May 10, 1999

To:Scarborough Community Council

From:Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP

Director of Community Planning East District

Subject:PRELIMINARY EVALUATION REPORT

Official Plan Amendment Application SP1999007

Zoning By-law Amendment Application SZ1999011

Tiffield Development Corporation and Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care

South east of Middlefield Road and Finch Avenue

Marshalling Yard Employment District

Scarborough Malvern

Purpose:

This report provides a preliminary evaluation of the applications to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law for the 7.0 hectare (17.4 acre) property east of Middlefield Road, south of Finch Avenue East and north and west of Scottfield Road to permit commercial, apartment and townhouse uses in addition to a geriatric care centre including a nursing home, seniors residence, community centre and related facilities.

Financial Implications:

None.

Recommendation:

That Scarborough Community Council direct the Director of Community Planning, East District, to:

(1)Defer agency circulation of the applications until Council has had the opportunity of reviewing the findings of the Industrial/Employment Land Needs Study, currently being undertaken by the City Planning Division Policy and Research Section.

(2)In consultation with the Economic Development Division, assist the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care to locate a suitable alternative site for the geriatric centre.

(3)Report to Scarborough Community Council at a future meeting on the implications of the Industrial/Employment Land Needs Study for these applications and on the results of discussions with Yee Hong.

Background:

The subject property is designated General Industrial Uses with High Performance Standards providing for all industrial uses, training and educational facilities, offices, recreational uses, manufacturing and warehousing uses other than those which have noxious characteristics. Limited ancillary retailing is also permitted. Places of worship are provided for on the arterial frontages. "Business Districts" policies permitting offices apply to lands having access to Sheppard Avenue.

The property is zoned "Industrial Zone (M)" permitting industrial uses, educational and training facility uses, day nurseries, offices (excluding medical and dental offices), places of worship, recreational uses, ancillary retailing. Gross floor area of all buildings, minus the gross floor area of all basements, shall not exceed 50% of the lot area.

The entire site is designated under the Site Plan Control By-law.

The property is located north of the Canadian Pacific marshalling yards. A church has been constructed on the south-east corner of Scottfield and Middlefield. There is existing industrial and office development on the north side of Finch Avenue and a residential neighbourhood west of Middlefield Road in the Agincourt North Community.

The south-east corner of Finch and Middlefield, including most of the Middlefield Avenue frontage is owned by Monarch Construction. The present application assumes a land exchange with Monarch to rationalize the configuration development parcels for both landowners. No consent application has been filed to facilitate this.

Proposal:

The proposal is as follows:

Commercial Uses -4,375 square metres (58,000 square feet)

Medium Density Apartments (288 units) -20,022 square metres (216,000 square feet)

Multiple Family Townhomes (75 units) -9,954 square metres (107,000 square feet)

Centre for Geriatric Care

200 Bed Senior Nursing Home,

150 Unit Senior Residence,

Community Centre & Related Facilities -26,425 square metres (284,000 square feet)

The commercial uses and apartments are to be located along the Finch Avenue frontage. The south-east side of Scottfield Road would remain for employment uses. The nursing home and retirement centre is proposed in the north-east quadrant of Middlefield Road and Scottfield Road. The townhouses are proposed in the interior and fronting on the west side of Scottfield Road.

Comments:

The property comprises approximately half of an industrial plan approved ten years ago. There has been no industrial development and the interior road has not been completed. Past staff discussions with potential purchasers of the property have included the possibility of mixed office and retail uses on the Finch Avenue frontage. Staff were not prepared to support retail uses in the absence of a concrete development proposal demonstrating a high level of quality relative to abutting streets and the adjacent residential neighbourhood.

In 1996 the owner submitted, but then withdrew, official plan and zoning applications requesting a broad range of retail, automotive, service and seniors residential uses throughout the entire property, including the south side of Scottfield Drive.

Benefits:

(1)The Yee Hong Geriatric Centre will provide 200 high quality long term care beds in a culturally appropriate environment to meet a large backlog of applications from the Chinese community. It will also provide palliative care and beds for dialysis patients. Community based programs will be provided, including an adult day program for frail seniors living at home, meals on wheels and healthy seniors programs. Medical and rehabilitation services will be made available to the wider community.

The project is estimated to provide 150 affordable housing units, 40 million dollars in construction value and 200 jobs.

(2)The commercial uses proposed along Finch Avenue will provide additional employment opportunities and can potentially complete the development of this section of Finch Avenue with an attractive "Main Street" streetscape.

(3)The proposed townhouse units and apartments over the Finch Avenue frontage commercial uses will add to the mix of housing available in the community.

(4)Development of the retail, office and residential uses will add to the City's assessment base.

Concerns:

(1)Maintaining an adequate supply of greenfield employment lands is essential to the future economic health of the City. This site is only one of several north of Highway 401, including the Rouge Business Park (McAsphalt) on Sheppard Avenue, whose owners are seeking to redesignate employment lands to provide for residential or retail uses.

The Industrial/Employment Land Needs Study, a background paper being undertaken by planning staff in connection with the new Official Plan, is scheduled for completion shortly. It will provide the necessary context for Council in making decisions affecting the future use of prime industrial sites such as this.

(2)Placing residential uses, both the townhouses and seniors accommodation, across the road from the future industrial lots on the south side of Scottfield will, in the view of Economic Development Division staff, lessen the attractiveness and therefore the viability of these sites for employment uses.

(3)The proposed townhouses, which are not part of the Yee Hong centre, are not an appropriate use in this location. The units are far removed from the park and schools on which this family-oriented component of the housing market normally relies. Furthermore the site is surrounded by the parking lots serving the commercial uses, future employment uses and the Geriatric Centre.

(4)Train noise emanating from the rail yard, especially from the location where locomotives start up and idle, causes significant disturbance to the residential community to the west and will impact sensitive uses on the subject property in a similar fashion. (The applicant has submitted a noise report in this regard.)

Conclusion:

The proposal contains elements, particularly the Yee Hong Geriatric Centre, which would provide substantial benefits for the City. However the negative impact of converting of a large part of this well-located, serviced greenfield employment site to other uses, particularly given the current upturn in demand for industrial sites, must be seriously considered.

Technical review of this type of proposal should, in the view of staff, be deferred until Industrial/Employment Land Needs study has been completed and staff are in a position to recommend whether or not the applications should be refused in principle or supported in some modified form.

Contact Name:

David Beasley, MCIP, RPP

Scarborough Civic Centre

Telephone: (416) 396-7026

Fax: (416) 396-4265

E-mail: beasley@city.scarborough.on.ca

Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP

Director of Community Planning, East District

DB/TT/nk