STAFF REPORT

October 27, 1999

To: Scarborough Community Council

From: Ted Tyndorf

Director of Community Planning, East District

Subject: Official Plan Amendment Application SC-P1999007

Zoning By-law Amendment Application SC-Z1999011

Tiffield Development Corporation and Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care

South east of Middlefield Road and Finch Avenue

Part of Lot 20, Concession 3, Block A & C, Registered Plan 66M-2266

Block B, Registered Plan M-1733 & part of road allowance between Lots 20 & 21

Marshalling Yard Employment District

Scarborough Malvern

Purpose:

Tiffield Development Corporation and the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care have applied to amend the Marshalling Yard Employment District Secondary Plan and the Employment District Zoning By-law for an 8.3 hectares (20.6 acres) site bounded by Finch Avenue, Middlefield Road and the unfinished Scottfield Drive, as shown on the adjacent map.

The proposed amendments would replace the existing General Industrial Uses with High Performance Standards and Special Industrial Uses designations in the Official Plan and the "Industrial Zone (M)" zoning to permit the development of 240 apartments in combination with 3540 square metres (38,000 square feet) of commercial space; 92 block townhouse units; and a 34,700 square metres (374,000 square feet) centre for geriatric care, consisting of:

- 250 bed seniors nursing home

- 250 seniors residences

- community centre, offices and related uses

The applications have been appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that Council:

(1) Official Plan

Amend the Marshalling Yard Employment District Secondary Plan with respect to the property bounded by Finch Avenue East, Middlefield Road and Scottfield Drive, being Part of Lot 20, Concession 3, Block A & C, Registered Plan 66M-2266 and Block B, Registered Plan M-1733 and part of the road allowance between Lots 20 & 21, as shown on Figure 3 by adding a numbered policy as follows:

13. South-East of Finch Avenue and Middlefield Road

In addition to General Industrial Uses with High Performance Standards, Community Facilities, including 250 Senior Citizens apartments, shall be permitted.

(2) Zoning By Law

Amend the Employment Districts Zoning By-law No. 24982 (Marshalling Yard), with respect to the property bounded by Finch Avenue east, Middlefield Road and Scottfield Drive, being Part of Lot 20, Concession 3, Block A & C, Registered Plan 66M-2266 and Block B, Registered Plan M-1733 and Part of the road allowance between Lots 20 & 21, by adding "Institutional-Social Welfare Zone (I-SW)" within the area shown on Figure 4 with the following development standards:

(a) In addition to the uses permitted in Clause VI Section 22, Institutional-Social Welfare Uses, Senior Citizens' Day Care facilities are permitted.

(b) "Senior Citizens' Apartments" shall mean dwelling units which are operated in conjunction with a nursing home.

(c) "Senior Citizens' Day Care" shall mean a facility for the provision of temporary care for Senior Citizens, for a continuous period not exceeding twenty-four hours. Services provided at the centre may include preventive medicine, remedial and counselling services, and social, recreational and educational programmes, for Senior Citizens only.

(d) Minimum street yard setback, 3 metres (10 feet).

(e) Maximum gross floor area of all geriatric centre uses, consisting of seniors nursing home, Senior Citizens' Apartments, Senior Citizens' Day Care, community centre, offices and support facilities - 35,000 square metres (377,000 square feet).

(f) This By-law shall apply collectively to this land notwithstanding its future division into two or more parcels.

(g) Minimum 1 square metre (11 feet) of indoor recreation floor space per Senior Citizens' apartment unit shall be provided. Recreation space may include Senior Citizen's Day Care facilities.

(h) Maximum 250 nursing beds.

(i) Maximum 250 Senior Citizens' apartment units

(j) Maximum building height 7 storeys and 27 metres (90 feet), except that within 100 metres of the centreline of Middlefield Road the maximum building height shall not exceed 4 storeys and 15 metres (50 feet).

(k) Parking shall be provided at the following ratios:

- Minimum .25 spaces per nursing bed.

- Maximum .50 spaces per Senior Citizens' apartment unit.

(l) Existing general zoning provisions applying to the Industrial (M) zone shall continue to apply.

(12) That Council request that Tiffield Development Corporation delete the following proposed uses from its applications to amend the Marshalling Yard Employment District Secondary Plan and the Employment Districts Zoning By-law (Marshalling Yard) for the subject property:

- 240 apartments

- 92 townhouses

- 3,540 square metres (38,000 square feet) of commercial uses

(16) That the City Solicitor be directed to support (1) and (2) at the forthcoming Ontario Municipal Board hearing and, should the applications not be amended as recommended above, to oppose the uses listed in (3).

(5) Miscellaneous

That Council authorize such unsubstantive technical, stylistic or format changes to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments as may be required to properly carry out the intent of this resolution.

(6) The applicant to amend the existing Subdivision Agreement to provide for noise abatement measures with respect to the site prior to issuance of building permits.

Background:

The 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. Part of the interior of the property is designated Special Industrial Uses. "Business Districts" policies permitting offices apply to lands having access to Sheppard Avenue.

The property is zoned "Industrial Zone (M)" permitting industrial uses, education and training facility uses, day nurseries, offices (excluding medical and dental offices), places of worship (on the arterial frontages), recreational uses, ancillary retailing. The 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 8.3 hectares (20.6 acres) in size and is vacant. It is located north of the Canadian Pacific Railway marshalling yards. There is existing industrial and office development on the north side of Finch Avenue and a residential neighbourhood to the west and north-west in the Agincourt North Community. A church has been constructed on the south-east corner of Scottfield Drive and Middlefield Road.

Staff reported to Scarborough Community Council at its meeting May 26, 1999, recommending that agency circulation be deferred until the Industrial/Employment Land Needs Study conclusions were available. Scarborough Community Council directed that the application be circulated and that a Public Meeting be held at its meeting of October 12.

The applications were subsequently appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board. Staff reported again to Scarborough Community Council at its September 14 meeting, recommending refusal of the application in its present form and seeking direction with respect to the appeal. Staff were directed to continue to negotiate with the applicant, to hold a community information meeting and to schedule a Public Meeting for November 9. It is anticipated that the Ontario Municipal Board hearing will be scheduled before the end of 1999.

A Community Information Meeting, attended appropriately by approximately 100 members of the public, was held on Monday, October 18, 1999 at the Anson Taylor Public Elementary School. Two ward councillors, City planning and economic development staff, the applicants and their consultants also attended.

Numerous speakers supported the Yee Hong Geriatric Centre; some speakers supported the centre, but not the private housing component. Several speakers complained about the rail yard noise.

Other issues raised by the public were as follows:

(1) potential noise impacts on the proposed development and the adequacy of the proposed mitigation measures

(2) validity of the noise report results and recommendations since data collection excluded night time marshalling yard activity

(3) possible relocation of the centre to the north-west of the property, further from the noise source of the rail yard

(4) CPR's current practice of transporting hazardous waste

(5) traffic impact on the existing road network

(6) the possibility of installing crosswalks and traffic lights on Middlefield Road to ensure pedestrian safety

(7) potential impacts on property values based on the type of development being proposed

(8) the economic viability of new commercial development since there are numerous retail and commercial vacancies along nearby Finch Avenue frontages

(9) the need for public transit improvements

(10) safety concern for children playing near the proposed commercial uses

(11) the need to provide a public park

Comments:

As directed by Scarborough Community Council, staff have continued to meet the applicants in an attempt to find a compromise which would address the concerns raised by City Planning and Economic Development staff.

Staff are now satisfied that Yee Hong has made a serious attempt to find a site elsewhere, that this location best meets the needs of the organization, and that the Geriatric Centre will contribute to the City both as a major employer and service provider. In terms of employment, the Centre will provide 350 jobs. The project has an estimated construction value of $66 million. It will provide 250 high quality long term care beds and 250 affordable senior housing units in a culturally appropriate environment to meet the needs of the Chinese community.

