Zoning Amendment and Subdivision Applications

UDZ-97-52 and UDSB-1235 -

Graywood Developments Limited -

Block Bounded by Rochefort Drive and Ferrand Drive -

Don Parkway

The North York Community Council, after considering the deputations and based on the findings of fact, conclusions and recommendations contained in the following report (October 15, 1998) from the Director, Community Planning, North District, and for the reasons that the proposal is an appropriate use of the lands, recommends that the application submitted by Graywood Developments Limited regarding Zoning Amendment and Subdivision Application for the block bounded by Rochefort Drive and Ferrand Drive, be approved subject to the conditions outlined in the referenced report and subject to the following:

(1)that an additional condition be incorporated as part of Recommendation Number 2, which condition shall read as follows:

"(2) (ix)that the subdivision application be subject to site plan approval and the site plan include design features and elevations to the satisfaction of the Director, Community Planning, North District."

The North York Community Council reports having held a statutory public meeting on November 12, 1998, with appropriate notice of this meeting, in accordance with the Planning Act.

The North York Community Council submits the following report (October 15, 1998) from the Director, Community Planning, North District:

Purpose:

This report recommends approval of the applications to permit the residential subdivision of the site. The applicant proposes a zoning by-law amendment and draft plan of subdivision approval in order to permit the construction of 195 semi-detached and multiple-attached dwelling units.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the zoning amendment application be approved and the property's M2 zoning be amended to O1 (Open Space Zone) and RM1 (Multiple Family Dwellings Zone) with the following exceptions:

(i)permitted uses may include semi-detached dwellings;

(ii)minimum front yard of 3m to the main dwelling and 5.5m to the garage;

(iii)minimum rear yard of 6m;

(iv)minimum side yard of 1.2m;

(v)minimum street frontage for semi-detached dwellings of 13.5m;

(vi)lot area, lot coverage, street frontage and distance between buildings need not apply; and

(vii)Schedule Q to by-law No. 7625 be amended to include the site within the Grenoble neighbourhood;

(2)that the subdivision application shall be recommended for draft plan approval, subject to the following conditions:

(i)the approval applies to the draft plan of subdivision prepared by Bousfield, Dale-Harris, Cutler & Smith, dated May 28, 1998 (drawing number A-9724-29DP);

(ii)Streets A, B and C on the plan shall be dedicated as a public highway on the final plan and may have reduced road allowances of 18.5 metres, as approved by Council;

(iii)Block 84 on the plan shall be dedicated as a park, free of all encumbrances, to the satisfaction of the City;

(iv)Block 85 on the plan shall be dedicated as a minimum 3m wide walkway, free of all encumbrances, to the satisfaction of the City;

(v)the subdivision agreement shall contain a clause to require that, prior to the issuance of a building permit, the applicant shall submit a record of site condition that is acknowledged by the Ministry of Environment;

(vi)that easements within the plan shall be granted for all required utilities and services to the authority having jurisdiction;

(vii)the appropriate standard conditions of approval for subdivisions (Schedule K); and

(viii)Bell Canada shall confirm that satisfactory arrangements, financial and otherwise have been made with Bell Canada for any Bell Canada facilities servicing this draft plan of subdivision which are required by the City to be installed underground; a copy of such confirmation shall be forwarded to the City;

(3)the conditions of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (Schedule D);

(4)the conditions of the Parks and Recreation Division (Schedule E);

(5)the conditions of Works and Emergency Services (Schedules F1 and F2); and

(6)the conditions of the Public Health Department (Schedules G1).

Background:

Council Reference:

In 1993 North York Council approved Official Plan, zoning and subdivision applications to permit the predominantly residential development of the site. Official Plan Amendment 385 has been approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs while the zoning and subdivision of the site have not been finalized or pursued by the former proponent (Don Valley Park Limited). This 1993 approval would permit a phased development consisting of the following:

- about 1130 residential units consisting of apartments, street and stacked townhouses;

- retail commercial, office and institutional uses along Eglinton Avenue East;

- maximum density of 1.75 floor space index and 65 units per acre;

- maximum building height of 18 storeys; and

- 2 acre park fronting onto Rochefort Drive.

Proposal:

The current application proposes a zoning by-law amendment and draft plan of subdivision approval in order to permit the construction of 195 houses consisting of semi-detached and multiple attached dwelling units, as shown on Schedule C. A 2.1 acre park located at the southeast corner of the site forms part of the proposal. The pertinent statistics are as follows:

Location and Existing Site:

The site is located south of Eglinton Avenue East, midway between Don Mills Road and the Don Valley Parkway. It consists of vacant lands within the Ferrand Drive and Rochefort Drive block. The surrounding area is developed with a mix of employment and residential uses.

Official Plan:

Residential Density Four and Local Open Space which permit primarily residential and open space uses, respectively (Schedule A).

Zoning:

Industrial Zone Two (M2) by By-law No. 33091 which permits employment uses (Schedule B). An amendment to the industrial zone is required in order to permit the residential land uses.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Other Department Comments:

The following section summarizes the comments received from the departments and agencies circulated.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority identifies grading and stormwater management issues which will be carried out as part of implementing the subdivision (Schedule D).

The Parks and Recreation Division notes that the size and location of the proposed park within the plan is acceptable and will be subject to final approval by the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism (Schedule E).

