Official Plan Amendment Application P97020

Zoning By-law Amendment Application Z97052

Petro Canada, 70 Guildwood Parkway

Ward 13 - Scarborough Bluffs

 The Scarborough Community Council, after considering the deputations and based on the finding of fact, conclusions and recommendations contained in the report, dated June 26, 1998, from the Commissioner of Planning and Buildings, Scarborough, recommends:

 (1)that the report of the Commissioner of Planning and Buildings, Scarborough, be adopted, and the Public Meeting under the Planning Act be concluded;

 (2)that the Commissioner of Planning and Buildings, Scarborough, be directed to bring forward the Site Plan Control Application to the meeting of The Scarborough Community Council scheduled to be held on September 16, 1998;

 (3)that the Bills to enact the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments not be presented to City Council for approval until the Site Plan is approved by the Community Council;

 (4)that the Director of Road and Traffic Services, Scarborough, be directed to report to The Scarborough Community Council on transportation issues in this area, i.e., access to and impact on the Guildwood Parkway; and

 (5)that the Ward Councillors, in conjunction with staff, form a Community Working Committee to work with the applicant toward a high quality of landscaping and building design structure.

 The Scarborough Community Council reports having held a statutory public meeting on July 22, 1998, in accordance with Section 17 and Section 34 of The Planning Act, and that appropriate notice of this meeting was given in accordance with The Planning Act and the regulations thereunder.

 The Scarborough Community Council submits the following report (June 26, 1998) from the Commissioner of Planning and Buildings, Scarborough:

 Purpose:

 The applicant proposes to amend the Official Plan - Guildwood Community Secondary Plan and the Guildwood Community Zoning By-law as it pertains to the vacant Petro Canada gas station property, at the north-west corner of Guildwood Parkway and Rowatson Road, by redesignating the site from Highway Commercial Uses to Medium Density Residential, and by rezoning the site to permit the development of 15 residential townhouses.

 Recommendations:

 It is recommended that City Council:

 (A)Official Plan:

 amend the Guildwood Community Secondary Plan with respect to the property located on the north-west corner of Guildwood Parkway and Rowatson Road, by deleting the Highway Commercial designation and substituting a Medium Density Residential (RM) designation and by adding a density of 55 units per hectare (23 units per acre);

 (B)Zoning By-law Amendment:

 amend the Guildwood Community Zoning By-law Number 9676, as amended, with respect to 70 Guildwood Parkway, being Lot 15, Concession D, by deleting the current Highway Commercial (HC) zoning and substituting a Multiple Family Residential Zone as follows:

 (1)Permitted Use: Multiple Family Residential;

 (2)maximum 15 residential dwelling units;

 (3)minimum building setback 4 metres (13 feet) from the street line of Rowatson Road, except that the door to the garage shall be set back a minimum of 5.7 metres (19 feet) from the street line. The space in front of the garage may be used for parking;

 (4)minimum building setback, 6 metres (20 feet) from the street line of Guildwood Parkway;

 (5)minimum side yard building setback for a row of townhouses, 2 metres (6.5 feet) from end wall to side lot lines;

 (6)maximum height 3 storeys;

 (7)an attached garage shall be erected with each dwelling unit;

 (8)a refuse storage room shall be provided on the site and be enclosed by at least four walls and a roof; and

 (C)authorize any unsubstantive technical, stylistic or format changes to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments as may be required to carry out the intent of this resolution.

 Background:

 (1)Site Statistics

 Site area:0.27 hectares (0.7 acres)

Frontage - Rowatson Road:41.5 metres (136 feet)

Guildwood Parkway:50 metres (165 feet)

Number of dwelling units proposed:15 townhouses

Proposed residential density:55 units per hectare (23 units per acre)

Proposed intensity of development:0.7 times the site area

Building coverage:33 percent

 (2)The subject site is vacant and it was previously occupied by a Petro Canada service station which has been demolished and the underground gasoline tanks have been removed. The site is bounded by one and two-storey single-family dwellings on the north, fourplexes to the east, low rise apartments and the Guildwood Plaza to the south, and a nursing home to the west. The land to the west containing the Extendicare Nursing Home is designated High Density Residential and zoned for apartments at a density of 75 units per hectare (30 units per acre). There are no trees of any significance on the subject property.

 (3)The Petro Canada site is designated Highway Commercial Uses in the Official Plan, permitting only service stations, automotive service centres, restaurants, hotels and motels.

