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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services Valerie Shuttleworth, Director of Planning & Urban Design |
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PREPARED BY: |
Laurie
Wheeler, Senior Planner, Policy Group |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
2004-April-06 |
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SUBJECT: |
Official Plan Amendment to redesignate the Proposed Armadale West Industrial Area File No.
OP.01-102884 |
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RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report entitled “Official Plan
Amendment to redesignate the Proposed Armadale West Industrial Area” dated
2004-04-06, be received;
AND THAT staff be authorized to modify and
update the April 2001 draft Official Plan and Secondary Plan Amendment to incorporate
any minor amendments appropriate to address the issues raised in this report;
AND THAT a further Public Meeting be held to
consider the proposed revised Official Plan and Secondary Plan Amendment to
redesignate the subject lands from URBAN RESIDENTIAL to INDUSTRIAL to permit
certain Business Corridor Area uses along the 14th Avenue frontage
and General Industrial Area uses to the rear;
AND THAT notice of the Public Meeting be
published in the Markham Economist and Sun, in accordance with the Planning Act
requirement, and that notices also be mailed to all owners of property within
120m of the site as shown on the last revised assessment roll;
AND FURTHER THAT prior to the Public Meeting, a
further meeting be held with the owners of land within the proposed Amendment
area.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to respond to
Council’s request for a report which addresses the issues raised at the April
2001 public meeting regarding the Town-initiated Official Plan and Secondary
Plan Amendment to redesignate lands on the north side of
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Recent studies have shown that the
Town has a very limited supply of land available to accommodate single and
mixed-function, low-rise industrial-style buildings accommodating employment
land employment (ELE). Many of the users
of these types of buildings help to support the Town’s existing and future
high-tech industries. The proposed
Armadale West Industrial Area is an appropriate and needed expansion to the
Both the Planning and Urban Design
Department and the Economic Development Department recommend proceeding with
the redesignation of the lands east of the
BACKGROUND:
The
proposed 26.8 ha employment area is currently vacant and designated URBAN
RESI-DENTIAL in the Official Plan
The subject lands consist of five properties
(approximately 26.8 ha) located on the north side of
The Official Plan designates the subject lands
as URBAN RESIDENTIAL. The Secondary Plan
for the area (PD 24-1) designates the lands as Low Density Residential,
The
Employment Lands Strategy Study recommended that these lands be considered for
redesignation for employment uses
The subject lands have been designated URBAN
RESIDENTIAL since 1982. There have been
no residential development applications for the subject lands. Over the years, there have been several
applications to permit industrial uses.
The Employment Lands Strategy Study, completed
in February 2000, concluded that
In
2001 Council initiated and deferred consideration of an Amendment to permit
employment uses on these lands
With the agreement of the property owners, the
Town initiated an Official Plan and Secondary Plan Amendment in 2001 to
redesignate the subject lands from URBAN RESIDENTIAL to INDUSTRIAL. On
1.
permit appropriate Business
Corridor Area uses along the
2.
permit General Industrial
Area uses adjacent to the railway line,
3.
revise park designations no
longer applicable (i.e. the community park had been constructed elsewhere), and
4.
recognize the actual site configuration of the adjacent secondary school
use.
A copy of the draft Amendment considered at the
Public Meeting is attached (Appendix A).
At the Public Meeting, area residents raised
the following issues with respect to the proposed redesignation:
One letter, an email and a petition were
submitted in opposition to the proposed redesignation and were received by
Committee at the Public Meeting. No specific
issues were identified in either the petition or the letter. The minutes of the Public Meeting, and a copy
of the email received are attached (Appendices B and C).
Subsequent to the Public Meeting, Council
resolved that the Town-initiated amendment to redesignate the subject lands be
deferred and combined with the Town-wide Employment Lands Study.
Additional
staff analysis of employment land supply has confirmed a shortage of land for
employment land employment
In May 2002 Council received a further report
from staff regarding the constrained land supply for employment uses. That report concluded that there is an
imbalance between projected employment growth and the available supply of land for employment, both
in the short and long term. Whereas the
existing supply of designated INDUSTRIAL land would accommodate forecast major
office employment (MOE) growth within the time horizon of the current Official
Plan (to 2011), the existing land supply would only accommodate about 40% of
the short term forecast growth in employment land employment (ELE) (see Issue
No. 1 below). In the longer term, beyond
2011, additional employment land supply will be required for both MOE and
ELE.
The May 2002 staff report also evaluated
several opportunities within the urban area to redesignate land to accommodate
the short term need for additional employment land. The 26 ha of land on the north side of
In May 2002 Council received the staff report
regarding employment land supply and authorized steps towards the redesignation
of some areas which could accommodate longer term employment land needs (e.g.
the Box Grove Secondary Plan, and the Cornell Secondary Plan update). The staff recommendation that the Official
Plan Amendment for the proposed employment area on the north side of
DISCUSSION:
Issue
No. 1: Is there a need for additional
employment land
Members of the public questioned if there is
already sufficient vacant land designated for employment use.
