Date:October 29, 1998
To:Scarborough Community Council
From:Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP
Director, Community Planning, East District
Subject:PRELIMINARY EVALUATION REPORT No. 2
Official Plan Amendment Application P97026
Zoning By-law Amendment Application Z97064
IBI Group on behalf of Alex Irvine Motors Ltd.
Southeast corner of Lawrence Avenue East and Kennedy Road
Part of Lot 28, Concession D
Parts 1,2,4 and 5 of Registered Plan 66R-17759
Dorset Park Employment District
Scarborough City Centre
Purpose:
An application has been submitted by IBI Group on behalf of Alex Irvine Motors Limited to
amend the Dorset Park Employment District Secondary Plan and the Employment Districts
Zoning By-law (Dorset Park) with respect to a 2.95 hectare (7.29 acre) parcel located at the
southeast corner of Lawrence Avenue and Kennedy Road. Alex Irvine Motors is currently
located further east on Lawrence Avenue, and wishes to establish a larger and more modern
automobile dealership on the subject site. The applications seek to amend the Official Plan
to permit Highway Commercial uses, and to introduce implementing Highway Commercial
and Vehicle Service zoning, to provide for an automobile dealership and associated vehicle
maintenance and body repair services, as well as other uses to complement the proposal.
A Site Plan Control application (S97174) has also been submitted.
Financial Implications:
The expanded notification area will incur additional pressure on the Department's budget for
community consultation meetings.
Recommendations:
That Scarborough Community Council convene a Public Meeting to consider these
applications targeted for the first quarter of 1999, subject to:
1.Staff convening a community information meeting, with notice being provided to all
places of business and residences shown on Figure 4;
2.Staff completing a review of the traffic study and the Site Plan Control application; and
3.Staff providing notice of the said Public Meeting to assessed persons within 120 metres
(400 feet) of the subject property and to all those attending the information meeting who
request such notice.
Council Reference:
The first Preliminary Evaluation Report on these applications was considered by
Community Council at its meeting on February 18, 1998. The Extract is attached for
information.
With regard to the area to be notified of a community information meeting, the previous
Community Council direction was to nofity owners and residents in a large area north and
south of Lawrence Avenue extending west to Birchmount Road, as illustrated on Figure 4.
Background:
As noted in the previous report, these applications apply to a portion of the 7.4 hectares
(18.4 acres) of land north of the Scarborough Transformer Station which were declared
surplus by Ontario Hydro in 1996. In the Official Plan these lands are currently designated
General Industrial Uses in the interior and General Industrial Uses with High Performance
Standards along the Lawrence Avenue and Kennedy Road frontage. "Business Districts"
policies also apply. As shown on Figure 2, the zoning is "Industrial" (M) for a depth of
approximately 91 metres (300 feet) and "General Industrial" (MG) in the interior.
Shortly after staff had prepared the previous report, a new party contacted the department
with preliminary ideas for the development of the parcel east of the Alex Irvine lands with a
variety of sports and entertainment uses. The concept outlined by Lauridon Sports included
ice rinks, a bowling alley, an electronic games arcade and restaurants. Accordingly, all of
the subsequent analysis and evaluation of the Alex Irvine applications included the
requirements of the sports complex as well.
A Traffic Impact Study was prepared and submitted by IBI Group in May 1998. A team of
staff from the transportation planning area of Urban Planning and Development Services
and the Transportation Services Division of Works and Emergency Services reviewed this
study and held many meetings with the applicants and their consultants during the summer,
in an effort to resolve the access issues for the two projects.
In late September, staff learned that Lauridon Sports had decided not to complete the
purchase of lands from Ontario Hydro, and so Alex Irvine was left as the sole applicant in
this area. These applications now need to be considered on their own merits, while
recognizing that the balance of the surplus Hydro property at this location will eventually be
redeveloped.
Comments:
Since Alex Irvine Motors intends to locate on this prominent corner, high quality urban
design is a key concern. Direction has already been given by Community Council in this
regard, and will be taken into account when reviewing the Site Plan.
Access to this site is difficult, given the grade separation of Lawrence Avenue and the CN
railway immediately to the east, and the congested nature of Kennedy Road. Staff
investigated opportunities for and restrictions on driveways or new public roads connecting
to Kennedy Road. It was determined that a road or driveway opposite to Flora Drive could
be provided but that outbound left turns would not be possible, since the intersection is too
close to Lawrence Avenue to allow for traffic control signals.
IBI Group has now submitted a revised Traffic Impact Study which addresses only the Alex
Irvine Motors applications, as the original study also included the sports complex.
With regard to the community information meeting, staff are working on arrangements for it
to be held early in December 1998, in accordance with the Ward Councillors' calendars.
Community Council may now wish to consider a more limited notification area.
Conclusions:
The work which has been done in connection with the possible development of the eastern
part of the surplus Hydro lands for a sports and entertainment complex has provided a great
deal of useful information, which can be used as background for processing the Alex Irvine
Motors applications on their own.
The most important considerations in so doing are that some visibility for the easterly parcel
is retained, and that adequate access options are not precluded. The possibility of a new
public road to relieve the Kennedy/Lawrence intersection should continue to be explored,
and the current applicants should be required to provide their share of land or costs for such
a road, if necessary.
Contact Name:
Carolyn Johnson, MCIP, RPP
Acting Senior Planner, Transportation Division
(416)-396-5376
(416)-396-4265 Fax Number
cjohnson@city.scarborough.on.ca
Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP
Director, Community Planning, East District
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