(Report dated June 4, 1998, addressed to Scarborough Community Council, from the Commissioner of Planning and Buildings.)

Subject:PROPOSALS FOR A NEW DIRECTION, Former Scarborough Transportation Corridor Lands Study, Phase 3 - St Clair Avenue to Eglinton Avenue (W96052) Cliffcrest Community, Birchmount Park and Knob Hill Employment Districts, Scarborough City Centre and Scarborough Bluffs

Purpose:

To seek authority to give notice under the Planning Act of a Public Meeting to consider Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to provide for a variety of uses on the affected lands illustrated on Figure 1 below.

Recommendations:

1.That the Scarborough Community Council convene a Public Meeting targeted for the third quarter of 1998 in the evening, to consider amendments to the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law generally as indicated by the draft policies in the Appendix, and as outlined on Figures 5 and 6; and

2.That Notice of this Public Meeting be given by direct mail to all interested parties who have requested notice through the study process to date, agencies, Community Associations in the area, and property owners and tenants within 120 m (400 feet) of the affected lands, as indicated on Figure 2.

Background:

On January 7, 1997, the former Scarborough Council adopted Terms of Reference for a planning study of the section of the former Scarborough Transportation Corridor running from St Clair Avenue to Eglinton Avenue. This corridor remains as a Special Study Area designation on the relevant Secondary Plan maps, as shown on Figure 3, although it has been removed from Metroplan and the Roads Plan of the Scarborough Official Plan. As well, there are some related land use designations and policies in the Secondary Plans which specifically refer to the former corridor, and which are no longer needed.

Following an introductory community meeting in April 1997, several Working Group meetings were held with interested residents and landowners in the area, to develop an understanding of the planning issues and agree on some preliminary direction for future development of the vacant lands.

These findings were detailed in a Discussion Paper prepared in September 1997 and received by Scarborough Council at its final meeting. The former Scarborough Council directed that the Discussion Paper be circulated for comment, that at least one more community meeting be convened to present the study findings to date, and that I report early in 1998 on a Public Meeting process to implement the study recommendations.

The former Scarborough Council also directed staff to bring forward Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to provide for parkland on the McCowan Road site, which had been acquired for a works yard, and on part of the lands owned by the former Metropolitan Corporation on the east side of McCowan Road.

Comments:

In September 1997, CN Rail responded to a preliminary letter introducing the study, and noted that any development adjacent to the rail right-of-way would be required to comply with its noise, vibration and safety standards.

To date, the circulation of the Discussion Paper and Scarborough Council resolutions in mid-October 1997 has resulted in a number of replies.

Staff of other departments have commented as follows:

Works and Emergency Services:

Water supply and sanitary sewer capacity is available; an equivalent population of 14,280 can be allocated for sanitary flow in the Don drainage area of the Scarborough District;

Sewers exist for the lands west of McCowan Road but storm sewers will require special conditions to avoid surcharging the existing infrastructure. Engineering staff strongly recommend that planning for these City lands be carried out in conjunction with CLC, CNR and other private ownerships in the area;

Access to the lands at Midland and St Clair Avenues is available from Midland, and transportation staff are prepared to consider reduced road allowances in future development proposals.

Real Estate:

The proposed designations appear reasonable; residential uses rather than parkland for the property on the west side of McCowan Road north of Oakridge Drive would be preferable.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) generally concurs with the Discussion Paper recommendations, and supports suggestions for a Agreenway@ which would maintain a component of the natural fabric in the area, and could eventually link to the Waterfront Trail. TRCA staff also recommend the preparation of a servicing master plan for this area in order to properly manage stormwater which could otherwise adversely impact area streams.

The Canada Lands Company (CLC), which owns property between Midland Avenue and Brimley Road abutting the study area, has responded expressing support for residential uses on its lands. CLC recently received approval for a severance application, and is actively marketing the lands to the development industry. Planning staff have held preliminary discussions with prospective purchasers of the CLC lands, regarding residential uses and conceptual plans of subdivision. Very recently, CLC has written agreeing to its lands being included in this study and in the amendment application.

As a result of the CLC lands being offered for sale, planning staff have held discussions with Metropolitan Life, the owners of the former Livingston warehouse property which abuts the CLC lands. The intention of the discussion was to ascertain their plans for the property and obtain their agreement with the proposed redesignation of the site for residential uses. A letter confirming the concurrence of Metropolitan Life with this proposal has just been received; the letter notes that the company is particularly interested in preserving its future ability to tie into surrounding residential services and access.

