Report to: Development Services Committee Date of Meeting: October 17, 2006

SUBJECT: PRELIMINARY REPORT

Home Depot Holding Inc. Application for Site Plan Approval to permit a large format retail store at the southwest corner of Highway No. 48 and Castlemore Avenue.

File No. SC 06 127597

PREPARED BY: Nilesh Surti, Planner, ext. 4190

East District Team

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Development Services Commission Report “Home Depot Holdings Inc., Application for Site Plan Approval (SC 06 127597) to permit a large format retail store at the southwest corner of Highway No. 48 and Castlemore Avenue,” be received.

AND THAT staff continue to work with the applicant and the property owner to ensure conformity of the proposal with the Highway 48 Urban Design guidelines.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Not applicable

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable

1. Purpose 2. Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial

5. Others (Environmental, Accessibility, Engage 21st, Affected Units) 6. Attachment(s)

PURPOSE:

Home Depot Holdings Inc. has submitted an application for site plan approval to permit a large format retail store at the southwest corner of Highway No. 48 and Castlemore Avenue. The purpose of this report is to provide preliminary information regarding this application.

BACKGROUND:

Property and Area Context

The subject lands are located at the southwest corner of Highway No. 48 and Castlemore Avenue (See Figure 1). The 3.77 hectare (9.32 acres) subject lands represents a portion of the 10.5 hectare (26.0 acres) property. Home Depot Holdings Inc has leased the subject lands from Wismer Markham Developments Inc. The subject lands and the remaining lands are presently vacant with no significant vegetation.

Immediately to the west are low density residential dwellings forming part of the Wismer Commons Community. Adjoining the subject lands to the south, to the east, between the subject site and Highway No. 48, and to the north, across Castlemore Avenue, are vacant commercial lands that are also owned by Wismer Markham Developments Inc. To the east, across Highway No. 48, are vacant commercial lands and single storey, multi-tenant industrial buildings (See Figures 2 and 3). On June 20, 2006, Development Services Committee endorsed a site plan application to permit a single tenant retail building for the vacant commercial lands at the northwest corner of Highway No. 48 and Castlemore Avenue.

Proposal is for a Home Deport retail store

Home Depot Holdings Inc. has submitted an application for site plan approval to construct a new 10,000 m² (107,639 ft²) large format retail store, including a 1,506 m² (16,209 ft²) outdoor garden centre located on the south side of the proposed building. The proposal, as shown on the site plan and elevations, consists of an 8.8 metres (29 feet) high single-storey building situated on the westerly portion of the site and setback approximately 18 metres (59 feet) from Castlemore Avenue. The site plan shows two driveway accesses to the site from Castlemore Avenue and one driveway access from Highway No. 48 (See Figures 4 and 5). The vacant lands between Highway No. 48 and the subject site and the lands immediately to the south are intended for future commercial development. These lands, including the subject site, will contain an integrated development.

The Parking By-law requires that parking for the proposed development be provided at the Shopping Centre rate of 1 parking space for every 18.5 m² of leasable floor area. Parking for the proposed outdoor garden centre is calculated at a rate of 1 parking space per 20 m² of net floor area. The proposed development requires a total of 540 parking spaces. The submitted site plan shows a total of 534 surface parking spaces on-site for a shortage of 6 parking spaces.

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

Official Plan and Zoning

The Official Plan designates the subject property “Major Commercial Area”. The intention of this designation is to provide for large scale multi-use, multi-purpose centre offering a diverse range of retail, service, community, institutional and recreational uses serving a major portion of the municipality and/or broader regional market. This designation is also intended to accommodate office development and medium and high density housing at appropriate locations. This designation provides for the proposed land uses, subject to following development requirements:

• Siting, massing and scale of development, and landscaping, shall contribute to and reinforce the importance of these lands as a major multi-purpose focus in the Town.
• Development shall contribute to an attractive, pedestrian-friendly streetscpe that is not dominated by large surface parking area.
• Attractive, safe, convenient and easily-accessible pedestrian connections shall be provided to all adjoining streets and transit facilities and, where appropriate, between on-site facilities and uses.

The subject property is currently zoned Major Commercial (MJC) under By-law 177-96, as amended. The Major Commercial zoning permits retail uses provided that the maximum net floor area permitted for any one premises is 10,000 m² and the maximum net floor area permitted on a lot is 30,000 m².

On October 25, 2005, Council endorsed the Highway 48 Urban Design Study (October 2005) and directed staff to prepare, in consultation with affected landowners, Official Plan, and Zoning amendments to implement the approved land use and urban design vision for the Highway 48 corridor between 16^th Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive. Staff have prepared a preliminary information report for the October 17, 2006, Development Service Committee meeting recommending that a statutory public meeting be held to consider the proposed amendments.

