October 22, 1998

To:Toronto Community Council

From:Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services

Subject:Preliminary Report on Application No. 298006 for an Amendment to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to Permit the Construction of 13 Detached Dwellings and 42 Semi-Detached Dwellings at 275 Wallace Avenue (Ward 21- Davenport)

Purpose:

To introduce and recommend public consultation regarding a proposal to construct 13 semi-detached and 42 detached dwellings on recently-vacated industrial lands.

Source of Funds:

Not applicable.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that I be requested to hold a public meeting in the community to discuss the application and to notify owners and residents within 120 metres of the site and the Ward Councillors.

Comments:

1.Site

The proposed development site is 1.34 ha. (3.3 acres) in size with frontage on both Wallace Avenue and Paton Road. The lands were the former site of Anchor Cap and Closure/Crown Cork and Seal a manufacturer of bottle caps and other goods. The closure of the plant occurred late in 1997 and the former industrial building is currently under demolition.

To the immediate west of the site are low-rise semi-detached dwellings fronting onto both Wallace Avenue and Campbell Avenue. To the south of the site are newly developed semi-detached dwellings fronting onto the west side of Rankin Crescent and a recently established city park, Erwin Krickhahn Park, on the west side of Rankin Crescent. To the east of the site is the CN Newmarket Subdivision Rail line which currently has 2 Go trains a day and very little freight traffic. On the other side of the rail corridor is Cangel, a gelatin factory. North of the site, at 258 Wallace Avenue is a building which houses a number of small businesses, the majority of which are related to the film industry.

2.The Proposal

The applicant is proposing to continue Rankin Crescent north to intersect with Wallace Avenue. On the lands between the CN rail corridor and the east side of the new road, it is proposed to provide a 5.9 metre landscaped berm, then a 5 metre wide laneway, and 20 semi-detached and 11 detached dwellings. The dwellings fronting on the east side of the new road would have vehicular access to garages off the new rear laneway. The proposed lots on the east side of the new roadway vary in length between 26 and 27.8 metres and vary in lot width between 5.4 and 7.1 metres. The proposed dwellings on the east side of the new road are proposed to be 3 storeys in height.

The applicant is proposing to construct 2 detached and 22 semi-detached two-storey dwellings on the west side of the new road, adjacent to the existing 2-storey semi-detached dwellings fronting on Campbell Avenue. The proposed lots on the west side of the new roadway would vary in length between 27 and 30 metres and would have widths between 5.8 and 6.8 metres. The dwellings on the west side of the new road are proposed to have front integral garages. The overall development would have a built residential density of approximately .83 times the lot area.

3.Current Official Plan and Zoning Designations

The lands are currently designated Restricted Industrial in both the Part I and Part II Official Plans. This Plan designation would not permit residential uses, and an Official Plan Amendment is therefore required for the residential development proposal.

The lands are currently zoned I2 D2 which permits a range of industrial uses at a built density of 2 times the lot area. As residential uses are not permitted in an AI2" zone district, a rezoning would be required.

4.Planning Issues

i)Rail Safety Setback

Immediately to the east of the property is the CN Newmarket Subdivision Rail Corridor that currently carries a very limited amount of freight and 2 Go trains per day, one northbound and one southbound, between Union Station and Bradford. In 1996 CN began a formal abandonment process, but stopped due to the desire of municipalities to preserve essential transit rail corridors. The rail corridor will likely continue to exist in the foreseeable future and there is a need to set any new residential structures back from the rail corridor. The applicant has proposed to set the rear wall of the dwellings approximately 22 metres from the CN rail corridor, separated by a landscaped berm, a rear laneway, a concrete garage and rear yard. The application has been circulated to CN Rail to determine whether they deem the proposed setback to be adequate.

ii)Compatibility with Existing Residential Development in the Area

Section 2 of the Junction Triangle Part II Plan states that it is the policy of Council to ensure that future residential development in the Junction Triangle should provide housing primarily for low-to-moderate income households, in a form that physically complements the low-rise street-related nature of existing residential buildings. The proposal would continue the existing street pattern and create lots and low-rise dwellings similar in scale to those existing on adjacent residential streets.

iii)Compatibility with Adjacent Industrial Uses

The owner of the building at 258 Wallace Avenue, which contains Wallace Avenue Studios and other small film-related firms, has already submitted a letter to the City of Toronto objecting to any residential redevelopment of the lands at 275 Wallace Avenue. The owners of 258 Wallace Avenue fear that residents of a new housing development would eventually object to the studio=s 24-hour operations and would create additional parking problems in the neighbourhood.

