REPORT TO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE
TO:	Mayor and Members of Council
FROM:	Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services
	Valerie Shuttleworth, Director, Planning & Urban Design
PREPARED BY:	Markham Centre Team Richard Kendall, Senior Project Coordinator, ext. 6588
DATE OF MEETING:	2006-01-10
SUBJECT:	2005 Markham Centre Performance Measures Report Cards

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report entitled “2005 Markham Centre Performance Measures Report Cards” dated January 10^th, 2006, be received as information.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to present a series of “Report Cards” (Appendix A) on applications presented to the Markham Centre Advisory Group through the end of 2005, evaluating individual development applications relative to the Markham Centre Performance Measures Document.

DISCUSSION:

Guiding Principles provide the basis for Performance Measures Document

The Guiding Development Principles, endorsed by Council in June, 2003, together with the Secondary Plan, articulate the goals and objectives for the development of Markham Centre. The Markham Centre Advisory used these goals and objectives as a platform from which specific Performance Measures were developed. The measures contain a series of checklists relating to five key themes consisting of Greenlands, Transportation, Built Form, Green Infrastructure and Public/Open Spaces.

The Performance Measures are applied during the review of development applications within Markham Centre, to ensure consistent, high quality development, to provide clear direction regarding expectations for development. As well, the Performance Measures play an on-going role in monitoring the achievement of the Markham Centre vision. The measures establish a “Bronze, Silver or Gold” ranking based on the relative merits of the various components of a proposal.

The Performance Measures document includes a reporting section, which identifies targets intended to monitor activity within Markham Centre. Through the results of this monitoring, a better understanding of the success of the individual performance indicators and the overall measures can be evaluated and a determination made as to whether additional refinement of the measures or their targets is warranted.

Report Cards have been prepared

The 2005 Report Cards prepared by the Advisory (see Appendix A) identify the project, provide a brief description and status up-date, outline the Advisory Process Stage(s), and contain an evaluation of the Sub-Group Indicators (Built Form, Open Spaces, Greenlands, Transportation and Green Infrastructure). The Report Cards rank (Bronze, Silver, Gold) the projects relative to each of the Sub-Groups and comment on whether the project, and ultimately the Town, is on-target to realizing the Markham Centre vision.

Performance Measures have been applied

Staff’s review of development applications within Markham Centre have employed the Performance Measures to ensure proposals reflect the Town’s goals and objectives, and respect the Markham Centre vision for a sustainable community. The staff report on Liberty’s First Phase Site Plan application discussed the merits of the project relative to the Performance Measures, as will subsequent reports on the following applications anticipated to be presented to Council early in the New Year:

• York Region School Board – Preliminary Site Plan Review,
• Precinct Plan for Markham Centre’s East Precinct, and
• Circa – Tridel/Dorsay Developments – Phase II Apartment Building

These projects were presented to the Markham Centre Advisory Group by the respective applicants. Immediately following their presentations, the Committee assessed the proposals and discussed adherence to the performance measures while the issues were “top-of-mind”. Individual report cards reflect the Advisory Group’s consensus as to the rating of each proposal.

Liberty Developments

Liberty’s Phase I Site Plan approval consists of approximately 2.6 ha of land located between the Clegg Road extension, Highway 7, South Town Centre Boulevard and the Hilton Suites Hotel. Within this first phase, two office buildings are proposed adjacent to Highway 7; two apartment buildings fronting onto South Town Centre Boulevard (13 & 16 storeys and containing a total of 311 units); an apartment building on the extension of Clegg Road (10 storeys and 153 units) and, a 148 unit suites hotel located adjacent to the new north/south street. The Advisory rated Built Form and Open Spaces “Bronze” subject to comments relating to accentuating the retail base of the buildings, and better articulating the character of the buildings. Transportation was rated “Silver” and Green Infrastructure was rated “Gold” subject to implementation of the items presented to the Advisory Group, including the introduction of green roof elements and connecting to District Energy. Generally, the project was considered on target; however the Group noted, at the meeting, that certain building elements seemed to be inconsistent with plans previously presented to the Advisory.

Subsequent to the Advisory’s evaluation of the Liberty application, meetings were held between staff and representatives of Liberty, resulting in a series of revisions being made to the plan and building elevations, prior to staff recommending site plan approval to Council. The changes included increased landscaped area within a reconfigured surface parking lot; expanded sidewalk and additional use of alternate materials, including pavers within the parking areas and courtyard to soften their appearance; additional glazing at the upper levels of the residential buildings to provide a change of material and thereby reduce the verticality of the buildings; additional horizontal precast banding within the buildings to de-emphasize their height; and, the use of consistent materials and design elements in the base of the buildings.

York Region School Board – Preliminary Site Plan Review

Located off Main Street South Unionville, on the Unionville Golf Centre property within the East Precinct, the School Board presented preliminary concept plans for their Markham Centre School for Athletics and Healthy Active Living. Transportation was rated “Bronze” due to concerns with restricted site access for cars and buses, especially at peak times. The Advisory expressed interest in seeing retail/commercial located near the site to accommodate the needs of the school and future residents in the area. Built form was rated “Silver”, Open Spaces and Greenlands were rated “Gold”. The overall proposal was rated on target.

Precinct Plan for Markham Centre’s East Precinct

The East Precinct encompasses the lands east of the GO transit line, north of Highway 407, west of Kennedy Road and south of the Rouge River, and consists of approximately 46 ha. (114 acres). Precinct Plans establish parameters for detailed land uses and built form and are intended to provide a physical representation of a proposed community to assist the Town in determining appropriate zoning, subdivision and infrastructure requirements. Staff presented an overview of the draft Precinct Plan to the Advisory for their review and the Plan was rated “Silver”, and considered on target. The Advisory recommended that the proposed grade-related retail component of the plan be emphasized because of the Precinct’s isolation from established or proposed retail developments.

Circa – Tridel/Dorsay Developments – Phase II

Tridel presented their plans for the second phase of their Circa project on the north west corner of Highway 7 and Town Centre boulevard to the Advisory on December 8, 2005. This phase comprises 390 units within a 16 storey building employing materials and built form consistent with the first phase building which is nearing completion. The representative for Tridel outlined the plans and the various initiatives that Tridel is undertaking with their first phase building, including connecting to the District Energy network and installing a green roof on their amenity building. In rating all applicable criteria “Silver”, the Advisory reiterated past reservations regarding the massing and built form of this project, while acknowledging it’s appropriateness given the site’s landmark location in the Secondary Plan. It was recommended that Tridel consider implementing a 3-stream waste programme for the building and that consideration be given to linking office and/or institutional component of their plan to the next residential phase to help achieve a live/work mix sooner. Staff will report to Council on this site plan application pending resolution of servicing allocation distribution in Markham Centre.

Performance Measures Targets

The final component of the Report Card contains a section which asks the Advisory to comment on whether or not they feel the Town is on target in achieving the Markham Centre vision based on the review of the individual development proposals. In each instance discussed in this report, the Advisory felt that we were on target and that the applications represent another step in the evolution of Markham Centre.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

There are no financial considerations at this time.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Environmental considerations are addressed through the implementation and application of the Performance Measures document, specifically matters relating to Greenlands and Green Infrastructure.

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

Accessibility considerations are addressed, in part, through the implementation and application of the Performance Measures Document.

ENGAGE 21^ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The application of the Performance Measures document aligns with the following Town of Markham Corporate Goals: Managed Growth, Quality Community and Infrastructure Management.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

Town Departments were involved throughout the approvals process for the subject projects. The ratings in this report reflect discussions with the Markham Centre Advisory Committee.

CONCLUSIONS:

The Advisory Group’s 2005 review of development applications within Markham Centre is outlined in this report, including specific issues that the Advisory identified with individual applications. The “Report Card” is the final component of the Performance Measures process and provides an assessment of applications to determine how successful the Town is in implementing Markham Centre. Based on the applications reviewed to date it would appear that the Town is on target. Further detailed analysis is required in concert with finalizing individual site plan applications to assess implementation of various Green Infrastructure initiatives.

For Council’s consideration, in 2006 the Advisory Group will endeavour to benchmark the Performance Measures document against Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design “LEED” accreditation. The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Through this benchmarking process the Advisory will identify any Performance Measure enhancements which may be appropriate, and make revisions, where necessary, to the Performance Measures criteria to ensure the document remains current and consistent with the most up-to-date sustainable practices.

ATTACHMENTS:

Appendix A – Report Cards - Markham Centre Development Applications

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\Teams\Markham Centre\Annual Report Cards\2005\DSC 2005 report card recommendation report.doc