Report to: Development
Services Committee Date
of Meeting: May 1,
2007
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION
REPORT
Dufferin
Concrete
7655
Woodbine Avenue
Applications for Official
Plan and zoning by-law amendment to permit the modernization of an existing
concrete plant
FILES: OP 06 132795 and ZA 06 132837
PREPARED BY: Scott Heaslip, ext. 3140
Senior Project Coordinator,
Central District
RECOMMENDATION:
That the report dated May 1, 2007
entitled “RECOMMENDATION REPORT, Dufferin Concrete, 7655 Woodbine Avenue,
Applications for Official Plan and zoning by-law amendment to permit the
modernization of an existing concrete plant,” be received;
And that the record of the Public
Meeting held on March 20, 2007
to consider the requested Official Plan and zoning by-law amendments, be
received;
And that the Official Plan Amendment application (OP 06 132795) be approved as
outlined in the staff report and the draft Official Plan Amendment attached as
Appendix ‘A’ be finalized and adopted;
And that the Zoning By-law Amendment application (ZA 06 132837) be approved
as outlined in the staff report and the draft implementing zoning by-law
attached as Appendix ‘B’ be finalized and enacted;
And that staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The 3 hectare (7.4 acre) property,
located at the south-east corner of Woodbine
Avenue and Riviera Drive,
is occupied by a concrete batching plant operated by Dufferin Concrete. Dufferin Concrete is proposing to modernize
and upgrade this facility by replacing the existing equipment with newer, more
modern equipment.
Official Plan and zoning by-law
amendments are required to permit the proposed facility modernization. A Public
Meeting was held to consider the requested amendments, and all technical and design issues have been
addressed to the satisfaction of staff.
This report recommends approval of the proposed Official Plan zoning
by-law amendments.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable.
The purpose of this report is to discuss
and recommend approval of applications for Official Plan and zoning by-law
amendment to permit the proposed modernization of the Dufferin Concrete
batching plant located on the east side of Woodbine Avenue, south of Riviera
Drive.
Subject Lands and Area Context
The 3 hectare (7.4 acre) property
is located at the south-east corner of Woodbine Avenue
and Riviera Drive. The property is occupied by a concrete
batching plant operated by Dufferin Concrete, a division of St. Lawrence Cement.
Surrounding uses include multiple
unit industrial buildings to the south and east, vacant lands, a multiple
tenant industrial building and a Town of Markham
fire station to the north across Riviera Drive,
and commercial uses to the west across Woodbine Avenue
(Figure 3).
Applicant proposes to modernize existing facility
Dufferin Concrete is in the midst
of a program of modernizing and upgrading their existing facilities across the
GTA to reduce environmental impact, improve efficiency, and improve customer
service.
The proposed modernization and upgrading
of this facility includes the replacement of the existing batch plant (cement
storage silos and mixers), operations building (operator’s office and storage),
aggregate handling system (aggregate storage and conveyors to batch plant),
boiler house (compressed air for machinery and steam for winter operations),
and washout facility (wash down and wash out returning trucks).
The applicant also proposes to
remove the front section of the existing truck repair garage building and
reface the remaining section, as required, to match the other facilities.
Official Plan and zoning by-law amendments required
The subject property is designated
“Commercial (Commercial Corridor Area)” in the Official Plan. This designation does not provide for a
concrete batching plant and the associated outside storage, which is an
industrial use. The majority of the property is zoned M4, which permits the
concrete batching plant and the associated outside storage. However the north-east portion of the property
is zoned A1 – Agricultural, which permits only agricultural uses (Figure 2). Official Plan and zoning by-law amendments
are required to permit the proposed facility modernization.
Existing facility is long standing use at this location
The existing concrete batching
plant has operated at this location for more than 25 years. The applicant advises that it would be
difficult to relocate this facility as concrete batching plants need to be
close enough to their customers that the delivery trucks can make their
deliveries and return to the plant before the concrete begins to set.
Proposed modernization provides opportunity for site improvements and upgraded
landscaping
The proposed modernization
includes the following site improvements (Figure 4 and 5):
·
Replacement of the batch plant, operations and
aggregate handling facilities with more modern equipment. The new equipment will be primarily faced with
grey prefinished metal.
·
New 6 metre wide landscape buffer containing a
1.2 metre high berm, screen fencing and intensive plantings along the Woodbine
Avenue and Riviera Drive frontages.
·
Consolidation of access driveways.
·
Curbing and paving of access driveways and the
employee parking area.
The environmental impact of the facility will be reduced through the
following:
·
New truck washout and washdown facility will act
as a sedimentation basin to contain wash water and reduce tracking onto
adjacent streets.
·
Wash
water will be recycled back into production.
·
Concrete remaining in returning trucks will be cast
into blocks, crushed and reused. This activity involves dumping the material
into forms to solidify, storing the material in a pile at the rear of the
property, and bringing in portable equipment twice each year to crush the
concrete to allow it to be recycled into the batching plant.
No Public Concerns
A Public Meeting was held on Tuesday March 20, 2007 to consider
the requested Official Plan and zoning by-law amendments. No members of the public attended the meeting.
Committee raised a minor concern
about the condition of the existing sidewalk along Woodbine
Avenue. As a condition of site plan approval
the applicant will be required to reinstate any damaged sections of the
existing sidewalk along Woodbine Avenue
and also to construct a new sidewalk along the Riviera
Drive frontage of the subject property.
Technical issues have been addressed by the applicant
The technical
issues identified by Town staff and public agencies have been addressed, as
follows (see Figure 4):
- The
requirements of the Region of York have been incorporated into the project
plans.
- The
design of the landscape buffers adjoining the streets and the security
fencing and gating have been refined to the satisfaction of staff.
- The
fencing along the south and east boundaries has been upgraded to a solid
board wood fence. The wood fence
has also been extended, behind the berm,
across the southern portion of the Woodbine Avenue frontage and eastern portion
of the Riviera Drive frontage.
The applicant has also applied for site plan
approval. Site plan approval for
industrial developments is delegated to staff.
Staff will ensure that these matters are addressed in the conditions of
site plan approval and secured in the required site plan agreement.
Draft Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments
The draft Official Plan Amendment (Appendix
‘A’) incorporates a site specific exception into the Official Plan permitting a
concrete batching plant at this property, notwithstanding the Commercial
(Commercial Corridor Area) designation.
The draft zoning by-law amendment
(Appendix ‘B’) zones the entire property M4, and incorporates site specific provisions
reflecting the proposed development and regulating the location and maximum
height of the proposed recycled material pile.
FINANCIAL TEMPLATE (Separate Attachment):
None at this time.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The proposed modernization would
reduce the environmental impact of the facility.
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
None at this time.
ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:
The proposed development will support the
following key goal of “Engage 21st Century Markham - Environmental focus.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The
application has been circulated to all relevant departments and outside
agencies. The requirements of Town department and public
agencies will be secured in the required site plan agreement .
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
Figure 1 -
Location Map
Figure
2 - Area Context
Figure
3 - Air Photo
Figure
4 - Proposed Site Plan
Figure
5 - Existing and proposed concrete batching plant
Appendix
‘A’ - Draft Official Plan Amendment
Appendix
‘B’ - Draft zoning by-law amendment
Contact: Dana Anderson
Meridian
Planning Consultants
2400
Meadowpine Boulevard, Suite 102
Mississauga,
Ontario
L5N
6S2
Tel: (905) 818-2993
Fax: (905) 819-2994
Email: dana@meridianplan.ca
Q:\development\planning\appl\zoning\06 132837\final report