Public Meeting in accordance with the Planning Act with respect to

Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment Applications submitted

by Martin Rendl Associates on behalf of the Greek Orthodox

Metropolis of Toronto in connection with 86 Overlea Boulevard

The East York Community Council after considering the deputations and based on the findings of fact and conclusions, recommends the adoption of the following report (September3, 1998) from the Director of Planning, East York Office:

The East York Community Council reports having held a statutory public meeting on September16,1998, in accordance with Section 17, Section 22 and Section 34 of the Planning Act, and appropriate notice of this meeting was given in accordance with the Planning Act and the regulations thereunder.

Purpose:

This is a report to the September 16, 1998 meeting of the East York Community Council. Its purpose is to provide Council with Staff recommendations on applications for Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments filed by M. Rendl Associates on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto. The applicants propose to convert approximately 1,815 m² (19,540.0 sq.ft.) portion of an existing 3,472 m² (37,375.0 sq. ft.) office building at 86 Overlea Boulevard to a theological school with living accommodations for up to 20 theological students, one residential suite for the Greek Orthodox Church's archbishop and a small museum and chapel.

Source of Funds:

There are no financial implications.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that Council approve the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment applications by Martin Rendl Associates on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto, to permit the use of existing premises at 86 Overlea Boulevard, currently operating as a religious and administrative headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Church, for the following additional uses:

• one 300 m² maximum gross floor area residential suite located on the fourth floor of the premises and intended for the exclusive use of the churches religious and administrative chief;

• a 775 m² maximum gross floor area, theological seminary located on the second floor of the premises and capable of accommodating up to 20 seminarians; and,

• a 740 m² maximum gross floor area chapel and museum.

Background:

Introduction:

Additional relevant information concerning the project's statistics, applicable planning framework etc., is contained in Staff's July 28,1998, Report to the August 26, 1998 Community Information Meeting. That report, is attached to this report as Appendix # 1, and it should be read together with this September 3, 1998, report.

Proposal:

These applications by Martin Rendl Associates, on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Church of Toronto request Council's approval of an Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments for an existing premises at 86 Overlea Boulevard. These premises are currently used as administrative offices for the Greek Orthodox Church of Canada. The amendments are required to allow the following additional uses:

• one 300 m² residential suite intended for the exclusive use of the church's religious and administrative head. This residence is to be located on the fourth floor, and will adjoin the church's administrative headquarters;

• a 775 m² theological teaching facility with accommodations for up to 20 seminarians. It is to occupy the entire second floor area of the building; and,

• uses ancillary to the primary office and teaching functions including a chapel and a museum.

Results of the August 26, 1998, Community Information Meeting:

This site is located within an industrial area which, during the formulation of this areas' Official Plan policies, had been the subject of considerable dialogue between municipal planning staff and local stakeholders. At that time, Planning Staff assured these stakeholders that we intended to ensure that our Official Plan policies restrict this area to largely employment generating uses and protect its status as a municipal centre and a nucleus of the municipality's employment activity. Thus, we considered it prudent to hold a Community Information Meeting to appraise them of this application and to obtain their input. The meeting was held on August 26, 1998. No one from the public attended the meeting.

Staff Comments:

Review of the Adequacy of the Proposed Parking -

The "Parking Demand Study" which was not available in time to be included in Staff's July 28, 1998 report, has now been submitted. It was prepared by Entra Consultants Inc., and it was submitted for our review on August 26, 1998. The study estimates the maximum weekday peak period demand for parking to be 56 parking spaces. This demand is less than the existing supply of 70 parking spaces. Based on this information and given the requirements of East York's Zoning By-law 1916 which equate to 63 parking spaces, the Transportation Engineer for the East York office has advised us that he considers the on-site parking supply to be sufficient.

Conclusion:

Staff recommend these applications for approval, based on the following considerations:

• the proposed residential and educational uses are being requested as part of a larger package of uses, the majority of which comprise uses that are already permitted;

• the proposed uses are supportive of and related to the primary use as an administrative centre of the Greek Orthodox Church, whose operations, in many respects are not like those of other conventional offices. The church's archbishop, for instance, also doubles as its chief executive and may be required to perform some of the functions of that position within a residential setting. Along the same lines, the seminary could be considered to be a training centre for the church's religious and administrative operations and thus an integral part of it's larger administrative operations;

• the site is located at the extreme periphery of the Overlea Boulevard business area and is separated from the majority of the area's office-industrial uses by other intervening uses - i.e. a religious office and a church;

• the additional uses will not involve any alterations to the external appearance of the existing building nor require any changes to the site design, parking areas and entrance locations or landscaping; and,

• the existing parking supply is adequate to meet the expected parking demand.