Highway 48 Urban Design Study

The Highway 48 Urban Design Study, endorsed by Council in October 2005, provides urban design and land use guidelines to be used in the evaluation of development applications within the Highway 48 corridor between 16^th Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive. The vision for Highway 48 is that of a community supportive street that balances adequate traffic carrying capability with a highly pedestrian-friendly environment that supports street oriented retail and mixed-use, higher density development, including residential.

The study developed by Brook McIlroy Inc, created six districts within the Highway 48 corridor distinguished by their existing conditions, available opportunities and the different development pressures (See Figure 6). The northerly portion of the subject lands along Castlemore Avenue falls within the “Avenue Urban Design District” and the balance of the lands fall within “Mixed Use and Large Format Retail District”.

Castlemore Avenue is envisioned as a key east-west spine joining the residential communities to the east and west of the Highway 48 corridor. The key design principles for Castlemore Avenue are to create a transit supportive, pedestrian-friendly, urban mixed use environment. Buildings and facades should strongly relate to the street and the built form and proposed uses along Castlemore Avenue should encourage pedestrian movement and street related activities. Guidelines for the Castlemore Avenue Urban Design District include the following:

• Mix of uses and buildings.
• Retail at grade and consistent rhythms of entrances.
• Buildings and facades should strongly relate to the street with minimum 2 to 4 storeys defining the street wall. The guidelines recommend 2 to 4 storeys in height for the first 10 meters from Castlemore Avenue, and a maximum of 8 storeys beyond the first 10 metres.
• A shallow setback not exceeding 1.5 metres.
• Consistent and animated street edge, with a minimum of 80% building frontage along Castlemore Avenue.
• Parking should be provided at the rear of the buildings and screened from view.
• On-street parking should be provided to foster vitality of the street’s businesses and reduce traffic speed.

As noted above, the remainder and majority of the subject lands fall within the Mixed Use and Large Format Retail District. These lands are primarily devoted to commercial uses with significant opportunity for integrated residential and office uses and a highly articulated street wall defining Highway No. 48. The density of commercial buildings should be much higher than the traditional large-format retail development. There should be a mix of uses and buildings on street fronts, including Highway No. 48. Built form should be high quality with articulated facades, extensive glazing, architectural features and upgraded materials. There should be an interconnected pedestrian system throughout the area. There is a 10 metre sewer easement along Highway No. 48 which is to be utilized for enhanced streetscaping, a boulevard lane with on-street parking, seating opportunities and outdoor retail activities, including café seating, kiosks and displays.

Within the Mixed Use and Large Format Retail District, three site design scenarios are proposed and offer alternative approaches for development (See Figures 7A, 7B and 7C). The design scenarios incorporate design principles and concepts of “Lifestyle Centre” developments. All three designs propose parking decks to allow improved site utilization as well as a central landscaped area to provide an attractive focal point and amenity area. Furthermore, the design concepts propose mixed use buildings along Castlemore Avenue and Bur Oak Avenue as well as a pedestrian walkway/spine bisecting the site along a north-south axis. The following are the three scenarios and the associated characteristics and guidelines:

Scenario 1 (See Figure 7A) – Large Format Retail (LFR) units at the rear

This option provides for much higher commercial density.

• One or two-storey LFRs at the rear of the site. They are visible from Hwy 48 through a wide public / open space area.
• Commercial buildings with an optional office component are provided with frontage onto Highway No. 48.

Scenario 2 (Figure 7B) – Large format retail units at the street (Hwy 48)

• One or two-storey LFRs front onto Hwy 48 which are interspersed with smaller commercial buildings with an optional office component.
• A north-south street is created to provide access to parking facilities.

Scenario 3 (Figure 7C) – Internal Main Street

• One or two-storey LFRs along with smaller commercial / office buildings line an internal street.
• Residential buildings with potential retail at grade line Highway 48. Parking is provided underground.

The proposed site plan application could, in the opinion of staff, be modified to comply with the design principles of Scenario 1.

Master Plan is required for the area.

In order to properly assess the proposed site plan, a master plan for the lands on the west side of Highway No. 48 between Castlemore Avenue and Bur Oak Avenue is required. These lands are all under one ownership (Wismer Markham Development Inc., represented by Mr. Robert DeGrasperis) and the owner is preparing a master plan for the lands which will be reviewed with regard to the Highway 48 Urban Design Study. The master plan will provide staff with a context within which the proposed development can be reviewed to determine its fit within the overall development of the area over time. The master plan should incorporate the following requirements:

• The commercial block should be broken into functionally and visually smaller units by internal drive aisles, a network of connected walkways, and landscaping.
• Central landscaped area to provide an attractive focal point and amenity area.
• Mixed-use buildings (with retail at grade and residential or office above) encouraged along Bur Oak Avenue and Castlemore Avenue.
• Pedestrian walkway/spine bisecting the site in a north-south axis, providing access through buildings and parking facilities.
• Commercial buildings with an optional office component should be provided along Highway No. 48 frontage. Building facades fronting onto Highway No. 48 should be articulated with extensive glazing, architectural features and materials, with a minimum of 70% building frontage along Highway No. 48.
• Building setbacks should be reduced to minimize distances between building entrances and abutting public streets and sidewalk.