 (4)The land is zoned Highway Commercial and permits Day Nurseries, Automobile Sales, service and maintenance uses excluding auto body repair and/or auto-wrecking yards, Funeral Homes, Fraternal Organizations, Hotels and Motels, Places of Worship, Professional and Business Offices, Recreational Uses, and Specialized Commercial Uses. The land is under site plan control. An application for site plan approval (S97161) has been submitted indicating how the applicant proposes to develop the land with 15 townhouses.

 (5)On March 4, 1998, Scarborough Community Council considered a Preliminary Evaluation Report on these applications and directed staff to convene a community information meeting, with notice to be provided within the area bounded by Kingston Road to the north, Prince Philip Boulevard to the west, Catalina Drive to the south and Livingston Road to the east. Notice was also to be given to the Community Association and posted at the local Library and the neighbourhood grocery store.

Community Council also directed that the applicant be advised to amend the Official Plan Amendment Application P97020, to replace the request for High Density Residential with Medium Density Residential. This would best reflect the reduction of the proposed townhouse units from 17 to 15 that resulted from discussions between City staff and the applicant. The applicant complied with this request.

 The Public Meeting was targeted to take place prior to the summer recess.

 (6)The Community Information Meeting was held on April 21, 1998. Approximately 446 notices were sent to property owners and tenants within the expanded area of circulation directed by Scarborough Community Council. Approximately 20 people were in attendance including the local Councillors, the applicant and his architect. Comments and concerns raised can be summarised as follows:

 The proposed density is too high. Reduce the number of units to 10 or 12.

Fourplexes would be acceptable;

The proposed development should be of high quality;

The Guildwood Parkway/Rowatson Road intersection/entrance to plaza are of concern because currently there are traffic and turning problems;

Pavement marking on Guildwood Parkway need to be repainted;

Need to widen Guildwood Parkway;

Car access and on-site parking need to be considered;

Will there be enough parking on site for residents and visitors? Residents in the area are getting parking tickets in front of their houses (3 hour parking restriction applies);

The proposal would be a positive addition once density and traffic problems have been addressed;

Information required on other development options for the site and their economic impact;

Proposed development will impact on existing parks facilities;

There may be an environmental problem on the site from the (removed) gasoline tanks. Is there an environmental report?

There may be water pressure problems on abutting residences on Rowatson. The 15 proposed units will impact on the existing water pressure.

 Comments:

 This revised proposal would implement the City's objectives to encourage the redevelopment of older Highway Commercial properties (typically vacant gas station sites and used car lots) to a more appropriate land use and built form. This proposal would introduce new housing stock at an appropriate scale to provide a transition from the predominantly single-family residential neighbourhood to the north, to the more intensively built forms as one approaches Guildwood Parkway. The proposed townhouses would complement the existing built form of the fourplexes on the east side of Rowatson Road and the low rise apartments on the south side of Guildwood Parkway. Furthermore, the proposal would provide for the gradation of densities from the High Density Residential designated lands along the east and north side of Guildwood Parkway (the Extendicare property), to the fourplexes on the east side of Rowatson Road.

 The Medium Density Residential designation of the Official Plan provides for a variety of dwelling unit types including townhouses, low-rise apartments and other such projects, to a maximum height of four-storeys and a maximum net density of 100 units per hectare (40 units per acre). In addition, the Official Plan provides for single and semi-detached dwelling unit forms within this designation.

Because the site is located near the business centre of the Guildwood Community and is surrounded by High Density and Medium Density designated lands on three sides, the proposed density of 55 units per hectare (23 units per acre) is considered appropriate for the development of this site and would provide for an appropriate form of housing, while at the same time it would remove the Highway Commercial designation.

 The applicant proposes to market the development with seven street townhouses on Rowatson Road and eight condominium townhouses with an access lane off Guildwood Parkway, as shown on the Figure to the right.

 Also, the revised plans provide a 6 metre (20 feet) setback from the Guildwood Parkway street line, to accommodate extensive landscaping and to ensure a "front yard" treatment along this important facade. The private open space between the two rows of townhouses is also proposed to be landscaped. These pleasant landscaping features would significantly enhance the development and provide a pleasant streescape on Guildwood Parkway.

 Because of the tight configuration of the site and to ensure that the high quality landscaping features proposed to best achieve the objectives of the City and the applicant, planning staff are of the opinion that the proposed 15 townhouse development can be best accommodated as a condominium, rather than the proposed mix of condominium and freehold options. The condominium form of tenure would best ensure the continuous viability and maintenance of the landscaping and design features proposed for this development.

 City staff and the applicant have reviewed a number of development options for this site, including options for underground parking and various other development configurations. The current proposal represents a feasible and economically viable development for the site. The proposed 15 townhouse units would have the potential to contribute a positive design image to the community. Staff will continue to work with the applicant and the community through the site plan process to ensure a high quality housing proposal will be provided on the site, in keeping with the "executive style" of development in the Guildwood Community.

 The applicant proposes to provide an attached garage with each dwelling unit and also has provided a parking space in front of each garage. This parking arrangement is considered adequate for this development, as it provides for two parking spaces for each dwelling.

 The application was circulated to technical agencies and departments for their comments. There were no comments or objections raised to the proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments by the reporting agencies.

 Planning staff have investigated the concerns raised at the Community Information Meeting regarding traffic problems at the plaza exit across from this site and also the water pressure concern in the vicinity of this application. According to our transportation staff, the proposed 15 townhouses can be expected to generate seven vehicle trips in the morning peak and eight in the evening peak, in total. According to Works Department traffic counts for 1991 and 1995, traffic volumes generated on Guildwood Parkway west of Livingston Road, have reduced over the four year period and the most recent volumes are considered to be very light for a 4-lane roadway. The projected traffic volumes to be generated by the proposed development would not have a significant impact on traffic in this area. Morning and evening peak hour trips generated from this development, would not impact on shopping trips to the plaza, which are generally spread throughout the day.

 Works Department staff report that the pavement marking program is well under way, and this area should be completed in the near future.

 With respect to the water pressure concerns, City staff have investigated the pressure on the water main in this area and report that the average static pressure was 62 to 64 psi, which is the normal water pressure in the system. It is very unlikely that there will be any noticeable difference to the residual water pressure in the area as a result of the addition of 15 new residential water services.

Petro Canada has undertaken to carry out the environmental decommissioning of the site, to meet the MOEE residential guidelines, only upon successful rezoning of the property. The work will be undertaken under the supervision of an environmental consultant. Upon completion of decommissioning, the applicant's environmental consultants will scrutinize the engineering reports and will issue a statement of clean up of the site.

 The applicant has also submitted detailed environmental reports for the removal of the gasoline tanks that took place in 1993-1994.

 Conclusions:

 The proposed Official Plan Amendment and rezoning of this land for the development of 15 town houses, will provide for the redevelopment of a vacant gas station site near the business centre of the Guildwood Community. The proposed development will provide for intensification and will introduce new housing stock at an appropriate scale, consistent with the former City of Scarborough Council's direction to provide for the redevelopment of the site with townhouses. The proposal will also provide for the removal of the Highway Commercial zoning. I therefore recommend that Scarborough Community Council support the request to amend the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law for this development.

 Contact Name:

 Aristotle Christou, Senior Planner

(416) 396-5228

(416) 396-4265 Fax No.

christou@city.scarborough.on.ca

  The Scarborough Community Council submits, for the information of City Council, the following communication (July 7, 1998) from Mr. John V. Langley, FRAIC:

 I bring to your attention the following:

 At the Public Meeting held on April 21, 1998 the presentation showed 17 units. It is gratifying to see this has been reduced to 15. The Community suggested a continuation of the fourplexes is a solution which would marry in better with the single to one and half storey dwellings on Rowatson and would allow 12 units on site.

 The major concern is still the traffic. In the 10 years that I have been resident here I am not aware of any in depth traffic count being made on Guildwood Parkway west of Livingston. Also, contrary to the report, there has been an increase in the morning and evening traffic during the last few years west of Livingston. The proposed development will have an impact on the traffic in this area and particularly in the evening when the occupants of units 8 to 15 will have to make a U-turn at the already hazardous turn to Rowatson. There is a lot of afternoon and evening traffic coming west to the shopping centre that turns at the Rowatson junction. The statistics provided by the Works Department seems low in that it seems to infer that of the 30 potential adults (and perhaps more with young adults) only 7 will be involved in the peak traffic period. This does not seem to be the pattern on Rowatson.

 I was under the impression that a side yard for this type of development had to be 8 ft. to the property line rather than 6 as covered in the report. Does this allow sufficient space in the event of fire or does the fire truck back in off Guildwood Parkway?

The comment regarding 'proposed' landscaping between the two rows of housing should be changed, i.e. top of page 5, second line '...townhouses will be landscaped'. The recommendation regarding condominium form of tenure is extremely valid as it will be essential that this landscaping be maintained.

 There is no mention in the report of the concern with school buses using Rowatson and the impact they may have on the proposed development.

 Mr. John V. Langley appeared before the Community Council in connection with the foregoing matter and brought to the attention of the Members his comments contained in the foregoing communication.

 Mr. Vahe Kouyoumdjian, representing the applicant, appeared before the Community Council in connection with the foregoing matter and expressed support for the staff recommendations.