	REPORT TO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE


TO:	Mayor and Members of Council

FROM:	Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services Valerie Shuttleworth, Director of Planning & Urban Design Alan Brown, Director of Engineering

PREPARED BY:	Markham Centre Team Richard Kendall, Senior Project Coordinator, extension 6588 Anna Henriques, Planner, extension 7922

DATE OF MEETING:	March 7, 2006

SUBJECT:	York Region District School Board Application for Site Plan Approval Markham Centre High School for Athletics and Healthy Active Living 44 Main Street South, Unionville SC-05-022671

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report dated March 7, 2006, entitled “York Region District School Board,

Application for Site Plan Approval - Markham Centre High School for Athletics and Healthy Active Living at 44 Main Street Unionville” be received;

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.

That the Site Plan application (SC 05 022671) submitted by York Region District School Board to construct the Markham Centre High School for Athletics and Healthy Active Living, be endorsed in principle, subject to the conditions attached as Appendix ‘A’;

That the owner enter into a site plan agreement with the Town, containing all requirements of the Town, York Region, TRCA and other public agencies, including providing any financial securities required;

That this endorsement shall lapse and site plan approval will not be issued, after a period of three years commencing March 7, 2006, in the event that the site plan agreement is not executed within that period; and,

That staff be authorized to pursue the necessary agreement to acquire an easement for District Energy, from the adjacent property owners to the south of the school site, and that the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute such an agreement in a form satisfactory to the Town Solicitor.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The York Region District School Board acquired the Unionville Golf Centre property at 44 Main Street Unionville and is proposing to construct the first phase of their four-storey high school for healthy, active living within Markham Centre’s East Precinct. The high school site encompasses approximately 12.4 ha (30.6 acres) including valleylands, with approximately 4.3 ha (10.6 acres) of tableland on which the four storey building will be located. The programming for this school places a strong emphasis on sports related events and facilities. Included within the proposal are three sports fields (soccer/rugby) and a running track within the valley, several gymnasiums and outdoor tennis courts/skating rink.

Construction of the school will be phased, with the first phase consisting of approximately 20,626 square metres of floor area, and 50 classrooms accommodating approximately 1,500 students from across York Region. The second phase is seen as a specific training venue run in conjunction with the school, but by an arrangement with a separate entity such as a sports club. It is not expected to contain any classrooms or accommodate additional student population.

Proposed building materials include a mix of brick and masonry veneers, prefinished metal siding, ceramic tiles, precast concrete panels and perforated metal screens.

Key components of the application include surface parking at the rear of the building and adjacent to the GO line, drop-off and pick-up area, covered bike storage facilities, biofilters internal to the parking/drop-off areas. A stormwater management pond, wetland and vegetation regeneration area are other components of the project proposed within the valleylands. A trail system along the perimeter of the naturalized river edge is also proposed to link to the existing trail system east of Main Street Unionville. In terms of sustainability objectives, the School Board is pursuing a “Silver” LEED Accreditation, and the Markham Centre Advisory Group rated the proposal on-target.

One of the major issues associated with this proposal relates to limited site access and the need to achieve and maintain acceptable short and long-term levels of service on the local road network. In order to minimize the impact on Main Street Unionville South during existing peak hours, a variety of implementation tools need to be introduced including restricted enrolment, later start times, signalization of the access drive and a comprehensive (TDM) Travel Demand Management programme.

Other issues to be resolved include development of facilities within the valleylands, tree preservation, construction traffic and District Energy connections.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to discuss an application for Site Plan Approval for York Region District School Board’s High School for Athletics and Healthy Active Living on the former Unionville Golf Centre property at 44 Main Street South Unionville. The application is recommended for approval subject to conditions.

BACKGROUND:

The York Region District School Board is proposing to construct the first phase of their four-storey high school for healthy, active living within Markham Centre’s East Precinct. The East Precinct comprises approximately 46 ha (114 Acres) of land east of the GO line, north of Highway 407, south of the Rouge River and west of Main Street South. Given the fragmented ownership in the East Precinct and recent initiatives in the area including construction of the YMCA and extension of Enterprise Boulevard, work on the Precinct Plan was undertaken to establish parameters for detailed land uses and built form, intended to assist the Town in determining appropriate zoning, subdivision and infrastructure requirements (Figure 4).

