January 29, 1998
To: Scarborough Community Council
From: Lorne Ross, MCIP, RPP.
Commissioner of Planning and Buildings
Subject: PRELIMINARY EVALUATION REPORT
Official Plan Amendment Application P97023
Zoning By-law Amendment Application Z97057
574780 Ontario Ltd.
8119 Sheppard Avenue East
Lot 4, Compiled Plan 10303
Rouge Employment District
Scarborough Malvern
Purpose:
The owner has applied for amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to permit a wide range of office, retail, restaurant, personal service, day nursery, educational and training facility uses in addition to the permitted industrial uses, on a 5,847 m5 (62, 938 square feet) vacant site located on the south side of Sheppard Avenue, east of Morningside Avenue, as shown on Figure 1. The proposed changes also include the deletion of the Open Space designation which currently applies to the easterly portion of the property.
Recommendations:
That the Scarborough Community Council convene a Public Meeting, targeted for the second quarter of 1998, subject to:
(a) the applicant submitting a Storm Water Management Study, Traffic Impact Study, proposed building elevations and landscape plan drawings; and
(b) the applicant revising the site plan to achieve a greater building presence along Sheppard Avenue and minimizing the number of access points onto Sheppard Avenue.
Background:
This rectangular site has a 100 metres (328 feet) frontage on Sheppard Avenue and a depth of
58 metres (191 feet). A watercourse traverses the easterly portion of the parcel. The creek is enclosed to the north and south of the subject site.
Office and industrial developments abut the north side of Sheppard Avenue, across from the site. Lands immediately to the south with a frontage on Morningside Avenue, zoned for industrial and office uses, accommodate a car repair business and storage of used automobile parts and other equipment. An Esso service station occupies the south-east corner of Sheppard and Morningside Avenues.
The Official Plan designates the subject lands General Industrial Uses with High Performance Standards, and Open Space to reflect the watercourse on the easterly portion of the property. The site is also subject to the ABusiness Districts@ policies permitting offices with ancillary commercial uses. The applicable policies do not permit commercial uses as a primary use on the property.
The site is zoned AIndustrial Zone (M)@ with a holding provision (H) which may be deleted when Council is satisfied that the municipal water, storm and sanitary sewers are adequate to serve the proposed development.
In 1996, Council redesignated industrial lands extending east of this site and further south along Milner Avenue to Special District Commercial to provide for commercial facilities offering a wide variety of goods and services, thus expanding the opportunity for the future development of this largely vacant area by permitting more diversified employment activities. A new Home Depot store soon to be opened on the abutting property to the east, constitutes the first phase of the development proposals envisioned for this area. Transportation improvements approved in conjunction with the Home Depot development, will also be of benefit to the current proposal.
In support of the proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-law changes, the applicant has also submitted a Site Plan Control application. The site plan proposal consists of two single storey buildings with parking for 115 cars. The owner indicated that a Wendy/Tim Hortons restaurant chain expressed an interest in developing the easterly building for a sit-in restaurant with two drive thru outlets. The use of the westerly building has not yet been determined. Discussions are ongoing with the applicant regarding the site plan application to address among other matters the location of the buildings and access points to the site.
Comments:
Potential Benefits
(1) The requested amendments would retain the existing industrial and office use permission, while also expanding the range of employment uses. The provision for a wider range of service and employment generating uses in this area would contribute to the local economy by generating growth in business, employment and assessment.
Potential Concerns
(1) Although the owner has submitted a Site Plan Control Application, the submission is incomplete. Furthermore, the site layout needs to be revised to better address the Sheppard Avenue frontage of the property and to rationalize the number of access driveways to the street. The recommendations of the traffic impact study and the storm water management report, both requested by staff, may further influence the proposed site organization.
(2) The easterly section of the property is traversed by the watercourse which the applicant proposes to enclose. Although both the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Works and Environment Department have no concerns with its enclosure, the owner is required to obtain any necessary permits from the Authority before undertaking any site works related to the creek.
Contact Name:
Anna Czajkowski, Senior Planner
Phone: (416) 396-7022
Fax: (416) 396-4265
E-Mail: czajkows@city.scarborough.on.ca
Lorne Ross, MCIP, RPP
Commissioner of Planning and Buildings
Functional Lead - Planning
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