Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan Meridian Planning Consultants | planningAlliance | Arup

What is the Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan?

1A Sustainable Community Plan (SCP) is a land use + infrastructure plan that:

Project Phasing:

The project is being funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the Town of Whitby, GO Transit, and Brookfi eld Homes.

• Phase 1: Consultation and Information Collection• Phase 2: Conceptual Development Plan + Analysis• Phase 3: Recommendations• Phase 4: Draft Report• Phase 5: Final Report – by October 2010

You are invited to a

Sustainability Learning Workshop

Tuesday, February 237:00pm to 9:30pmCentennial Building, Regal Room

• Creates a complete and healthy community

• Capitalizes on local, Regional and Provincial infrastructure and amenities

• Enhances local attributes and natural features (Lake Ontario shoreline)

• Explores opportunities for sustainable development

To learn about Sustainable Strategies:

Treasure Island, San Francisco Proposed Energy Supply

Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan Meridian Planning Consultants | planningAlliance | Arup

About Port Whitby2

Plan will focus on Harbour Development Areas #2, #3, #4 and #5 as identifi ed in the current Port Whitby Secondary Plan

Lake Ontario

Opportunities• Capitalize on presence of GO station, Lake

Ontario shoreline, the 401, major open space areas, and nearby health facilities

• Provide integrated infrastructure plan that incorporates opportunities for sustainable design, including renewable energy

• identify improvements to public realm• raise awareness about sustainable

development technologies and practices• establish a new benchmark for community

planning in Region of Durham

Critical Infrastructure• Water Supply and Treatment• Sewage Treatment Plants• GO Station• 401

Community Facilities• Iroquois Park Sports Centre• Heydenshore Pavillion• Port Whitby Marina• Waterfront Trail

Land Area

23% Parks + Open Space11% Residential16% Institutional 11% Environmental or Hazard Lands8% GO Transit4% Employment27% Vacant Land, Roads, etc

100% Total Land (182 hectares)

+

Current Population 1,895 (2009 estimate)

Stats:

Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan Meridian Planning Consultants | planningAlliance | Arup

Sustainability Theme #1 - Energy3Existing ConditionsTypical Household Energy Use Whitby Electricity Supply Fuel Breakdown

Drake’s Landing Household Energy Use

Ideas to Consider

Case Study: Drake’s Landing near Calgary

• A community of 52 single detached homes completed in 2007.• Incorporates the fi rst major ‘Seasonal Solar Thermal Storage System’ in North America.• 90% of the space heating needs for all of the homes is met by energy stored from a renewable energy source - the sun. • A centralized Energy Centre stores and distributes heat around the site via a district heating system.

equivalent to making 145 cups of coffee equivalent to driving 600km in a 2010 Mini Cooper

Solar PanelsBuilding Materials with High Thermal Performance

Geothermal Heating & Cooling

District Solar Thermal Heating Systems

District Heating Systems

::

electricitygas

Average Whitby resident’s daily consumption

Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan Meridian Planning Consultants | planningAlliance | Arup

Sustainability Theme #2 - Water4Existing Conditions• Average household in Whitby consumes 270,000 litres of potable water

per year (equivalent to 60 cases of standard-sized bottled water every day)

• In 2006, the region of Durham withdrew the equivalent of 350 Olympic swimming pools of freshwater per hour from Lake Ontario (7.7 trillion litres) and the equivalent of 25 Olympic swimming pools per hour from groundwater wells (5.5 billion litres)

• Average household in Durham produces 154,000 litres of wastewater per year (compared to the provincial and national averages of 189,000 and 244,000 litres) equivalent to approx. 12,000 toilet fl ushes per household

Case Study: Beddington Zero Energy Development Hackbridge, London, UKThe “BedZed” mixed use sustainable community was completed and occupied in 2002. A total water strategy was implemented which provides treatment for greywater that can be reused for toilet fl ushing. The main treatment plant is housed in an elevated greenhouse, incorporating hydroponics where plants on the roof of the tanks reduce the nitrogen and phosphorous content of the water. Overall, a 58% reduction in water use was achieved through water reuse and rainwater harvesting.

Ideas to Consider• Reduce residential water consumption,

which will also reduce wastewater production, through:• Low fl ow fi xtures and aerators• Composting toilets• Appropriate landscaping• Real-time water consumption

monitoring, integrated in a web-enabled format

• Rainwater harvesting and stormwater detention facilities• Blue roofs• Wet ponds• Underground storage• Dry detention basins

• Wastewater resource and energy recovery • Anaerobic digestion• Water reuse• Groundwater recharge

• Flood protections and other adaptations to climate change impacts

• Heat island effect reduction through green roofs, blue roofs, light-colored pavement

Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan Meridian Planning Consultants | planningAlliance | Arup

Sustainability Theme #3 - Transportation5Existing Conditions• 13% of residents walk, bike or take transit to work (compared to provincial average of 20 %)• 87% of residents drive to work, 47% of trips are less than 5km • 22% of Whitby residents work within the municipality (compared to the provincial average of 50%)• Transport costs are the second highest expense for the average Canadian citizen. The average cost is $7,800 per year,

second only to the cost of housing ($10,900).

Ideas to Consider• Complete Streets – safe and attractive streets

that encourage and support walking and cycling

• Bus Rapid Transit – high-frequency, rapid bus service decreases car dependency for short trips (e.g. accessing the Whitby GO station)

Case Study:

Village de la Gare, QuebecVillage de la Gare is a new sustainable development in the Montreal metropolitan region, about 40km from the city centre. The plan is to create a mixed use, transit oriented community with greater focus on walking, bicycling and transit than on automobile use.

Construction is ongoing and the fi nal development will include multi-family and single-family housing, an open space component, community facilities, and basic retail uses, within close proximity to a commuter train station which offers access to the city centre and regional bus service.

• Transit Oriented Development (TOD) • Transit supportive land uses,

appropriate land use mixes and density around transit stations

• Creates livable and sustainable communities that encourage more residents to walk, cycle or take transit

• Pedestrian amenities - signage, safety measures, landscaping, benches, rest areas, dedicated trails, pathways

• Cycling amenities - signage, secure storage facilities, dedicated lanes and trails

Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan Meridian Planning Consultants | planningAlliance | Arup

Sustainability Theme #4 - Waste6Existing Conditions• Early analysis suggests that Whitby residents produce

signifi cantly less waste than provincial and national averages

• Amount of waste Whitby generates is equivalent to• Over 3000 garbage trucks per year, or• Approximately 134 Olympic swimming pools of waste per

year• 58% of waste is recycled or composted (compared to

provincial average of 35%)• Food and yard waste are composted locally in Pickering

and Courtice• Residual waste (non-recyclables and compostable waste)

is taken 400 kilometers via truck to landfi ll in Michigan

Ideas to Consider• Disincentives for waste generation (e.g. limits on

household garbage) • Encouraging store owners to take back containers

and packaging• Waste can be converted to electricity and heat can

with minimal environmental disturbance, diverting waste from the landfi ll

• Waste to energy can be done via biological processes (anaerobic digestion) or by incineration

Case Study: Oslo, NorwayOslo has an integrated waste management system that is based on the Waste Management Hierarchy.

The municipality has had sole responsibility for the collection of all household waste since 1932, with citizens paying a mandatory annual charge of between US$ 150-370 that fi nances Oslo Municipal Waste Management. Since 1993, this organization has outsourced services with commercial waste operators carrying out collection services on 5 year contracts. In 2005, two waste to energy plants were established within a new agency, The Waste to Energy Agency.

In 2006, more than 200,000 metric tons of household waste was collected and of this 1% was reused, 27% material recovered, 67% energy recovered and only 5% went to landfi ll. 58,000 metric tons of CO2 were avoided through use of waste to generate energy for the city’s district heating system.

Waste to Energy CycleWaste Hierarchy

Rotary Kiln Gasifi cation Anaerobic Digestion Plasma Arc Gasifi cation

Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan Meridian Planning Consultants | planningAlliance | Arup

Sustainability Theme #5 - Growth + Intensifi cation7

Existing Conditions• Port Whitby is currently home to an estimated 1,900

people• Approved developments will bring this total to 2,700

people• The population target in the current Port Whitby

Secondary Plan is 7,000 people • The Town of Whitby Intensifi cation Strategy recommends

a maximum of 15,000 additional people and jobs be permitted in this area and identifi ed more than 60 hectares of potential intensifi cation sites

Ideas to Consider• A broader mix of land uses that provide opportunities for

living, working and playing.• A mix of housing types that will attract a diversity of

residents, including young adults, families and seniors.• A strong focus on tourism and recreation, with abundant

open space.• Protection and enhancement of the natural environment.• A pedestrian, cycling and transit-fi rst community.• Slender buildings that minimize impacts on views of the

Lake.• Establish Brock Street as a pedestrian friendly “Main

Street” for Port Whitby.

Visualization of Intensifi cation Scenario for a Theoretical GO Station

Case Study:

Image Source: Ontario Growth Secretariat, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure

High density, mixed use redevelopment around a hypothetical

major transit station (before)

High density, mixed use redevelopment around a hypothetical major transit station (after)