DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE MINUTES

APRIL 10, 2012, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Council Chamber

All Members of Council

Development Services                                               Economic Development

Chair:                      Regional Councillor Jim Jones                                Chair:                      Councillor Carolina Moretti

Vice-Chair:              Councillor Don Hamilton                                       Vice-Chair:              Councillor Alex Chiu

                                                                                                                Transportation Issues

                                                                                                                Chair:                      Regional Councillor Gord Landon

                                                                                                                Vice-Chair:              Councillor Alan Ho

 

PART B

Report Agenda

9:00 a.m. – Council Chamber

 

Attendance

Deputy Mayor Jack Heath Regional Councillor Jim Jones Regional Councillor Gord Landon Regional Councillor Joe Li Councillor Valerie Burke Councillor Howard Shore Councillor Don Hamilton Councillor Carolina Moretti Councillor Colin Campbell Councillor Alan Ho Councillor Logan Kanapathi Councillor Alex Chiu   Regrets Mayor Frank Scarpitti

Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services Gary Adamkowski, Director, Asset Management Alan Brown, Director of Engineering Catherine Conrad, Town Solicitor Brian Lee, Senior Manager, Development Engineering &             Transportation Rino Mostacci, Director of Planning and Urban Design Kitty Bavington, Council/Committee Coordinator

 

The Development Services Committee convened at the hour of 9:05 a.m. in the Council Chamber with Regional Councillor Jim Jones in the Chair. Councillor Don Hamilton assumed the Chair for Item No. 5, and Regional Councillor Gord Landon assumed the Chair for Transportation item No 6.

 

DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST

 

Councillor Valerie Burke disclosed an interest with respect to item # 3, the Thornhill Area Revitalization Working Group Minutes, by nature of there being a family-owned business in the area, and did not take part in the consideration or discussion of or vote on the question of the approval of such matter.

 

1.         DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE MINUTES
- March 27, 2012, Part B (10.0)

            Minutes

 

Moved by: Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by: Regional Councillor Joe Li

 

That the minutes of the Development Services Committee meeting, Part B, held March 27, 2012, be confirmed.

CARRIED

 

 

2.         DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
- March 27, 2012 (10.0)

            Minutes

 

Moved by: Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by: Regional Councillor Joe Li

 

That the minutes of the Development Services Public Meeting, held March 27, 2012, be confirmed.

CARRIED

 

 

3.         THORNHILL AREA REVITALIZATION
            WORKING GROUP MINUTES
            - February 8, 2012
            - March 7, 2012 (10.0)

            Feb. 8   Mar. 7

 

Councillor Valerie Burke disclosed an interest with respect to the Thornhill Area Revitalization Working Group Minutes, by nature of there being a family-owned business in the area, and did not take part in the consideration or discussion of or vote on the question of the approval of such matter.

 

Moved by: Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by: Regional Councillor Joe Li

 

That the minutes of the Thornhill Area Revitalization Working Group meeting held on

February 8, 2012 and March 7, 2012, be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

 

 

 

4.         MAIN STREET MARKHAM COMMITTEE MINUTES
            - February 15, 2012 (16.39)

            Feb. 15

 

Moved by: Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by: Regional Councillor Joe Li

 

That the minutes of the Main Street Markham Committee meeting held February 15, 2012, be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

 

 

5.         RECOMMENDATION REPORT
            APPLICATION BY 1691126 ONTARIO INC.
            (LIBERTY DEVELOPMENT CORP)
            FOR SITE PLAN APPROVAL TO PERMIT
            TWO HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL TOWERS
            AT 7171 YONGE STREET (WORLD ON YONGE PHASE 2)
            (SC 11 118286) (10.6)

            Report  Attachment

 

Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services gave a brief introduction to the site plan proposal and advised that the development is subject to servicing availability therefore the earliest occupancy would be in 2015. The Committee received a colour rendering of the buildings.

 

Mr. McCormick, representing the applicant, 1691126 Ontario Inc., reviewed the proposed conditions and advised of timing issues.

 

The Committee questioned transportation issues with respect to the recent removal of the condition for no pre-sale agreements, pending implementation of Traffic Demand Management measures. The Committee requested that a copy of the TDM measures be provided by e-mail. A deferral was requested to the April 24, 20112 Development Services Committee meeting, to allow consideration of the information provided.

 

Moved by: Councillor Valerie Burke

Seconded by: Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

 

That the following recommendation be deferred to the April 24, 2012 Development Services Committee meeting:

 

1)    That the report entitled “Recommendation Report:  Application by 1691126 Ontario Inc. (Liberty Development Corp) for Site Plan Approval to permit two high-rise residential tower at 7171 Yonge Street (World on Yonge Phase 2), File SC 11 1187286” be received; and,

 

2)    That the application for site plan approval for Phase 2 of the World on Yonge development, submitted by 1691126 Ontario Inc. (Liberty Development Corp), to permit 521 residential units at 7171 Yonge Street, be endorsed in principle, subject to the conditions set out in Appendices “A” and “B” attached to this report; and,

 

3)    That site plan approval be delegated to the Director of Planning and Urban Design or his designate, to be issued following execution of a site plan agreement, in accordance with the conditions set out in Appendix “A” attached to this report.  Site plan approval is issued only when the Director has signed the site plan; and further,

 

4)    That staff be authorized to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

 

CARRIED

 

6.         MULTI USE PATHWAY (MUP)
            FROM 16^TH AVENUE TO BOB HUNTER MEMORIAL PARK
            – CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (5.7)

            Report  Attach A  Attach B  Attach C

 

Alan Brown, Director of Engineering, gave a presentation regarding the proposed Multi Use Pathway from 16^th Avenue to Bob Hunter Memorial Park. Mr. Brown reviewed the public consultation and working group efforts to date, and the criteria used to evaluate the various routes. The Class Environmental Assessment is the first phase, further consultation will be involved in the design details exercise. Staff will report back in the Fall with a phasing plan.

