September 1, 1998

To:North York Community Council

From:Bryan Tuckey

Director, Community Planning, North District

Subject:PRELIMINARY EVALUATION REPORT

OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT APPLICATION

JAPANESE CANADIAN CULTURAL CENTRE

123 Wynford Drive

Ward 11 - Don Parkway

UDO-98-18

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to provide a preliminary evaluation of an application to amend the Official Plan in order to permit development of the site with high density residential uses.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)staff, in consultation with the local Councillors, schedule a Community Consultation Meeting upon receipt of a corresponding zoning amendment application;

(2)staff prepare a final report evaluating the request for an Official Plan and zoning amendment application, and provide notice of the Statutory Public Meeting for Official Plan and zoning amendment at the appropriate time.

Background:

Proposal:

The application proposes an amendment to the Official Plan to permit development of the site with multiple-family residential uses, in addition to supporting retail and service commercial, recreational, open space and accessory uses, all at a density of 2.5 FSI. The site is presently developed with a 2-storey building containing the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre facility (JCCC). Pertinent site statistics are shown below.

The applicant is presently marketing the site and looking for a buyer to develop the property as noted above. As such, they have not submitted any detailed site plans or statistics outlining the exact nature of the proposal. It is their expectation that a buyer will be found in the near future and a corresponding rezoning application will be submitted before the end of the year.

Official Plan:

Located in the Flemingdon Park Business Park, the site is designated Office Industrial (OI), which generally permits industrial and office uses. Community centres are also permitted. The site is also subject to specific policy C.9.199 which establishes the potential for residential land use and provides criteria to be evaluated when considering a redesignation to residential uses on the subject lands and adjacent lands to the south. This policy is attached as Schedule D.

The existing building is listed in North York's Inventory of Heritage Properties, contained as an Appendix to the Official Plan.

Zoning By-law:

MO(13) is a business park zoning exception which specifically permits the JCCC use with recreational facilities, in addition to other permitted MO zone uses.

Discussion:

The following issues will be considered as part of the planning review of the proposal. Given that a rezoning application is to be submitted shortly, these issues should be considered in the concurrent review of both the Official Plan and zoning amendment applications:

(a)Land Use and Density

The principle of land use has been established with the conclusions of the East Wynford Land Use Study. Based on that study and consistent with current industrial and housing policies, the appropriate density will need to be determined based on a review of impacts on community services and facilities, transportation system, and urban design.

(b)Valley Land Impact

Though the lands do not fall within the Valley Land Impact Zone, a significant portion of the middle and rear of the site is in a well-treed valley, and a major easement also runs through the site. Consideration will be given to ensuring any new development is sensitive to these features, and to the rezoning of the valley land to reflect its nature. The applicant has been requested to submit a geotechnical/slope stability report in this regard, which can be evaluated upon receipt of a detailed zoning submission.

(c)Traffic Impacts

In the past, transportation capacity within the Business Parks has limited the land use potential of certain large sites. The subject proposal should be evaluated in terms of its traffic impacts on the existing road network. A traffic impact study has been requested of the applicant.

(d)Community Services and Facilities

Given its isolated location, residential developments within the Wynford Community have had to ensure the provision of adequate private services and facilities to serve their residents. This criterion is also set out in C.9.199 when considering new residential development in this area. The Official Plan and zoning amendment applications will therefore be evaluated to determine whether adequate recreational and commercial services and facilities are available to serve the proposed development.

(e)Environmental Impacts

The applicant has submitted an environmental site assessment (ESA) indicating the appropriateness of the site for residential uses. A peer review of this ESA will be undertaken, and the applicant will be asked to provide a Record of Site Condition, acknowledged by MOEE, certifying that the site is suitable for the proposed uses.

(f)Urban Design and Heritage Nature of JCCC Building

The existing JCCC building was designed by Raymond Moriyama and built in 1963. It is situated in the middle of the site, and has been identified by the City as a significant example of modernistic architecture, and worthy of preservation. In light of this, the applicant is ideally pursuing a developer who will be able to retain the building as part of any redevelopment proposal. Consideration will be given to ensuring that any redevelopment proposed on site is compatible in scale and built form not only to surrounding development in the area, but also to the existing JCCC heritage building on the site.

City Wide Issues:None.

Conclusions:

The requested Official Plan amendment to permit residential uses is consistent with the existing C.9.199 policies as well as current industrial and housing policies. The applicant has indicated that they intend to submit a rezoning application in the near future. In order to address the zoning issues identified in this report, the applicant should also be submitting a geotechnical/slope stability report, a traffic impact study, and plans showing proposed recreational and commercial services and facilities.

Upon receipt of the zoning application, community consultation meetings will be scheduled, in consultation with the local councillors. A final recommendation report on the Official Plan and zoning amendment applications will be prepared which examines all pertinent issues, subsequent to community consultation.

Contact Name:

Malini Rawal, Planner

Phone: 395-7118Fax: 395-7155

Bryan Tuckey

Director, Community Planning, North District

Schedules:

A. Official Plan Map

B. Zoning By-law Map

C. Existing Site Plan

D. Specific Policy C.9.199