Crossposted to Spacing’s Wire.

This past Wednesday, Etobicoke community council voted to ask city staff to investigate the possibility of extending the Bloor-Danforth subway one stop westward from Kipling to the Dundas/East Mall intersection. The details were reported in Inside Toronto.

Councillor Peter Milczyn (Ward 5 - Etobicoke-Lakeshore) made the motion, to update an older Environmental Assessment and assess the costs required to acquire property for the extension.

The proposal differs from the other westward extension that has been proposed: from Kipling to Sherway Gardens and possibly Dixie GO Station, with provisions made for a future station stop at East York, well south of Dundas Street. Milczyn notes that Honeydale Mall is offering up land for the East Mall station stop free of charge, which would shift the alignment of the proposed westward extension north.

Milczyn’s reasoning is that the TTC is set to spend $50 million to move the regional bus terminal from Islington station to Kipling. For just $100 million more, the subway could be extended via the Canadian Pacific right-of-way to East Mall, and possibly the regional terminal could be built there. Such a location would provide a connection between the subway and Mississauga Transit buses closer to Mississauga, and closer to Highway 427.

Honeydale Mall is pushing the proposal to support its application for a major redevelopment of its property, with 2,400 residential units as well as retail, commercial and office space. Milczyn opposes this application, calling the densities “totally excessive”.

Milczyn hopes that the report could be completed in time for consideration for the 2007 capital budget.