RECOMMENDATION:
That a Public
Meeting be held to consider the applications submitted by Jolis
Investments for a Zoning By-law Amendment to implement recent revisions to draft
plan of subdivision 19T-88018, located on the west side of Woodbine Avenue,
north of 16th
Avenue, at Calvert Road (File ZA 05
025323).
PURPOSE:
The
purpose of this report is to provide preliminary information regarding an
application for a Zoning By-Law Amendment to implement recent revisions to
draft plan 19T-88018.
BACKGROUND:
Site context and surrounding uses
The 16.8
hectare subdivision
is located between Highway 404 and Woodbine Avenue in the north west quadrant of the Woodbine Avenue/Calvert Road intersection. The site is divided by the Rouge River and associated valley
corridor which creates two development areas:
·
the smaller western portion between Highway 404 and the valley
corridor, will be accessed from Cachet Woods Court and contains two
development blocks;
·
the larger eastern portion of the property,
between the valley corridor and Woodbine Avenue, will be bisected by the
extension of Markland Street to Woodbine Avenue.
A
portion of a golf course is located below the top of bank of the valley
corridor. The valley land was conveyed
to the Town of Markham in the early 1990s as
part of the original draft plan of subdivision approval on the subject
lands. The golf course operators have
entered into a long-term lease with the Town.
Uses surrounding
the subject lands include:
·
the Woodbine North residential community, located between Markland Street and Woodbine Avenue north of the subject lands;
·
the Woodbine North employment lands between Highway 404 and Markland Street also north of the subject
lands;
·
low density residential lands on the east side of Woodbine Avenue;
·
a golf course and future employment lands between the site and 16th Avenue;
·
a proposed major commercial development (currently vacant and on hold
at the request of the Owner (Metrus)) at the
northwest corner of Woodbine Avenue and 16th Avenue;
·
Buttonville airport south of 16th Avenue.
Current Official Plan and Zoning
The site
is designated under three categories in both the Markham Official Plan (Revised
1987), and the Woodbine North Secondary Plan (OPA 43): Business Corridor along the Woodbine Avenue frontage (Block 1 on the
draft plan of subdivision); Business Park on the remaining table
west of the Woodbine frontage; and Hazard Land in the valley. Both the Business Park and Business Corridor
designations are employment designations, with limited free standing retail
permitted in the Business Corridor designation, and no free-standing retail in
the Business Park designation.
The
developable portions of the site are zoned Select Industrial [M.C.] with a
variety of density permissions. The
valley corridor is zoned under the Open Space 1 [O1] category while the 10
metre environmental buffers on either side of the valley are zoned Open Space 3
[O3]. The open space zones permit only limited, conservation and recreation-oriented uses. The zoning provisions are consistent with
Official Plan policies.
Proposed zoning by-law amendments
The
proposed amendments are intended to implement recent revisions to the draft
plan of subdivision relating to the proposed realignment and extension of
Cachet Woods Court northward through the site (pursuant to the Environmental
Assessment Study approved in 1999); a realignment of Markland
Street through the site; as well as conveyance to the Town of the portion of
the existing storm water management pond located at the north east corner of
the subject lands.
The
revised draft plan of subdivision and associated conditions were approved by
the Ontario Municipal Board in August 2005.
As part of the settlement of the OMB appeal, staff agreed to consider a
zoning amendment to revise permitted site densities in order to ensure that
there would be no net loss of development potential as a result of the
conveyance of the stormwater management pond block
and the realignment of Cachet Woods Court and Markland
Street, both of which had the effect of reducing the land area of certain
blocks within the draft plan of subdivision.
More
specifically, the applicant is requesting the following zoning changes:
·
Rezone the north eastern portion of the site, within the boundaries of the
existing SWM pond, from the M.C. zone to the OS1 zone;
·
Revise upward the specific density caps on the adjoining development
blocks (which are being reduced in size due to the conveyance of the SWM pond
lands to the Town) in order to preserve existing development rights on these
parcels.