A member of the Cliffcrest Community Association, who was part of the Working Group, has written requesting that the AMetro@ property abutting the AScarborough@ lands west of McCowan Road be included in the proposed park designation, and that a buffer be designated between the Oakridge Drive residential area and the Skagway Avenue industries.

No written responses have been received from the various school boards. However, a brief meeting with the school planner for the Scarborough section of the Toronto District School Board indicated that school accommodation is available for all grades.

Community Meeting:

A further community meeting, with the Scarborough Bluffs ward councillors present, was held on March 26, 1998 to discuss the study outcomes so far, and obtain further input. Staff outlined the currently proposed land uses along the corridor, which were generally endorsed by the community.

Staff also presented three possible development options for the corridor lands east of McCowan, comprising a single-loaded street connected to the abutting subdivision which would support single-family homes, together with a green buffer and pedestrian/bicycle path. This concept had been adopted by the former Scarborough Council in connection with the approval of the abutting plan of subdivision, which is now under construction by Blueblood Developments. However, the community is very concerned about the need to preserve wildlife habitat along the south side of the new community, and to also provide for walking and cycling in a Agreenway@, and expressed strong support for only park or open space uses.

Evaluation and Response:

Access to the ASt Clair Triangle@ at the northwest corner of St Clair and Midland Avenues is severely constrained by the two railway underpasses, but there is one opportunity opposite the existing access to the CLC property on the east side of Midland Avenue. The site has limited development potential due to the access issue: if residential uses are proposed, then the railway set-back requirement also comes into play. Staff explored these constraints in developing options for the site and concluded that a network of public streets to serve ground related housing would take up too much land for a viable project. Discussions with several developers indicated that a low-rise apartment form could best fit the constraints, and so the Medium Density Residential designation is proposed to replace the Special Study Area at this location. Residential uses would then suggest that the site be moved from the Birchmount Park Employment District into a residential community: Cliffcrest would be most appropriate.

The other issues of stormwater management, preservation of the environment, efficient use of infrastructure through reduced road allowances, and bicycle and pedestrian routes are recognized and looked after through the draft development policies attached as an Appendix.

Staff are in agreement with the comments that the lands between Midland Avenue and Brimley Road should be developed comprehensively, and to this end we have proposed policies which require an overall development concept with the option of phased construction.

Figure 4 illustrates land ownership in this area.

Real Estate Value:

The publicly-owned lands were originally acquired with public funds for the construction of an expressway. Since the expressway idea was abandoned, the lands were retained for possible transportation uses over many years. Finally, the City has an opportunity to recoup some of that expense through the sale of at least part of the corridor lands to the private sector for development. As a result of the consultation which has taken place through this study, it appears that the most appropriate section for disposal lies between St Clair Avenue and Brimley Road. Real estate staff are currently evaluating these lands for possible sale, and are preparing a separate report for the Corporate Services Committee.

East of Brimley Road, the corridor forms a buffer between industrial uses on Skagway Avenue and residential uses on Oakridge Drive and has poor development potential, except for the most easterly portion fronting on McCowan Road. East of McCowan Road, the corridor lands have some development potential, while respecting the community preference for another natural buffer between the existing homes along Colonial Avenue and Adanac Drive, and the new homes lying south of the railway.

Official Plan

The existing Official Plan designations for the study area and its surroundings are shown on Figure 3.

The proposed amendment to the Official Plan would delete the existing Special Study Area and Industrial Area Uses within the study area outlined on Figure 1, as well as the Neighbourhood Commercial designation on the Bellamy Tot Lot, the Low Density Residential designation immediately north of Oakridge Drive, and the Low Density Residential designation with numbered policy 7 on the lands north of Adanac Drive. These designations would be replaced with a Park designation between Brimley Road and Bellamy Road South, an Institutional - Public Utilities designation on the GO station lands, and residential designations on the balance of the study area, as indicated on Figure 5.

Boundary changes to move the study area lands east of McCowan Road and west of Brimley Road into the Cliffcrest Community should be included as part of this amendment.

Recreation and Parks staff request that the lands on the west side of McCowan Road and north of Oakridge Drive be incorporated into the future park as passive open space, due to their steeply sloping topography and wooded nature.