The York Region District School Board acquired the Unionville Golf Centre property at 44 Main Street Unionville for a high school and has been working with staff throughout the preparation of the East Precinct Plan to address issues relating to site access, building orientation and servicing requirements. The East Precinct Plan was presented to Development Services Committee on January 24, 2005, and will be the subject of a public information meeting in the spring of 2006.

In addition, on February 8, 2006, the local Councillor, in conjunction with the School Board, hosted a Community Information Meeting on the high school proposal. Many of the comments at the meeting related to the programming elements of the school, enrolment, and valleyland restoration. However, as discussed in more detail later in this report, the main focus of the meeting dealt with site access, the timing for the implementation of the extension of Enterprise Boulevard, and related improvements to Main Street Unionville South.

OFFICIAL PLAN AND ZONING BY-LAW:

The lands are designated Community Amenity Area – General and Hazard Land in the Markham Centre Secondary Plan (OPA 21). The Community Amenity Area designation recognizes a broad range of use permissions, and the secondary plan allows for school sites to be relocated within the plan area, subject to consultation with the respective school board and locational objectives and community structure criteria being met. With respect to the Hazard Land designation of the valley portion of the site, the Secondary Plan recognizes that these lands may be used for active recreation associated with a park or school site, subject to approval by the Town and applicable regulatory agencies.

By-law 122-72 zones the valleyland portion of the school site Open Space (O1) and the tableland portion of the site Open Space (Special Use) O2. Permitted uses within the O1 Zone include athletic fields, as well the former golf course use, while permitted uses within the O2 Zone include community colleges and non-commercial schools. The proposed high school and playfields would be consistent with both the zoning by-law and Secondary Plan policies.

PROPOSAL:

The high school site encompasses approximately 12.4 ha (30.6 acres) including valleylands, with approximately 4.3 ha (10.6 acres) of tableland on which the four storey building will be located. Presently, the only access to the school site is via Main Street Unionville South. As discussed in more detail later in this report, in the long-term, pending future development applications within the East Precinct, it is anticipated that additional access opportunities will be created through neighbouring properties to the south to provide for full movement, signalized access to the future extension of Enterprise Boulevard. In addition, while the building as presently sited would be located towards the rear, westerly portion of the site, the East Precinct Plan has been configured to provide for a future public park block in front of the school building (See Figure 4). In this way, the four storey school building would have a stronger visual presence on the street as well as direct pedestrian linkages through the park block to Enterprise Boulevard.

The programming for this school places a strong emphasis on sports related events and facilities. Included within the proposal are three sports fields (soccer/rugby) and a running track within the valley, several gymnasiums and outdoor tennis courts/skating rink. The central play field, within the valley, is proposed to contain an artificial surface with enhanced drainage features to allow for extended levels of usage throughout the season.

Construction of the school will be phased, with the first phase consisting of approximately 20,626 square metres of floor area, and 50 classrooms, eventually accommodating approximately 1,500 students from across York Region. It is anticipated that initially, approximately 70% of the students attending this school would be from Markham, and that as enrollment increases additional students will be attending from other parts of York Region. The plans also call for a small building approximately 111 square metres (1,200 square feet) in area referred to on the site plan as a “Field House” (Figure 5) containing change rooms and a storage room for grounds keeping equipment.

The second phase is intended to provide for additional enhanced athletic facilities. It is not expected to contain any classrooms or accommodate additional student population. At this time, the applicant advises that Phase Two is seen as a specific training venue to be run in conjunction with the school, but by an arrangement with a separate entity such as a sports club. Consequently, the size and scope of the programming elements have not been finalized and will be the subject of a separate report at the time of site plan approval of Phase 2. Conceptually, the second phase is likely to occupy the lands identified on the attached site plan to the south of the proposed school building (Figure 5) shown as tennis courts/skating rink.

