Citing the dire need for more bus storage, the TTC board has decided to move ahead with a new garage at McNicoll Ave. and Kennedy Rd.

But it is looking at a change to the parking plans at the facility to address some of the concerns from its new neighbours there.

Transit officials agreed Wednesday to look at whether it would be possible to swap the TTC employee parking lot at the McNicoll garage with the lot used by the Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church beside the property.

That would mean churchgoers wouldn’t have to cross an extension of Redlea Ave., that will divide the church from its car lot once the garage is built. A traffic study shows that there would be about 3,200 pedestrian crossings there on a typical Sunday.

Redlea is being extended to provide access for the buses but would also be used by other vehicles, including deliveries to the garage.

Church deacon Richard Leung said he’s not sure the swap will work because the TTC had planned 350 parking spots on the property south of the church, which has 500 spaces to the east.

He was among about 10 residents and groups that argued at the board that the noise, diesel pollution and fuel storage tanks from the garage posed a danger and disruption to nearby homes and seniors residences.

“It is very disappointing,” said Leung of the board decision.

TTC officials said most of the residents’ concerns were unfounded. A regular gas station stores about the same amount of diesel fuel that will be at the garage and diesel is less combustible than gas, said chief customer officer Chris Upfold.

“This is part of our commitment to customer service. We need this bus garage today and yet we won’t have it for another five years,” said TTC chair Maria Augimeri.

The McNicoll garage would house up to 250 vehicles and save the TTC the cost of serving Scarborough routes from west-end garages. So far though, the TTC has only $80 million of the $180 million it needs to build the facility.

Councillor Karen Stintz, who sits on the board and is running for mayor, moved that the bus garage shouldn’t be built until the TTC has honoured provincially mandated commitments to making the entire system accessible — something it has said it can’t afford to do. That motion lost in a 6-4 vote.

Citizen board member Alan Heisey’s push for cross-representation between the TTC and Metrolinx boards was deferred to August

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