September 2, 1998

To:Toronto Community Council

From:Angie Antoniou, Acting Assistant Director, By-law Administration and Enforcement, City Works Services

Subject:Request for Angled Driveway Widening at 228 Blackthorn Avenue (Davenport)

Purpose:

To report on a request for angled driveway widening which does not meet the requirements of Municipal Code Chapter 248, Parking Licenses, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code. As this is a request for an exemption from the by-law, it is scheduled as a deputation item.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Not applicable.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that City Council deny the request for an exemption from the by-law to permit angled driveway widening at 228 Blackthorn Avenue, as such a request does not comply with Chapter 248 of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code due to insufficient space to meet the required clearance from back of the City sidewalk and the landscaping requirements.

Background:

At its meeting on July 22, 1998, Toronto Community Council had before it a communication (July 16, 1998) from Councillor Disero, respecting angled driveway widening at 228 Blackthorn Avenue, and requested me to report to its meeting of September 16, 1998.

Comments:

Ms. Stella Kneebone, owner of 228 Blackthorn Avenue, submitted an application for driveway widening in March 1992, to park adjacent to the mutual driveway fronting the property. The application was refused due to insufficient space to accommodate the parking space and due to the width of the mutual driveway being greater than 2.44 metres in width, as this did not meet the criteria of the former City of Toronto Zoning By-law 438-86 which governed driveway widening at the time of the application.

Driveway widening is currently governed by the criteria set out in Municipal Code Chapter 248, Parking Licences, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code. On July 5, 1996, Chapter 248 of the Municipal Code was amended by By-law No. 1996-0363. The current criteria of the Code requires that:

(a)the parking space be perpendicular to the sidewalk;

(b)the parking area be located no closer than 0.3 metre to the rear edge of the sidewalk or to any portion of the building;

(c)in the case where the parking area cannot be located perpendicular to the sidewalk, the entrance to the angled parking area and the vehicle must be no closer than 2.0 metres to the rear edge of the sidewalk;

(d)a minimum of 50% of the area on private property fronting the building to be landscaped open space, and a minimum of 15% of the area to be soft landscaping;

(e)on the City boulevard, a minimum of 15% of the area must be soft landscaping and all other areas other than the walkway and the parking pad must be soft landscaping;

(f)the parking area be paved using semi-permeable paving materials.

We have investigated the feasibility of angle parking at this location and have determined that it does not meet the provisions of Municipal Code Chapter 248, Parking Licences, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code for the following reasons:

1.There is insufficient space to accommodate an angled parking space and still meet the 2.0metres setback from the sidewalk;

2.Landscaped open space and soft landscaping requirements on private property cannot be met.

The existing steps that lead to the front entrance of the property are situated 4.5 metres back of sidewalk. In order to provide the 2.0 metres setback requirement from the sidewalk, and provide sufficient space to accommodate a standard mid-size vehicle, major modifications to the steps and entrance to the property would have to be made. In addition, even with modifications to the steps and entrance to the property, the location would still not meet the landscaping requirements under the Municipal Code.

Conclusions:

The present configuration of the front yard at 228 Blackthorn Avenue does not provide sufficient clearances for angle parking. In addition, even if the owner was to modify the steps and the building entrance to accommodate the setback requirements of 2.0 metres back of sidewalk, the landscaping requirements required under the Municipal Code could not be met. Under the circumstances, this request should be denied by Council.

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

Nino Pellegrini, 392-7778

Acting Assistant Director

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