RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the Development Services
Commission Report entitled “Truth Tabernacle of Markham
Inc., application for Site Plan Approval to permit a place of workship at 717
Highglen Avenue” be received;
AND THAT the Site Plan
Control application (SC 04 027977) submitted by Truth
Tabernacle of Markham Inc. to permit a 1,160.2 m2
(12,488.7 ft2) place of worship at 717 Highglen
Avenue, be approved subject to the following
conditions:
1. Final site plan and elevation drawings be
submitted to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Development Services;
2.
A Landscape Plan, prepared by a Landscape Architect having
O.A.L.A. membership, be submitted to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of
Development Services;
3. The Owner shall comply with all
requirements of the Town and authorized public agencies, to the satisfaction of
the Commissioner of Development Services;
4. The Owner shall comply with the
requirements of the applicable zoning by-law or obtain any necessary minor
variances to accommodate the proposal;
5. The Owner shall enter into a
site plan agreement with the Town, containing all standard and special
provisions and requirements of the Town and public agencies;
6. The Owner shall pay all
applicable fees, recoveries, development charges, parkland dedications, and any
financial obligations related to applicable Developers Group Agreements;
7. The Owner shall obtain all
necessary approvals from the Regional Municipality of York (Transportation and
Works Department);
8. The Owner shall enter into appropriate easement
agreements with the adjoining landowner to the south providing for a cross use and joint maintenance of a shared driveway aisle
along the mutual property line;
9. The Owner shall submit to the
Engineering Department for approval, revised site servicing and grading
drawings, municipal service connections details, and a revised stormwater
management report, prior to the building permit stage. Drawings are to be prepared and stamped by a
Professional Engineer with a Certificate of Authorization from Professional Engineers
of Ontario; and
10. The site plan approval shall lapse after a
period of three years commencing June 7, 2005, in the event a site plan agreement is not
executed within that period.
PURPOSE:
The report provides background
information and recommends site plan approval, subject to conditions, for a
proposed place of worship on the southwest corner of Markham Road and Highglen
Avenue, at the property municipally known as 717 Highglen
Avenue.
BACKGROUND:
Property
and Area Context
The subject property consists
of approximately 0.48 ha (1.19 acres) located on the southwest corner of Markham Road and Highglen Avenue. The site is presently vacant with no
significant vegetation or natural features.
Abutting the
subject property to the south is a 4-storey apartment building, currently under
construction. Immediately to the west is
a vacant parcel of land intended for a neighbourhood park, and further west are
existing residences. To the north, across
Highglen Avenue, is an
existing commercial plaza, and to the east, across Markham
Road, are vacant lands intended for future
commercial development.
The site was originally
reserved for a place of worship at the time of the approval of subdivision
19T-89126. The original 0.79ha (1.95
acres) place of worship site was reduced
with the approval of the Town, as part of the approval of the 4-storey
apartment building to the south in January, 2004.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
Official Plan provides for a place of worship
The Official Plan
designates the subject property “Urban Residential”, which provides for the
proposed use. The Armadale East
Secondary Plan (PD 24-2) designates the subject property “Urban Residential-
Medium Density”, and identifies the subject site as a potential place of
worship site.
Official Plan
Amendment (OPA #115) for places of worship contains specific criteria for evaluating
applications for place of worship approval.
The criteria relevant to the subject proposal are discussed below:
1. Official Plan Amendment is required for new and expanded
places of worship sites in Urban Residential areas that have site areas greater
than 2.5 hectares.
The proposed
site for the place of worship will have an area of only 0.48 hectares; hence an
official plan amendment is not required.
2. Location criteria with respect to road
classification.
Official
Plan policies provide that where the place of worship site is located in an Urban
Residential designation, it may be located on an arterial road or Provincial
Highway at the intersection with another public
road. As mentioned above, the subject property is designated Urban
Residential and the site is located on the southwest corner of an arterial road (Markham Road) and a major collector road (Highglen Avenue).
3. Ability
to effectively manage negative impacts of the proposed place of worship on the
surrounding area with regard to noise and light, traffic and parking.
The
proposed place of worship is surrounded by existing commercial uses to the
north, across Highglen Avenue, existing and vacant commercial lands to the east, across Markham Road, and a proposed neighbourhood park immediately to
the west. The proposed development is
not expected to negatively impact any of these uses with respect to light or
noise. Immediately to the south is an
apartment building. Appropriate clauses
will be included in the site plan agreement requiring the applicant not to
direct glare from light fixtures onto other properties. Therefore, the means
exists to address any potential glare generated by this development that may impact
the apartment building. Noise generated
by the place of worship, either from traffic or functions held at the site, are
not expected to have a significant impact on an apartment building located
adjacent to a regional highway. Impacts
related to traffic and parking are discussed below.
4. Ability to effectively manage any impacts of traffic
generated by the place of worship on surrounding uses.
Given the location of the place of worship is on a major collector road
with easy access to a signalized intersection, and given the nature of the
surrounding uses, significant negative impact is not expected from the traffic
generated by this place of worship, which is relatively small in size compared
to other places of worship built in recent years.
5. Can the site provide
adequate access for vehicles; is the site accessible by pedestrians; and is
there existing or future availability of public transit within short walking
distance.
The site
is proposed to be served by an access from Highglen
Avenue with additional emergency access
available through the property to the south.
Public Transit service is currently available along Markham
Road within walking distance from the
site. Adequate pedestrian accesses from
the proposed place of worship to the existing sidewalks on Highglen
Avenue and Markham
Road have also been provided.
6 Considerations with
respect to off-street parking and internal traffic circulation.
The applicant is currently
proposing sufficient parking to satisfy the Town’s new parking requirements for
places of worship. Internal traffic
circulation has been reviewed and has been found to be acceptable.
7. A plan to provide for
off-site parking, if required for special events held at the place of worship.
The applicant has indicated
that based on the size of their existing place of worship facility and the size
of their congregation, during special events they would require approximately
77 spaces whereas a total of 104 parking spaces are proposed on-site. Parking demand for typical weekly services is
lower. In addition, the applicant has indicated
that they own two vans and provide shuttle service to many members of their
congregation. The applicant has also
indicated that, if the need arises, they have the option of expanding the
shuttle service to accommodate more parishioners with this alternative mode of
transportation, which could further reduce parking requirements.
8. Proposed landscaping
including planting, grading and screening is appropriate to complement the
proposed place of worship and surrounding uses.
The applicant has agreed to provide a
3-metre landscaping strip along Markham
Road and a 4.4 metre landscape strip along Highglen
Avenue.
The proposed landscape treatment along Markham
Road will include masonry pillars and
decorative metal fencing as well as shrubs planting. Along Highglen
Avenue, the landscape treatment will
consist of shrubs and trees. The
proposed fencing and planting will help screen the parking area from Markham
Road and Highglen
Avenue streetscape. The finished grade of the place of worship
site will match the existing grade level of the public boulevard along Markham
Road and Highglen
Avenue.
9.
The place of worship design minimizes
impacts on adjacent uses and is in keeping with the Town’s policies with
respect to visual appearance and applicable urban design guidelines.
The proposed site
design is not expected to impact adjacent uses.
The building has a base of masonry architectural block on all sides with
stucco applied above. This treatment is similar to the architectural treatment
of the shopping centre to the north of Highglen
Avenue.
As requested by staff the applicant has provided a significant landscape
island in the middle of the parking lot to help mitigate the view of the
parking lot. The proposed development
with the building located close to the intersection is also in keeping with the
Town’s urban design policies.
Zoning By-law permits the place of worship
The subject
property is currently zoned Institutional and Open Space (O2) under Zoning
By-law 90-81, as amended, and the current zoning permits a place of worship and
accessory uses.
Markham Road Corridor Study vision approved in
June, 2003
The subject lands fall within the study area of the
Markham Road Corridor Study, which was initiated in 2002 to develop an urban
design vision for the Markham Road corridor between 14th Avenue and Steeles Avenue. The resulting vision, adopted by Council
in June, 2003, includes urban design guidelines for development along Markham Road, and a concept for the development of a
community focus in the general area of Markham Road between Highglen Avenue and Golden Avenue, including the subject lands. The vision calls for a high intensity
mixed-use development node in this area, mainly centred
on the lands east of Markham Road but also including the frontage on the west
side of Markham Road. The proposed
development is consistent with the vision as outlined in the Markham Road
Corridor Study, as outlined in further detail below.
Proposal is to permit a place of worship with typical accessory uses
The applicant has
submitted an application for site plan approval to permit a place of worship
having a total gross floor area of 1,160.2 m2 (12,488.7 ft2). The proposed place of worship will feature a
sanctuary on the ground floor with a total seating capacity of 347 seats. The
basement is intended to contain meeting rooms, nursery, general office, servery
and a multi-purpose room.