Key components of the application include surface parking at the rear of the building and adjacent to the GO line, drop-off and pick-up area, covered bike storage facilities, biofilters internal to the parking/drop-off areas, outdoor summer tennis courts which convert to a skating rink in the winter. A stormwater management pond, wetland and vegetation regeneration area are other components of the valleylands included within this proposal. A trail system along the perimeter of the naturalized river edge is also proposed to link to the existing trail system east of Main Street Unionville.

Proposed building materials include a mix of brick and masonry veneers, prefinished metal siding, ceramic tiles, precast concrete panels and perforated metal screens (Figure 6).

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSAL:

Some potential benefits of approval include the following:

· Significant education and sports facilities serving current and future residents;

· Potential enhancement of vegetation adjacent to Rouge;

· Public access to valley and trails system;

· Consistent with Markham Centre Performance Measures;

· Demonstration of energy efficiency and urban sustainability practices including Markham District Energy and “LEED” accreditation;

· Another major proposal within the East Precinct to serve as a catalyst for high quality development and intensification.

DISCUSSION:

The application has been circulated to interested agencies for review and comment. The following discussion focuses on transportation and access options, District Energy, tree preservation issues as well as TRCA and other agency requirements associated with this proposal.

Transportation Impact and Access Options Analysis

A traffic study submitted to evaluate potential traffic impacts has been reviewed by staff and several discussions have been held with the applicant and their consultants to finalize the technical analysis. One of the key transportation issues related to this application is the location of the vehicular access points. The Traffic study reviewed the access options and identifies the need for full movement access to a future signalized intersection at Enterprise Drive, as well as a secondary access to Main Street South. Access to the site was discussed at a Part A presentation to the Development Services Committee on February 7, 2006.

Access to the site is currently proposed via Main Street South will be located towards the southerly limit of the site, and existing drives off Main Street serving the former golf course would be closed. Following the extension of Enterprise Boulevard, the proposed East Precinct Plan provides for full movement access to the school site via a future signalized intersection off a public road (Proposed Access Road ‘A’) connecting to Enterprise Boulevard. This will require the dedication and construction of a public road over the Kopansky/Co-operators properties, south of the school site.

The timing for the construction of the extension of Enterprise Boulevard has not been confirmed, but has been identified in the Engineering Department’s 10 Year Capital Programme with a tentative timeframe of 2010 to 2011. In order to provide full movement access to the school site to coincide with the projected 2008 opening, the land acquisition and Enterprise Boulevard construction programme would have to be advanced to 2008/2009. The Finance Department cash flow analysis for the Engineering Department’s 5 year capital plan is scheduled to be before Council in April/May for review.

In addition to access locations, the phased occupancy of the school and the timing of the road network to serve this area are also key issues to assess the potential transportation impact of the application. In this regard, the following scenarios have been examined:

Scenario	Description	Attachment
1	Interim Road Network (2008 – 2011) Main Street Access Only	A
2	Interim Road Network (2008 – 2011) Two accesses: Main Street, and west access via Enterprise Boulevard (Phase 2a Enterprise extension from Rivis Road to a temporary second school entrance)	B
3	Ultimate road network (2011) Two accesses: Main Street and Street A with the completion of Enterprise Boulevard from Rivis Road to Kennedy Road including modifications on Main Street Unionville	C

The following sections outline the analysis of traffic conditions related to these scenarios in combination with projected occupancy of the school.

Scenario 1: Interim Road Network (2008 – 2011) Main Street Access Only (Figure 7)

Given current financial and property acquisition issues, there is a possibility that Enterprise Boulevard may not be extended easterly from its current terminus at Rivis Road until after 2008. In this case, the high school will only have one access from Main Street Unionville South on opening day, 2008. From the review of traffic impacts on Main Street Unionville South, a full enrolment of 1500 students cannot be supported by only one access. In order to mitigate the traffic impacts on Main Street South the School Board has agreed to a school start time delayed to 9:00 AM and limited, phased enrolment as described below.

