STAFF REPORT

November 8, 1999

To: Scarborough Community Council

From: Ted Tyndorf

Director of Community Planning, East District

Subject: Official Plan Amendment Application SP19990023

Zoning By-law Amendment Application SC-Z19990042

Nivlog Investments Limited

Estate Drive

Part of Lot 35 and Part of Lot 7, Plan 10620 and Part of Blocks F,G, and H, Plan M-839

Progress Employment District

Scarborough City Centre

Purpose:

This report provides a preliminary evaluation of applications to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law for the subject property to permit a hotel and a restaurant.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

None.

Recommendations:

That Scarborough Community Council direct staff to:

1. Process the applications in the normal manner.

2. Require that the applicant submit a Site Plan Control Application and Traffic Impact Study in support of the application.

3. Target the Public Meeting of Council in the second quarter of 2000, subject to the conditions listed above.

Background:

The irregularly-shaped 0.98-hectare (2.44-acre) parcel, which is currently vacant, is located on the north side of Estate Drive. Surrounding land uses include: the Highway 401 off-ramp to Markham Road to the north; an industrial building on the south side of Estate Drive; a hotel to the east; and a vacant parcel to the west, subject of Site Plan Control Application SC-S19990076 to permit a complex of self-storage buildings.

Nivlog Investments Limited proposes to develop a hotel and restaurant on the subject property. The details of the proposal are as follows:

Two access points to the site are proposed on Estate Drive.

The subject lands are designated General Industrial Uses with High Performance Standards. General Industrial Uses with High Performance Standards provides for industrial, scientific, technical research and development, training and educational facilities, offices recreational uses, manufacturing and warehousing uses other than those which by reason of noxious characteristics are declared to be Special Industrial Uses or Municipally Prohibited Uses. High Performance Standards may include special requirements for: limitation of uses, siting, landscaping areas, parking, external building materials, signs, prohibition or screening of outside and open storage.

In addition, by virtue of their proximity to a planned SRT station and their location within a designated "Business Districts", the subject lands are also designated Office Uses. Council may also zone the land for Commercial Uses (Retail Sales and Services) as a use secondary to offices and may zone land for one or more of Business Services and Social service uses, either in addition to or instead of offices. Such additional uses are intended to serve the employees of the surrounding area. Council may restrict the amount of such additional uses, by a density limit, by an absolute floor space limit, by a ratio of office space on the same site or by other appropriate means. Based on proposed floor areas, Planning Staff are of the opinion that an Official Plan Amendment is required to permit a hotel and restaurant uses, since these uses would be serving a trade area much larger than the immediate Progress Employment District and they are not specifically intended to primarily serve the business community.

The subject lands are zoned Industrial (M) under Employment District By-law Progress By-law No. 24982 which permits day nurseries, educational and training facility uses, industrial uses, offices, excluding medical and dental offices, places of worship and recreational uses.

The subject property is located within a Site Plan Control Area.

Comments:

Benefits:

Development of a hotel and restaurant will add to the Citys assessment base.

A hotel and restaurant on the same site may provide for a complementary mix of uses.

Development of a prominent vacant parcel with excellent visibility from Hwy 401 and will enhance the success of the Progress Employment District.

Concerns:

Site Design

The subject parcel is in a prominent location, with excellent visibility to Highway 401 and in close proximity to Markham Road. The applicant's submitted conceptual plan indicates that the hotel and the restaurant buildings are separated by a shared parking area. Two separate access points on Estate Drive are proposed to the hotel and restaurant, respectively.

The main concern with this proposal is the lack of overall integration between the hotel and restaurant in terms of the siting of the buildings and pedestrian and on-site vehicular connections.

To ensure that the proposal can be improved to meet the Citys planning and design objectives, Staff recommend that a Site Plan Control Application be submitted as part of the City's consideration of the proposal.

Transportation

Staff recommends that a traffic study be submitted in order to determine if the capacity of the local road network is sufficient to accommodate traffic generated by this development. Transportation Services will require that the two proposed entrances be consolidated into one centralized entrance.

Contact:

Colin Ramdial, MCIP, RPP

Planner, Community Planning Division

Scarborough Civic Centre

Telephone: (416) 396-7029

Fax: (416) 396-4265

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

Respectfully submitted,

Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP

Director of Community Planning, East District

CR/