Sufficient on-site parking has been provided
The new parking
by-law requires that parking for places of worship be calculated at a rate of 1
parking space per 4 persons of the worship area capacity, or 1 parking space
per every 9m2 of the net floor area of the worship area(s) and any
accessory use areas, whichever is greater.
Based on this standard, the proposed place of worship would need a total
of 104 parking spaces and, as noted above, the applicant has provided 104
spaces. The proposal meets the new
parking by-law standard for on-site parking.
Site Plan is consistent with
the Markham Road Corridor Study and is acceptable
The proposed place of
worship is consistent with the vision for Markham Road as outlined in
the approved urban design guidelines.
The vision calls for development along
Markham Road, particularly between Denison
Street and Highglen Avenue, to
provide a strong building street wall, with buildings set close to the street,
providing visual interest and a diversity of uses along the street. All building types should have direct
pedestrian access to Markham
Road to encourage pedestrian
activity on the street. In addition, the
intersection of Markham
Road and Highglen Avenue is
identified as a secondary gateway. Secondary
gateways are intended to be defined primarily through building and site design
that emphasizes the corner condition, as well as through special landscaping and
street furniture.
Visual interest is provided
through the use of a pitched roof, which is consistent with the roofline of the
apartment building to the south, and the inclusion of a vertical spire at the
corner of the building. The exterior building material will consist of
architectural block band, roughly 4 to 5 feet from grade, around the proposed
building and stucco above the architectural block band. This treatment is similar to the shopping
centre to the north across Highglen
Avenue.
The sanctuary corner, the highest part of the structure, facing the Highglen
Avenue and Markham
Road intersection will consist primarily of
architectural block. The proposed
exterior colours will consist of ‘neutral earthy’ tones.
The proposed
development also complies with the vision in terms of building height. The proposed height of the building (calculated from the average grade
level to the mid point of the peaked roof) is approximately
two storeys. The height of the building
at its peak (excluding the cross) is 12.8 metres (42 feet), which is still
consistent with the guideline of approximately three storeys along Markham Road.
With respect to parking areas,
the design guidelines indicate that, whenever possible, parking should
be located to the side and rear of buildings or in below-grade parking
structures, and that access points should be consolidated as much as possible
through shared driveways to minimize disruption of the public sidewalk and to
simplify traffic access. Parking for the
proposed development is located mainly to the side and rear of the
building. The vehicular access from Highglen Avenue is on the west
side of the proposed building and will not interfere with pedestrian access
from the building to Markham Road.
The
design guidelines also indicate that where parking areas are adjacent to
streets, a landscape buffer (e.g. hedges, low walls, decorative fencing or rows
of trees) should be located between the sidewalk and the parking areas. The applicant is proposing extensive
landscape treatment to screen
the parking area from Markham Road.
The proposed landscaping treatment along Markham Road includes masonry pillars and decorative
metal fencing as well as shrub planting within the 3-metre landscape buffer
strip. Extensive landscape treatment,
consisting of shrubs and trees, is also proposed along Highglen Avenue.
This is also consistent with the landscape treatment of other commercial
properties north and south of the site on Markham Road.
Staff
are satisfied with the site layout and building
elevations.
Easements for cross use of driveway
As mentioned above, the site will share a common
driveway isle with the adjoining residential property to the south. As a result, both property owners will need
to enter into a mutual easement agreement for cross use and joint maintenance
of the shared driveway aisle. This
matter has been discussed with both property owners and they are both in
agreement. A condition of approval to
this effect is included.
CONCLUSION
Staff
are satisfied with the proposal and recommend that it be
approved, subject to the conditions outlined in this report.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no financial impacts
to the Town in this report.
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
The site plan shows a total of
five handicap parking spaces all located close to the main entrance of the
building. In addition, barrier free
pedestrian connects leading from the main entrance on the south side of the
building to Markham Road and Highglen Avenue have
also been provided.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no environmental issues
to be considered in this report.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The application was circulated
to all Town departments and external agencies, and their
recommendations/comments have been incorporated into this report.
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Valerie
Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director
of Planning & Urban Design
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Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Commissioner
of Development Services
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FILE PATH: Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\SITEPLAN\04 027977 Truth
Tabernacle of Markham\DSC Report.doc
ATTACHMENTS: Figure 1 – Location Map
Figure
2 – Area Context and Zoning
Figure
3 – Air Photo
Figure
4 – Site Plan
Figure
5 – Elevations
AGENT: Joel Bartlett
J.
David MacAuley Architect Inc.
360 Woolwich Street
Guelph Ontario N1H 3W6
Tel:
1-519-823-2441
Fax:
1-519-821-8140
Figure 1
