February 11, 2000

To: Scarborough Community Council

From: Ted Tyndorf

Director of Community Planning, East District

Subject: Housing Design in the Wishing Well Acres Neighbourhood

(Former Ontario Hydro Corridor)

Scarborough Wexford

Purpose:

To report on the status of housing design approvals in the Wishing Well Acres portion of the former Ontario Hydro corridor, as directed by Scarborough Community Council on January 18, 2000.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

None.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that Scarborough Community Council receive this report for information.

Background:

In its decision approving residential development of the former Ontario Hydro corridor, the Ontario Municipal Board accepted the commitment made at the hearing by Graywood Investments Ltd. to prepare overall urban design guidelines to guide the development. Prepared by Page and Steele Architects in consultation with residents and Planning staff, the guidelines address such matters as streetscaping, landscaping, parking, architectural details and facades, porches and entrance doors, window treatments, materials, fencing, corner lot conditions, and building massing. The guidelines are intended to ensure an overall level of design consistency for the new housing built by individual builders and to maintain harmony with the housing characteristics of the existing neighbourhoods. The guidelines are to be administered for Graywood by a "Control Architect", who is responsible for overseeing and reviewing the various builders' plans to ensure their compliance with the guidelines.

Mr. Robert Brown, President of the Wishing Well Acres Community Association, has submitted the attached letter alleging that, based on the housing plans by Touchstone Homes for this portion of the corridor that he has reviewed, "every one of the key guidelines have been violated". Scarborough Community Council has responded by directing that this report provide an update on the "status of a Site Plan approval for the Wishing Well portion of the Scarborough Hydro Corridor".

Comments:

In response to Community Council's direction, staff referred Mr. Brown's letter to Graywood's Control Architect, Mr. Rick Merrill, Director of Planning and Urban Design at Page and Steele, for comment. His response is attached. He notes that the builder is developing semi-detached dwellings as "link" homes. These have the appearance of being detached single family dwellings but are actually linked at the foundation below grade, and are permitted house forms under the zoning approved by the Board. Link home designs, which were not expressly addressed in the design guidelines, will have narrower front façades producing different results than either a standard detached or semi-detached design, such as fewer ground floor windows facing the street.

Mr. Merrill addresses through a series of "bulleted" comments, however, how the builder has attempted to maintain the general spirit and intent of the guidelines through various design features, and that a diverse range of front elevation designs will result. He concludes that the house designs he has reviewed still meet the general criteria outlined in the design guidelines.

Mr. Merrill also advises that these are initial designs only, and that he has yet to receive additional material from Touchstone regarding colour packages, landscaping, streetscape designs, lot siting and other related details necessary to fully address the guidelines. Attached is his letter to Touchstone reminding them of their continued obligations in this regard.

To clarify any City role in design approval for the new housing, single and two-family dwellings in Scarborough continue to be largely exempted from Site Plan Control approval. With the exception of two Neighbourhood Commercial blocks on Sheppard Avenue and one on Finch Avenue, none of the corridor is now designated as a Site Plan Control Area. As well, Section 41 of the Planning Act does not afford the City any authority to control matters largely covered by the guidelines, such as colour, texture or type of materials, or window, construction and architectural details. The Board saw fit to require, as a condition of draft plan of subdivision approval, the development and application of such guidelines by Graywood's Control Architect, as a desirable alternative to ensure the highest quality of development possible.

The Ontario Municipal Board has clearly placed the onus to administer the guidelines on Graywood, through its Control Architect, and not the City of Toronto, to review and confirm that the builders individual house plans comply with the guidelines. Also, contrary to Mr. Merrill's statement in his letter to Touchstone that the City of Toronto will not process building permits unless he has stamped the design plans, as is practiced by some other GTA municipalities, the City does not apply such a requirement. This practice was suspended in the early 1980's in the former City of Scarborough based on legal advice that such a requirement does not constitute applicable law for the purpose of issuing building permits.

Mr. Merrill has advised Planning staff he will be available to attend this Community Council meeting to respond to questions.

Conclusions:

Resident concern over the quality and impact of any new residential development in the former Ontario Hydro corridor is understandable. Existing neighbourhoods will now experience visibly distinct new housing in what used to be an expanse of open space, particularly given the somewhat smaller new lots approved by the Ontario Municipal Board. The purpose of the design guidelines was, nonetheless, to ensure the highest quality of new housing in the corridor; development which reflects the positive and desirable characteristics of the existing neighbourhoods as much as possible. Planning staff are satisfied Graywood's design guidelines do that, and concur with Mr. Merrill's particular assessment of the Touchstone Homes designs for the Wishing Well Acres neighbourhood specifically. The City of Toronto has no continuing role in such design matters.

Contact:

Rod Hines, Principal Planner

Scarborough Civic Centre

Telephone: (416) 396-7020

Fax: (416) 396-4265

e-mail: hines@city.scarborough.on.ca

Ted Tyndorf, MCIP, RPP

Director of Community Planning, East District

List of Attachments:

Appendix A: Letter dated January 14, 2000 from Robert Brown, Wishing Well Acres Community Association

Appendix B: Letter dated February 10, 2000 from Page and Steele Architects to City Planning.

Appendix C: Letter dated February 10, 2000 from Page and Steele Architects to the architect for Touchstone Homes.