Report to: Development Services Committee Date of Meeting: June 20, 2006

SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION REPORT

Application for Site Plan Control Approval

Miller Paving Ltd. proposed façade changes and parking lot

8050 Woodbine Avenue and the property on the west side of Woodbine Avenue south of Burncrest Road

File Numbers SC 06-111299 and SC 06-111341

PREPARED BY: Doris Cheng - Planner II, extension 2331

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report dated June 20, 2006, entitled “Recommendation Report, Application for Site Plan Control Approval – Miller Paving Ltd. proposed façade changes and parking lot, 8050 Woodbine Avenue and the property on the west side of Woodbine Avenue south of Burncrest Road, File Numbers SC 06-111299 and SC 06-111341” be received;

And that the applications for site plan control approval by Miller Paving Ltd. for the parking lot and façade changes be endorsed in principle, subject to conditions attached as Appendix ‘A’;

And that site plan approval be delegated to the Director of Planning and Urban Design or her designate, to be issued following execution of a site plan agreement. Site Plan approval is issued only when the Director has signed the site plan.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Not applicable.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable.

1. Purpose 2. Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial 5. Environmental

6. Accessibility 7. Engage ^21st 8. Affected Units 9. Attachment(s)

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview and delegate approval to the Director of Planning and Urban Design on applications for site plan control approval for proposed façade changes and the construction of a parking lot to accommodate the Miller Paving Ltd. operations and bus storage facility for York Region.

BACKGROUND:

Subject Lands and Area Context

The proposal is comprised of two land parcels. The property subject to the façade renovation is located at 8050 Woodbine Avenue north of Burncrest Road (Figure 1). This site is approximately 3.3 hectares (8.06 acres) and supports a 2 storey industrial building and approximately 52 employee parking spaces. The south side of the building contains twelve (12) service bay doors for truck and bus access. Currently, the property is owned by Belfield Investments and is being leased by Miller Waste for the purpose of vehicle maintenance, service and administrative offices.

The property subject to the parking lot application consists of approximately 8.2 hectares (20.26 acres) at the south west corner of Woodbine Avenue and Burncrest Road (Figure 1). The property is vacant and lies within the Ontario Hydro Corridor / Parkway Belt West Plan and is currently owned by the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC). This site currently contains a drainage swale to the western property line and a small, temporary gravel parking lot.

To the north is Highway 407, associated access ramps and a stormwater management pond. To the south are various industrial buildings within an industrial plan of subdivision and a Town Reserve for the continuation of Scolberg Road, which is anticipated to intersect with Burncrest Road in the future (Figure 4). To the west is Highway 404 and the Hydro corridor which continues westward. The Hydro Corridor remains within the jurisdiction of the Parkway Belt West Plan and is subject to a Minister’s Zoning Order. Other uses to the west include a self storage facility and an indoor golf facility (Markham Golf Dome). To the east, across Woodbine Avenue the lands are currently used by Miller Paving Ltd. for industrial purposes, including an office and garage complex, asphalt plant, roller maintenance facility, asphalt testing lab, refueling areas, a bus washing facility and a waste transfer station. These lands are currently under review for draft plan of subdivision application to create industrial and commercial development lots (File SU 06-105672) (Figure 3). The property to the north east is owned by Magna International, of which, a portion of the land was acquired by the Town for the Rodick Road overpass, which is currently under construction and is anticipated to be completed in October 2006.

The Proposal

The proposal is two-fold. First, the renovation of the building façade of the existing building at 8050 Woodbine Avenue, which will continue to be utilized as a service and maintenance facility for the Miller Transit bus administration operations. The proposed changes to the façade include the construction of a new entry vestibule fronting onto Woodbine Avenue and renovating the existing service bay doors by replacing the existing brick with matching metal panels (Figure 5).

Second, the applicant is proposing the construction of a parking lot across Burncrest Road, south of 8050 Woodbine Avenue. This parking lot is to be used for the storage of York Region Transit vehicles, Miller Waste trucks, and employee parking (Figure 4) for the maintenance facility and offices at 8050 Woodbine Avenue. The proposed land use is comparable to the existing Rodick Road site and is summarized in the following parking site statistics:

Type of vehicle	Existing Rodick Road Site	Proposed Burncrest Road Site
Waste Truck Parking	Approx. 40 truck spaces	65
YRT Bus Parking	138 bus spaces	115
Miller Transit Employee Parking Markham Waste Employee Parking	298 spaces in total	229 car spaces 69 car spaces
Existing Parking at 8050 Woodbine Avenue	N/A	51

The proposed parking lot configuration also takes into account the future extension of Scolberg Road by coordinating the parking lot access with the future road alignment (Figure 4). The applicant is also constructing berms and landscape planting to screen the visual impact of the parking lot from Woodbine Avenue.