The proposal satisfies some of the Highway 48 Urban Design Guidelines

As indicated above, the applicant has submitted an application for site plan approval to permit one large format retail store at this time. Staff have carried out a preliminary review of the application in the context of the Highway 48 Urban Design Study and are concerned that although, with some adjustments, the proposal can conform to the guidelines, certain key aspects of the urban design requirements for the area remain lacking. At a minimum staff would like to see the proposed building moved south in order to reserve an area for mixed-use buildings along Castlemore Avenue. There should be a central green space area south of the proposed building to create an attractive focal point and amenity area as illustrated in the design scenarios for this district (See Figures 7A, 7B & 7C). As well, there should be provision for a minimum 6 metre wide landscaped pedestrian walkway bisecting the site in a north-south axis between the proposed building and future buildings along Highway No. 48. The proposed building facade should be enhanced with additional glazing, architectural features and upgraded materials.

Staff are encouraged to see that a vacant strip of land approximately 51 metres (170 feet) wide between the subject site and Highway No. 48 is reserved, to be developed for future buildings oriented to Highway No. 48. As indicated above, these lands are presently owned by Wismer Markham Developments Inc. Staff will work with the landowners to ensure development of these lands along Highway No. 48 is in accordance with the urban design requirements for the area.

Potential Benefits of Approval of the Proposal:

The proposal would provide the following benefits:

• Provide additional commercial services for the growing communities of Greensborough and Wismer Commons.
• It could be the first step in setting up the development of this block in accordance with Scenario 1 of the approved Highway 48 Urban Design Study.

Concerns/Issues to be resolved:

The following is a brief summary of concerns/issues raised to-date. These matters, and any other identified through the circulation and detail review of the proposal, can be addressed in a final staff report to be presented to Committee at a later date.

· A master plan and phasing plan is required for the entire commercial block on the west side of the Highway No. 48 between Castlemore Avenue and Bur Oak Avenue.

· Conformity of the proposed development with the urban design guidelines identified in the Highway 48 Urban Design Study. The following are the key aspects from the urban design requirement for the area, which need to be addressed:

o Proposed building moved south in order to reserve an area for mixed-use buildings along Castlemore Avenue.

o A central landscaped green space area south of the proposed building to create an attractive focal point and amenity area.

o Provision for a 6 metre wide landscaped pedestrian walkway bisecting the site in a north-south axis.

o Enhanced building facade with additional glazing, architectural features and upgraded materials.

· Compatibility with adjacent uses, particularly the residential properties to the west.

· Relationship and integration of the proposed development with the lands to the south.

· Submission of the following studies/plans, and any other studies deemed necessary through the review process, to be completed to the satisfaction of the Town prior to site plan endorsement:

o Traffic Study

o Stormwater management and serving studies

o Grading Plans

o Noise study

FINANCIAL TEMPLATE:

Not applicable.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

There is no significant vegetation on site.

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

Accessibility consideration will be reviewed as part of the site plan approval process.

ENGAGE 21^ST CONSIDERATIONS:

Proactive growth management is a key goal set out in “Engage 21^st Century Markham” and good urban design is seen as critical to this. It is important therefore to review the proposed development with regard to the approved urban design guidelines for the area.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The application has been circulated to various Town Departments and external agencies including the Region of York and Ministry of Transportation, and is currently under review. Requirements of the Town and external agencies will be reflected in the final report.

RECOMMENDED BY:

________________________________ _________________________________

Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.

Director of Planning and Urban Design Commissioner of Development Services

ATTACHMENTS:

Figure 1 – Location Map

Figure 2 – Area Context/Zoning

Figure 3 – Air Photo 2005

Figure 4 – Site Plan

Figure 5 – Elevations

Figure 6 – Urban Design Districts

Figure 7A – Scenario 1 – Large Format Stores at Rear

Figure 7B – Scenario 2 – Large Format Stores at Street

Figure 7C – Scenario 3 – Internal Main Street

AGENT:

Mr. David McKay, MCIP, RPP

MacNaughton Hermsen Britton Clarkson Planning Limited

7050 Weston Road

Vaughan ON L4L 8G7

Tel: 905-761-5522; Fax: 905-761-5589

File Path: Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\SITEPLAN\06 127597 Home Depot\Preliminary Report.doc