Report to:  Development Services Committee                       Report Date:  September 18, 2007  

 

 

SUBJECT:                          RECOMMENDATION REPORT

                                            Applications for Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Approval to permit business and professional offices at 107- 111 Glen Cameron Road

                                            Hunster Corporation

                                            ZA 05 023385 & SC 05 023455

 

PREPARED BY:               Sabrina Bordone, Planner

                                            West District Team

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the staff report entitled “Applications for Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Approval to permit business and professional offices at 107-111 Glen Cameron Road, Hunster Corporation, ZA 05 023385 & SC 05 023455” be received;

 

THAT the Zoning By-law Amendment application (ZA 05 023385) to amend By-law 2237, as amended, submitted by Hunster Corporation to permit business and professional offices at 107-111 Glen Cameron Road, be approved and the draft Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Appendix ‘A’ be finalized and enacted;

 

THAT the Site Plan Control Application (SC 05 023455) submitted by Hunster Corporation to permit business and professional offices at 107-111 Glen Cameron Road, be endorsed in principle, subject to the conditions attached as Appendix ‘B’;

 

AND that site plan approval be delegated to the Director of Planning and Urban Design or her designate, to be issued following execution of a site plan agreement.  Site Plan approval is issued only when the Director has signed the site plan “approved”.

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The 0.38 hectare (0.95 ac) site is located east of Yonge Street on the south side of Glen Cameron Road and is municipally identified as 107-111 Glen Cameron Road.

 

Rezoning and site plan approval applications have been submitted by Hunster Corporation to permit the construction of a 2, 373 m2 (25, 548 ft2) three-storey business and professional office building.  A total of 64 surface parking spaces will be provided in accordance with the Town’s Parking Standards By-law.  The two existing vehicular accesses off Glen Cameron Road will be retained.  A third access, to be restricted to right-in, one-way movements, is proposed at the eastern end of the subject lands.  

 

The Official Plan designates the lands “Industrial”.  This designation is further refined by the Thornhill Secondary Plan to “Business Corridor Area – Glen Cameron/Doncaster”.  The Thornhill Secondary Plan provides for offices, commercial schools, and banks and financial institutions, among other uses within this designation.  The proposal to rezone the subject lands to permit business and professional offices is consistent with the Thornhill Secondary Plan.

 

The proposed rezoning and site plan approval applications are considered appropriate for the development of the subject lands.  The subject lands are situated in an established industrial area that is in need of revitalization.  Staff believe that the proposal will act as a catalyst to facilitating improvement in the area.  In this regard, staff recommends that the draft Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Appendix ‘A’ be finalized and enacted and that the Site Plan application be endorsed in principle subject to the conditions attached as Appendix ‘B’.

 

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 review the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan applications submitted by Hunster Corporation to permit a business and professional office building at 107-111 Glen Cameron Road.

 

BACKGROUND:

Property and Area Context

The 0.38 hectare (0.95 ac) subject lands contain a vacant single-storey industrial building located east of Yonge Street on the south side of Glen Cameron Road (Figure 1).         

Surrounding land uses include: the Canadian National Railway (CNR) to the south and east, industrial buildings to the west, and single-detached dwellings to the north (Figures 2 & 3). 

 

Proposal is to permit business and professional offices

The applicant is proposing to demolish the existing single-storey industrial building and replace it with a 2, 373 m2 (25, 548 ft2) three-storey office building.  A total of 64 surface parking spaces will be provided on site in the front, side and rear yards of the site.  Vehicular access will be from two existing accesses off Glen Cameron Road.  A third access, which is to be restricted to right-in, one-way movement, will be provided at the eastern end of the subject lands (Figure 4). 

    


A Zoning By-law Amendment is Required


The Official Plan designates the lands “Industrial”.  This designation is further refined by the Thornhill Secondary Plan to “Business Corridor Area – Glen Cameron/Doncaster”.  The Thornhill Secondary Plan stipulates that uses provided for within the “Business Corridor Area – Glen Cameron/Doncaster” designation includes offices, commercial schools, and banks and financial institutions, among other uses.

 

The lands are zoned “Industrial” (M) by By-law 2237, as amended, which permits a variety of industrial uses, but not office uses.  The proposed amendment will rezone the lands to permit business and professional offices on the subject lands.

 

OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:

Issues at Public Meeting have been addressed

On April 4, 2006, a public meeting was held to obtain public input on the subject application.  One written submission, from Ms. E. Ellison, Vice-President of the Ward 1 South Thornhill Residents Association, was received, expressing concerns regarding the proposal.  Several concerns were also raised by the Committee members at the Public Meeting.  These issues are discussed below:

 

Sufficient on-site parking has been provided

The Parking Standards By-law requires that parking for business and professional offices be provided at a rate of 1 parking space per every 30 m2 of net floor area.  The net floor area of the proposed building is 1,920 m2 (20,671 ft2); therefore, a total of 64 parking spaces are required.

 

At the time of the public meeting, the parking requirement for the proposed development was 56 parking spaces.  A total of 48 parking spaces were to be provided on site, fourteen of which were accommodated within an enclosed parking area that was to be provided through the conversion of a portion of the first storey of the building.  This represented a parking deficiency of 14%. 

