RECOMMENDATION
THAT
the preliminary report on the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment
applications by Liberty Developments Inc. (OP 02 106119 and ZA 02 119054) be
received, as information.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to provide information regarding
applications for amendments to the Secondary Plan and Zoning By-law to permit a
mixed-use development in Markham Centre. The proposal consists primarily of 6
to 18 storey residential buildings within the southeast quadrant of the Highway
7 and Town Centre Boulevard intersection. Three office buildings, oriented
along Highway 7 with grade-related retail, represent the commercial component
of this project. There are a number of
issues associated with this proposal, including conformity with the Markham Centre
Secondary Plan. Additional information
and supporting studies are pending, and will be required to move these
applications forward. The applicant has submitted a preliminary plan
illustrating how the lands could be developed, attached as Figure 3. No application for Site Plan Control approval
has been submitted.
BACKGROUND
Property and Area Context
The
property encompasses approximately 7.4 ha. (18.1 acres) located on the south
side of Highway 7, east of Town Centre Boulevard (see Figure 1). The lands form the southerly and westerly
boundaries of the Hilton Suites Hotel property, extending south from Highway 7
to Cedarland Drive and easterly to Warden Avenue. The property is undeveloped, however there are mature trees along
portions of the southerly and easterly boundaries of the site (see
Figure 4 – Air Photo).
Surrounding
land uses are as follows:
North - Markham
Civic Centre
South -
lands owned by IBM Canada, including a day care facility.
East -
Hilton Suites Hotel and Conference Centre
West
- Stringbridge Investment’s business
office complex and a 2-storey office building.
Proposal
is for a Mix of Land Uses
Liberty
Development Corporation’s proposal reflects a concentrated, urban built form,
with street related buildings connected by common amenity areas. Up to 16 residential buildings, containing
approximately 2,100 units are proposed.
This represents a significant application within the Markham Centre
context, and there are issues of conformity with the Markham Centre Secondary
Plan.
The
proposed buildings would range in height from 6 to 18 storeys with the majority
of the built form being 8 to 10 storeys in height. Two landmark building locations are proposed by the applicant,
including one, 18 storey building at the northwest corner of Warden Avenue and
Cedarland Drive. The second would
include two, 16 storey buildings located on either side of the proposed
easterly extension of Clegg Road, at Town Centre Boulevard.
Private
outdoor space would consist of a series of internal courtyards, flanked by
buildings and linked by a system of pathways.
While predominantly residential in character, the proposal includes a
retail component, in conjunction with three (6 to 10 storey) office buildings
along the Highway 7 frontage.
Opportunities exist for an expanded range of mixed uses within the base
of the individual residential buildings.
Future
public roads and connections include the easterly extension of Clegg Road to
Warden Avenue, a new north-south connection between the applicant’s lands and
the Hilton Suites Hotel, and a possible reconfiguration of Cedarland Drive to a
local road. Two public parks are proposed by the applicant, one of which is
intended to respect a stand of trees adjacent to Warden Avenue, and the other,
also with mature trees, providing a north south connection from the proposed
Clegg Road extension and Cedarland Drive, between two major building blocks.
The majority of the parking for this
project is proposed to be located underground.
A portion of the office and related retail parking will be located
at-grade and within a parking structure.
Opportunities should also be considered to introduce on-street parking
in conjunction with the development of the road network throughout this site.
Zoning By-law Amendment Is Required
The
property is zoned Select Industrial with Limited Commercial [(H) M.C. 60%], and
the applicants have applied to rezone the property to a Mixed Use Residential
Commercial Zone to reflect the Official Plan designation and proposed
development.
Secondary
Plan Amendment Submitted
The
lands are designated Community Amenity – Major Urban Place in the Markham
Centre Secondary Plan (OPA 21).
Permitted land uses within this designation include a mix of
residential, commercial, employment, and community uses. The Major Urban Place component of this
designation recognizes that the highest concentration of development and
greatest variety of activities within the District will be located on lands
with this designation, and that a mix of residential, commercial, employment
and supporting uses will be provided, either within single buildings or within
development blocks. Lands within this
designation may also be used for predominantly medium or high density
residential development subject to the review and approval of a specific
development proposal and rezoning.
To
provide for the development as proposed, an application to amend the Secondary
Plan has been submitted as follows:
Increase in Permitted Height Requested
OPA 21 generally permits heights within
this quadrant of up to 8 storeys with provision for a possible increase to 13
storeys at key strategic locations, including Town Centre Boulevard and Highway
7. This increase would be predicated on several factors, including good urban
design and an appropriate gradual transition of building heights within the
Plan area. The benchmark for maximum
height at the identified strategic locations on Highway 7 is the top of the
clock tower of the Embassy Suites Hotel (now the Hilton Suites).
Liberty is proposing two residential
towers with a height of 16 storeys adjacent to Town Centre Boulevard, and one
tower at 18 storeys, next to Warden Avenue.
These buildings do not reflect the key nodes and landmark locations
identified in the Secondary Plan, where buildings should be designed and massed
to emphasize unique qualities which set them aside from other sites in the
centre. The landmark location at the
corner of Highway 7 and Town Centre Boulevard however, does include a portion
of the applicant’s lands, and a 10 storey office building with grade-related
retail is proposed at this location. In
addition, the majority of the remaining residential buildings would be in
excess of the 8 storey limit identified in the Secondary Plan.