City staff are now prepared to support amendments to the City's Official Plan and Zoning By-law to permit the Yee Hong Geriatric Centre within the subject site. The sole exception to this

recommendation is the north frontage of the interior section of Scottfield Drive, so as to maintain the potential for employment uses on both sides of the street. (The final location of the Yee Hong Centre within this 6 hectare (15 acres) area can be determined at a later date.)

Adoption of this recommendation will give Yee Hong the City planning approvals essential to securing its provincial funding, while protecting the City's interest in maintaining an attractive, serviced, greenfield location for its industrial growth. The availability of a variety of such sites is essential to the future economic health of the City.

The issue of retention of green field employment land has been explored at some length in previous reports on these applications. In summary, the Tapscott/Marshalling Yard area has consistently out-performed City-wide averages with respect to employment growth and retention during the "boom" period of the 1980's, the recession of 1989-94 and the recovery of the past few years. The area has "a competitive advantage over other less well positioned industrial areas." Substantial evidence of increasing employment development interest and construction has been documented by the Economic Development Division; several major companies are actively looking for large sites in this area.

This is the principal, but not the only, reason for staff's opposition to other components of the Tiffield Development Corporation proposal. The noise emanating from rail yard operations is a continuing source of irritation to the existing community. Canadian Pacific Railway has strongly objected to new residential development within 300 metres (1000 feet) of the Marshalling Yard property (this would include most of the proposed town houses). Staff have not been persuaded that the advantages to the City of adding more housing in close proximity to the rail yards outweigh the disadvantages. The distance from community schools and parks, and the need to cross Middlefield Road to access them, is a further negative factor. The Toronto Catholic District School Board has also reported that there is no available capacity on a temporary or permanent basis in separate elementary or secondary schools in the area.

One of the justifications offered for the proposed town house component is the desirability of housing at this scale as a "transitional" building form between the 5 and 7 storey geriatric centre buildings and the singles and semis of the existing community to the west. With good design, sensitive massing and landscaping, this can be successfully achieved without a town house component. The recent addition to the existing Yee Hong Centre, which brings a 5-storey element close to the McNicoll frontage across the street from low density residential uses, is a case in point.

As part of the performance standards, a 4-storey height limit along the Middlefield Road frontage is recommended to ensure compatibility of scale with existing development.

No supporting planning or economic documentation has been submitted to substantiate the present need for, or future viability of, the commercial uses proposed for the Finch Avenue frontage. Retail development opportunities already exist in the general area as the Scarborough Official Plan provides for retail uses nearby in the Special District Commercial and Industrial District Commercial uses at Markham Road and Finch Avenue. The high vacancy rate of the neighbourhood shopping centre abutting the existing Yee Hong Centre at Midland and McNicoll suggests that the proposed Yee Hong Centre may not by itself generate sufficient support for the proposed retail uses.

Approval of the commercial, apartment, townhouse and institutional uses now being proposed would leave only a token .7 hectare (1.7 acres) "commercial-industrial" block on the north-east corner of Middlefield and Scottfield, almost entirely surrounded by other uses.

Conclusions:

Staff are prepared to recommend that Council approve the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments to permit the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care on the subject site. The facility will be a great asset to the City in servicing the needs of the aged, particularly those of the Chinese community, as well as providing 350 job opportunities.

However, staff of both City Planning and Economic Development continue to believe that this is a well-located green field site, important to the future employment needs of the City, and are not persuaded by the applicant's contention that this block is just a "remnant piece" of the employment district at the edge of a residential community, the conversion of which to other uses is of no significance. Staff cannot therefore support the market residential and commercial components of the applications and recommend that Council request that the Tiffield Development Corporation delete these uses from their proposal.

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

List of Attachments:

- Location and Context Map, Figure 1

- Existing Official Plan Consolidation, Figure 2

- Recommended Official Plan Amendment, Figure 3

- Recommended Zoning Amendment, Figure 4

- Proposed Site Plan, Figure 5