In accordance with the provisions of the Planning Act, a copy of the proposed amendment to the municipal Official Plan must be available at the public meeting. A copy of this document, demonstrating how the Official Plan would be amended is attached as Appendix #2 to this report. The draft Zoning By-law amendment is likewise available and can be obtained from staff on request.

Contact Name:

Jean Besz,

Senior Planner East York Community Office

(416) 778-2045-tel no.

(416) 466-9877-fax

planning@borough.eastyork.on.ca

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Appendix 1

The East York Community Council also submits for the information of City Council the following Preview Meeting report (July 28, 1998) from the Director of Planning, East York Office:

Purpose:

This is an report to the Community Information Meeting to be held by the Urban Planning Division, East York Office. It provides information regarding the proposed applications, outlines the relevant planning framework, and sets out various issues which will be considered in the preparation of Staff's final recommendation report. That report will be presented to the East York Community Council on September 16, 1998, at a Public Meeting and will be available for public examination approximately 2 weeks prior to that meeting.

The applications, which were filed by Martin Rendl Associates, on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto, request Council's permission to convert an existing 3 296.16 m² building to primarily an administrative centre for the Greek Orthodox Church of Canada with the following ancillary uses:

• one residential suite. It is to occupy 282.65 m² on the 4th floor, and adjoin the 728.31 m² main administrative offices;

• a theological school with living accommodations for up to 20 seminarians. It is to be located on the second floor and occupy the entire floor area of 772.80 m²; and,

• uses accessory to the administrative, religious and teaching functions of the church headquarters, including a library a chapel and a museum. These are to be located on the ground floor and occupy the entire floor area of 739.60 m².

These uses will be in addition to the existing offices which occupy the entire 772.8 m² of the building's third floor.

The introduction of the new uses will not involve any change to the external appearance of the existing building, nor will it necessitate any changes to the site layout. It will however require some internal alterations and re-configuration to the building's floor plates.

The applications are required because both East York's Official Plan and Zoning By-law 1916 prohibit educational and residential uses from locating within the "The East York Centre - Business Area" Official Plan designation and the "Business Centre " zoning.

Background:

Details of the Proposal:

The following is a summary of the information provided by the applicant:

• the existing building at 86 Overlea Boulevard is already being used as an office building to administer the affairs of the Greek Orthodox Church in Canada;

• the additional non-office uses proposed through this application are intended to support the primary administrative head office function and are related to that primary function;

• the proposed fourth floor apartment will be used to accommodate the church's ranking leader Archbishop Sotirios;

• the theological school is needed to train future priests for the church;

• the chapel on the first floor of the building is intended only for the use of the occupants. It will not be open to the public, although, it may on occasion be accessible to visiting church dignitaries; and,

• the proposed new uses will not involve any changes to the external appearance of the existing building or require any revisions to the site design, parking, entrance or landscaping.

Project Statistics:

• Site Area 3 115.0 m² (0.77 ac.)

• Building Size

Gross Floor Area (GFA) 3,296.2 m² (35,481 sq. ft.)

• GFA to be Devoted

to Residential Use282.7 m² (3, 034.1 sq. ft.)

• GFA to be Devoted

to Educational Use772.8 m² (8,318.6 sq. ft.)

• GFA to be Devoted to

Church Administration 728.3 m² (7,839.6 sq. ft.)

• GFA to be Devoted to

Accessory Uses i.e.

Library, Museum, Chapel739.6 m² (7,961.2 sq. ft.)

• GFA Devoted to

Office Uses with no

Affiliation to the Church772.8 m² (8,318.6 sq. ft.)

• Floor Space Index1.05 X the lot area

• Minimum Yard Setbacks

-Front-south

-Rear-north

-Side-west

-Side-east

• No. of Parking Spaces7 surface parking spaces

26 above ground, open air parking spaces

37 ground level, covered parking spaces

Total of 70 parking spaces 1 of which

will be reserved for disabled individuals

Site Description:

This site which is currently occupied by a 4 storey office building and a raised parking structure, is located on the north side of Overlea Boulevard, adjacent to the westerly slope of the Don River valley. Its vehicular access is restricted to William Morgan Drive, with no provision for any direct connection to Overlea Boulevard.

Surrounding the site are:

• across Overlea Boulevard Don River ravine and 2 high rise

residential apartment buildings

- (Leaside Towers);

• across William Morgan Driveinstitutional care facility for

the elderly - (Central Park Lodges)

and light industrial buildings;

• on the north and eastthe Don River ravine;

• on the westan office and, a church buildings

Official Plan Status:

Former Borough of East York's Official Plan

The site is designated "East York Centre - Business Area" in the East York Official Plan. This designation permits its use for business and professional offices, business services, and light industrial uses. The designation also specifically restricts residential uses and establishes appropriate designation specific development policies.