Additional Technical Amendments
In
addition to the policies governing height within the Markham Centre Secondary
Plan, Schedule ‘BB’ of OPA 21 identifies a hierarchy of roads within the Plan
area, with Cedarland Drive being a Major Collector. In order to construct the proposed easterly extension of Clegg
Road and have it provide a continuous link westerly to Rodick Road, this
Schedule should be amended to recognize this portion of Clegg Road as a Major
Collector, necessitating the reclassification of Cedarland Drive. The proposal must also be considered in
relation to the employment, population and unit targets contained in the
non-statutory statistical appendix to OPA 21.
DISCUSSION
Issues/Concerns
While
the density proposed is in a concentrated built form which would support
transit and help to transform this area into a major urban centre, the heights
identified to achieve this density are not consistent with other goals and
objectives for Markham Centre, and must be considered in concert with the
intent of the Secondary Plan and the lager Markham Centre context. The applicant has been requested to submit
additional information in support of this proposal including:
·
comprehensive Precinct plan detailing built
form elements, conceptual building elevations, major structural components and
streetscape elements such as boulevards, tree planting, sidewalks, parkways,
connections, street furniture, provision of on-street parking, and the Highway
7 streetscape;
·
traffic and transportation study;
·
microclimate study showing both on and off-site
impacts;
·
compliance with Buttonville Airport Height
Restrictions (Transport Canada)
·
study to assess noise impact;
·
assessment of densities, population projections
and gross floor areas relative to the Warden West District;
·
tree inventory/analysis and archaeological
assessment;
·
development phasing strategy, including master
servicing and stormwater management
design;
·
height regime rationale in an OPA 21 context.
Urban Design Considerations
Several design issues have been raised with the applicant which require
further review. They include building height, streetscape design, site
circulation, public vs. private ownership of the parks and streets and the
design and potential mix of uses at grade level. The following is a brief
discussion of these matters:
Height
The
proposed heights within this project exceed the identified maximums in the
Secondary Plan. The Secondary Plan provides Council with some flexibility in
interpreting height provisions, but whatever height regime is established for
these lands needs to be considered in an overall Markham Centre context, so as
not to compromise the original intent of the Secondary Plan. The supporting
documentation, including detailed Precinct Plan, building elevations and
microclimate study, will be used in the evaluation of the applicant’s proposed
building heights.
Streetscape
Staff
will be reviewing the streetscape design to ensure a superior standard of
design quality. This review will
include the treatment of utility infrastructure to ensure it is consistent with
the vision for Markham Centre, and creates a high quality pedestrian realm
through the detailing of building faces.
Part of this consideration will also include exploring opportunities to
introduce additional elements into the ground floor levels of the proposed
buildings. The intention being to
introduce uses such as retail, which would be accessible to the public, or to
create larger spaces which provide a broader community focus, perhaps by
combining the amenity/recreation facilities of several buildings.
Park
Components
The proposed public park components will
be reviewed in the context of their location relative to other open space
opportunities and adjacent development. Issues relating to the amount of
parkland, public accessibility and safety, as well as the design and intended
use of park spaces, must be addressed.
Tree Preservation
There
are a number of mature trees located adjacent to Warden Avenue and along the
southerly property limit. A tree
assessment will be required which should identify priority trees for preservation. Presently, these trees have been included
within areas proposed within the plan for open space/parks purposes. However, due to the extensive underground
garage components required to service the proposal, these trees may not be able
to be preserved. The applicant will be
required to satisfy the Town as to options for tree preservation, relocation
and/or removal, as well as possible financial compensation for any permitted
tree removal, to be applied to tree planting programs in Markham.
Transportation Issues
Town Centre Boulevard has been
identified as a potential location for the rapid transit line to divert off
Highway 7 as it travels through Markham Centre, before connecting to the
Unionville Go Station. Until the final
alignment for this route is determined it will be necessary to protect for any
future right-of-way requirements along Town Centre Boulevard, adjacent to these
lands. Depending on the proposed
build-out, protecting for these right-of-way requirements could affect the placement
of buildings adjacent to Town Centre Boulevard, and other streetscape
initiatives. In order to not compromise
the urban intent of this proposal, the phasing strategy should address the
timing and possible alignment of the transit route, and provide for interim
streetscape treatments until such a time as the ultimate transit system has
been established.
The proposed easterly extension of Clegg Road to Warden Avenue will serve
to achieve some of the infrastructure improvements necessary to complete the
street grid in this quadrant of the centre.
BUSINESS UNITS
CONSULTED AND AFFECTED
The applications have been circulated to
various departments and agencies for comment, and their requirements will be
incorporated into the final report.
CONCLUSION
Additional information and supporting studies are pending, and will be
required to move these applications forward.
This proposal will be presented to the Markham Centre Steering and
Advisory Committees to familiarize the committee members with some of the
issues associated with the applications in accordance with the recently
endorsed Markham Centre Development Applications Process. This report has been prepared to brief
Members of Council on the status of this significant Markham Centre application.
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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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DOCUMENT #: Q:\Development\Planning\Teams\MarkhamCentre\Coordinator\Liberty\Prelim
ATTACHMENTS: Figure
1 - Location Map
Figure
2 – Area Context/Zoning
Figure 3 – Site Plan
Figure 4 – Air Photo
APPLICANT/AGENT: Jim Kirk Tel: 905-513-0170
Malone
Given Parsons Ltd. Fax: 905-513-0177
140
Renfrew Drive, Suite 201
Markham,
ON L3R 6B3
