North York Civic Centre

5100 Yonge Street

Canada, M2N 5V7

February 4, 1998

To: North York Community Council

From: Bryan Tuckey

Acting Commissioner of Planning

Subject: PRELIMINARY EVALUATION REPORT

Official Plan, Zoning and Subdivision Application

Topview Developments Limited

East Portion of 2781-2801 Dufferin Street (north side of Risa Blvd.)

East of 2775 Dufferin Street (south side of Risa Blvd.)

Ward 8 - North York Spadina

UDOZ-97-39, UDSB-1236

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to describe the issues that arise from a new application that has been submitted for lands located on the east side of Dufferin Street, north and south of Risa Boulevard (Schedule A). On the north side of Risa Boulevard, the application proposes draft plan of subdivision approval to permit 14 detached and semi-detached dwelling units. On the south side of Risa Boulevard, the application proposes 4 detached dwelling units.

Source of Funds:

Not applicable.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the application be referred to the Planning Department to be reviewed as discussed in this report and processed in the following manner:

Background:

Council Reference:

On September 17, 1997, the former North York City Council received the Official Plan and zoning by-law amendment application which requests the change in land use from industrial to residential. The applicant has now submitted the subdivision application that would implement the land use amendment proposal.

The lands that are the subject of the subdivision application form the east portion of the applicant=s landholding. The west portion of 2781-2801 Dufferin Street on the north side of Risa Boulevard has received approval to be developed with donut shop and automobile service uses, as shown on Schedule D.

Proposal:

The application proposes Official Plan and zoning by-law amendments in order to permit the residential development of the lands on the north and south side of Risa Boulevard, east of Dufferin Street. The application includes the subdivision of the lands on the north side of Risa Boulevard in order to permit the construction of 14 detached and semi-detached dwelling units, as shown on Schedule C. On the south side of Risa Boulevard, the applicant proposes to construct 4 detached houses (Schedule D). The pertinent statistics are as follows:

Official Plan:

The lands on the north side of Risa Boulevard are designated Mixed-Industrial which permits employment uses. The lands on the south side of Risa Boulevard are designated Residential Density One (RD1) which permits residential uses (Schedule A).

Zoning:

Industrial-Commercial Zone (MC) with a holding zone by by-law 33091 which permits employment uses (Schedule B).

Discussion:

In principle, the proposed change in land use from industrial to residential is consistent with the pertinent Official Plan policies regarding such proposals. The lands are located on the periphery of a small industrial area (comprising about six properties) on the east side of Dufferin Street, and the residential development would not be expected to unduly impact the continued viability of the remaining industrial uses in the area. The boundaries for change are logical, form an extension of an existing stable residential community and can create a well defined edge between residential and non-residential uses. Given the modest scale of the project, it is anticipated that the community service needs of the new residents can be met with existing resources, but this will need to be confirmed during the review of the application.

The following sections describe the issues that will be considered as part of the planning review of the proposal.

The proposed subdivision design includes a reduced cul-de-sac road allowance of 18.5 metres and 14 residential lots. The appropriateness of these matters and the impact they will have on the surrounding lands, including the future development potential of the lands to the north, will affect the proposed subdivision design.

The relationship of the dwelling units to streets, existing and proposed buildings will be reviewed in order to ensure that the resulting zoning performance standards achieve a high quality of urban design. Consideration will be given to ensuring that appropriate buffering measures are used and that the incidence of sloping driveways is minimized.

The proposed density will be reviewed in the context of the existing supply of community facilities in the area.

Environmental site assessments reviewing the site conditions have been submitted. The suitability of the site conditions to accommodate the proposed residential land use should be verified by the submission of a record of site condition.

None.

Conclusions:

The proposal to permit the residential redevelopment of the lands is appropriate and raises some subdivision and urban design issues which will be evaluated as part of the planning review.

Contact Name:

Franco Romano, Senior Planner

Phone: 395-7119 Fax: 395-7155

Bryan Tuckey

Acting Commissioner of Planning

Schedules:

A. Official Plan designations.

B. Zoning By-law categories.

C. Site Plan.

D. Context Map.