|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
|
|
|
|
FROM: |
Jim Sales, Commissioner of Community
and Fire Services Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services |
|
|
|
|
PREPARED BY: |
Stuart Taylor, Director of Strategic Services David Clark, Town Architect |
|
|
|
|
DATE OF
MEETING: |
|
|
|
|
|
SUBJECT: |
|
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report entitled “Markham Stouffville
Hospital Site Master Plan” be received;
AND THAT Council endorse the concept of the
Markham Stouffville Hospital Site Master Plan as the basis to develop an
integrated facility incorporating the Town’s future Central East Community
Centre complex with the hospital’s Health and Wellness facility;
AND THAT staff be authorized to
participate and report to Council on the results of the public information open
house scheduled for June 29, 2005, to present the emerging land use concept for
Cornell Centre and an overview of the Markham Stouffville Hospital Master Plan
concept;
AND THAT staff bring forward the
“Principles of an Understanding between the
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to present
the concept plan for the Markham Stouffville Hospital Site Master Plan. This concept plan is an integral part of the Development
Services Commission’s emerging Cornell Centre concept, as presented to Council
in May 2005, and scheduled for presentation at a public information open house
on
This report will outline;
§
the advantages presented to the Town of
§
the need and rationale for structured parking as part of
the first phase of a joint Town-Hospital development; and
§
the operational opportunities and challenges presented to
the Town of
BACKGROUND:
A
Community Centre & Library Complex to be located in Cornell
The Recreation and Cultural Services
Master Plan prepared in 1999 recommended a community centre and library
facility in the east end of
Expansion
of the
In February 2004 the
§
identify renovations and expansions required at the
§
locate the Grace Hospital of York Region onto the site; and
§
situate a new Health and Wellness facility (approximately
150,000 sq. ft.) onto the site.
The Health and Wellness facility will
provide out-patient rehabilitation, asthma and diabetes clinics, as well as
professional offices and related retail opportunities. The two hospitals launched
the site master planning process on
On
Hospital
Site Master Plan Received Board Approvals this May
The Hospital Site Master Plan was completed
recently. It received endorsement by the
boards of
The site master plan is predicated on
the acquisition of adjacent lands by the
Key principles of the Site Master Plan
included incorporation of stakeholder requirements, strong functional links among
buildings, and consideration of supportive facilities such as an on-site
parking structure and transit friendly elements.
The
Location of the New Facilities
Appendix 2 outlines the conceptual
location of the Health and Wellness facility, Central East Community and
Library complex, and the new
The hospitals envisioned a two-phased
approach to the development time frame.
Phase 1 will commence construction in 2008 and Phase 2 in 2016. Phase 1 (2008) contains the expansion of
The Site Master Plan features the
provision of a parking structure between the
A York Region Transit terminal is
included in the Site Master Plan. The proposed terminal is located adjacent to
the north east corner of the existing Markham Stouffville hospital building. A preliminary functional analysis for transit
“fit” has been completed. The
At the same time, Town staff in
consultation with York Region Transit and York Region Rapid Transit are working with the Cornell landowners group
to identify a long-term alternative location that would see the transit terminal
fronting onto Highway 7. A future Highway
7 location is anticipated to serve a larger ridership and provide a more
extensive transit terminal adjacent to the planned employment node at Highway 7
and the Markham By-pass.
The Site Master Plan is conceptual at
this stage. However, the plan has been
developed in sufficient detail to provide a sound basis for estimating the
capital cost of each programme area.
The
Health and Wellness Development Program
In the draft 2005-2021 Parks,
Recreation, Culture and Library Master Plan, two new ice pads were
recommended. However, the incorporation
of a twin pad arena into the integrated concept is problematic. The large indoor ice facilities would be
difficult to locate within the plan, add significantly to the parking demand
and would have operational impacts that are not well suited to the overall
concept.
Town staff recommends that the twin pad not
be located in the Hospital Site Master Plan.
Instead the twin pad arena would be located at a proposed southeast
community centre in
The proposed integrated Health and
Wellness/Community Centre and Library would be jointly developed by the Markham
Stouffville hospital and the Town. The
combined multi-level facility is estimated at 270,000 square feet. The building will include;
|
Health and Wellness (Hospital)
features (est. 150,000 sq.ft.): |
Recreation and Library (Town) features
(est. 120,000 sq.ft.): |
|
§
day surgery §
diagnostics §
outpatient/ ambulatory clinics §
professional offices §
outpatient rehabilitation §
health related retail |
§
library §
gymnasium §
aquatic facilities §
fitness centre §
youth and older adult space §
program space |
The
Benefits to
By integrating the Town’s Community Centre and
Library with the hospitals’ Health and Wellness facility, there are a number of direct benefits to the Town. The benefits are aligned to a number of Town
of
1.