The use of the site is also governed by the policies of Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No.3. This OPA was approved on February 28, 1997, and it specifically prohibits the Zoning By-law from permitting new public or private educational uses on any lands designated as "East York Centre-Business Area". That OPA was approved by Council based on the findings of a study by Clayton Research Associates, which among other matters examined the impact of community uses like public and private educational, on the ability of the East York Centre to develop into a higher order urban centre. That study concluded that these types of uses tended to detract from the areas image and, if permitted, could eventually have a negative impact on its ability to attract new office and industrial uses.

Former Metropolitan Toronto Official Plan:

The former Metropolitan Toronto Plan designates this site "Intermediate Centre". Policies governing this designation require that area municipal Official Plans and Zoning By-laws ensure that:

• such lands are developed in a way that ensures a mix of uses with a concentration of employment activities, residential uses and other compatible uses and a high level of interaction between all these activities further fostered by readily available access to high capacity rapid transit;

• their development improves the overall employment/population balance within the local area;

• they function as a community focus, offering a range of activities including community, retail and business services; and,

• constitute focal points within former Metropolitan Toronto for residents and visitors by including a wide variety of government, institutional, retail, cultural and recreational uses and public buildings.

Zoning By-law Status:

The lands are zoned "Business Centre (BC). This zoning permits light industrial, office commercial and business service uses and it specifically prohibits residential uses.

Comments/Issues:

Are the Proposed Uses Appropriate

for this Location and Are they Supportable

on Basis of the Applicable Policy Framework ?

This application proposes to introduce residential and educational uses within a designation that specifically excludes them. These uses, however, are being requested as part of a larger package of uses, the majority of which comprise already permitted activities. The church's operation differs from that of other conventional offices. The proposed residence is to accommodate the church's archbishop, who also doubles as its chief executive, and who may well be required to perform some of the functions of that position within a residential setting. Moreover, the amount of the building's floor space which is to be converted to that use is relatively minor and the use itself can be further circumscribed. It can be restricted in terms of size and location and it can be linked to the administrative operation via the implementing Official Plan and the Zoning By-law amendments.

The seminary, although it fits into the definition of an educational use which Council specifically excluded from locating within the East York Business Area, could be considered a training centre for the church's religious and administrative functions. In this way, it is somewhat similar to in-house training facilities which are a normal adjunct to many offices. There is of course the additional complication that the seminarians will reside on the premises. Nevertheless, this will not be a conventional school and an argument can be made that it is an integral part of the church's larger administrative centre operation.

As regards the seminary school's impact on the area's image and its ability to attract new employment uses, it may be noted that this site is at the extreme periphery of the Overlea business area, that it overlooks a valley, that it is separated from the majority of this area's office-industrial uses by other intervening uses and, that the school is likely to seamlessly mesh with the other main administrative office activities conducted out of this building. Consequently, it may be difficult to effectively argue that it will have an observable impact on this area's overall image or that it will effect its marketability.

Are the Proposed Access

and Parking Adequate ?

Vehicular access to this site is obtained via one ingress and egress driveway off WilliamMorganDrive. This access has been in place since the building's construction and appears to have provided an adequate level of service.

Parking for the site consists of 70 parking spaces located in an above ground parking structure and xx ground level parking spaces. Transportation staff have requested a review of its adequacy to accommodate the newly proposed uses. The applicant has not been able to provide the study in time to be included in this report. He has however indicated that it will be available for presentation at the August 26, 1998, community meeting. We will provide a full review of this issue in our future recommendation report.

Will the Introduction of the Proposed

New Uses Affect this Area's Stability ?

If this application is approved, it may raise expectations for other residential and educational applications. The existing policies of the East York Official Plan which reserve this area for exclusively employment uses and which prohibit educational and residential uses, were established in the context of an independent East York. In that context the Overlea Boulevard area was to serve as a municipal "centre" and was to function as the nucleus of employment activity for the entire East York community. Now that the new City of Toronto has been formed, the relevance of maintaining it as an centre will be re-examined as a part of the new City of Toronto Official Plan review that is currently underway. That review, and the new City of Toronto Official Plan are expected to be completed in late 1999.

Contact Name:

Jean Besz,

Senior Planner East York Community Office

(416) 778-2045

(416) 466-9877

jbesz@borough.eastyork.on.ca

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The East York Community Council also submits the following draft Official Plan Amendment and draft By-law entitled "Appendix 2: Amendment Number 14 to the Official Plan for the Former Borough of East York":

Appendix 2

Amendment Number 14

to the

Official Plan for the Former Borough of East York

Part-One Preamble, does not constitute part of this Amendment.