The existing peak hour on Main Street Unionville South occurs between 7:30 to 8:30 in the AM, and 5:15 to 6:15 in the PM. The 9:00 AM start time will generate school traffic starting at 8:30 AM which is past the morning peak hour, and the school will end at 4:00 PM, which is outside of the peak hour in the afternoon. Detailed counts on Main Street South show that existing traffic volumes drop off by as much as 50% after the peak period.

With respect to enrolment at the school, the Board has confirmed that it will take several years before the school will be operating at full occupancy. In order to minimize the impact on Main Street South, the Board has agreed to the following interim enrolment schedule, until network road improvements and alternate access arrangements are in place:

Year	Enrolment (Students)
2008	400
2009	650
2010	900
2011	1000

Staff are satisfied that the limited enrolment, coupled with a later start time, will minimize the impact during existing peak hour and shift the traffic to a later time frame. These measures result in an acceptable level of traffic on Main Street Unionville South, and reasonable intersection level of service at Main Street / Unionville Gate. Approximately 130 (400 students) to 320 (1000 students) two-way trips will travel along Main Street north of the School access during 8:30-9:30 AM between 2008 and 2011. This school related traffic will occur after the existing peak hour traffic (7:30 – 8:30 AM) experienced by residents today.

The Main Street school access is located approximately 120m north of the intersection of Main Street Unionville South / Unionville Gate. The access will allow full turning movements, and will be side stop controlled. Some queuing is expected for vehicles exiting the school due to availability of gaps on Main Street Unionville South. Since this will be the only access serving the site, and the timing of other road infrastructure in this area may be delayed, it is recommended that a temporary traffic signal be installed, at the School Board’s expense, to ensure efficient and safe movements at the Main Street/School access intersection. These traffic lights may be removed once the future second access is in place on Enterprise Boulevard.

In the interim condition (with no Enterprise Boulevard extension), there will be no direct pedestrian linkages to Enterprise Boulevard, and therefore there will be no or limited student/staff access to the VIVA service, and limited opportunities to access YRT services along Kennedy Road or Highway 7.

Scenario 2: Interim Road Network (2008 – 2011) – Two accesses: Main Street and via a 10m easement to Enterprise Boulevard (Figure 8)

In this scenario, in addition to the Main Street full movement access, a second temporary access (west access) would traverse through the Kopansky/Edwards sites to the south and connect to Enterprise Boulevard. This option requires a 10m wide easement from Kopansky/Edwards which could also incorporate service connections including District Energy. Discussions continue with the two landowners, however no agreement has been reached, and it appears unlikely that both landowners would be prepared to provide such an easement in the near term.

Given that the full road network would not be in place, the Board would have to delay the school start time and limited enrolment as noted in Scenario 1, above. The addition of the second access will provide alternative routes for school traffic and will help to further reduce traffic impacts on Main Street South. It is expected that there will be 10% to 20% less school trips on Main Street between Highway 7 and the site access compared to the first scenario, possibly eliminating the need to introduce a traffic signal at the Main Street/School access intersection. The School Board would need to monitor the operations at Main Street access and provide for a temporary signal if required by the Town.

This scenario would create an opportunity for a pedestrian linkage to the Enterprise Boulevard / Rivis Road intersection, providing student/staff access to VIVA service and the GO Station.

Upon the extension of Enterprise Boulevard to Kennedy Road and acquisition of lands to connect proposed Street A to Enterprise Boulevard, this temporary westerly access to Enterprise Boulevard would be closed.