Official Plan and Zoning

The subject lands are designated Parkway Belt West Plan in the Town of Markham Official Plan (Revised 1987) as amended and are subject to the Minister’s Zoning Order. In reviewing this application, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) has determined that the lands are recognized as Electric Power Facility and Inter Urban Transit Way within the Public Use Area. They have stated that they consider the proposed use as temporary in nature and that it complies with Section 9 of Ontario Regulation 473/73. This permits the use of the lands for the proposed purpose as it is providing a public service for the Town of Markham and York Region. Consequently, MMAH has determined that an amendment to the Parkway Belt West Plan is not required.

The subject lands are currently zoned Industrial Category 4 (M4) under By-law 2284-68, as amended (Figure 2). The M4 zone permits a range of industrial and limited commercial uses but parking is only permitted as an accessory use, not as the primary use. However, since the lands are subject to the Minister’s Zoning Order (public use provisions), the underlying Town zoning is not in effect on the lands.

Since the Minister’s Zoning Order takes precedence over municipal zoning by-laws, it is not required to proceed with a zoning amendment at this time. Until an amendment to the Parkway Belt West Plan is brought forward and the Minister’s Zoning Order is lifted, it is recommended that the Town not amend the existing zoning on the lands.

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

The following is a brief summary of concerns/issues raised to date. These matters, and others identified through the circulation and detailed review of the proposal will be addressed in the site plan agreement.

Ontario Realty Corporation

The ORC has no objection to the proposal, and has submitted correspondence confirming their intent to enter into an amending lease agreement with Miller Paving Ltd. for the subject lands. The agreement will include the term, area and fee as well as the proposed use of the lands, subject to the conditions by Hydro One Networks, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and the Ministry of Transportation.

The building façade modifications are acceptable

The applicant is proposing to modify the exterior of the existing building at 8050 Woodbine Avenue. The extent of the modification includes replacing the overhead bus bay doors which front onto the previous Burncrest Road alignment and replacing the brick surround with metal panels to match the new doors. A new 5 ft x 5 ft entry vestibule is proposed for the front of the building which consists of dark brown aluminum mullions and fascia with clear double glazing and a dark brown aluminum fascia band (Figure 5). The applicant also intends to paint the existing faded blue metal panels with a cream colour to match the branding of Miller Paving Ltd. Staff considers these modifications acceptable.

A Landscape Plan has been submitted and will require additional revisions

The applicant has submitted a landscape plan for the expanded parking lot on the Ontario Hydro Corridor lands. The landscape plan identifies a large berm with tree and shrub planting adjacent to Woodbine Avenue. The berm has been identified as 3.0 metres in height and extends along the Woodbine Avenue frontage and wraps along the south property line. This berm will be hydroseeded and naturalized within the berm interior facing the parking lot, and maintained across the frontage exposed to Woodbine Avenue. Street trees have also been identified for the Woodbine Avenue and Burncrest Road frontages of the site. Staff has reviewed the landscape plans and are requesting additional understorey shrubs planting along the Burncrest Road frontage. The understorey shrub planting will screen views of the parking lot from Burncrest Road. 

A Landscape Plan has not yet been submitted for the building at 8050 Woodbine. Upon inspection of the site, it was determined that the existing landscaping is minimal and that further enhancement is necessary. Staff has met the consultants and requested additional planting has been proposed across the frontage which will include high branching deciduous trees and understorey shrub planting along the Woodbine Avenue frontage. Staff will continue to work with the applicant to finalize additional landscaping to minimize the visual impact of the proposal.

A Traffic Study has been submitted and reviewed by staff

The applicant has submitted a site specific traffic study prepared by Cole Engineering Group Ltd. in support of the proposal, which has been reviewed by the Transportation section of the Engineering Department. The information provided describes the traffic impacts of relocating the proposed bus depot, waste truck depot, and employee parking from the Rodick Road Site to the south-west corner of Woodbine Avenue and Burncrest Road and at 8050 Woodbine Avenue. The peak morning and afternoon hours for traffic associated with the proposed development do not coincide with the general peak hours of local traffic. The proposed peak hours from the proposal will generate 119 vehicles between 5:15-6:15 am, and 68 vehicles between 2-3 pm. The proposed facility will utilize the Woodbine Avenue / Burncrest Road signalized intersection to access the site, therefore the existing road network can accommodate the proposed development and no changes are required. However, signal timing changes are proposed by the applicant, and Regional approval of the changes will be required.

A Stormwater Management report has been submitted and reviewed by staff

The applicant is proposing to drain the storm runoff from the parking lot to a new stormwater management pond to be constructed on the western portion of the property. This private facility will require regular inspection and maintenance of the pond to the satisfaction of the Director of Engineering. Also, in accordance with Ministry of the Environment (MOE) regulations, the applicant will be required to obtain a Certificate of Approval for Stormwater Management works on private property.

An Archaeological Assessment has been submitted

An archaeological assessment has been submitted by This Land Archaeology Inc. and reviewed by the Ministry of Culture. Based on the information provided by the survey, the Ministry has determined that there are no archaeologically significant resources present on the lands. However, should any heritage resources be discovered during construction, the owner will be required to cease operations and contact the Ministry of Culture immediately for further assessment.

Burncrest Road Alignment

The re-alignment of Burncrest Road at Woodbine Avenue was completed by MTO as part of the Highway 407 / Woodbine Avenue interchange construction in 2004. As part of this application, transfer documents for the realigned Burncrest Road and Miller Avenue right of way will be required by the Town as a condition of the site plan control agreement

Scolberg Road Extension

The future road network anticipates that Scolberg Road will intersect with Burncrest Road in the future (Figure 4). The Engineering Department has determined that the extension of Scolberg Road from Shield Court will not be required for this temporary use application, however while the applicant does not own the land, they have allowed for the future right of way in the site plan layout. It is anticipated that should these lands be required for a future MTO Transitway station and associated parking, access will be required from the future extension of Scolberg Road and Burncrest Road. The Town Engineering Department has acknowledged that an environmental assessment is scheduled to begin in September 2006 for the extension of this road.

CONCLUSION:

Staff are generally satisfied with the proposed façade changes at 8050 Woodbine Avenue and the proposed parking lot at the south west corner of Burncrest Road and Woodbine Avenue. Staff recommend that the Committee delegate final approval to the Director of Planning and Urban Design or her designate, to be issued following execution of a site plan agreement.

FINANCIAL TEMPLATE (Separate Attachment):

There are no financial implications associated with this application.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

There are no environmental implications associated with this application.

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

There are no accessibility implications associated with this application.

ENGAGE 21^ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The proposed development promotes the key goal of Infrastructure Management as set out in “Engage 21^st Century Markham” by providing for the efficient use of road infrastructure and land use.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The applications have been circulated to applicable departments and agencies for comment, and their requirements will be integrated in the site plan control agreement.

RECOMMENDED

BY: ________________________ ________________________

Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P, R.P.P Jim Baird, M.C.I.P, R.P.P

Director, Planning & Urban Design Commissioner, Development

Services

ATTACHMENTS:

Appendix A – Site Plan Control Conditions

Figure 1 – Location Map

Figure 2 – Area Context / Zoning

Figure 3 – Aerial Photo

Figure 4 – Site Plan

Figure 5 – Elevations

Document File path: \\MARKHAM.CA\APPS\AMANDADOCS\PLANNING\SAVEPATH\14916788084.DOC

Appendix A

1. That the Owner enter into a Site Plan Agreement with the Town, containing all standard and special provisions and requirements of the Town and other public agencies, including MTO and York Region; and, including the specific requirements identified in the staff report, prior to final site plan approval;

2. That prior to execution of the site plan agreement, the Owner shall submit final drawings, and comply with all requirements of the Town and authorized public agencies, to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Development Services;

3. That prior to final site plan approval the Owner shall submit a Landscape Plan, including a detailed lighting submission, prepared by a Landscape Architect, having O.A.L.A. membership for approval by the Commissioner of Development Services, prior to the execution of the site plan agreement;

4. That the Owner provide and implement a detailed stormwater management plan, including quality control measures/devices to the satisfaction of the Director of Engineering;

5. And further that site plan approval shall lapse after a period of three years commencing June 20, 2006 in the event that the Owner does not enter into a site plan agreement with the Town during that period.