Capital and Operating Cost Efficiency
An integrated facility will provide capital and
operating efficiencies to the Town. Most
notably, the Town will avoid the significant capital costs associated with land
purchase. In return, visitors to the
Health and Wellness facility and approximately 2,000 hospital employees will
have access to the Community Centre and Library facilities. Access to shared facilities and services and access
to Town programs by the on-site hospital population will provide incremental
efficiencies to the Town’s operating costs over time.
2. Alignment
with the Cornell Vision
This joint project supports the Town’s policies to promote compact
urban form and new urbanism. The complex will be located adjacent to Cornell’s
main corridor,
There is pedestrian connectivity through the site. Built space is integrated with urban open
spaces and plazas to provide a continuous interaction between indoor and
outdoor space.
3.
Transit Supportive
This joint facility will support and be
accessible by public transit. The
consolidation of the major community and regional destinations on the same site
makes for ease of service for public transit users.
4. A
Catalyst for Structured Parking
The compact urban form of this project has necessitated the
development of a structured parking strategy to serve the needs of patrons and
visitors to the hospital campus. The
development of a structured parking facility represents a financial challenge
to build and operate. Provincial
hospital funding and the Town’s current development charge regime do not
support the development of structured parking facilities. Town staff has identified two potential
opportunities to help support the construction and operation of the parking
facility, as outlined below.
Possible
Contribution from Cornell Developer’s Group
The location of the Community
Centre complex on the hospital lands removes the burden of providing land for a
stand alone community centre complex by the Cornell Developer’s Group. Land that would otherwise be dedicated and
purchased by the Town can now be put into revenue production as additional residential
development by the developers. Town staff believe that impacted developers
might be willing to contribute capital support for the development of a parking
structure. However, it is anticipated
that any such contribution may not cover the full capital costs of a parking
structure.
Possible
Contribution from On-site Parking Revenues
On-site paid parking will have
an impact on the surrounding streets once the adjacent street network is
completed. It is conceivable the Town might implement on-street paid parking on
surrounding streets to control parking impacts. The on-street parking revenues could
be redeployed to support parking operation costs in the area.
5. The
Programme Consolidation will act as a Community Focal Point
The new and expanded facilities on this
site will complement the Cornell community.
The facilities could attract additional employment, stimulate economic
activities, such as retail and business services, and provide support for a
range of higher density residential opportunities and new residential
forms. The area would function as a
community focal point and support
6. Supports
Markham’s Environmental Objectives
The
7. An
The existing and proposed facilities covered by the Site Master
Plan will be served by a central energy facility. As well, additional medical office or
commercial buildings are contemplated at full development. As the surrounding urban mixed-use
residential and employment node develops, there could be more demand for central
energy facilities.
Preliminary discussions have already taken place between Markham
District Energy and the Hospitals.
Markham District Energy has been made aware of the discussions between
the Town and the surrounding landowners that could enhance the business case
for central energy facilities. Markham District Energy is examining a
potential energy strategy for the Cornell Centre and the Hospital district
area.
8. The
Health and Wellness Concept Will Support Healthy Active Living in
The combination of services and features within the Health and
Wellness complex will support and reinforce the benefits of healthy active
living. The aging adult market is a
health care risk for the Canadian society.
In addition, the Foundation for
Healthy Active Kids has identified that in 1996, 35% of males and 29% of
females between the ages of 7 to 13 were overweight in
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
There
are a number of land parcels to be acquired in order for the Site Master Plan to
be realized. The
The
There
are significant infrastructure improvements and agreements required in order
for the construction of buildings to begin.
This includes, but is not limited to;
§
The construction
of a local connector road to the south of
§
Site servicing
easements need to be in place
§
Assessing the
impact of storm water management on the site plan
§
The extension of
Bur Oak southward to connect to Hwy. 7
The
Town, the
The
Town is pursuing potential sites for the Cornell Fire Hall within this
geographic area. There is a possibility
that the Cornell Fire Hall could be integrated into the plan or be identified
within the nearby area.
The
concept of a joint facility, land acquisition challenges, and the operation of an
on-site parking structure make this a complex and challenging partnership. This is a collaborative partnership between
two primary organizations, namely the Town of
Development
Services staff are holding a public information meeting in June on the Cornell
Centre. Since the hospital site is a
part of the Cornell Centre, Town staff would be interested in providing an
overview of the Hospital Site Master Plan at the information meeting.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Financial
considerations will be discussed in detail as part of a future report on the joint
Health and Wellness/ Community Centre and Library and the parking structure
ownership and financing strategy.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND
AFFECTED:
The
discussions to date have involved staff from the Development Services
Commission and the Community and Fire Services Commission.
ATTACHMENTS:
Appendix
1: Location Map
Appendix
2: Hospital Site Master Plan Concept
|
|
|
|
|
Jim Sales, Commissioner of Community and Fire Services |
|
Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services |
Q:\Strategic Services\Shared Data\Reports\General
Committee\Hospital Report revised v.2.doc