RECOMMENDATION:
That the staff report entitled Application for
Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Approval to convert a Residential
Dwelling to a Business Office, 377 Main Street North, Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District, dated, February 17, 2004, be received;
And That a Public Meeting be
held to consider the application submitted by Ellhe Rezai for a Zoning By-law Amendment
to permit the conversion of an existing residential dwelling to a business
office.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to provide
preliminary information regarding an application for a zoning by-law amendment
and site plan approval, and to recommend that Committee authorize the
scheduling of a public meeting.
BACKGROUND:
Property and Area Context
The subject property is located in the Markham
Village Heritage Conservation District, on the east side of Main Street North. The property contains a one and a half storey
house (not a heritage building). It is adjacent to a commercial plaza to the
north, and a small heritage house to the south. To the east are residential
properties fronting on Elizabeth
Street, and across the road
to the west is a recently redeveloped Esso gas station and convenience
store. The property has a frontage of
23.7m (77.75ft.) and an area of 0.1064ha (11,429sq.ft.).
In 1988, a site-specific by-law was
enacted, to allow for a veterinary clinic/animal hospital in addition to
residential uses. The associated site
plan was never fully implemented, and the property continued in residential
use.
Proposal
The applicant has submitted applications for a
zoning by-law amendment and site plan approval to convert an existing one and a
half storey dwelling to commercial office use.
No additions or exterior changes are proposed for the building. Parking and landscaping on the site will be
improved to facilitate the proposed new use.
The applicant operates a mortgage brokerage and real estate business. It
should be noted that although the property is within a Heritage Conservation
District, the building itself is not of heritage significance.
Official
Plan and Zoning
The subject property is within the boundaries
of Official Plan Amendment 108 (Main Street Markham Secondary Plan). The
subject property is designated MD1/O (Medium Density 1 Housing/Office) in OPA
108. In addition to the residential uses
permitted under OPA 108, business and professional offices are permitted in
existing buildings.
The current zoning of the subject property is
R1-Residential under By-law 1229, as amended. However the additional use
“veterinary clinic/animal hospital” was added through By-Law Amendment
35-88. A new Zoning By-Law Amendment is
needed to add “business and professional office” to the approved uses for the
property in order to implement the proposal.
Site Plan Approval is required to ensure that the treatment of the site
is consistent with the intent of the Main Street Markham Secondary Plan and the
Markham Heritage Conservation District Plan.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THE PROPOSAL:
Approval of the Zoning By-law
Amendment and Site Plan Application will add a viable new use to a site already
zoned for another type of commercial use within the existing converted
house. Since the application provides
for the continued use of the converted dwelling, the essential residential
character of this section of Main Street North will be maintained, and the intent of OPA 108 can be complied with.
CONCERNS/ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED:
The following is a brief summary of
the concerns/issues raised to date.
These matters, and any others 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.
No significant changes are planned for the
building in order to accommodate the proposed new use,
therefore impact on the street with respect to the building will be
negligible. Through the Site Plan
Approval process, improvements are being proposed for the front yard by
relocating parking to the rear yard (except for a single handicapped space),
and increasing the soft landscaping in the front yard. In their review of this
proposal, Urban Design and Heritage Markham have suggested that the handicapped
space be moved to the rear of the building, thus eliminating all front yard
parking. However, the applicant has
expressed their strong desire to maintain this one front yard parking space,
and Urban Design has offered that they could support the single handicapped
space provided it has adequate screening and that it be treated with decorative
paving material. Urban Design has recommended that a landscape plan be prepared
for the property.
Engineering has noted that drainage of the new
rear yard parking area can be achieved through an existing catch basin. It is recommended that the applicant secure a
private easement for its use from the adjoining property owner to the north. Continuous concrete curbing is required. The
parking lot will be screened by an existing wood fence on the north side, dense
existing plant material on the south side, and new 1.8m wood fence on the east
side. The parking lot has been designed to allow for a possible future
connection to the parking lot of the adjoining commercial plaza.
As part of the previous application on the
property, a road widening on the Main Street
frontage was required by the Engineering Department as a condition of approval.
This road widening has not been taken, so it will be a condition of Site Plan
Approval for this application.
Based on the results of the circulation, there
are no significant issues arising from this application at this time. It is recommended that the Development
Services Commission authorize the scheduling of a public meeting.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no financial implications to be
considered in this report.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no environmental impacts to be
considered in this report.
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
The applicant is proposing a
handicapped parking space in the front yard.
ENGAGE 21ST
CONSIDERATIONS:
This application aligns with the
Corporate Goal of Economic Development by improving the commercial viability of
the subject property by adding to the permitted uses.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The proposal has been circulated to other Town
Departments and agencies for review and comment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1 – Applicant/Agent & Location Map
Figure 2 – Area Context & Zoning
Figure 3 – Aerial Photograph
Figure 4 – Site Plan
Figure 5 – Building Elevations (photograph)
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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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FIGURE 1:
AGENT: Ben
Quan Tel.
416-564-0351
QX4
Investments Ltd., Consulting Services Fax.
905-479-4517
17 Bauer Crescent
Markham, Ontario
L3R
4H3
LOCATION MAP:
DOCUMENT: Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\MAINSTN\377\staffreport.doc