Part Two - The Amendment, consisting of the text contained therein, and mapattached thereto and designated as Schedule "A", constitute Amendment No. 14 to the Official Plan for the former Borough of East York.

Part One

Preamble

1.Title

This is Amendment No. 14 to the Official Plan for the former Borough of East York.

Only that part of this Amendment entitled "Part Two - The Amendment" constitutes Amendment No. 14 to the Official Plan for the former Borough of East York.

2.Purpose

The purpose of this Amendment is to permit the establishment within an existing building at 86Overlea Boulevard of:

1.one 300.0 m² residential suite for the exclusive use of the Churches chief executive and further restricted to the building's fourth floor;

2.a 775.0 m² theological teaching facility with accommodation for up to 20 seminarians further restricted to the building's second floor; and,

3.uses ancillary to the primary office and teaching functions including a chapel and a museum.

The lands affected by this Amendment pertain to those lands located on the north side of OverleaBoulevard directly adjacent to the Don River ravine. Their municipal address is 86OverleaBoulevard.

4.Basis

The lands affected by this amendment are currently designated "East York Centre Business Area" in the Official Plan for the Borough of East York Planning Area. This designation generally restricts their use to offices, manufacturing enterprises and business service uses. In the past East York placed considerable emphasis on protecting this area's "Business Centre" status and on ensuring that proposed development furthers its role as East York's municipal centre. While in principle this emphasis continues to be important, it has to be tempered by other considerations such as the evolving trend towards a more diversified, mix of employment uses, the advent of uses such as the ones proposed at this location which often defy easy categorization, and, given the creation of the unified City of Toronto, the potential re-evaluation of the role of the Overlea Boulevard area as a municipal centre.

Planning Staff in the East York District and generally throughout the City are increasingly recognizing and attempting to respond to these trends. To date, in East York these responses have included the broadening of the range of non-industrial uses along various portions of Overlea Boulevard as well the expansion of the floor space devoted to retail sales permitted in association with manufacturing, and warehousing uses. Within that broader context, in our opinion, the residential suite and the proposed seminary school, can be recommended for approval.

Part Two

The Amendment

1.All of this part of the document entitled "Part Two" - The Amendment" consisting of the following text and the attached Schedule "A", constitute Amendment No. 14 to the Official Plan for the former Borough of East York.

2.The lands affected by this Amendment are shown on Schedule "A" to this Amendment as "Area Subject to Amendment".

1. Map 7 - Special Policy Areas of the Official Plan for the former Borough of East York is hereby amended by identifying certain lands located on the north side of Overlea Boulevard some 335 metres east of the northerly extension of Thorncliffe Park Drive, and shown on Schedule "A" to this Amendment as "Area Subject to Amendment", as "Special Policy Area 27".

5.The text of the Official Plan for the former Borough of East York is hereby amended by adding a new Section 3.15.27, immediately following Section 3.15.26, as follows:

"3.15.27 - Special Policy Area 27

3.15.27.1Notwithstanding the policies of Section 3.1, "East York Centre - Business Area", of the Plan, the zoning by-law may permit the premises located at 86 Overlea Boulevard and designated as Special Policy Area 27, on Map 7 of this Plan to be used for the following additional uses:

a)one residential suite which shall be reserved for the exclusive use of the religious and administrative chief of the church using this premises as its administrative headquarters, which shall be no larger than 300.0 m² in gross floor area and which shall be confined to the building's fourth floor;

b)a maximum 20 student theological seminary which shall be no larger than 775.0 m², in gross floor area and which shall be confined to the building's second floor; and,

c)uses ancillary to the building's primary church administration headquarters function, which shall consist of chapel and a museum, and the total combined gross floor area of which shall be no larger than 740.0 m².

Authority:East York Community Council Report No. ( ) ,1998

Intended for first presentation to Council: ,1998

Adopted by Council:,1998

Bill No.

City of Toronto

By- Law No.

To adopt Amendment No. 14 to the Official Plan

for the former Borough of East York

Affecting the Lands Located on the North Side of Overlea Boulevard

adjacent to the west side of the Don River Ravine.

The Council of The City of Toronto Hereby Enacts as follows:

1.That the attached Amendment No. 14 to the Official Plan for the former Borough of East York consisting of Part Two of the accompanying document, is hereby adopted pursuant to the Planning Act, 1990.

Enacted And Passed this day of A.D. 1998

Mel Lastman,Novina Wong,

MayorCity Clerk

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The following persons appeared before the East York Community Council in connection with the foregoing:

(a)Mr. Christopher Tzekas, Weir and Foulds, Toronto, on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto, expressed support of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications and the recommendations contained in the staff report; and

(b)Mr. Murray Goldman, Toronto, expressing support for the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications.