YG220K Community Advisory Group Update #1

We’re kicking off this year with a quick trip back to 2024 to catch you up on what the Community Advisory Group has been up to. Comprised of over 20 members, the Community Advisory Group represents an exciting new way for the City to engage with residents on the new Official Plan and Integrated Mobility Plan. The first meeting was held on Sept. 28, 2024, and the next one is scheduled for late winter or early spring 2025.

What Happened at the First Meeting?

This initial gathering was focused on orienting advisory group members to the new Official Plan and Integrated Mobility Plan projects. City of Kingston staff introduced the city’s growth estimates and discussed some of the associated opportunities and challenges facing the City over the next two and a half decades. The meeting also gave participants a chance to get to know each other and to develop working relationships.

Tim Park, Director of Planning Services, speaks to the Community Advisory Group.

During the presentation, City of Kingston staff walked advisory group members through the key aspects of city planning and transportation including:

Designing Mobility Options for All
Sustainability and Environmental Impact
Zoning and Urban Intensification
Planning Policy and Budget
Transportation Infrastructure and Connectivity

The goal was to ensure that all participants were working from the same shared foundation of knowledge and had opportunities for questions and discussions.

Visioning Exercise

Following the presentation and discussion, participants were tasked with imagining a future short news story about planning or transportation. Each story considered the future context of Kingston, what the future scene looked like, and the type of publication (real or fictional). The stories covered a wide range of future scenarios, including building new community hubs, expansion of car share options, and opportunities for cafes and community spaces serving as creative hubs.

Want to learn more about the Community Advisory Group? Check out a more detailed summary of what we heard below.

Next steps for the group will be to reconvene in the late winter or early Spring 2025 to connect about the work being done on the first draft of the new Official Plan policies, along with transformational conversations about traffic and mobility more broadly. Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading,

- YG220K Project Team

What We Heard

This is a summary of the comments and themes we heard from group participants during the first Community Advisory Group meeting in September 2024. The first section is focused on feedback and questions from the presentation while the second section focuses on what was expressed through the visioning exercise.

Feedback Received

Throughout the meetings, participants shared comments and posed questions to the project team on topics related to urban and transportation planning. Below is a summary of the key interest points important to the Community Advisory Group.

Accessibility and Safety

Affordability and Livability: Advocacy for affordable housing, community gardens, complete communities, and ensuring that growth meets the needs of residents.
Accessible Maps: Request to improve map usability for individuals with visual impairments (colorblind-friendly maps) and provide maps tracking Official Plan amendments geographically.
Transit Accessibility: Advocacy for accessibility on public transit, particularly for users of wheelchairs, strollers, and other mobility aids.
Aging Population: Advocacy from several Community Advisory Group members for the needs of an aging population, including targeted support for seniors transitioning out of car ownership.
Pedestrian Safety: Interest in road designs that prioritize pedestrian and cyclist safety, including the use of concrete islands and slower traffic designs. Public Transit Safety: Concern about safety on Kingston Transit, particularly for students and other vulnerable groups who rely on public transit daily.

Sustainability and Environmental Impact

Environmental Impact: Request to consider wildlife, ecosystems, and sustainable development practices during urban expansion.
Sustainable Services: Interest in waste management, recycling, and how a growing population will affect these systems.
Renewable Energy: Concern over how electric vehicles might impact the city’s power grid and interest in how the City can advocate for provincial support in upgrading infrastructure.
Transportation Targets & Active Transport: Enthusiastic support for how the City is setting new transportation mode share targets, focusing on active transportation, transit use, and reducing car dependency in alignment with long-term sustainability goals.

Zoning and Urban Intensification

Population Density: Concern over increasing population density and its impact on urban planning, infrastructure, and services.
Urban vs. Rural Development: Interest in the expansion of the urban boundary and how to balance intensification in existing areas with developing new ones.
Building Heights and Zoning: Curiosity about building height regulations and zoning bylaws.
Parking and Transportation: Interest in parking requirements, with a focus on reducing vehicle reliance and supporting sustainable transportation.

Planning, Policy and Budget

Engaging Youth: A push for including younger voices (children and teenagers) in the urban and transportation planning processes.
Official Plan Amendments: Interest in the number of amendments made to the current Official Plan.
Strategic Growth: Curiosity about the balance between expanding the urban boundary and intensifying existing areas, and how phasing infrastructure affects budget considerations.
Long-Term Vision: While current decisions align with long-term goals and Council’s strategic priorities, Community Advisory Group members emphasized the importance of environmental conservation, livability and complete communities.
Legislation & Government Influence: Interest in the impact of provincial government decisions, such as cycling path regulations, on local municipal plans, and how the City can ensure its strategies are aligned with evolving policies while advocating for community needs.
Data Collection: Requests for more access to City data related to transportation and housing. There were also concerns about cybersecurity as more smart technology is used in transportation.

Transportation Infrastructure and Connectivity

Neighbourhood-level Planning: Interest in how transportation patterns and mode share differ across Kingston’s various neighbourhoods and how land use policies will shape future infrastructure projects.
Rail & Intercity Transport: Strong enthusiasm for connecting Kingston to other cities by rail, including plans for GO train expansion and advocating for improved high-frequency rail from Toronto to Montreal.
Transit Infrastructure Updates: Curiosity about specific road and cycling infrastructure, such as the design of intersections and bike lanes, as well as bus capacity for mobility devices and strollers.
Car & Ride Sharing Systems: Support for the introduction of car-share programs, drawing on examples from other cities to reduce dependency on car ownership in Kingston.
Commercial Vehicles & Freight: Interest in managing commercial vehicle traffic through neighbourhoods and prioritizing deliveries, curb space, and access in business districts.

Visioning Activity - Future Kingston News Story

Community Advisory Group members were asked to write creative stories about their visions of Kingston in the future. Below are the key themes that emerged from participants’ news stories, implying their future aspirations for the City of Kingston.

Improved Transportation and Connectivity

Sustainable Transport: Expansion of electric public transit, bike lanes, and shared mobility services.
Airport Expansion and Connectivity: Interest in better access to major cities like Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal via light rail, and hopes to expand Kingston airport.
Improved Transit Accessibility: Ideas for better bus stop technology, more frequent service, and enhanced transit user experience.
Electric and Active Transport Initiatives: Community Advisory Group members envision electric buses to priority lanes for electric vehicles and pedestrian-friendly zones.
Autonomous Vehicles: Future transportation via subscription-based autonomous services.

Sustainability and Green Living

Eco-friendly Urban Design: Circular economy, sustainable community hubs, and neighbourhoods designed with green spaces.
Low-income, Self-sustained Communities: Off-the-grid housing projects and local food production.
Green Spaces and Pedestrian Walkways: Enhancing livability with parks, gardens, and pedestrian paths.
Agri-commercial Development: Focus on local food production through urban agriculture.

Youth and Community Engagement

Youth Involvement in Governance: A youth mayor and the desire for a Youth Council with equal voting power in city decisions. Inviting and Iterative
Community Engagement: A community-centered engagement process that fosters meaningful participation by meeting people in comfortable, familiar settings and validating their input at multiple points throughout the planning process.
Community Centers and Inclusivity: The opening of centres that serve diverse community needs, emphasizing fitness, health, and environmental sustainability.

Technological Innovation

Smart City Technologies: AI-powered transit apps for optimizing travel, smart traffic signals, and mobile route planning tools.
Modern Infrastructure: Improved signage, LED displays, and real-time information at bus stops.

Urban Growth and Development

Population and Housing Growth: Rapid urbanization with new housing developments integrated with local services and student housing projects that blend with the community.
Cultural and Creative Evolution: Kingston’s transformation into a vibrant urban centre, celebrated in its cultural spaces and artistic evolution.