Scenario 3: Ultimate road network (2011) – Two accesses – Main Street and Proposed Street A with the completion of Enterprise Boulevard to Kennedy Road including modifications on Main Street Unionville (Figure 9)

Based on the draft 2006-10 Year Capital Programme, the Enterprise Boulevard extension to Kennedy Road is scheduled to be constructed by 2011-2012 ($8.5 million – Development Charge funded). As part of the approved EA, the Town committed to narrowing Main Street Unionville South (Highway 7 to Rouge River) to 2 travel lanes, and introducing streetscaping, parking bays and bike lanes when Enterprise Boulevard is extended ($1.0 million – Tax Rate impact). Preliminary design of this road has revealed that the Rouge River bridge has to be replaced at a cost of an additional $700,000 (Tax Rate). With the extension of Enterprise Boulevard, the high school will have two potential access points – Main Street, and via proposed Street A to Enterprise Boulevard. Pending resolution of financial arrangements and property acquisition issues, this scenario can be in place in 2009, if Council advances the extension of Enterprise Boulevard.

The primary access would be via proposed Street A, which would traverse south through the Kopansky/Co-operators sites, prior to connecting the high school site to Enterprise Boulevard. The Street A / Enterprise Boulevard intersection is intended to be signalized under the East Precinct Plan. This access option requires the School Board to acquire land (18 to 20m in width) from Kopansky/Co-operators, and build the road. The Main Street access is proposed to be a full movement access and side stop controlled.

The two accesses are anticipated to be available after completion of Enterprise Boulevard, at which time the high school enrolment will be approximately 1,500 students. At 1,500 students, the school will generate 651 and 525 trips in the AM and PM peak hour, respectively. Approximately 73% of the school traffic is assigned to the Street A/Enterprise Boulevard access, while the remaining 27% is assigned to Main Street. Approximately 190 to 150 two-way trips will travel along Main Street between Highway 7 and the School access during the AM and PM peak hours, respectively. Staff are satisfied that the area road network will be operating at an acceptable level of service with two school accesses.

The School Board will need to revise the site plan (on-site circulation) to reflect the desire to direct bus traffic via the Street A / Enterprise Boulevard access. The School Board has acknowledged in a letter dated February 16, 2006, to the Director of Engineering, that they are prepared to operate the school on a reduced enrolment basis with a single access until the Enterprise Boulevard extension is in place (Appendix B).

Transportation Demand Management (TDM)

A number of transportation demand management elements were outlined in the School Board’s traffic study to promote the culture of active and healthy living. The School Board has agreed to the following elements of TDM including, but not limited to:

· Participate in Transportation Management Association (TMA)

· Provide opportunities (via agent or kiosk) to sell transit tickets on the school site

· Provision for secure bike racks

· Introduce paid parking for students

· Designate preferred parking for carpools, and establish a ride matching program

· Alternative modes/TDM promotional events held throughout the school year

· Conduct continuous monitoring of the effectiveness of the TDM program

Staff supports the above TDM initiatives, and recommends that the above elements be in place on opening day. Staff will continue to work with the School Board to finalize the details in a Travel Demand Management Agreement. The TDM Agreement will be an integral component of the Site Plan Agreement.

Construction Truck Traffic

School truck traffic shall be limited to Main Street Unionville South, south of the school access to ensure that the trucks utilize Unionville Gate to Kennedy Road. Trucks will be prohibited from using Main Street north of the school access.

District Energy

Presently, the District Energy connection serving the East Precinct ends at the easterly termination of the newly constructed Enterprise Boulevard. The school site does not have frontage onto Enterprise Boulevard and therefore, does not have direct access to this District Energy connection. The School Board and Town staff are in ongoing discussions regarding the possibility of acquiring an easement through the lands of abutting property owners (Kopansky/Edwards) to the south in order to provide a connection to District Energy. In the event that abutting land owners are not prepared to grant an easement, District Energy may not be available to service the high school.

Tree Preservation Plan

There are a number of mature trees located throughout the site, both on the tablelands and within the valley. A Tree Preservation Plan has been submitted and reviewed. Most of the tableland is required for building and on-site traffic circulation and parking. Revisions and additional information have been requested in order to identify significant trees and explore opportunities to reconfigure certain components of the development to save as many trees as possible.

There are a number of features associated with this development that will be constructed within the valley portion of the site, including three playfields and stormwater management facilities. Changes to the grading required to construct these facilities will affect many of the valley trees. Discussions with the TRCA involve enhancements within the valley, restoration of the river edge, and re-naturalizing with native plantings. These matters will need to be addressed to the satisfaction of the Town and TRCA as a condition of site plan approval, to ensure that this development represents a net environmental gain.

TRCA and Markham Centre Greenlands Plan

A significant portion of the site is located within the Rouge River Valley. Components of this project proposed to be incorporated within the valleylands include three playfields (including an artificial playing surface), as well as a stormwater pond. The Markham Centre Greenlands Plan identifies much of the school’s valleylands as an area for natural restoration, and also identifies opportunities for a stormwater plan, potential wetland and trail connections. In discussing the introduction of valleyland playfields and stormwater pond with the TRCA, the applicant is proposing a series of enhancements of the natural valley environment, the restoration of the river edge and the removal of elements previously associated with the former golf course use.

The TRCA is generally supportive of the proposal given that a net environmental gain may be achieved with the golf course use being discontinued and the proposed significant environmental restoration occurring within the riparian zone of the Rouge Valley. TRCA staff have reviewed the School Board’s Functional Servicing Report and have outlined matters to be addressed. Matters under discussion with the TRCA include, but are not limited to, technical matters relating to drainage and storm water management, location of portions of SWM pond and playfields within the meander belt, tree preservation and compensation with enhancement restoration of the riparian zone.

Valley enhancements proposed by the School Board include 3.6 ha of restored habitat along the riverbank, and a naturalized stormwater pond (servicing the school site and adjacent lands north of Enterprise Boulevard) operating in concert with bio swales in the parking lots, intended to slow release high quality water to the Rouge River. Existing dykes within the river will be removed to enhance natural river flow.

A trail system along the perimeter of the naturalized river edge would be consistent with the objectives of the Markham Centre Greenlands Plan and would link to the existing trail system east of Main Street Unionville, providing opportunities for public access throughout this portion of the valley system.

Fire Access

In the event that the proposed secondary access to the site (proposed Street ‘A’ off Enterprise Boulevard), is not built in time for the school’s opening, the driveway off of Main Street will be the only access to the site . The proposed driveway into the site off Main Street is located within the regional floodplain. The Fire Department has advised that a secondary access for fire fighting purposes will not be required provided that the owner submit a certified letter from an engineer confirming that the Main Street driveway fire access route is located 1.5 metres above the 100 year storm flood line and a letter confirming that the secondary access, proposed Street ‘A’, will be completed within an appropriate timeframe after the school is occupied. The Fire Department requirements are included as a condition of site plan approval.

Servicing

Sanitary and water services are available on Main Street Unionville and Enterprise Boulevard. The applicant is required to submit to the Town, for review and approval, servicing drawings demonstrating, amongst other things, that the local sanitary sewers on Main Street are capable of conveying the sanitary flows from the site, if access to services on Enterprise Boulevard is not available.

Urban Design

The applicants are proposing a four-storey building with a variety of finishes and materials. Comments from the Urban Design Department are generally supportive of the built form, massing and building placement. As mentioned earlier in this report, opportunities for this building to have prominence on the extension of Enterprise Boulevard will be created through the implementation of the East Precinct Plan and development approvals on adjacent lands to the south. Additional information is required with respect to tree preservation measures; landscaping elements; pedestrian access; fencing, lighting and building details, prior to site plan approval.

ADVISORY GROUP & PERFORMANCE MEASURES:

Proposal has been reviewed by the Advisory Group

The Markham Centre Advisory Group reviewed the preliminary site plan proposal at their March, 2005 meeting. Comments from the Advisory indicated a strong interest in seeing retail/commercial located near the site to accommodate the needs of the school and future residents in the area. The Transportation component of the proposal was rated “Bronze” due to concerns with restricted site access for cars and buses, especially at peak times. Built form was rated “Silver”, Open Spaces, Greenlands and Green Infrastructure were rated “Gold”. The overall proposal was rated on target.

