STAFF REPORT

December 27, 1999

To: Scarborough Community Council

From: Ted Tyndorf

Director of Community Planning, East District

Subject: STATUS REPORT

Scarborough Village Community

Scarborough Bluffs

Purpose:

This report provides the status of the Phase 4 Land Use Study of the former Scarborough Transportation Corridor (STC) lands extending from Markham Road to Morningside Avenue, as illustrated below. In addition, this report provides a preliminary evaluation of private development applications to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-Law to permit a 36 unit townhouse development on the property at the northeast corner of Dale Avenue and Scarborough Golf Club Road, as shown below.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that Scarborough Community Council:

(1) direct staff to convene two Community Information Meetings regarding the Phase 4 - STC Land Use Study; one to be held in the Scarborough Village Community and the other in the Guildwood Community, with notice of the meetings provided to nearby community associations, and all assessed persons within 120 metres (400 feet) of the STC Study Area boundary, in consultation with the Ward Councillors;

(2) direct staff to process the Official Plan (SC-P19990021) and Zoning By-Law Amendment (SC-Z19990039) applications in conjunction with the Phase 4 - STC Land Use Study, subject to the applicant submitting the following additional information:

(a) a servicing report detailing the proposed water and sanitary sewer service for the development, the fill and grading works proposed for the site and the management of stormwater drainage; and

(b) a report examining the noise impacts of the abutting railway on the subject lands, with recommendations for appropriate attenuation measures;

(3) direct staff to convene a Community Information Meeting regarding the subject development applications to be held in conjunction with the Scarborough Village Community Information Meeting for the Phase 4 STC Land Use Study;

(4) convene a Public Meeting to consider recommendations for appropriate land uses for the Phase 4 STC lands targeted for the third quarter of 2000, with notice of the Public Meeting to be provided by newspaper advertisement and to all persons who requested notice through the study process; and

(5) convene a Public Meeting to consider recommendations for the subject development applications targeted for the same third quarter of 2000 meeting as above, with notice of the Public Meeting to be provided to all assessed persons within 120 metres (400 feet) of the subject property, and to all persons who requested notice through the study process.

PHASE 4 - STC LAND USE STUDY

Background:

Since 1992, City Planning Staff have undertaken land use studies on various sections of the former Scarborough Transportation Corridor (STC) lands as shown on Figure 2. In April 1999, City Council directed staff to initiate the Official Plan and Zoning Review for Phase 4 of the former STC lands extending from Markham Road to Morningside Avenue. The Phase 4 Study Area includes the former corridor lands and neighbouring areas extending approximately 300 metres (1,000 feet) south of the CN rail line.

Official Plan

The former corridor is identified as Special Study Area in the Scarborough Village and Guildwood Community Secondary Plans, as shown on Figures 3 and 4. The majority of the remaining lands within the Phase 4 study area are designated Low Density Residential. There are High Density Residential designations at Markham Road and Kingston Road in association with apartment buildings in these locations. Dunelm Street is identified to be closed in the Scarborough Village Community Secondary Plan.

Zoning

The majority of the study area lands are zoned Single-Family Residential (S), as shown on Figures 5 and 6. One parcel situated north of Dale Avenue at Kingston Road is zoned Highway Commercial (HC), and the apartment buildings at Markham Road and Kingston Road are zoned Apartment (A) in the Scarborough Village Zoning By-law.

Land Ownership and Existing Uses

Figures 7 and 8 and Figures 9 and 10 illustrate land ownership and existing land uses within the study area, respectively. The study area west of Kingston Road is primarily a low density residential neighbourhood. The City of Toronto owns several properties in this area, most of which are vacant. Many of the lots fronting on the north side of Dunelm Street and Dale Avenue extend into the former corridor area.

East of Kingston Road, the corridor lands are owned mainly by the City. The GO Transit parking lot is located on City owned property at Livingston Road and Westlake Road. East of the parking lot, extending to Galloway Road, the corridor lands are well treed with a surfaced path running along the north side of Westlake Road. To the south, single-family homes back onto the corridor lands. The corridor lands between Galloway and Poplar Roads are owned by the City and are vacant. East of Poplar Road there are five privately owned homes fronting on Portia Street. The City owns the property at the east end of Portia Street extending to Morningside Avenue. The Purvis/Castle Log house, which was designated a historic building by the former City of Scarborough in 1985, and a single-family dwelling are located on this property.

Comments:

Through consultations with City departments and external agencies, preliminary land use issues in the study area have been identified.

Residential Development

There are opportunities for residential development within the study area through infill on existing lots or by property consolidation and minor road extensions. Intensification of residential uses, particularly on the larger parcels, and the introduction of new housing forms within this area are issues that will be addressed through this study. The potential for affordable housing on City owned lands within the context of the City's Housing First policy will also be examined.

Roads

Options have been considered in the past to extend Livingston Avenue under the Kingston Road overpass to provide alternative access to the Guildwood community and improve accessibility to the waterfront. The need for the extension of Livingston Avenue will be assessed through this study.

When the former corridor lands were proposed for an expressway, it was anticipated that Dunelm Street would be closed, as indicated in the Scarborough Village Community Secondary Plan. The closure of Dunelm Street is not considered necessary in the current context, and an amendment to the Official Plan in this regard will be proposed.

Westlake Road extending from the GO Transit parking lot to Galloway Road is a private road situated on City owned lands. It was constructed by GO Transit as an access to the parking area. The status of this roadway will be examined through this study.

Rail/Road Grade Separations

The level railway crossings at Scarborough Golf Club Road, Galloway Road and Morningside Avenue are identified in the Official Plan as crossings to be improved. In 1996, the former City of Scarborough identified these crossings as priorities for future rail/road grade separation construction. The status of these crossing improvements will be investigated through this study.

Identification of Woodlots

When Council approved the Terms of Reference for the Phase 4 study, staff were also directed to investigate existing woodlots within the corridor and the potential creation of a "Woodlot" designation within the Official Plan. There are a number of treed areas within this section of the former corridor. The largest area is the woodlot situated on City owned lands extending east of the GO Transit parking lot to Galloway Road. The woodlot is approximately 2 hectares (5 acres) in size. An environmental review of this woodlot and the former corridor lands will be undertaken in the Spring to identify environmental functions, linkages, constraints and opportunities on these lands.

Bicycle/Pedestrian Trail

One of the key features of the overall study of the former corridor lands is the designation and protection of opportunities for a bicycle/pedestrian trail running east of St. Clair Avenue to Highway 2A. There is currently a surfaced path on the north side of Westlake Road extending from Galloway Road to the GO Transit parking lot. As well, a walkway designation was introduced into the Official Plan for the corridor lands east of Morningside Avenue through the Phase 1 Study, and a bicycle/pedestrian trail designation was incorporated into the Official Plan for the corridor lands west of Markham Road through the Centre Street Study. The Phase 4 study will examine opportunities to provide a continuous pedestrian/bicycle trail between Markham Road and Morningside Avenue.

Parkland

The Official Plan includes policies to assess the adequacy of parkland within communities. City parks are intended to accommodate a wide range of active and passive recreational opportunities. One criteria used to assess parkland adequacy is a parkland objective of providing at least 1.2 hectares (3 acres) per 1,000 persons. The current parkland situation within the Scarborough Village and Guildwood Communities will be examined through this study.

PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS

Background:

Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications have been submitted for the property located at the northeast corner of Scarborough Golf Club Road and Dale Avenue, to permit a 36 unit townhouse development. The property is designated Low Density Residential in the Scarborough Village Community Secondary Plan which provides for detached and semi-detached dwellings. The property is zoned Single Family Residential (S) in the Scarborough Village Community Zoning By-Law which permits single-family dwellings.

The Official Plan Amendment application proposes to redesignate the lands from Low to Medium Density Residential. A density of 30 units per hectare (12 units per acre) is proposed. The Zoning By-law Amendment application proposes to rezone the property to permit townhouses.

The subject property is 1.2 hectares (3 acres) in size and is vacant. A gully traverses the site extending from the southeast corner near Dale Avenue to the northwest corner of the property. This gully functions as an overland flow route for drainage from Dale Avenue and adjacent streets. Surrounding land uses include single-family residential uses to the east, west and south, and the CN line to the north. A vacant City owned property is located opposite the site on the west side of Scarborough Golf Club Road.

Vehicular access to the property is proposed from Dale Avenue, as indicated on Figure 11, the proposed site plan. A building setback of 30 metres is proposed from the CN line in accordance with the separation requirements of the railway.

Comments:

The Special Study Area associated with the former corridor extends through the subject property, and the Phase 4 STC Study has been commenced to consider appropriate land uses within this Special Study Area. The development applications propose to increase the residential density on the subject property. These applications should therefore be considered in the context of the broader STC study where the issue of residential intensification will be examined.

Potential Benefits

The subject property is located adjacent to a more major road within the community, which is a location where opportunities for residential intensification could be considered. A townhouse development would add to the mix of housing types provided in this community, would make more efficient use of municipal services and provide new assessment.

City policies for the use of Section 37 of the Planning Act provide for contributions to the City's Capital Revolving Fund for Affordable Housing where increases in density are proposed. The applications propose to increase the residential density on the property, and the use of Section 37 would be appropriate.

Concerns

The development applications have been submitted without documentation examining the potential noise and vibration impacts generated by the rail line, or engineering reports outlining how the development will be serviced from a water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater perspective. In order to assess whether this property can support the proposed development, this information will be necessary.

In addition, there is concern with the potential impact of the proposed development on the abutting property to the east. Eight townhouses are proposed on the east area of the site, which would be 3 storeys, and approximately 12 metres (40 feet) high. A rear yard setback of approximately 9 metres (29 feet) is proposed for seven of the units, and one unit fronting on Dale Avenue would have a side yard setback of 0.9 metres (3 feet). The proposed site layout provides little transition between the medium density and low density residential uses. Planning staff have discussed this concern with the applicant. The number of units proposed along the east area of the site has been reduced from twelve units originally proposed to the current eight units. Compatibility issues will be examined further with the applicant.

Changes to the design have also been sought to strengthen the Dale Avenue streetscape by maximizing landscaping in front of the units along Dale Avenue, relocating parking to the rear of the units and by increased articulation of the building facades.

A temporary detour for Scarborough Golf Club Road, extending through the rear yards of the nine townhouse units in Block A, is proposed in anticipation of a future rail/road grade separation at Scarborough Golf Club Road. The detour would eliminate the outdoor amenity space associated with the Block A units during the construction period. These units should not be constructed until such time as the road/rail grade separation is complete. The applicant has advised that they will be submitting a phasing plan for the development to address this concern.

Conclusions:

Planning staff have commenced the Phase 4 - STC Land Use Study as directed by Council in April of 1999. Private development applications have been submitted for the property at Scarborough Golf Club Road and Dale Avenue partially situated within the former corridor. Appropriate land use designations and zoning will be determined for the STC study area, including the property proposed for development, through the study process.

Contact:

Susan McAlpine

Planner

Scarborough Civic Centre

Telephone: (416) 396-7721

Fax: (416) 396-4265

E-mail: smcalpin@toronto.ca

Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP

Director of Community Planning, East District

List of Attachments:

Figure 2 Other Studies

Figures 3 and 4 Existing Official Plan Consolidation

Figures 5 and 6 Phase 4 - STC Land Use Study - Existing Zoning

Figures 7 and 8 Phase 4 - STC Land Use Study - Existing Land Ownership

Figures 9 and 10 Phase 4 - STC Land Use Study - Existing Land Uses

Figure 11 Site Plan - 2 Dale Avenue