January 24, 2000
To: North York Community Council
From: Rob Dolan
Director, Community Planning, North District
Subject: REPORT
Application for Site Plan Approval
English Lane Homes Inc.
(Formerly Ghods Builders Inc.)
39 Greenbelt Drive.
Ward 11- Don Parkway
Purpose:
This report recommends approval of a site plan application to redevelop the above noted site with a series of twenty
4-storey townhouse buildings comprising a total of 183 units and two, 8-storey apartment buildings comprising a total of
192 units.
Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
All of the costs associated with the processing of this application are included within the 1999/2000 Operating Budget and
are primarily those related to the Ontario Municipal Board hearing.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that the OMB be advised that Council have no objection to the site plan application that has been filed
subject to the conditions outlined in Appendix '1'.
Background:
History:
Amendment applications to redevelop this site and the neighbouring site to the east (45 Greenbelt Drive - Don Greenbelt
Development Ltd.) were received by the former City of North York in 1994 and were approved in December of 1996.
Subsequent to that approval a private appeal of the official plan amendment for the subject site was made by the owner in
1996. In October 1997, North York Council approved Official Plan Amendment 454 and Zoning By-law Amendment
33116 affecting the subject lands as well as the neighbouring lands at 45 Greenbelt Drive.
The subdivision and site plan applications were appealed in 1997.
Following a significant hearing process and Council's June 30, 1999 approval on a modified version of the amendment
applications, the Ontario Municipal Board approved the Official Plan, zoning by-law and subdivision documents for the
site. The Board's Order was formalized in writing on December 23, 1999 (attached as Appendix 8). The Board has reserved
the decision on the site plan until the City deals with appropriate conditions of site plan approval.
It should be noted that the two developers, Ghods Builders and Don-Greenbelt Development Limited, have signed
settlement agreements with each other and the community which settle form, density and the general nature of
development.
Proposal:
The application is for a 375 unit residential development comprising the following principle components:
(i) 183 townhouse units planned within a series of twenty, 4-storey buildings resulting in a gross floor area of 43,031m2;
(ii) 192 apartment units in two, 8-storey apartment buildings, located along the southerly portion of the site, yielding a
gross floor area 16,041m2; and
(iii) a 0.56-acre public park.
The development will proceed in phases. Phase one comprises six townhouse blocks at the north end of the site along the
Greenbelt Drive frontage. Prior to the issuance of any building permit, it is recommended that detailed site plan
applications be submitted for each development phase for final approval. It is further recommended that the remainder of
the development site be properly graded and landscaped until the commencement of each construction phase.
Site Context:
As illustrated on the attached Context Map, the site is located at the southern edge of the central Don Mills Community at
the eastern edge of Greenbelt Drive. The lands are currently vacant but were previously developed for industrial purposes
by Dominion Envelope. The south side of Greenbelt Drive is developed with industrial/office uses. Lands directly opposite
the site on the north side Greenbelt Drive are developed with three storey apartments. A Canadian Pacific railway corridor
abuts the southern edge of the site with industrial uses, as part of the Flemingdon Business Park, located south of the
corridor.
Official Plan & Zoning:
Council and the Ontario Municipal Board have approved Official Plan Amendment 454 and By-law No. 33116 (refer to
Appendix 9) to accommodate the proposal. However there are certain clauses within the zoning by-law which have not
been fully approved; rather a decision by the Board on the appropriateness of maintaining certain clauses within the zoning
by-law has been reserved pending Council's consideration of the application for site plan approval. The clauses deal with
the following:
(i) Dwelling Units: The maximum number of dwelling units within each townhouse block is limited to 9 units unless the
lot the building is situated on faces the apartment building site in which case the maximum would be 11 units {clause
64.16(g)(ii)}.
[Note: Of the twenty-townhouse blocks proposed, six are proposed with more than 9 units. One of the blocks faces the
apartment building site and would not be affected by the zoning by-law maximum.]
