RECOMMENDATION:
That a Public Meeting be held to
consider the applications submitted by Cornell Rouge
Development Corp. (Madison Homes / Forest Hill Homes) for draft plan of
subdivision approval and implementing zoning to permit the second phase of a residential
plan of subdivision located west of Reesor Road and south of 16th
Avenue within the Cornell Community.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to provide
preliminary information regarding applications for draft plan of subdivision
approval and implementing zoning and to recommend that Committee authorize the
scheduling of a public meeting.
BACKGROUND:
Property and Area Context
The subject lands are 18.8 hectares (46.5
acres) in area and are located west of Reesor Road and
south of 16th
Avenue within the Cornell
Community. The lands comprise former farm fields and a woodlot. There are no trees or other environmental
features outside the woodlot.
To the north is the first phase of the
Cornell Rouge development, which was draft approved by Council in 2003 and is currently
being serviced. To the south are
additional lands owned by the applicant that extend to Highway 7, between the
existing Markham By-Pass and the future Markham By-pass. To the
east, across the future Markham By-pass are lands within Rouge Park North. To the west, across the existing Markham
By-pass, are vacant lands owned by Mattamy Homes.
Proposal
The applicant has submitted applications
for draft plan of subdivision approval and implementing zoning for a fully
lane-based second phase of the Cornell Rouge development, comprising the following:
|
Residential Units
|
Minimum Lot Frontage & Depth
|
Area
|
|
|
|
|
Single Detached
|
56
|
11
m (36 ft.) by 25 m (82 ft.)
|
1.6
ha (4.0 acres)
|
Single Detached
|
|
12 m (39 ft.) by 25 m (82
ft.)
|
0.6
ha (1.5 acres)
|
Single-Detached
|
71
|
8
m (26 ft.) by 32 m (105 ft.)
|
2.0
ha (4.9 acres)
|
Semi-Detached
|
32
|
7 m (23 ft) by
25 m (82 ft)
|
0.6
ha (1.5 acres)
|
Townhouses
|
27
|
4.5 m (14.8 ft.)
by 32 m (105 ft.)
|
0.5
ha (1.2 acres)
|
Totals
|
204
|
|
5.3
ha (13.1 acres) Net Residential Area
|
Net Density: Medium
(units
per hectare/acre in relation to net site area)
|
|
|
38.49
units per hectare (15.5 units per
acre)
|
Public Elementary School Block
|
|
|
2.38
ha (5.9 acres)
|
Woodlot Block
|
|
|
6.02
h (14.9 acres)
|
Park Block
|
|
|
1.01
ha (2.5 acres)
|
|
|
|
|
Total Area
|
|
|
14.71
ha (36.4 acres)
|
Official Plan and Zoning By-law
The Official Plan designates the lands “Urban
Residential” and “Environmental Protection Area” (the woodlot). The Cornell Secondary Plan designates the
lands “Neighbourhood General” and “Open Space – Environmentally Significant
Area”. The proposed draft plan conforms
with the applicable policies of the
Official Plan and the Secondary Plan. By-law 304-87 currently zones the lands
Agricultural One (A1) and Open Space Two (O2).
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF APPROVAL OF THE
PROPOSAL:
The proposed draft plan of subdivision
is consistent with the overall plan for the Cornell community which will form
the basis for an updated Cornell Secondary Plan currently being prepared. Approval of the draft plan will provide an
additional 204 units of housing in the Cornell community, secure an additional
public elementary school site, and bring a significant woodlot and a portion of
the adjacent community park into Town ownership.
CONCERNS/ISSUES
TO BE RESOLVED:
The
following is a brief summary of 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.
Shallow
Lot Product
The first phase of the Cornell Rouge
development included a significant component of 25 metre (82 foot) deep
lots. At this lot depth, the garages
are required to be attached to the rear of the homes, whereas the majority of
the first phase of Cornell was developed with lots having sufficient depth to
accommodate detached rear garages.
On shallow lots having a frontage of 11
metres or greater, there is sufficient area to accommodate a rear attached
double car garage and a well proportioned outdoor amenity area.
However, staff have a number of concerns
with shallow lots having frontages of less than 11 metres, including:
·
As there is sufficient width to
accommodate only a single car garage, the garage needs to be set back from the
lane in order that the second required parking space can be accommodated on the
driveway between the garage and the lane.
This could result in the lanes appearing to be inordinately wide.
·
The area beside the garage and
driveway (the outdoor amenity area) is quite narrow - less than 4 metres (13 feet) wide for a 7
metre wide unit.
·
The outdoor amenity area is
highly exposed to the lane and the driveway.
·
Some residents may attempt to
widen their driveways in the future to create independently accessible parking
spaces. This could effectively eliminate any meaningful outdoor amenity area.
To address these concerns, the
conditions of draft approval for the first phase provided that this lot depth
was being accepted on a pilot project basis for the first phase only. The
conditions of draft approval made it clear that the lot size and product will
not be accepted by the Town for general application to future phases until
staff have reported on the outcome of the pilot project and Council has
endorsed the continued use of this lot depth and associated development
standards. House construction has not
commenced in the first phase.
The applicant is requesting permission to
include 16 semi-detached lots (32 units) of 7 metre wide product on 25 metre
deep lots in the second phase, in advance of the Town’s review of the pilot
project, on the following basis:
·
The semi-detached product represents
a relatively small component of the development and is dispersed in groups of
not more than 3 lots.
·
Each of the units will provide not
less than 40 square metres (431sq. ft.) of outdoor amenity area (including a 7
square metre deck over the garage), whereas the by-law requires a minimum of 30
square metres of outdoor amenity area.
Notwithstanding the rationale provided
by the applicant, staff continue to have concerns with the inclusion of this
product on the applicant’s draft plan prior to the completion of the phase one pilot
project. Staff will be discussing this
issue further with the applicant.
Elementary School Site
The York
District Public School Board has provided preliminary comments advising that
the location and configuration of the proposed school site are acceptable subject
to the provision of sufficient pavement width across the frontage of the
site.
Woodlot
The
drip-line of the woodlot needs to be surveyed to confirm the location of the
required 10 metre environmental buffer and thus the exact location of the adjacent
streets.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
No
financial implications are to be considered in this report.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The
proposal is currently in circulation to other Town Departments and agencies.
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|
|
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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
|
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure
1 - Applicant/Agent & Location Map
Figure
2 - Area Context/Zoning
Figure
3 – Proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision
Figure
4 – Aerial Photo
DOCUMENT: Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\SUBDIV\04 015086 Cornell
Rouge Phase 2\Preliminary Report.doc
LOCATION MAP:
