Report to: Development Services Committee                   Date
of Meeting: September 19,
2006

SUBJECT:                          PRELIMINARY
REPORT

Plan
of subdivision and zoning amendment applications by Lindvest Properties
(Cornell) Limited to permit residential,   commercial and employment uses
south of Highway 7 between 9th Line and the Markham By-Pass in the Cornell
Community

SU
06-114925 (19TM-060012), ZA 06-114935

PREPARED BY:               Margaret Wouters, Senior Planner

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report dated September 19, 2006 entitled
“Preliminary Report. Plan of subdivision and
zoning amendment applications by Lindvest Properties (Cornell) Limited to
permit residential, commercial and employment uses south of Highway 7 between 9th
Line and the Markham By-Pass in the Cornell Community,” be received;

And that staff be authorized to schedule a
Public Meeting to consider the plan of subdivision and zoning amendment
applications, as well as an amended Official Plan amendment application.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The purpose of this report is to provide preliminary
information regarding plan of subdivision and zoning amendment applications
submitted by Lindvest Properties (Cornell) Ltd for approximately 50 hectares of
land south of Highway 7 in the Cornell community, and to obtain authorization for staff to
schedule a Public Meeting to consider the applications.

The proposed plan of
subdivision consists of 14 development blocks accessed by a network of public
roads.  The blocks created are
proposed to be developed with medium and high density residential, retail and
employment uses.

The uses and building types
proposed within the plan of subdivision are generally consistent with the land
use designations and policies within the draft Cornell Secondary Plan.  Certain open space linkages are not
reflected in the plan of subdivision, and are required to be included.   The proposed plan of subdivision,
with some modifications, will implement the following elements of the vision
for Cornell Centre south of Highway 7:

·
Provision of high density residential and mixed-use development along
Highway 7 which is required to support proposed transit service along the
Highway 7 corridor;

·
Provision of a regional transit facility adjacent to Highway 7;

·
Provision of a pedestrian-oriented commercial core south of Highway
7;  and

·
Provision of 11-22 hectares (27-55 ac) of employment lands centred at
the Highway 7/Markham By-Pass intersection; these employment lands will be a
key section of a larger employment area extending from north of Highway 7 to
south of Highway 407 within the Box Grove community.

The subdivision and any
forthcoming site plan applications will be evaluated against a set of planning
principles endorsed by Council in June, 2005 to assist in evaluating
development proposals in Cornell Centre, as well as against the policies of the
draft Cornell Secondary Plan.

It is recommended that a Public
Meeting be scheduled to consider
the plan of subdivision and zoning amendment applications, as well as an
amended Official Plan amendment application to include a portion of the subject
lands.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable.

1.
Purpose                2. Background         3. Discussion             4.
Financial         5. Environmental

6. Accessibility       7. Engage 21st             8. Affected Units       9. Attachment(s)

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to provide preliminary
information regarding plan of subdivision and zoning amendment applications for
lands south of Highway 7 between 9th Line and the Markham By-Pass in the
Cornell community, and
to obtain authorization for staff to schedule a Public Meeting to consider the
applications.

BACKGROUND:

Property and Area Context

The subject lands consist of
approximately 50 hectares (123 acres) of lands bounded by Highway 7 to the
north, Highway 407 to the south, 9th Line to the west, and the Markham By-Pass
to the east (Figures 2 and 3).  These lands represent the majority of the
remaining land holdings by Lindvest Properties south of Highway 7 in the
Cornell planning district.

The lands are generally flat
tableland.  A 6 hectare (14.8 acre)
woodlot is situated approximately in the centre of the subject lands.   A heritage building is located on
a small property recently purchased by the applicant at 7265 Highway 7.

Portion of the lands were
included in earlier draft plan of subdivision (19TM-02001)

The majority of the lands within
the proposed plan of subdivision are located between the future Bur Oak Avenue
extension south of Highway 7 and the Markham By-Pass.  A small portion of the subject lands
abut Highway 7 west of the Bur Oak
Avenue extension.

The subject lands were included in plan of
subdivision 19TM-02001, the first phase of which was draft approved in
principle by Council in June, 2002.
The Phase 1 draft approval included
residential lands immediately east of 9th Line and the associated open space
blocks required for stormwater pond facilities adjacent to Highway 407, the woodlot
and an associated woodlot expansion area, and a commercial block to the east of
the Bur Oak Avenue extension.

Although draft approved by Council as part
of Phase 1, and zoned accordingly, the woodlot/expansion area and the
commercial block were not included in the draft approved plan issued by staff for
Phase 1 in February, 2005 or the draft approved plan issued for Phase 2 in
December, 2005, as the limits of these blocks were not yet sufficiently defined.  The Phase 1 and 2 draft approved plans
included only the residential development between 9th Line and the Bur Oak Avenue extension,
along with associated stormwater management blocks (Figure 4).   Phase 1 is currently under construction, while
Phase 2 is in the process of being registered.

Proposed Plan of Subdivision

The proposed plan of subdivision
accompanies applications for Official Plan amendments and zoning amendments
which were the subject of a staff report in June, 2005 and a Public Meeting in
November, 2005.   The previous zoning amendment application
applied to only a portion of the lands within the proposed plan of subdivision.

The proposed plan of subdivision
consists of 14 development blocks accessed by a network of public roads, as
detailed in Table 1 and shown in Figure 4.
The primary north-south roads include the extension of Bur Oak Avenue south
of Highway 7 (Street ‘A’), the Markham By-Pass, and a new road
(Street ‘C’) located approximately midway between these two roads,
intersecting with Highway 7 at the existing Markham By-Pass.

The plan includes the following
development blocks/uses:

·
stacked townhouses abutting Highway 7 between 9th Line and the Bur Oak Avenue
extension

·
townhouses and apartments to the west and south of the woodlot

·
a mixed-use residential/retail block abutting Highway 7 between the Bur Oak Avenue
extension and Street ‘C’

·
a mixed-use (employment/residential/retail) block abutting the east side
of the woodlot

·
mixed-use blocks abutting Highway 7 between Street ‘C’ and
the Markham By-Pass, including an office/retail/residential block at the
southeast corner of Highway 7 and Street ‘C’, and a
hotel/office/retail block at the southwest corner of Highway 7 and the Markham
By-Pass

·
an 11 ha (28 ac) employment block west of the Markham By-Pass

·
an elementary school site west of the woodlot

·
small open space blocks abutting the stormwater ponds

A total of 3,029 medium and high
density residential units, including live/work units, are proposed in
residential and mixed-use blocks, primarily west of Street
‘C’.  Employment uses
are proposed primarily east of Street ‘C’.  Details regarding density and gross floor
area have not been provided for the employment uses.  A potential location for a VIVA transit
terminal is identified within the mixed-use block at the southeast corner of
Highway 7 and Street ‘C’.

Table 1: Land Use Summary

Block No.

Location

Area (ha)

Land Use

No. of Units

Residential

1, 2, 3

South of Hwy 7

3.64

Stacked/deck townhouses

149

6, 7

West of woodlot

4.28

Townhouses, live/work, low-rise and
high-rise apartments

1,417

9

South of woodlot

1.75

Low-rise and high-rise apartments

916

Mixed-Use

4

South of Hwy 7 extending from Bur Oak
ext. (Street ‘A’) to Street ‘C’

9.70

Retail, Residential

10

East of woodlot

2.49

Employment, retail, residential

547

11

South of Hwy 7, west of By-Pass

3.71

Office, retail, residential, transit
terminal

--

12

South of Hwy 7, west of By-Pass

4.66

Hotel, office, retail

--

Employment

13

West of By-Pass

11.44

Employment

--

School
Block

5

West of woodlot

1.56

Elementary school

--

Open
Space

8, 14

South of Blocks 7 and 13

0.7

Open space

--

Roads

5.86

Total

49.79

3,029

The 6 ha (14.8 ac) woodlot, along with the
2.8 ha (6.9 acre) woodlot expansion area, have not been included in the
proposed plan of subdivision, as they were considered by the applicant to be dealt
with in detail as part of the draft approval of Phase 1.   These areas have not been dealt with in
previous registered plans and should be included in this plan of subdivision.

The property at 7323 Highway 7,
which also contains a heritage building, is not part of the plan of
subdivision.  The integration of
this property within the development program of the plan of subdivision
requires further consideration.

Cornell Secondary Plan and zoning

Cornell Secondary Plan (1994)

A number of land use designations in
the current Cornell Secondary Plan apply to the subject lands, including ‘Commercial
Corridor Area’, ‘Community Amenity Area’, ‘Neighbourhood
General’ and ‘Open Space Reserve-West’.  The woodlot is designated as ‘Open
Space–Environmentally Significant Area’.  A possible location for a community park
is identified at the southwest corner of the Markham By-Pass and Highway
7.

The Secondary Plan includes
policies identifying the possible future redesignation of the ‘Open Space
Reserve–West’ lands for employment purposes in the event that
employment targets for the Cornell community are not being met elsewhere in the
community.

The Official Plan amendment
application submitted in 2005 did not include the lands within Blocks 1, 2 and
3 east of 9th Line.  It
is recommended that the Official Plan amendment application be amended to
include these lands, and a Public Meeting be held to consider this amended
application.  The site-specific
amendments to the current Cornell Secondary Plan would allow development which
is consistent with the draft Secondary Plan to proceed prior in a timely
manner, if adoption of the draft Secondary Plan is delayed.

Draft Cornell Secondary Plan Update (2006)

An update of the Cornell Secondary
Plan was initiated in 2001 in response to a number of changing circumstances
affecting the Cornell community, including: changes in Provincial and Region of
York policy with respect to intensification; the need for an updated parks and
open space plan; and
current initiatives such as the Markham-Stouffville Hospital Master Plan, the
York Rapid Transit Plan (VIVA) and the objective of establishing business park uses
in east Markham.

The subject lands are entirely
within the lands described as ‘Cornell Centre’ in the draft Cornell
Secondary Plan update, which was released for public comment in March, 2006
(Figure 5).   Cornell Centre, encompassing
lands on both sides of Highway 7, is intended to function as the central
community focus for the Cornell community.
Building on the ‘Central Core’ designations in the current
Secondary Plan, the Cornell Centre concept provides a wide range of high
density residential and mixed-use development and includes a significant
concentration of business employment uses in the area of the Highway 7 and
Markham By-pass intersection.  The
employment area provides for a range of business uses and formats including
higher density office development adjacent to the Highway 7 corridor, supported
by the VIVA rapid transit system.
The inclusion of the employment area within Cornell Centre provides the
opportunity for a live, work and play focus for east Markham.

A retail precinct south of Highway
7, between the extension of Bur
Oak Avenue and the existing Markham By-Pass, has
been identified as the primary community destination and focus for
community-oriented retail activities, pedestrian-oriented amenities and
mixed-use development including residential uses above ground floor retail.

Zoning

The majority of the lands are
currently zoned Agricultural (A1) or Rural Residential (RR1) in By-law
304-87.  A portion of the lands
along the east side of the Bur Oak Avenue extension are zoned Community Amenity
Area One (CA1) in By-law 177-96, corresponding to the proposed configuration of
the commercial block at the time the residential subdivision to the west was draft
approved.  The woodlot and woodlot
expansion area were also zoned Open Space One (OS1) at that time.

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

The
proposed plan of subdivision is generally consistent with the draft Cornell
Secondary Plan

The uses and building types proposed
within the plan of subdivision are generally consistent with the land use
designations and policies within the draft Cornell Secondary Plan. Conformity
with the minimum density and maximum height requirements of the draft Secondary
Plan will be evaluated through the review of comprehensive block plans.  A number of open space designations
(e.g., between 9th Line and Block 1, along the Bur Oak Avenue
extension, and along Street ‘C’ near Highway 7) are not reflected
in the plan of subdivision, and are required to be included.

The review of the site-specific
Official Plan amendment applications have been proceeding in tandem with the
Cornell Secondary Plan update.  Staff
have been working with the applicant to revise the concept plan presented at
the Public Meeting last fall for the site-specific Official Plan amendment and
zoning amendment applications, to be consistent with the updated vision for
Cornell Centre.

The proposed plan of subdivision, with
some modifications, would implement the following elements of the vision for
Cornell Centre south of Highway 7:

·
Provision of high density residential and mixed-use development along
Highway 7 which is required to support proposed transit service along the
Highway 7 corridor;

·
Provision of a regional transit facility adjacent to Highway 7;

·
Provision of a pedestrian-oriented commercial core south of Highway 7;  and

·
Provision of 11-22 hectares (27-55 ac) of employment lands centred at
the Highway 7/Markham By-Pass intersection; these employment lands will be a
key section of a larger employment area extending from north of Highway 7 to
south of Highway 407 within the Box Grove community.

Site plan details for the retail
precinct (Block 4) abutting Highway 7 between the Bur Oak Avenue extension and
Street ‘C’ are being finalized and a site plan application for this
block is expected to be submitted in the near future.  The latest concept discussed with staff
includes two large format stores anchoring the east and west portions of the
block, connected by a private ‘main street’, with high density mixed-use
(apartment building with at-grade retail) development proposed along the
Highway 7 frontage.

Principles
to guide evaluation of Cornell Centre development proposals endorsed by Council
in June 2005

A number of principles were endorsed by Council
in June, 2005 to guide staff and Council in assessing development proposals
within Cornell Centre.  These
principles, outlined in the staff report regarding the applicant’s Official
Plan and zoning amendment applications, are as follows:

·
Preservation of the frontage along Highway 7 for higher density
mixed-use development, through means such as the exclusion of single-storey pad
development and surface parking adjacent to Highway 7.

