February 3, 1998

To: Scarborough Community Council

From: Lorne Ross, MCIP, RPP.

Commissioner of Planning and Buildings

Scarborough Office

Subject: PRELIMINARY EVALUATION REPORT

Official Plan Amendment Application P97020

Zoning By-law Amendment Application Z97052

Petro Canada

70 Guildwood Parkway

Lot 15, Concession D

Guildwood Community

Scarborough Bluffs

The applications propose to amend the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law for a 2630 m5 (28,310 square feet) vacant site located on the north-west corner of Guildwood Parkway and Rowatson Road, by redesignating the site from Highway Commercial Uses to High Density Residential, and by rezoning the site from Highway Commercial Uses to allow the development of 17 residential townhouses. A Site Plan Control Application (S97167) has also been submitted.

1. That the applicant reduce the number of residential units to achieve an appropriate building massing and operational design to resolve compatibility and access issues;

2. That staff continue to process the amended applications in the normal manner and convene a community information meeting with notice to be provided to assessed property owners within 120 metres (400 feet); and

3. That Scarborough Community Council convene the Public Meeting to consider these applications during the second quarter of 1998.

1. The site is located in the business centre of the Guildwood Community and is surrounded by fourplexes to the east, a low-rise apartment and the Guildwood Plaza to the south, a nursing home to the west, and single-family homes to the north. The site previously contained a Petro Canada service station that has been demolished and the underground gasoline tanks have been removed.

In April 1996, the Council of the former City of Scarborough, considered a staff report of the Commissioner of Planning and Buildings known as the AVacant Gas Station Study@. Council directed staff to undertake a program of City-initiated Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments (through consultation with the property owners, the Ward Councillor, adjacent residents and affected community associations), to redesignate and or rezone several vacant service station sites, including the subject site, in order to provide for residential redevelopment options.

The AVacant Gas Station Study@ concluded that the subject site at 70 Guildwood Parkway, is ideally suited for residential development similar in character with the pattern of land use currently existing on the surrounding properties.

2. Staff commenced the City-initiated Official Plan and Zoning Amendment applications in 1997. At that time, we were advised by Petro Canada, the land owner, that they were negotiating the sale of the property with a developer and applications for a town house development would be submitted shortly. These files have now been closed.

3. Applications for Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment were filed on September 30, 1997, by the applicant, proposing 8 street townhouses fronting on Rowatson Road and 9 block townhouses on an interior road with access off Guildwood Parkway.

Recognising that Guildwood is an AExecutive Style@ Community, Planning staff have worked with the applicant and the architect to ensure a high-quality housing proposal will be provided on this site, similar in quality to recent developments in Scarborough, such as at Port Union and Lawrence, Birchmount and Ellesmere, and Harmony Village at Sheppard and Meadowvale. Specific issues under review include: building massing, relationship of site to existing single-family dwellings to the north, presentation of development to Guildwood Parkway, and access to the site from Guildwood Parkway and Rowatson Road. The applicant has verbally agreed to reduce the total number of units to 15 townhouses, provide a six metre (20 feet) setback from Guildwood Parkway, and provide a landscaped strip along the west property line for the abutting nursing home. Revised drawings depicting the revised proposal were not yet available at the writing of this report. Staff will continue to negotiate the concept with the applicant.

4. The High Density Residential designation in the Official Plan provides for townhouse and apartment developments to a maximum net density of 150 units per hectare (60 units per acre). By reducing the number of dwelling units from the proposed 17 on this site, the density would be well bellow the maximum net density of 100 units per hectare (40 units per acre) permitted in the Medium Density Residential designation of the Official Plan. Therefore, the Medium Density Residential designation would be more appropriate for this proposal.

5. The applications, as originally submitted, have been circulated to Departments and agencies, and comments received have been forwarded to the applicant. The following information is required to support the proposal at this time: a Servicing Report addressing on-site drainage and Storm Water Management, and a Decommissioning Report (Environmental Impact Study), to assess soil contamination and removal.

6. The application to develop this vacant gas station site with residential townhouses, has generated some interest in the Community and one letter in opposition to the application has been received. Staff propose to convene a community information meeting to discuss the proposal with the area residents.

Potential Benefits

The proposed residential townhouse development would fit well with the surrounding single and multiple-family residential uses, has the potential to contribute a positive design image to the community, and would be preferable to some of the commercial and auto-related uses currently permitted on this site.

Potential Concerns

There is an existing median on Guildwood Parkway that would present potential transportation implications for access to part of the proposed development. Vehicles eastbound on Guildwood Parkway wishing to access the westerly part of the proposed development, would require to make a U-turn on Guildwood Parkway, or a curb cut may be required to provide left-turn movements into the site.

Contact Name:

Aristotle Christou, Senior Planner

(416) 396-5228

(416) 396-4265 Fax No.

christou@city.scarborough.on.ca

Lorne Ross, MCIP, RPP

Commissioner of Planning and Buildings

ATC/KS/atc