RECOMMENDATION:
That
the applications submitted by Kylemore Homes for
Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment and Draft Plan of Subdivision
to permit 47 Condominium Townhouses, 17 Freehold Townhouses, 6 Single Detached
dwellings and a Commercial Block on the north side of 16th Avenue,
west of Kennedy Road, be referred back to staff for further discussion with the
applicant, and other property owners in area, on the need for a comprehensive
review of the future pattern of development in the Future Urban Area north of
16th Avenue and west of Kennedy Road.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report
is to provide preliminary review and
comment on this proposed development. A
number of issues and concerns are identified and staff recommend that the
applications be referred back to staff for further review and analysis in
consultation with the applicant and other property owners in the area.
BACKGROUND:
Property and Area Context
The 4.5
hectare (11.1 ac) property is located on the north side of 16th Avenue,
west of Kennedy Road (Figure 2). The property contains a two storey single
detached dwelling located on the south western portion of the property. The remainder of the property is undeveloped
and is currently vacant.
The
subject site generally slopes gently down from the northeast to the southwest
towards the Bruce Creek in the west. The south westerly portion of the site is
located within and impacted by the Regional Flood Line as established by the Toronto and Region Conservation
Authority.
The Bruce Creek and lands owned by the
York Downs Golf Course adjoin the property to the west and north, the Unionville Montessori School and a Bell Canada utility
building adjoin the property to the east, and single detached dwellings are
located to the south, across 16th Avenue.
Official Plan designation
The
subject lands are designated Agriculture (A1) and Hazard Lands with an overlay of Future
Urban Area in the Official Plan. The
Future Urban Area overlay, established by OPA 5 as adopted in 1993, means the lands are
intended for future urban development.
The
Official Plan provides that urban development of lands in the Future Urban Area
shall only be permitted following technical studies relating to sewer and water
servicing, sub-watershed management, transportation and development charges
schedules. In addition, prior to any
development on lands designated Future Urban Area, a Secondary Plan is to be
prepared, approved and incorporated into the Town’s Official Plan.
Existing zoning
The
lands are zoned Rural Residential Four (RR4) and Open Space One (O1) by By-law
304-87.
Proposal for condominium townhouses, freehold
townhouses and single detached dwellings and a commercial block
The
applicant is requesting an Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment and
approval of a Draft Plan of Subdivision to permit 67 condominium townhouses, 17
freehold townhouses and 6 single detached dwellings (including the existing
dwelling), a 0.58 ha (1.4 ac.) commercial block, a 0.05 ha (0.13 ac) parkette,
and 0.47 ha (1.2 ac.) of buffer/valley lands (Figure 4 and
5). The applicant indicates that the
proposed development is to be marketed as an adult lifestyle community and
targeted towards empty nesters. The
existing dwelling is not of heritage significance,
however, the applicant proposes to retain the existing dwelling, to be
incorporated as a lot the draft plan of subdivision.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF APPROVAL OF THE
PROPOSAL:
Some of the anticipated benefits of the proposal include:
·
0.47 ha (1.2 ac.) buffer/valley lands will be conveyed to the Town;
·
The proposal provides a range and mix of housing types
·
A 0.05 ha (0.13 ac.) parkette will be
provided
CONCERNS/ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED:
The following is a brief summary of concerns/issues raised to
date. Issues identified through the
circulation and detailed review of the proposal, will
be addressed in a final staff report to be presented to Committee at a later
date.
Secondary Plan required
for development of Future Urban Area
The Town’s Official Plan requires the preparation of a Secondary Plan
prior to proceeding with any development of the subject lands. Although designated Agriculture and Hazard
Lands with a Future Urban Area overlay in the Official Plan, the property is
part of an area on the west side of Kennedy Road, south the Angus Glen
community, not currently covered by a Secondary Plan.
The requirement for a Secondary Plan is to ensure that any development
within a ‘Future Urban Area’ is dealt with in a comprehensive manner
based on overall district studies and technical analysis having regard to
options for the future development of all surrounding lands.
Unionville Montessori School (property to the east) provided concept plan
The Unionville Montessori School, adjacent to
the east of the Kylemore property and also within the
Future Urban Area overlay, was initially established as a temporary use. They then applied for an Official Plan
Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Approval for a permanent
private school. In November 1999,
Development Services Committee deferred consideration of these applications
until a Secondary Plan was in place for the area, or until the Owners
demonstrated that the proposed development of the lands with a permanent
Montessori school will not limit future access and land use options for the
surrounding lands.
The owners of the Montessori School, along with the owners of the York
Downs Golf Course to the north and the previous owners of the Kylemore property (Deacons) to the west, developed a
concept/illustrative plan (Figure 7) outlining a possible future development
scenario. The concept plan was considered by Council
as the basis for approving the Montessori, but has no official status. It was developed for illustrative purposes
only, to demonstrate that approval of the Montessori School development
would not prejudice or limit options for a future Secondary Plan exercise. The Montessori applications were approved on April 30, 2002.
East/West road required as
a condition of approval of the Unionville Montessori School
As a condition of approval, the Unionville Montessori School was required
to convey a strip of land, along the north property limit, to the Town for
future public road purposes. The width
of the strip of land is equal to one half of a future road allowance (8.5
m/27.8 ft). The future road link to Kennedy Road would ensure
adequate access for the school and the surrounding lands. Access options for all of the surrounding
lands are enhanced by the proposed connection to Kennedy Road. However, the current proposal by Kylemore
does not include an extension of this proposed road. Exclusion of this road extension would limit
access options for the remainder of the lands in the area, in particular the
properties now fronting onto Kennedy Road.
Kennedy
Road
property owners are concerned about future development of their lands
Property owners along the west side Kennedy Road (9332 to 9392
Kennedy Road) expressed an interest,
at the January 28, 2004 information
meeting, in a possible land assembly that would combine their lands with the
subject lands. They noted that should
the Kylemore application go forward as is, it could inhibit their ability to redevelop their
properties because internal access arrangements have not been addressed.
Proposed plan does not
have a water allocation
The proposed plan of subdivision does not have a water allocation and
any future draft approval will not be recommended until there is an assignment
of water allocation for this proposed plan.
Residents to south
expressed concerns at Community Information meeting
On January 28, 2004, a Community
Information meeting was held in the Council Chambers. Area residents to the south expressed concern
regarding future traffic generated from the proposal. Residents also noted that they are presently
encountering difficulty turning out of their subdivision onto 16th
Avenue (from Aitkin Circle) due to the
high volume of existing traffic on 16th
Avenue.
Intersecting the new proposed Street ‘A’ opposite Aitkin Circle would, if
supported by the Region, allow for the traffic signals to also benefit the
area to the south. This should be pursued further with the Region and area
residents as part of the review of the Kylemore
proposal.
The residents requested that the applicant’s traffic study should
encompass a larger study area (i.e. also include potential/future traffic
generated from the development of the northeast corner of 16th
Avenue and Kennedy Road). The Region of York has jurisdiction over the 16th
Avenue access.
The submitted traffic study will be reviewed by the Region in
conjunction with the Town’s Engineering Department.
Appropriateness of
commercial development to be assessed
Staff indicated at the meeting that the appropriateness of the
commercial development, and a possible range of commercial uses, has yet to
be assessed. The proposal requires a
detailed review to assess the relationship of the proposed commercial and
residential uses in an area context.
Area residents also expressed concerns with certain potential uses in the commercial
block. For example, the residents would not be in favour
of drive through restaurants.
Prior to the Public Meeting the applicant should provide staff with a
conceptual site plan and a list of proposed uses.
Subdivision design
concerns
Initial concerns expressed by the Town’s Planning & Design staff include:
-
the size and usability of the parkette
-
lack of urban presence onto 16th
Avenue
-
plan needs to be reviewed on a comprehensive basis
with other properties in the area
-
back lotting shown onto
the valley lands
-
the relationship
and setback of the condo townhouses on the east property line to the Montessori
school.
Sanitary sewer easement extends through rear yards
An existing sanitary sewer easement
extends through the rear yards of the easterly condominium blocks. Any future servicing of the sewer would
require a disruption to these blocks.
This must be considered in relation to the pattern of development.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
There are no financial matters to
be considered in this report.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The applications have been circulated to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Their comments and conditions will be
incorporated into the Official Plan amendment, Zoning By-law and draft
conditions.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The application has been circulated
to the Town Departments for review and comments. All conditions and requirements received will
be addressed and incorporated in the recommendation report.
CONCLUSION:
In light of the concerns noted in this report, Planning Staff recommend that the
applications by Kylemore Homes be referred back to
staff for further review and analysis and that the applicant works with staff
to resolve these issues prior to a Public Meeting being scheduled.
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
DOCUMENT #: q:\development\planning\appl\zoning\03119739\pskmar9preliminary
ATTACHMENTS: Figure 1 –
Applicant/Agent and Location Map
Figure
2 – Area Context and Zoning
Figure
3 – Air Photo
Figure
4 – Proposed Draft Plan
Figure
5 – Conceptual Site Plan
Figure
6 – Future Urban Area Boundaries
Figure
7 – Unionville Montessori School Concept Plan
APPLICANT/AGENT: iPlancorp
Attn: Meg Davis
211 Main Street South
Newmarket, ON
L3Y
3Y9
Tel: (905) 895-0011
Fax: (905) 895-0070