Table 1. May 2002 Projected
Employment Growth and Land Requirements for ELE and MOE to 2011 |
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Employment
Component (Type) |
Projected
Employment Growth to 2011 (employees) |
Land
Requirement to 2011, Without Reserve (net ha) |
Land
Requirement, to 2011, With Reserve (net ha) |
(net ha) |
Without Reserve (net ha) |
Major Office Employment (MOE) |
10765 |
93 to 145 |
121 to 189 |
183 |
none |
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26551 |
467 to 671 |
607 to 873 |
146 |
321 to 525 |
MOE and ELE Combined |
37316 |
560 to 817 |
728 to 1062 |
329 |
321 to 525 |
Both the Employment Lands Strategy Study
completed in 2000, and subsequent analyses have confirmed a shortage of land
within the Town to accommodate employment land employment to 2011. As shown in Table 1 below, over 50% of
* including Box Grove, adopted
June 2002
2011 is employment land employment. The demand for single and mixed-function,
low-rise industrial-style buildings accommodating employment land employment,
is projected to increase in the evolving economy. Many
The Economic Development Department has
confirmed the immediate need for additional land for the type of buildings
required for employment land employment - both large and small floor plate, single and mixed-function, low-rise industrial-style
buildings. The Economic
Development Department has advised that the consensus in the real estate
community is that there is a serious shortage of employment land available in
Issue
No. 2: Is there a need for additional
employment land at this location
The rapid growth of
the
The land with the
greatest potential to provide additional employment land employment
opportunities within the urban area in the short term is the subject proposed
Armadale West Industrial Area. These lands represent a logical extension to the
adjoining employment district, have easy accessibility to Hwy 407 at both the
Redesignation of land outside of the Town’s
urban boundary to accommodate additional INDUSTRIAL land is on hold pending
resolution of Bill 27 (Greenbelt Protection Act 2003).
Other land identified
within the urban area with potential for redesignation to INDUSTRIAL is
summarized in Table 2. The Town is
continuing to pursue secondary plan studies to implement additional employment
areas in the Hwy 404, Hwy407/Rodick and Cornell south areas. The time frame for these lands to reach the
market and their potential to accommodate employment land employment varies. In any case, the overall requirement for
additional land for employment land employment cannot be met through these
lands alone.
Table 2. Land identified within the urban area with
potential for redesignation to INDUSTRIAL |
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Net
Hectares |
Availability |
Ontario Hydro lands |
0 |
Not
available |
Hwy 407/Rodick Road |
±
48 |
Not
for sale, unserviced, not
designated |
Southwest Hwy404/407 |
±
8 |
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Cornell South |
±
29 |
There is a proven market for employment land in
this south eastern
Issue
No. 3: Inequitable distribution of
industrial lands within the Town
One of the submissions at the time of the
Public Meeting suggested that there was a disproportionate amount of
non-residential land use in Markham Centre (Appendix C). It appears that there is some confusion here,
as the subject area is not in Markham Centre, but rather, is in the Armadale
community. The Armadale Planning District
(which extends from approximately
Decisions relating to the appropriate location
of industrial and office land use are based not only on distribution of these
uses throughout the Town to meet live-work objectives, but also ensuring that
employment lands are designated at locations with the attributes needed for a
successful business community, such as:
proximity to other employment activities; access to arterial roads and
provincial highways; proximity to markets; and an appropriate interface with
adjacent uses. The
The development of these lands for employment
purposes represents the only opportunity available and marketable in the short
term for new live-work opportunities east of
Issue
No. 4: Traffic/ safety issues associated
with the high school.
Area residents expressed concern regarding the
impact of additional traffic from employment uses on the safety of students
accessing
Students driving to Father Michael McGivney
Catholic Academy currently access the school from a driveway off McCowan Road
at the north end of the school, or from a driveway off 14th Avenue
at the east end of the school.
Pedestrians are expected to cross
The development concept for the proposed
Armadale West Industrial Area includes a new north/south road opposite
The Engineering Group has confirmed that the
spacing between the
Issue
No. 5: Inappropriate land uses locating
next to high school
The public expressed concern regarding the
appropriateness of industrial uses adjacent to a high school.
The proposal to designate these lands
INDUSTRIAL was circulated to the school board in 2001. At that time, the school board advised that
they have no objection to industrial uses, however they identified the
following commercial uses as non-compatible in proximity to a high school: place of entertainment, video store, place of
amusement, motel/hotel, beer or liquor store, and tavern. The proposed Secondary Plan Amendment was
drafted in 2001 to ensure that the uses identified by the school board would
not be permitted within 300m of the high school. In addition the proposed Amendment included
urban design policies requiring an attractive and compatible interface between
the proposed employment area and the school, through building design and
orientation, landscaping, noise attenuation features, and similar means.
Issue
No. 6: Increased Truck traffic on
The proposed employment area is separated from
the existing residential community to the south by a
Issue
No. 7: Incompatibility between
industrial uses and residential uses and the uncertainty regarding the nature
of future industrial uses.
In order to promote live/work opportunities,
the Town has numerous areas where lands designated URBAN RESIDENTIAL are
adjacent to lands designated INDUSTRIAL.
In some cases these uses are not separated by a road, whereas in this
instance a
The proposed Official Plan Amendment would
redesignate the lands to permit appropriate Business Corridor Area uses along
the
The General Industrial Area designation is
intended to accommodate industrial activities related to manufacturing,
processing, repair and servicing, warehousing, and similar uses, as well as
complementary uses to serve employees (e.g. fitness uses) and business needs
(e.g. accessory office). General
Industrial Areas are specifically prohibited from including uses such as
retailing uses, funeral homes, night clubs and other entertainment uses.
The
uses permitted in each designation may also be tailored in the Secondary Plan
to address particular circumstances.
The draft Secondary Plan Amendment for the Armadale West Industrial Area
(Appendix A) specifically prohibits the following uses in the proposed Business
Corridor Area: hotels, motels, outdoor
places of amusement, nightclubs and trade and convention centres. The Plan also includes policies to ensure
that the uses of concern to the School Board are not permitted within 300m of
the high school.
The draft Secondary Plan Amendment also
includes policies to ensure that the potential impacts of the proposed
employment uses on nearby residential uses are minimized, including
requirements for:
The implementing zoning bylaw may also restrict
the uses permitted. For example, in some
locations where industrial lands immediately abut lands designated for residential
use (not separated by an arterial road), incompatible uses such as motor
vehicle repair, transport terminals, outdoor storage, restaurants, taverns,
hotels, motels, commercial and technical schools, have been specifically
prohibited, and additional setbacks and landscaping have been required, in the
zoning bylaw.
Issue
No. 8: Need for a
At the Public Meeting in April 2001, some
members of the public expressed concern that no Community Park would be
provided in the area northeast of 14th Ave and McCowan Road.
Whether the subject lands are developed for
residential or employment use, no
The Secondary Plan policies provided for the
relocation of the community park without an Amendment to the Plan, and no
subsequent Amendment was made to reflect the Town’s decision to relocate the
park. A technical Amendment to the
Secondary Plan for the Armadale Planning District would be appropriate to
reflect the relocation of the community park.
This issue is addressed in a separate report to Development Services
Committee dated
Issue
No. 9: Inadequate notice of Public
Meeting
Submissions at the Public Meeting
included concerns that interested residents in the area south of
The Planning Act requires that
notice to the public be given either by:
Council may also direct additional
notice, if required, however no specific direction in regard to providing
notice was given by Council in 2001. The
Town’s records indicate that the notice given by the Town Clerk of the April
2001 public meeting exceeded the requirements of the Planning Act. To meet the requirements of the Act, notice
was placed in the Markham Economist and Sun.
In addition, the Clerk mailed notice to all owners of property within
120m of the site, including the owners of residences on the south side of
A
further Public Meeting on the draft amendment should be held
Both the Planning and Urban Design Department
and the Economic Development Department recommend proceeding with the
redesignation of these lands to permit employment uses, in accordance with the
design concept attached (Figure 6). Some
minor changes to the draft Amendment would be appropriate to address the issues
raised in this report as well as certain technical matters. Staff recommends
that further discussions be held with the landowners within the Amendment area
and that a further Public Meeting be held.
Council may also wish to consider whether an additional meeting with the
residents would be appropriate, possibly via the Milliken Mills Subcommittee.
Staff recommends that Notice of the Public Meeting be published in the
Markham Economist and Sun, in accordance with the Planning Act
requirement. In addition, Notices should
be mailed to all owners of property within 120m of the site as shown on the
last revised assessment roll. Direction
is required if Council requires any additional special notice of the Public
Meeting.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The current and future economic vitality of
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no identified significant
environmental features in this area. Where possible, hedgerows and specimen trees may be incorporated
into future development plans for the area.
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no identified
accessibility considerations.
ENGAGE 21ST
CONSIDERATIONS:
The redesignation of these lands
for employment purposes will support the corporate Economic Development and
Managed Growth goals by increasing the supply of land for diverse high-tech and
related businesses within the urban boundary and further promoting live-work
opportunities.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The South District Team, the Engineering Group,
and the Economic Development Department have participated in preparing 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 |
FILE
PATH: Q:\Development\Planning\Misc\Mi433\14th Avenue (Area
10)\14th Ave rept 060404.doc
APPENDICES:
Figure 1 – Location Map
Figure 2 - Air Photo
Figure 3 – Area Context
Figure 4 – Land Ownership Map
Figure 5 – Existing Secondary Plan Designations
(PD24-1, as amended)
Figure 6 – Draft Concept Plan
Appendix A – Draft Official Plan Amendment,
Appendix B – Public Meeting Minutes,
Appendix C – Email from Constantine Karbaliotis
dated