 

Glenn Baron spoke of safety issues regarding the paths along the roadways and at intersections, specifically Willowgate Avenue, Banfield Avenue, and Drakefield Road.

 

Tupper Wheatley spoke of the long process to this point, and congratulated everyone involved in the project. Mr. Wheatley noted concerns regarding environmental protection, the bridge crossing at Milne Creek, traffic calming methods for roadside sections, and general safety issues.

Staff responded to Mr. Wheatley`s questions.

 

Ted Spence stated his preference for the paths to follow the valleylands rather than using roadside routes. Mr. Spence suggested hard surfaces and wider paths would accommodate a variety of uses. He indicated support for the overall vision, but emphasized the importance of protecting the environment and ensuring all residents have access to the paths.

 

Discussions included the following concerns and comments:

-       Paths should be within greenspace wherever possible

-       The Area 7 connection across 14^th Avenue has not been studied to date and should be deferred

-       Funding formula of $2.9 m does not included Box Grove funds designated for pathways in Area 6.

-       Serviceability (width and hard surface) may not be possible along entire path

-       Attempting to barricade the existing Milne Creek pathway may be difficult

-       The path running parallel to Banfield Avenue is along an existing path

-       A survey was sent to residents of Banfield, Drakefield and Willowgate; 8 responses were received, 6 of which supported the roadside route

-       Operating costs will be included in design phase update.

 

The Committee discussed the street and creek crossing options in Section 6 and comparable costs. Staff advised of the TRCA requirements with respect to erosion and rebuilding of the bridge. It was clarified that the staff recommendation provides for monitoring of the alternate roadway route and leaves both options open.

 

A motion to remove the street option and endorse the bridge option was lost.

 

Moved by: Councillor Carolina Moretti

Seconded by: Regional Councillor Joe Li

 

1)                  That the deputations by Glenn Baron, Tupper Wheatley, and Ted Spence regarding the proposed Multi Use Pathway from 16^th Avenue to Bob Hunter Memorial Park be received; and,

 

2)                  That appreciation be expressed to Councillor Carolina Moretti and other Council members involved, the residents, the working group, and staff for their hard work on this matter; and

 

3)         That the report entitled “ Multi Use Pathway (MUP) from 16^th Avenue to Bob Hunter Memorial Park - Class Environmental Assessment dated April 10, 2012, be received; and,

 

4)         That the preferred alignments for multi use pathway as described in this report be endorsed; and,

 

5)         That the section of the pathway along the south side of 14^th Avenue shown in Section 7 be deferred from the Environmental Assessment Study, for possible consideration in the future York Region`s Environmental Assessment Study for this road; and,

 

6)         That option 4S (street option) for Area 4, which routes pedestrians/cyclist onto Drakefield Road and Willowgate Drive and restricts parking on both sides of  such roads, be endorsed on a trial basis; and,

 

7)         That staff monitor the street option 4S and report back to Council if pedestrians continue to cross at the Milne Creek and whether option 4T-1 (the creek crossing option) needs to be reconsidered; and,

 

8)         That the Engineering Department staff be authorized to file the Environmental Study with the Ministry of Environment (MOE) for the 30 day public review; and,

 

9)         That staff be authorized to proceed with the detailed design of the recommended multi use pathway alignments from 16^th Avenue to Bob Hunter Memorial Park; and,

 

10)       That staff report back as to on recommended staging plan for the Multi Use Pathway; and further,

 

11)       That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

CARRIED

 

 

7.         UTILITY POLE REPLACEMENT ON MARKHAM ROAD
            FROM 16^TH AVENUE TO MAJOR MACKENZIE DRIVE (5.0)

            Report  Attach A1 & A2  Attach B

 

Alan Brown, Director of Engineering, provided an update on this matter and discussed timing issues with respect to this section of Markham Road. Staff will be reported back on the overall utility pole replacement initiative.

 

Moved by: Councillor Howard Shore

Seconded by: Councillor Colin Campbell

 

1)         That the report entitled “Utility Poles Replacement on Markham Road from 16^th Avenue to Major Mackenzie Drive be received; and,

 

2)         That the tendering process for the replacement of utility poles along Markham Road from 16^th Avenue to Major Mackenzie Drive including design review and construction co-ordination services, be waived in accordance with Purchasing By-Law 2004-341 Part II, Section 7(2); and,

 

3)         That Staff be authorized to issue Purchase Orders to Power Stream and other utility companies (i.e. Bell, Rogers Cable) for the replacement of their existing utility facilities on Markham Road from 16^th Avenue to Major Mackenzie Drive up to a value of $565,000.00 ($484,937.64 Power Stream work, and $80,062.36 estimate for other utilities) exclusive of HST to be funded from the Road Reconstruction Budget #083-5350-11069-005 which currently has a balance of $5,787,600.00; and further,

 

4)         That Staff be authorized and directed to take the actions necessary, including the execution of documents, to give effect to this report;

CARRIED

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The Development Services Committee meeting adjourned at 10:52 AM.