Works and Emergency Services report that the site has access to full municipal services and that the traffic that will be generated from the residential development can be accommodated on the surrounding road network. Subdivision considerations regarding road layout, parking, access and sidewalks are also identified (Schedules F1 and F2).

The Public Health Department reports that the environmental site assessments should be studied by a peer review consultant and that the conclusions of the applicant's noise consultant are acceptable and should be implemented as part of the site development (Schedules G1 and G2).

The Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic School Board note that accommodation is available at certain schools and that some facilities are experiencing accommodation pressures (Schedules H and I).

Community Consultation:

A community consultation meeting was held on March 25, 1998 during which time there was general support to have the site developed for residential and park purposes (Schedule J).

Discussion:

Built Form and Subdivision Design:

The proposed mix of low-rise residential (semi-detached and townhouse units) is a change in the intensity and composition of the medium to high-rise, predominantly residential development that is permitted by the current Official Plan designation. The proposal represents an opportunity to develop the vacant site with a mix of low-rise housing types to complement the medium to high density Flemingdon Park residential community to the south.

The subdivision layout accommodates performance standards that are comparable with other infill residential proposals within the north district of the City. With minimum 1.2m side yards and 6m rear yards, the new houses will provide adequate separation distances between houses while accommodating modest outdoor amenity areas for the enjoyment of the new residents.

While the proposed minimum 3m front yard is acceptable from a design perspective, it is important that a minimum 5.5m be provided to the front of a garage in order to accommodate one unenclosed parking space for the use of visitors to each house. This is supported by the Transportation Services Division (Schedule F1). The amending zoning by-law should permit a minimum 3m front yard to the main dwelling and 5.5m to the garage of all dwellings.

Community Facilities, Services and Infrastructure:

The Official Plan contains criteria to guide the consideration of this type of rezoning proposal, in particular, to review the availability of community facilities, services and infrastructure to accommodate the proposed residential land use. In addition, the site specific Official Plan Amendment 385 describes certain additional community facilities and services which would have been secured in the area within the context of introducing on the site 1130 residential units, retail commercial and office uses, as previously proposed by Don Valley Park.

The provision of the additional community facilities was to be phased along with the phasing of that residential proposal. For example, within the first phase of the residential development, a maximum of 228 residential units would be permitted. As part of the conditional approval of this first phase, the City would secure appropriate on-site parkland, funding for the development of the parkland and additional community meeting space in the area.

The current proposal for 195 residential units incorporates the park component as part of the development despite the fact that it is substantially less than the previously proposed 1130 units (and less than the 228 units for phase one of the Don Valley Park proposal). In addition to the park contribution, the applicant will be subject to applicable development charges associated with the construction of the houses. Funding for additional community facilities in the area has been secured as part of the residential approval of an adjacent site (Mony Life building). Council's conditional approval for the residential conversion of the Mony Life building requires that applicant to provide a cash contribution targeted towards the area's community facilities in addition to applicable development charges.

The existing supply of community facilities and services, therefore, will be augmented with new facilities resulting from the residential development of the site and the adjacent Mony Life building.

Park:

The subdivision design locates the 2.1 acre park on the site so that it has frontage onto both Ferrand Drive and Rochefort Drive, as shown on Schedule C. This maximizes the street frontage of the park, optimizing its accessibility and visibility for amenity and safety purposes. The park will also be accessible from the northwest via a 3m (10 ft) wide public walkway which will be constructed to City standards.

Schools:

In terms of school accommodation, both the Toronto Catholic School Board and the Toronto District School Board have identified accommodation pressures on their facilities, however, have not objected to the proposal. The Toronto Catholic School Board has identified a new secondary school that is under construction and could accommodate the secondary school students emanating from the residential development. There are also other options available to the school boards to address the accommodation pressures including development charges and the rationalization of school catchment areas resulting from the consolidation of school boards within the Toronto area.

Road Network, Sewer and Water Infrastructure:

The transportation review of the proposal finds that the surrounding road network can accommodate the traffic that will be generated (Schedule F1). The subdivision design also incorporates a road layout which permits good access, circulation and links to the surrounding area while maximizing the street frontage for each new house. The reduced road allowances of 18.5m (60 ft) that are proposed for all of the new roads have received Community Council approval.

The site has access to an adequate supply of sewer and water services, as confirmed by the engineering review (Schedule F2).

Soil Condition:

The environmental site assessment reports that have been submitted in support of the application are being studied by a peer review consultant. The suitability of the soil conditions to accommodate the proposed residential and park land uses should be verified by a record of site condition. Any approval of the residential subdivision should be conditional upon the City receiving a record of site condition that has been acknowledged by the Ministry of Environment prior to the issuance of a building permit.

Conclusions:

The subdivision of the site into a 2.1 acre park and 195 semi-detached and multiple attached dwellings will enhance the current mix of land uses within the area, representing an appropriate development.

Contact Name:

Randy Jones

Telephone: (416) 395-7137

(A copy of the Schedules referred to in the foregoing report is on file in the office of the City Clerk, North York Civic Centre.)

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Mr. John Bousfield, Planning Consultant, appeared before the North York Community Council in connection with the foregoing matter on behalf of the applicant, Graywood Developments Limited, and indicated that the applicant concurred with the staff recommendations.