·
Incorporate zone boundary changes to reflect the westerly relocation of
Markland Street by 30 metres, associated
with the as-built location of Markland Street in the subdivision to the
north; as well as the proposed northward extension of Cachet Woods Court as set out in the 1999 EA
study.
·
Additional revisions of development densities on a block by block
basis, to ensure that current development rights are maintained in the context
of the road realignments.
The
following table summarizes and compares the maximum development yields associated
with the original draft plan of subdivision and zoning by-law with the revised
draft plan and proposed zoning amendment addressed in this report:
|
Original
Draft Plan/Zoning
Densities:
|
|
|
Revised Draft
Plan/Proposed Zoning Densities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Area
(m2)
|
Maximimum FAR
|
Maximum
GFA (m2)
|
|
|
Area
(m2)
|
Maximimum FAR
|
Maximum
GFA (m2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Block 1
|
2
|
100
|
20,000
|
|
Block 1
|
1.61
|
107
|
17,227
|
|
Block 2
|
1.76
|
60
|
10,560
|
|
Block2
|
3.025
|
60
|
18,150
|
|
Block 3
|
1.25
|
60
|
7,500
|
|
Block3
|
1.618
|
50
|
8,090
|
|
Block 4
|
1.25
|
50
|
6,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Block 5
|
1.18
|
50
|
5,900
|
|
Block 4
|
1.014
|
50
|
5,070
|
|
Block 6
|
1.15
|
50
|
5,750
|
|
Block 5
|
0.677
|
50
|
3,385
|
|
Block 7
|
1.22
|
45
|
5,490
|
|
Block 6
|
1.323
|
50
|
6,615
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Block 8
|
1.25
|
50
|
6,250
|
|
Block 7
|
1.833
|
60
|
10,998
|
|
Block 9
|
1.15
|
50
|
5,750
|
|
Block 8
|
3.124
|
70
|
21,868
|
|
Block 10
|
2.55
|
70
|
17,850
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subtotal
|
|
|
91,300
|
|
Subtotal
|
|
|
91,403
|
|
|
As shown
in the above tables, the preliminary statistics provided by the applicant indicate
that the requested zoning amendment would result in a slight increase in
overall development potential on the site, in the order of 100 m2
(1,076 sq. ft.). The intent of the
recent settlement was to revise the by-law to maintain current development
densities. The proposed development
densities, in staffs opinion, support this intent. The zoning by-law amendment
can therefore be considered as a technical amendment.
It is
also important to note that the subject zoning by-law amendment is not intended
to address future site plan applications on individual lots or blocks that may
involve zoning by-law amendments to permit a wider range of uses and/or further
intensification. Any such applications
will be addressed separately, on a site-specific basis.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF APPROVAL OF THE
PROPOSAL:
The
proposed zoning by-law amendment implements the recent revisions to the draft
plan of subdivision, and ensures that existing development rights are not
compromised by the road realignments and the public conveyance and rezoning of
the storm water management pond lands.
The
proposed amendments will facilitate the development of employment uses on the
subject lands.
CONCERNS/ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED:
Staff have no concerns at this time with the proposed amendment.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no financial issues associated with the
proposed amendment.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
All
relevant Town departments and outside agencies have been circulated. Their comments will be incorporated into the
draft zoning by-law amendment.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommend that a public meeting for the proposed amendment be scheduled in the
new year.
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1 Location Map
Figure 2 Air Photo
Figure 3 Zoning and Area Context
Figure 4 Revised draft plan of subdivision
Figure 5 Proposed zoning changes
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\ZONING\05 025323 Jollis
subdivision\preliminary report - revised application.doc
FIGURE 1 LOCATION MAP
AGENT: Mr. Robert Macauley
Macauley
Shiomi Howson
293 Eglinton Ave. East
Toronto ON M4P 1L3
Tel: 416-487-4101
Fax: 416-487-5489
OWNER: Jolis
Investments (Ontario) Limited
c/o
Dagmar Teubner
215 Brandbury Road
Toronto ON M3B 3L6
Tel: 416-446-0003
Fax: 416-447-5466
LOCATION MAP:
