East York By-law No. 6752
This is a report to the September 16, 1998 meeting of the East York Community Council. It concerns a 2.25 hectare (5.6 ac.) property located at 1590 O’Connor Drive. Its purpose is to provide Council with Staff recommendations on applications for Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments submitted for this site by Katmandu Investment Corporation. Katmandu propose to develop this currently vacant site with a 94 unit housing project comprised of townhouse units, semi-detached units and main street commercial residential units located along the site’s O’Connor Drive frontage. The proposal also includes a 1,125 m2 parkette located at the southernmost edge of the property .
Costs associated with this development will be borne by the developer.
- Grant authority for the introduction of the necessary Bills in Council.
Background:
Introduction:
Additional relevant information detailing the project statistics, planning framework, and outlining issues relevant to the applications’ approval is contained in Staff’s August 21, 1998 Information Report to the August 24, 1998 Community Information Meeting. It is attached to this report as Appendix # 1. The two reports should be read together.
Proposal:
Katmandu Investment Corporation have applied for site specific Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments to permit the development of a currently vacant parcel of land located at the south-west corner of O’Connor Drive and Northline Road, with up to 55 townhouse dwellings, a minimum of 8 semi-detached dwellings, and up to 31 main streets residential commercial buildings, Their plan also includes a small 1,125 m2 public parkette located at the southern edge of the site.
Comments Received From the Public During the June 24, 1998 Community Information Meeting :
Because the uses proposed in these two applications represent a departure from those already established within this general area, Staff considered it necessary to hold a community information meeting to give the local stakeholders - community ratepayers, nearby industrial and commercial land owners and other interested members of the public - an opportunity to provide their input. Approximately 10 members of the public attended that information meeting. Comments expressed by those in attendance are summarized below.
1 Residential development is inappropriate in proximity to established industry due to complaints about industrial operations and because it may lead to the area’s destabilisation;
2. What will be the nature of the main street commercial residential development? and,
3. Residential development will help to revitalize this area and is welcomed by the area’s commercial businesses;
Staff Response:
- Staff’s rationale for locating residential dwellings along the lands fronting onto O’Connor Drive has been addressed in considerable detail in our report to the September 16, 1998 East York Community Council entitled "O’Connor Business Area Study". That report establishes the Official Plan policy framework for the various land use changes (including the residential uses proposed for this location), which we are proposing for the O’Connor Business Area. Excerpts from that report, relevant to the issue of land use compatibility are reprinted in the attached Appendix #2.
2. As indicated in the draft Official Plan document (see Appendix #3), the O’Connor Drive portion of the site will be designated "Main Streets Commercial/ Residential". Sites that are designated "Main Streets Commercial/ Residential" are required to develop with medium rise structures that incorporate both commercial and residential uses. The Official Plan permits the nature of this type of development to vary from area to area presumably to enable them to achieve a better fit within an area, and to better respond to market preferences. In this case, the buildings located along the frontage of O’Connor Drive, as per the requirements of the O’Connor Business Area Study are required to dedicate an appropriate portion of their ground floor area to a commercial enterprise (Staff suggest that this should be at least 33 m2 or 350 sq. ft.). The remaining floor space may be used either entirely or partially for residential uses.
Commercial enterprises expected to find this arrangement desirable are those involved in "home based businesses" such as a consulting practice, a medical or other professional’s office, an artist’s studio, a tailor’s workshop, etc. The idea behind this concept is that the person(s) running the business will also want to maintain their living quarters within the same building.
Staff Comments :
1. The proposed development generally satisfies, and/or will be required through appropriate policies set out in the text of attached draft Official Plan amendment, to satisfy the various relevant criteria set out in the O’Connor Business Area Study:
- the maximum depth of this development parcel is approximately 111 metres. This is 21 metres deeper than the depth suggested by the Study. However Staff feels that the remaining parcel of land with a 21 metre frontage is too small to be marketable. Therefore, we support the utilisation of the full depth of 111 metres for these largely residential uses. The Study provides for such concession;
- the residential uses will be screened and buffered. The requirements for these two components are set out in the attached draft site specific Official Plan amendment. It stipulates that the Site Plan agreement shall require the erection of an appropriately designed and constructed visual and sound attenuation barrier, along the south limit of the property;
- the requirement that a portion of the ground floor of the mixed commercial-residential buildings that front onto O’Connor Drive be dedicated to a commercial use, is incorporated in the draft site specific Official Plan amendment. It will also be carried through to, and further refined in the implementing site specific Zoning By-law amendment;
- the restriction on the establishment of industrial uses within either a residential or a mixed commercial residential area will be incorporated in the implementing site specific Zoning By-law amendment. It will itemize the range of uses that are permitted, and that are specifically excluded;
- the proposed residential buildings are no higher than 3 stories. As such, they do not exceed the prescribed 4 story limit;
- there are no provisions for direct vehicular access to O’Connor Drive from the 31 on-street buildings.
2. The report which we prepared for the August 24, 1998, Community Information Meeting indicated that the applicants, plans located a 6.0 metre laneway and a 2.25 metre planting strip along the site’s westerly boundary, which adjoins the existing industrial area to the west. Together these two features provide an 8.25 metre separation distance between the two areas. Our report advised that this distance would have to be brought up to be in line with the separation distances set out in the Ministry of Environment Guidelines dealing with this matter and that we would report on this matter in our forthcoming report to the September 16, 1998 Community Council. The guidelines appear to suggest a 20 metre separation distance between these two uses. Katmandu, however, do not accept their legitimacy. This being the case, we asked that they provide us with information showing how they intend to ensure that the proposal has regard for this requirement. This information will have to be provided for our review before the implementing Zoning By-law Bill is presented to City of Toronto Council for approval. This may require further fine tuning of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments, as well as of the Master Concept Plan.
3. Our previous report also noted that comments on the acceptability of the transportation facilities were not available in time to be incorporated into Staff’s August 21, 1998 Information Report. We eventually received these comments on September 2, 1998. The comments indicate that while the Transportation Services Division have no objection in principle to the proposed development, they have a number of concerns regarding the applicants’ traffic study. They note, moreover, that further analysis is required to determine the suitability of the road access to O’Connor Drive, including a review of options for access locations and type of operation (i.e. whether signalized or un-signalized). Again, since these comments imply that the applicants may have to modify their plans, this matter will have to be resolved before the implementing Official Plan amendment and Zoning By-law Bills are presented to City Council for approval.
The Transportation Services Division also reviewed and accepted Katmandu’s proposal for parking. The project provides for a 1 car garage and/or carport, and a tandem parking space behind the garage. In addition, the proposed internal streets are able to provide supplementary on street parking for visitors. No additional parking is provided for the proposal’s commercial component. However, as noted above, the availability of on-street parking and of the tandem parking spaces should ensure an adequate supply.
- Other matters concerning extension of sewers and water services, environmental matters including any site re-mediation, construction of new roads, and their assumption by the municipality, fulfillment of financial obligations and obligations to various utilities streetscape design, landscaping, etc., will be addressed during the review process of the draft plan of subdivision and site plan approval applications. These Subdivision and Site Plan approval applications must be in place before any development can take place. The adequacy of services and financial security for their provision will be addressed in the subdivision agreement.
Staff recommend that this application be approved in conjunction with the larger O’Connor Business Area Study proposal.
In accordance with the provisions of the Planning Act, a copy of the proposed amendment to the municipal Official Plan, must be available at the public meeting.
(416) 778-2045-tel no.
