September 30, 1998

To:Scarborough Community Council

From:Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP

Director, Community Planning, East District

Subject:NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN KNOB HILL AND CLIFFCREST

City Initiated Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment

Former Scarborough Transportation Corridor Lands Study

Phase 3 - St Clair Avenue to Eglinton Avenue (W96052)

Cliffcrest and Eglinton Communities, Birchmount Park and

Knob Hill Employment Districts

Scarborough City Centre and Scarborough Bluffs

Purpose:

This report presents recommendations to amend the Official Plan for the lands in the study area indicated on Figure 1, and to amend the Zoning By-law to implement the proposed land use designations for the new parkland and for the Eglinton GO Station.

This initiative introduces Low and Medium Density Residential designations west of Brimley Road, and a Park designation to the east. It also introduces an Institutional - Public Utilities designation for the Eglinton GO Station. A series of policies will guide the protection of the environment, the provision of services, the management of stormwater, and the phasing of construction as development opportunities arise. The wording of these policies has been modified slightly from the draft attached to the June 4 staff report, to better reflect standard Official Plan terminology, but the intent and effect remains the same. In terms of the City planning documents, the affected lands are to be removed from the pertinent employment districts and added to the abutting residential communities, in recognition of the proposed land uses.

The Official Plan Amendment (OPA) would remove the Special Study Area designation associated with the defunct Scarborough Expressway, and provide opportunities for the revitalization of this part of southern Scarborough. Apart from a portion of the GO station, the affected lands are owned by the City of Toronto, Canada Lands Company (CLC) and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company: these landowners concur with the proposed development opportunities represented by the land use changes recommended in this report.

Financial Implications:

Funding for the recommended District Park Master Plan Study will be addressed at the time Terms of Reference are brought forward.

Recommendations:

A.Official Plan

1.That Council amend the Birchmount Park Employment District Secondary Plan by replacing the Special Study Area designation on the north side of St Clair Avenue with a Medium Density Residential designation, and by transferring the lands bounded by St Clair Avenue, Midland Avenue and the railway to the Cliffcrest Community Secondary Plan;

2.That Council amend the Knob Hill Employment District Secondary Plan by:

2.1replacing the Special Study Area designation with Low and Medium Density Residential use designations west of Brimley Road, and with a Park designation east of Brimley Road: the northern boundary of the park to reflect the location of the GO station parking;

2.2deleting the Industrial Area Uses designation south of the railway, apart from the portion between the centreline of Brimley Road and the western boundary of the City-owned lands east of Skagway Avenue, and introducing:

a)Low and Medium Density Residential use designations west of Brimley Road;

b)a Park designation west of McCowan Road; and

c)an Institutional - Public Utilities designation for the Eglinton GO Station;

2.3transferring all of these redesignated lands south of the railway to the Cliffcrest Community Secondary Plan; and

2.4deleting the Industrial Area Uses designation north of the railway east and immediately west of McCowan Road, and transferring these lands to the Eglinton Community Secondary Plan: the boundary to be established along the southern edge of the railway;

3.That Council amend the Eglinton Community Secondary Plan by adjusting the southern boundary with the Cliffcrest Community to lie along the southern edge of the railway, and by extending the abutting designations to the north edge of the railway if necessary;

4.That Council amend the Cliffcrest Community Secondary Plan by:

4.1adding the lands referenced in Clause A.2.3 above;

4.2replacing the Low Density Residential designation east of McCowan Road with a Park designation;

4.3deleting the proposed connection between Andrew Avenue and Brimley Road;

4.4introducing a Medium Density Residential designation on the east side of Midland Avenue to the north of the Highway Commercial designation;

4.5replacing the Industrial Area Uses designation around Vivian and Jeanette Streets with a Low Density Residential designation;

4.6replacing the Neighbourhood Commercial designation west of Bellamy Road South with a Low Density Residential designation;

4.7replacing part of the Low Density Residential designation west of McCowan Road and north of Oakridge Drive with a Park designation;

4.8designating a bicycle/pedestrian path throughout the length of the study area from St Clair Avenue East to Bellamy Road South;

4.9replacing Numbered Policy 7 with the following:

7. East Side of McCowan Road, north of Oakridge Drive

Provision shall be made in the design and layout of parkland and/or trails to ensure adequate access and parking for the existing cemetery to the south;

4.10and introducing new Numbered Policy 9 as follows:

9. West of Brimley Road, south of the railway

1.When considering development applications, Council shall encourage consolidation of properties to achieve a comprehensive development which allows for an appropriate 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 permit portions of the lands to be developed 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, provided that the safe and orderly movement of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians is secured, and that public utilities and services can be accommodated.

3.Proponents of development shall submit technical studies addressing 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.

B.Zoning By-law

1.That Council amend the Employment Districts Zoning By-law No. 24982 (Knob Hill), as amended, with respect to the Eglinton GO Station and the vacant lands bounded by Brimley Road and Eglinton Avenues and the CN railway, by removing the lands and adding the lands to the Cliffcrest Community Zoning By-law No. 9396;

2.That Council amend the Cliffcrest Community Zoning By-law No. 9396, as amended, as follows:

2.1introducing a new "Institutional - Public Transit" (I-PT) zone, which permits Public Transportation Uses and ancillary commuter parking facilities;

2.2introducing a new definition, that Public Transportation Uses shall mean the use of land, buildings or structures, or portions thereof, for the operation of a transportation system which is provided by, or under the control of, a public authority, but excludes a transit vehicle maintenance yard and/or storage facility;

2.3with respect to the lands occupied by the Scarborough GO station parking lot, by deleting the existing "General Industrial" (MG) zone and replacing it with an "Institutional - Public Transit" (I-PT) zone;

2.4with respect to the vacant lands running from Brimley Road to Bellamy Road South, by deleting the existing "Industrial" (M), "General Industrial" (MG), "Special Industrial" (MS) and "Single Family Residential" (S) zones and replacing them with a "Park" (P) zone; and

2.5with respect to the new park land between the end of Skagway Avenue and McCowan Road, which is to accommodate the Scarborough Children's Safety Village, by introducing an Exception to add permission for Fraternal Organizations, Private and Public Educational Institutions, Private and Public Recreational Uses and Commercial Uses incidental thereto.