(ii) Yard Setbacks: The front yard setback to a dwelling unit shall be 3 metres provided that no more than 60% of the units
in a townhouse block and no more than three adjoining dwelling units shall have the same front yard setback {clause
64.16(h)(i)}.
[Note: The front yard setback for units within all blocks, with the exception of curved Block No. 2, has front yard setbacks
of 3 metres.]
(iii) Dwelling Width: The minimum width of a dwelling unit shall be 4 metres provided that no more than 60% of the units
within a townhouse block and no more than three adjoining dwelling units shall have the same dwelling width {clause
64.16(j)}.
[Note: Unit widths vary throughout the subdivision ranging from 4 metres along Greenbelt Drive to 6 metres in the
vicinity of the apartment building site.]
Comments:
Discussion:
For the purposes of this site plan report, discussion falls under the headings Site Plan, Landscaping, and Building Design.
Site Plan
Twenty, 4-storey townhouse blocks are planned along two new curvilinear City streets; one of which accesses Greenbelt
Drive (refer to figure 1). The two 8-storey apartment buildings are sited along the southern portion of the site next to a CP
rail corridor. The townhouses are planned with setbacks of 3m to the main building and 5.5m to individual garages. A
public park has been provided along the eastern edge of the subdivision that will combine with park space to be developed
in connection with a future residential subdivision at 45 Greenbelt Drive. The shaded area on figure 1 represents half of a
public road dedication that will be developed as a public road providing primary access to that subdivision. A detailed site
plan submission for 45 Greenbelt Drive has yet to be provided.
Landscape Plan
The landscape proposal includes a detailed phase 1 submission and a master plan submission for the remaining townhouse
phases (refer to figures 2 and 3). Details of the remaining phases including the apartment building site will need to be
provided prior to the issuance of any building permits.
The plan features a row of deciduous trees within the public boulevards. To compensate for the loss of existing trees due to
construction it is recommended that the street trees be planted with a minimum caliper of 80mm. Each unit will be
provided with rear yard private amenity areas comprising decorative concrete paving and privacy fencing. A variety of
planting materials will be provided in the front and end-unit yards. Collectively, this planting will provide interest and
relief along the streetscape.
The applicant has provided a tree preservation plan that proposes the relocation of a number of trees to boulevards, the new
park and along the CP rail lands for buffer purposes. Should it be determined that any of these trees cannot be preserved, it
is recommended they be replaced with a tree or trees of similar value to the satisfaction of the City Arborist.
Building Design
As illustrated on Figure 5, the units are planned as three and four storey structures finished with a stone base and a stucco
finish on the upper floors. Unit sizes range from 1,089m2 to 2,657m2.
Variation in the architectural design of the townhouse blocks has been achieved by articulating the facades with minor
recesses and projections, varying rooflines, and by introducing a variety of building materials and textures. These features
help reduce the perceived mass and length of the townhouse blocks. Sufficient detailing on all end unit elevations and rear
elevations ensures the project will not turn its back on municipal walkways and parks. The submission of detailed drawings
should form part of the final approval. It is recommended that the applicant include detailed large-scale elevation drawings
of typical bays of the building facades. Details of the apartment building will need to be provided to ensure they meet the
objectives of Official Plan Amendment 454.
Conclusions:
The zoning clauses deferred by the Board were included in the by-law in order to influence a variation in the design of the
townhouse portion of the development. They were included to minimize the incidence of long building rows and
monotonous building design and to enhance opportunities for design variation. However, elevation drawings submitted
with the application support the argument that these clauses could be revisited to reflect the current submission. Plans
demonstrate that a varied façade treatment can be achieved through the choice of building materials in combination with a
series of minor building recesses and projections. Approval of the site plan application is therefore recommended subject to
the conditions outlined in Appendix 1 of this report.
Contact Name:
Steve Forrester
Senior Planner
North York Civic Centre
Telephone: (416) 395-7126
Fax: (416) 395-7155
E-mail: sforrest@toronto.ca
