urban area. The boundaries of the UTA were last updated January 1, 2009, following the approval of a report to Council at its meeting of October 31, 2008. Since that time, new areas outside the UTA have been identified and approved for development in the near future. The following two areas are recommended to be added to the UTA starting on January 1, 2010, and are shown on the map in Document 1:

• A condominium development east of Trim Road and north of Highway 174; and,
• The Riverside South Community lands near River, Earl Armstrong and Limebank Roads.

Both of these areas are part of the Urban Area of the City as defined in the Official Plan, and should be added to the UTA now so that they share in the funding of the cost of building and operating the transit system. Transit service will be introduced into these areas as development proceeds and as roads and houses are built. Planning and consultation for service in these areas will be conducted as part of the normal annual Transplan process.

The inclusion of these areas into the UTA will have no impact on current customers or on current service levels. Conventional service will be introduced when there are enough new housing units to allow the service to meet the financial performance standards. Para Transpo fares in these areas will decline from the current Zone 2 fares to the standard Zone 1 fares as in the rest of the UTA.

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

The expansion of the Urban Transit Area has no effect on the rural parts of the city.

CONSULTATION

The recommended expansion of the Urban Transit Area follows long-standing Council direction and was the subject of no specific consultation. Consultation on expanding transit service into developing areas is conducted through the normal Transplan consultation process.

COMMENTS BY WARD COUNCILLOR(S)

The Ward Councillors have been consulted and understand the reasons for the staff recommendation.

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

There are no legal/risk management impediments to the implementation of this report’s recommendation.

CITY STRATEGIC PLAN

I3 – Make growth pay for itself.

TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS

N/A

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The expansion of the Urban Transit Area has no financial implications. Rather, it increases the number of properties over which the net costs of operating transit service are shared. Any operating cost increases to serve new areas of the UTA would be part of the transit operating budgets as submitted for 2010 and subsequent years.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 Expansion of the Urban Transit Area into New Developing Areas

DISPOSITION

Upon approval of the recommendation to expand the Urban Transit Area, a by-law will be presented for enactment. That by-law will replace the current by-law.

EXPANSION OF THE URBAN TRANSIT AREA INTO NEW

DEVELOPING AREAS DOCUMENT 1

EXPANSION OF URBAN TRANSIT AREA INTO NEW DEVELOPING AREAS

EXTENSION DU SECTEUR DE TRANSPORT URBAIN AUX ZONES EN VOIE D’AMÉNAGEMENT

ACS2009-ICS-TRA-0018 CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE

While she indicated she would not be supporting it, Councillor Wilkinson agreed to put forward a Motion on behalf of Councillor Desroches, recommending temporary removal of the River Bend community from the Urban Transit Area, and that costs to operate transit service on River Road be funded from property taxes collected in Rural Transit Area A, rather than the Urban Transit Area.

Speaking to the Motion, Councillor Desroches explained that it is as a result of feedback from the River Bend community, which is not subject to the same transit service as other areas of Riverside South. He recognized there have been some operational difficulties in serving this community. He noted that north of this community, there is an area that is not in the urban area and there are no plans to bring it into the UTA. Therefore, the community feels they are being treated differently. He indicated that his Motion speaks to the ‘temporary’ removal of the River Bend community, until such time as some of the operational issues regarding service to the area are resolved.

Catherine Gardener supported the Motion and explained that she was aware of a situation where a resident in this community using Para Transpo, was told she had to start paying additional fare for the service (as much as five extra bus tickets in addition to the ones she already had to pay). She wondered how the zones are being calculated and how it will impact Para Transpo users, noting many users are forced to take Para because they cannot get safely to a bus stop or are in an area that has only rural bus service, which is often not accessible.

In response to her query, Pat Scrimgeour, Manager, Transit Service Design verified that this report does not address Para Transpo issues. The one change it would make is that a particular area illustrated in Document 1 would now be in Zone 1 for Para Transpo fares, because it is part of the UTA. That same area would no longer be in Zone 2 as it is today, as part of the Rural Transit Area. He added that the areas recommended for change in the report are those where the Para Transpo fare would be reduced to be the same as the rest of the UTA.

Chair Cullen asked staff to speak with Ms. Gardener offline to address her concern raised.

In regards to the Motion, Councillor Wilkinson noted that there are certain policies that speak to providing bus service to the UTA as it grows and this particular area already receives some peak hour bus service. By comparison, a large area of her ward gets similar service, but pays full UTA taxes. Therefore, she was not in favor of removing an area in the urban area, that has some service now (and will get more as it develops and is integrated into Riverside South).

Councillor Bloess echoed this position, adding that he recalled the same situation occurring in the east urban community where there were areas paying considerable transit taxes, and the solution was to get service to or through those areas as they grow.

While he understood these concerns, Councillor Desroches indicated that there is some significant work required to improve the service there, e.g., getting lighting on the pathways in Claudette Cain Park; making the connection to Riverside South; having a possible turn-around on River Road, et cetera, and he was seeking some temporary tax relief for this community until such time as those pieces come together. He noted there are several homes on River Road that are not considered part of the growing community of Riverside South and he requested clarification that they not be brought in at this time. Mr. Scrimgeour confirmed that the intention is to bring in new developed areas and not to make any change for the existing rural residential properties along that section of River Road, south of Earl Armstrong.

Ernest McArthur, Legal Counsel, advised that before voting on the Motion, it should be amended to remove the word “temporary” because the Motion would require an amendment to the By-law, and the By-law cannot be amended temporarily. Unless there was a fixed term given, he advised that the word be removed. Councillor Wilkinson indicated she would make that amendment.

Moved by M. Wilkinson

Whereas the River Bend community in South Gloucester is remote from the rest of Riverside South, separated by River Road, Claudette Cain Park, and a stormwater retention pond

And whereas the River Bend community has more in common with the adjacent older Honey Gables community than it does with the rest of Riverside South

And whereas the River Bend community is presently part of the Urban Transit Area but does not directly receive any more transit service than the adjacent Honey Gables community

And whereas property taxes to fund transit service and transit infrastructure should be collected in the areas where residents benefit

Therefore be it resolved that the boundaries of the Urban Transit Area be revised to remove the River Bend community -- specifically, the properties with addresses on Riversedge Crescent, Tewsley Drive, and Trailgate Street, and 622 and 636 River Road -- from the Urban Transit Area and placed instead in Rural Transit Area A

And be it further resolved that the costs to operate transit service on River Road be funded from property taxes collected in Rural Transit Area A rather than the Urban Transit Area.

LOST

YEAS (0):

NAYS (4): R. Bloess, C. Leadman, M. Wilkinson, A. Cullen

That the Transit Committee recommend Council approve the revisions to the boundary of the Urban Transit Area detailed in this report to be effective on January 1, 2010, to provide for the provision and funding of transit service in expanding areas of the city, and that Council enact an implementing By-law.

CARRIED