LEED ACCREDITATION:

The School Board has been working with their environmental consultant and is seeking a LEED “Silver” rating for this project.

Highlights towards this rating identified by the architects include:

3.6 ha of restored habitat along the Rouge River bank.
Naturalized Storm Water Pond and Bio Swales in the parking lots that will slow release high quality water to the Rouge River.
Removal of dykes to enhance natural river flow.
Outdoor lighting to be fitted with cut off shields to maintain “dark skies”.
Innovative storm water storage and irrigation system which will reduce water consumption, and when combined with low flow plumbing fixtures, achieve a 15 to 20% reduction in water use.
Highly efficient building envelop and HVAC systems will realize energy savings of 30 to 35% over conventional construction, lowering operating costs for the Board and lowering green house gas emissions and air pollution for all of Markham.
Building orientated to take advantage of prevailing winds and solar exposure improving energy efficiency and building occupant comfort.
Local, environmental friendly and high recycled content building materials are to be specified to improve indoor environmental quality and less transportation and refining of raw materials means lower green house gas emissions, air pollution and environmental foot print.
School designed with operable windows and to allow for high amount of natural day lighting to improve student wellness and performance.
Potential savings through possible connection to District Energy.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Under the Development Charge Act, school boards are not assessed development charges but municipalities are required to include their area in the assessment, effectively requiring municipalities to pay the school board’s share of development charges, or negotiate other arrangements. In respect to this site, the Markham Centre (42B) and East Precinct (42B-9) ASDCs are approximately $1.8 million. Negotiations with the York Region District School Board as to their contribution to infrastructure to service the school are required, as this issue remains outstanding.

In particular, the advancement of the construction of Enterprise Boulevard and the associated improvements to Main Street would represent signicifant costs to the Town, only a portion of which (approximately $8.5 million) would currently be Development Charge funded. The narrowing of Main Street Unionville South (Highway 7 to Rouge River) to 2 travel lanes, and introducing streetscaping, parking bays and bike lanes when Enterprise Boulevard is extended represents approximately $1.0 million – Tax Rate impact. Replacement of the Rouge River bridge represents another $700,000, which would also be Tax Rate funded.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

This proposal has been evaluated against the Markham Centre Performance Measures and the project’s projected “Silver” LEED accreditation is a significant step in achieving sustainable development within Markham Centre. Issues of Green Infrastructure and Greenlands continue to be addressed in concert with the TRCA’s on-going review of this application and through staff efforts to resolve constraints to providing a District Energy connection to serve the school.

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

There are no accessibility implications for the Town in this report.

ENGAGE 21^ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The proposal aligns with the following key Town of Markham Corporate Goals: Managed Growth, Quality Community and Infrastructure Management.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The applications have been circulated to applicable departments and agencies for comment, and their requirements have been included as conditions of approval.

CONCLUSION:

Subject to satisfactory resolution of access and valleyland enhancement issues, the high school represents another significant step in the development of Markham Centre as a community, and in the Town achieving its vision of a dynamic, transit supportive, people-friendly and sustainable mixed-use downtown.

ATTACHMENTS:

Figure 1: Site Location

Figure 2: Area Context and Zoning

Figure 3: Aerial Photo

Figure 4: Draft East Precinct Plan

Figure 5: Proposed Site Plan

Figure 6: Proposed Elevations

Figure 7: Site Plan - Interim Road Network (2008 – 2011) – Main Street Access Only

Figure 8: Site Plan - Interim Road Network (2008 – 2011) – Two Accesses

Figure 9: Site Plan - Ultimate road network (2011) – Two Accesses – Main Street/Street A

APPENDIX A – Conditions of Site Plan Approval

APPENDIX B – Letter from School Board

_______________________________		_________________________________
Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Director of Planning & Urban Design		Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Commissioner of Development Services
________________________________
Alan Brown, C.E.T. Director of Engineering

Applicant Contact Information:

David Snelgrove

1260 Gorham St Newmarket ON L3Y 8W4

Telephone number: 90572700223237

Facsimile Number: 9058301640