·
Consolidation of employment uses east of the woodlot to the Markham
By-Pass to preserve the greatest opportunity for a range of business uses and
formats.  Recognition that permitting residential uses in this area
especially early in the development phasing can provide an impediment to the
development of business uses on adjacent lands.

·
Locating uses such as a hotel or cinema in a location within or
immediately adjacent to the commercial retail block in order to provide a
destination attraction and anchor to draw people into the centre and to provide
synergies with the retail and restaurant facilities in the commercial block.

·
Concentration and reinforcement of the retail activities within the
commercial block to act as the primary pedestrian-oriented community retail
focus for the east end of Markham.  Encouragement of mixed-use development
with residential and office above ground floor retail to act as a catalyst for
the commercial block to become a community focal point and destination.

·
Development of an urban ‘main street’ (public or private) as
the pedestrian-oriented spine encouraging pedestrian movement and circulation
along both sides of the ‘main street’.  Support of the ‘main street’
retail activities by adjacent on-street curb side or angled parking.

·
Incorporation of green amenities and urban open space features into the
retail plan and the development of programmable facilities to provide
opportunities for on-site community events and activities.

·
Gradation of height from Highway 7 and the Highway 7/Bur Oak
intersection, stepping down to the existing and proposed lower density
communities particularly to the north and west.  Maximum building heights should be in the
range of eight to ten storeys at the Highway 7/Bur Oak intersection.

·
Provision of compact urban form and mixed-use development based on
structured parking.  Identification
of structured parking locations and implementation of a phasing strategy as
part of the development concept, with a preference for parking structures being
constructed from the outset.

These principles are now reflected
in the draft Cornell Secondary Plan. The proposed plan of subdivision and any
forthcoming site plan applications will be evaluated against these principles
and the additional principles and policies in the draft Cornell Secondary Plan.

In addition, the following issues
require further consideration:

·
Inclusion of the woodlot and open space connections as per the draft
Secondary Plan

·
Conformity with minimum density and maximum building height requirements

·
Confirmation from the Ministry of Transportation that, given the
proposed devolution of this section of Highway 7 from the Province to the
Region of York, Regional standards with respect to minimum building setbacks
and intersection spacing along  Highway 7 will be applicable

·
Integration of the heritage building (Abraham Reesor House) within the
proposed development – designation of the property under the Ontario
Heritage Act is in progress

·
The appropriate size and configuration of the proposed school site requires
further discussion with the York Region District School Board

·
The appropriate size, configuration and location of the proposed transit
terminal requires further discussion with VIVA

·
Future integration of the private property at 7323 Highway 7, surrounded
by the proposed development - the heritage building on this property, known as
the Albert Reesor House, has been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

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.

Servicing allocation reserve for 150 apartment units
along Highway 7

A total of 150 units of
servicing allocation have been assigned for apartment building development
along Highway 7 in Cornell Centre.
These reserved units of allocation have yet to be assigned by Council to
any specific high density residential project(s) along Highway 7. Servicing allocation
for the total number of the proposed residential units within the plan of
subdivision is not yet available.

Public Meeting is
recommended

It is recommended that a Public
Meeting be scheduled to consider
the plan of subdivision and zoning amendment applications, as well as an
amended Official Plan amendment application to include a portion of the subject
lands. The applicant is encouraged to file the site plan application for
the retail precinct prior to the Public Meeting.

FINANCIAL TEMPLATE (Separate Attachment):

None at this time.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

None at this time.

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

Accessibility
considerations will be addressed through the review of required site plans.

ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The proposed development will assist with the
implementation of the following key Town of Markham Corporate Goals: Managed Growth,
Quality Community and Infrastructure Management.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The
application has been circulated to all relevant departments and outside
agencies.  Comments and requirements
will be addressed during the review process.

RECOMMENDED BY:

____________________________                            ____________________________

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

Director, Planning & Urban Design                                Commissioner,
Development Services

File
path: Amanda\File 06 114925\Documents\DSC Preliminary Report

ATTACHMENTS:

Figure 1 – Location Map

Figure 2
– Air Photo

Figure 3 – Zoning and Area
Context

Figure 4 – Proposed Plan of
Subdivision

Figure 5 – draft Cornell
Secondary Plan Land Use Schedule (2006)

APPLICANT/AGENT:

Daniel Leeming

The Planning Partnership

1255 Bay Street, Unit 201

Toronto, Ontario M5R 2A9

Tel:  416-975-1556

Fax:
416-975-1580

FIGURE 1
– LOCATION MAP