The Cangel plant, a 24-hour operation manufacturing gelatin, is located east of the proposed development lands, across the rail corridor. There is a history of odour complaints associated with this plant. However, the recent installation of new scrubbers seems to have greatly alleviated the problem, except when there is a periodic mechanical breakdown. The operators of Cangel are concerned that future homeowners be cognizant of adjacent industries, and not be the source of future complaints about their operation.

iv)Retention of Industrial Lands for Industrial Purposes

Sections 9.16, 9.17 and 9.18 of the Part I Official Plan for the former City of Toronto set out Council=s policy for seeking to ensure that sufficient land is available in the City of Toronto to accommodate existing, new and relocating industrial firms, whose operations are suited to a City location. Section 9.18 states that Council will not consider redesignation of industrially designated land so as to permit any non-industrial use in Restricted industrial areas without first having considered a study of the area undertaken for the purpose of recommending Part II Plan policies. This study would have to have regard for matters such as:

a)the number and types of industrial firms and employees in the areas that would be adversely affected;

b)the impact on any surrounding industrial lands that would not be redesignated; and,

c)the environmental condition of the lands and the need for soil decommissioning.

Extensive research has been done this year on planning aspects of the Junction Triangle Neighbourhood in preparation for proposals to revise the Part II Official Plan. The final report on this application will outline changes in the industrial base of the community in the past decade and the potential re-use of the current 11 acres of vacated industrial land for industrial purposes.

v)Availability of Parks, Community Services and Facilities and School Capacity

There is a new park with extensive landscaping and a toddlers playground a block to the south of the proposed development, Erwin Krickhahn park. However portions of the neighbourhood to the west are lacking in substantial park space. The City of Toronto and the Dovercourt Boys and Girls club are operating a Asatellite@ community recreation centre on the ground floor of 21 Randolph Avenue, however, that centre is lacking in core funding which severely limits the programming of the site.

The availability of school capacity in the community to serve the new development is a critical element. The closest schools, Perth Avenue Public School and St. Luigi=s Separate School are both operating at or above enrolment capacity. The other separate school in the community, St. Rita=s on Edwin Avenue north of Dupont Street, is operating at slightly less than capacity enrolment. St. Josephat, an eastern rite separate school also occupies a portion of the St. Rita=s school site. St. Rita=s and St. Josephat are on the list of schools that are being reviewed for possible closure. It is important that the Separate School Board be cognizant of this and other development applications in the community that would further increase enrolment and require that St. Rita=s and St. Josephat remain in operation. This application has been forwarded to both the public and separate school boards for their comments.

vi)Ownership and Maintenance of the Landscaped Berm Area, Adequacy of Street and Lane

There is no indication in the application who would own and maintain the landscaped berm between the laneway and the rail corridor. This matter needs to be resolved early in the review process. The Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services will comment on the adequacy of the proposed street and lane to be conveyed to the City of Toronto.

vii)Integral Front Garages in Dwellings on West Side of New Street

Integral front garages are normally permitted only on lots that are a minimum of 7.6 m (25 feet) wide in order to maintain a well-landscaped streetscape. The proposed lots on the west side of the new street would have lot widths of only 5.8 to 6.8 metes and the impact of the proposed integral garages needs to be assessed.

viii)Environmental Remediation

The lands were recently used for the manufacture of metal products, and there are indications that the lands may be significantly contaminated. Full Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessment reports and a detailed site remediation scheme are required to be submitted for the consideration of the Medical Officer of Health as soon as possible.

Contact Name:Paul Bain

Telephone: 392-7622

Fax:392-1330

E-Mailpbain@city.toronto.on.ca

Beate Bowron

Director, Community Planning, South District

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APPLICATION DATA SHEET

Confirmed Municipal Address:275 Wallace Ave.

PLANNING CONTROLS (For verification refer to Chief Building Official)

PROJECT INFORMATION