East of Brimley Road, the corridor is a 60 m wide strip between the rear yards of the Skagway Avenue industries and the homes fronting on Oakridge Drive. Its current function as a buffer between the industrial and residential uses should be retained, and enhanced with the addition of a multi-use paved trail system.

West of Brimley Road, development of the corridor lands and the abutting property owned by CLC and Metropolitan Life should be planned in a comprehensive manner, while recognising that physical development is likely to be phased over many years. A key issue will be the connections between the new community and the existing street system, so as to minimize adverse impacts on area residents. For this reason, the proposed amendment would delete the connection of Andrew Avenue to Brimley Road as currently designated in the Cliffcrest Secondary Plan. As well, a series of guidelines and policies for the Cliffcrest Secondary Plan is proposed to guide development in this regard. Reduced road rights-of-way may also be considered so as to maximize the utilization of these irregularly-shaped development parcels.

Re-zoning in this area should be requested by the future developers. More detail with regard to height limits and densities should be explored in conjunction with such applications as well, although the Medium Density Residential designation in the Official Plan does impose maximum limits of 4 storeys and 100 units per hectare (40 units per acre) for a variety of housing forms including low rise apartments and townhouses.

As noted earlier, the community values natural areas which help to sustain wildlife corridors. City staff conducted a brief environmental survey last summer and noted several wetland pockets, valuable stands of trees, and interesting species, in various locations. Consideration should be given to preserving the most valuable portions of wildlife habitat during any development of the lands. A policy is suggested to be added to the Secondary Plan to ensure this preservation.

It is proposed that a multi-use trail throughout the study area be provided for through a new policy in the relevant Secondary Plans, and that its implementation be included in the work of the Rail and Hydro Corridor Trail Opportunities Study currently under way for the City Cycling Committee.

Zoning

Zoning changes to conform to the proposed new Official Plan designations are also proposed for parts of the study area where a future public use is intended. Accordingly, zoning changes to APark@ (P) and AInstitutional - Public Transit@ (I-PT) are proposed as shown on Figure 6, and the lands east of McCowan Road should be moved into the Cliffcrest Community Zoning By-law. Re-zoning of the former Works Yard site to APark@(P) would require an Exception to permit the Children=s Safety Village which is to be located somewhere within this site, since the uses permitted in a APark@ zone are required to be owned and operated by a public authority, and do not include education.

Other zoning amendments for residential uses, to meet the intent of the amended Official Plan are expected to accompany draft plan of subdivision applications from the development industry in due course.

Conclusions:

The study process to date indicates that agencies and the community are generally supportive of the designations outlined in this report. Initiation of statutory notice will elicit further comments from agencies and the public. Comments arising from this consultation process will assist in finalizing our recommendations, which will be provided to the Community Council in a Recommendation Report for consideration at the Public Meeting. To allow time to prepare the report, and the required draft amendments, the Public Meeting should be targeted for the third quarter of 1998.

Contact Name:

Carolyn Johnson, MCIP, RPP

Acting Senior Planner, Transportation - Strategic Planning & Legislation Division

(416)-396-5376

(416)-396-4265 Fax Number

APPENDIX

DRAFT PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

1.When considering development applications, Council shall encourage consolidation of properties to achieve a comprehensive development which allows for a logical road pattern and overall stormwater management, while remaining compatible with the existing single family homes in the area and the businesses along St Clair Avenue. Council shall consider proposals for phased development to allow for the availability of portions of the property over time.

 2.The road network to serve new development shall provide a grid system based on connections to Brimley Road, St Clair Avenue and Midland Avenue, while minimizing the impact of new traffic on the existing residential streets in the area. Council may consider reduced rights-of-way to allow for the efficient use of the new infrastructure through double-loaded streets, while ensuring the safe and orderly movement of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

3.Proponents of development shall submit technical studies covering transportation impacts, stormwater management, environmental impacts, tree preservation and provision of piped services. Consideration shall be given to designing managed wetlands to retain and purify stormwater run-off from developed areas while preserving existing wetland habitat.

4.Residential development on lands abutting the railway shall be designed to minimize the impact of noise and vibration, and shall be set back from the railway in accordance with the requirements of the railway company.

5.The boundary between medium and low density residential development shall be determined in conjunction with detailed development applications.

6.Council supports the implementation of a continuous bicycle and pedestrian route from St Clair Avenue to Bellamy Road, subject to a safety audit and public consultation on the detailed route and design.

(Maps and drawings, are on file in the office of the City Clerk.)