C.District Park Design

That Council direct the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism to bring forward Terms of Reference for a District Park Master Plan Study.

D.Other Matters

That Council authorize such unsubstantive technical, stylistic or format changes to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law as may be required to give effect to this resolution.

Background:

On January 7, 1997, the former Scarborough Council adopted Terms of Reference for Phase 3 of the former Scarborough Transportation Corridor Lands Study. This section of the corridor, which runs from St Clair Avenue East to Eglinton Avenue East, is shown on Figure 1.

Following two community meetings hosted by the Planning Department, a series of Working Group meetings involving interested residents and landowners in the area, and extensive agency consultation, staff recommend a series of changes to the Official Plan which provide new opportunities for development in the area. Figure 4 indicates the proposed Official Plan designations.

As noted in the staff report of June 4, 1998 entitled "Proposals for a New Direction", technical agencies and local residents are generally supportive of these proposals; the residents strongly support the retention of large amounts of green space, while agencies such as the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) have stressed the importance of appropriate stormwater management. There is support for residential development on the lands west of Brimley Road, and for the creation of a District Park on the lands immediately west of McCowan Road. A three-acre portion of that park site has been granted to the Scarborough Children's Safety Village for the establishment of a road safety training facility. The exact location is to be established as part of the overall park design, and there is some urgency for the park master plan study to begin so that the Safety Village site planning can also proceed.

A zoning review has also been carried out, and changes are proposed which will implement some of the proposed land uses detailed in this OPA. In particular, it is proposed to apply appropriate zoning to provide for the park and GO station uses. Staff are recommending that the lands which could eventually redevelop for residential uses retain their existing zoning for the present, and that Council await rezoning applications together with plans of subdivision, or other development proposals, from the private sector. Retention of the existing zoning will also permit the continuing operation of the warehouse business on Brimley Road north of Comrie Terrace.

Discussion:

Canada Lands Company has been actively marketing its holdings between Midland Avenue and Brimley Road since last winter, and staff understand that a sale is close to being finalized. It is likely that the successful purchaser will submit development applications in the near future. Should Council declare surplus its abutting holdings, then a comprehensive redevelopment, perhaps in stages, could take place. The proposed policies are intended to guide such a phased building programme for new housing on these lands, as well as on the Metropolitan Life property.

Development Considerations:

Part of the City-owned lands near the corner of Midland and St Clair Avenues is currently leased until 2002 for a golf driving range and mini-golf operation. This use could continue if the lands to the north were provided with underground services across the driving range, on the line of the unopened Vivian Road allowance which connects to St Clair Avenue opposite Chine Drive.

Additional access is available from Midland Avenue at the current driveway onto the CLC lands, and from connections to other existing local roads in the area. However, traffic impacts will have to be assessed and the impact on the existing community minimized in any future development. The proposed Official Plan Amendment includes the deletion of a previously planned connection between Andrew Avenue and Brimley Road, in order to reduce traffic infiltration into this community.

Access to the triangle west of Midland Avenue is also available from Midland, opposite to the driveway mentioned above, but not feasible from St Clair Avenue. Due to railway setback and access constraints, this site is not suitable for development on a public street, but could support a low-rise apartment or other medium density housing form.

Parkland Matters:

In view of the amount of new park land being proposed in the community, with good visibility from the quasi-public space of the GO station, planning staff recommend that the lands currently occupied by the Bellamy Tot Lot be redesignated for single family housing and considered for eventual development. Lots were laid out on this property under Registered Plan 4338 to front onto Bellamy Road. However, future development would be more compatible with existing development if the lots were reconfigured to front onto Adenac Drive. Lot 1, the most northerly of the group, would be retained in public ownership to provide access to the station and to the parkland to the rear.

Parks staff would prefer to retain the Tot Lot use, at least in the short term, and should be consulted prior to any decision to dispose of this property.

Now that the former Works Yard site on McCowan Road has been transferred to the park land inventory, the Cliffcrest Community is no longer deficient in Community and Neighbourhood park land. However, the actual park remains to be designed and developed. Parks planning staff in the Economic Development, Culture and Tourism Department can now be directed to bring forward Terms of Reference for a District Park Master Plan Study.

Conclusions:

The recommended amendments conclude another very successful land use study for part of the former expressway lands. With a high level of trust and confidence established between staff and members of Council and the local community, the processing of future development applications should be facilitated. The background knowledge and agency input has resulted in a good framework to guide such development.

As well, a range of land uses is proposed which meets the objectives of the City in several ways: retention of green space and protection of the environment; opportunities for a return on investment in land which may be released for sale and development; provision of infill housing in a location well served by public transit and other infrastructure; and potential revitalization of this area of the City.

Contact Name:

Carolyn Johnson, MCIP, RPP

Acting Senior Planner, Transportation Division

Telephone:(416)-396-5376

Fax:(416)-396-4265

E-mail:cjohnson@city.scarborough.on.ca

Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP

Director, Community Planning, East District

City Planning Division

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RECREPORT.02