 

In order to provide the required parking, the applicant purchased a 7.6 m (24.9 ft) wide strip of land from CN Rail, along the entire length of the south property line.  In November 2006, the Committee of Adjustment approved the required severance allowing the applicant to provide a total of 64 parking spaces on site, in accordance with the Parking Standards By-law.  Staff are satisfied with the proposed parking layout, but note that one additional handicap parking space is required on the site plan.  Staff have requested that the applicant revise the site plan accordingly.        

 

Concerns related to site access and traffic have been addressed

Vehicles will access the property via the two existing driveways off Glen Cameron Road and a third proposed driveway at the eastern end of the site.  At the time the public meeting was held, staff were concerned about the third proposed access and its proximity to Henderson Avenue.  BA Consultants Limited reviewed the safety of this proposed driveway and concluded that it would operate acceptably as a one-way inbound driveway for passenger cars only.  Appropriate signage must be installed on site indicating that no exit is permitted via the east driveway. 

 

As originally proposed, the easterly driveway encroached into the municipal boulevard.  Since the applicant has acquired additional lands from CN Rail, the easterly driveway can now be accommodated without any encroachment on Town land. 

 

The analysis undertaken by BA Consultants also recommended additional measures to ensure unobstructed sight lines at this entrance including:  i) that any new tress planted on site be a minimum of 3 metres south of the Glen Cameron Road edge of pavement, ii) that any tree canopy (including future tree canopies) less than 3 metres south of the Glen Cameron Road edge of pavement must be a minimum of 1.05 metres above grade (driver’s eye level), and iii) that any shrubs planted within three metres of the Glen Cameron Road edge of pavement must not grow taller than 0.5 metres.  Staff have reviewed these measures and will incorporate them into the review of the landscape plans.

 

On-site landscaping

At the time of the public meeting, staff were concerned about the minimal amount of on-site landscaping proposed due to the limited site area.  However, this issue has been resolved through the purchase of additional lands from CN Rail, allowing additional landscaping to be provided on site, primarily along the front property line.  This enhanced landscaping, which will consist of coniferous trees and shrub planting, will provide a buffer to the adjacent parking area.  The applicant is also providing new street tree planting along Glen Cameron Road where there are no existing tress or where existing trees are in decline.  It should be noted that the applicant is unable to accommodate a landscape buffer between the proposed fire route and the municipal boulevard due to the proximity of the building to the street and required width and turning radii of the fire route.  The applicant is providing foundation planting along the north building face to compensate.  At this time, staff are satisfied with the landscape area provided.  Some modifications maybe be required prior to final approval of the landscape plan.      

 

Recycling bins and parking bicycle parking

In her letter dated March 31, 2006, Ms. E. Ellison, Vice-President of the Ward 1 South Thornhill Residents Association, expressed concerns regarding the location for recycling bins and also requested that bicycle parking be provided on site.  Recycling bins will be contained within an enclosed garbage room situated at the rear of the proposed building, as illustrated on the site plan.  This is standard Town practice and staff from the Town’s Waste Management Department deems this to be acceptable.

 

The applicant has also provided a bicycle parking area at the east façade of the proposed building, also shown on the site plan.  As per staff’s recommendation, the applicant has also extended the roof overhang along the east façade in order to ensure the bicycle parking area will be adequately protected from the elements.  Staff are satisfied that bicycle parking has been addressed satisfactorily.      

 

Proposed building elevations are acceptable

The proposed three-storey building provides a strong building presence along Glen Cameron Road.  The applicant is proposing to use tan coloured precast concrete panels, with a rough finish, on the first and second storeys of the proposed building and light buff concrete panels, with a smooth finish, on the third storey (Figure 5).  Originally, the applicant was proposing to use vinyl siding on the third storey elevation.  However, at the public meeting, members of Development Services Committee raised concern about the use of this material and recommended that either stucco or an alternative material be used.  The applicant has taken this recommendation into consideration and has replaced the siding with precast concrete panel, which is acceptable. 

 

The main building entrance is defined by a tower element comprised of glass and spandrel panels.  A roof overhang has been provided at the main floor of the building to provide some dimension and enclosure to this area.  Staff are satisfied with the elevations as proposed.   

 

 

FINANCIAL TEMPLATE (external link):

Not applicable.

 

 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

As a condition of severance approval, the applicant was asked to submit a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA).  The Phase I ESA concluded that no significant environmental issues were identified and that no further investigation was warranted, but also recommended that a chemical analysis be conducted to determine if the fill materials in the railway embankment meet the applicable MOE guidelines.  The applicant subsequently submitted a soil sampling analysis of the CN Rail lands, which indicated that the soil samples submitted met the applicable specified regulatory standards and that no significant environmental concerns were identified.   

 

 

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

The site plan shows two parking spaces for the physically disabled, which are located at the east building face.  However, as per the Parking Standards By-law 28-97, as amended, a total of three parking spaces for the physically disabled are required.  The applicant has been advised of requirement and will be revising the site plan accordingly.

 

 

ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The proposed development is consistent with Markham’s vision of managing growth proactively.  The proposed infill development promotes effective growth management by

optimizing the se of the Town’s current infrastructure.  

 

 

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The application was circulated to all Town departments and external agencies, and their recommendations/comments have been incorporated into this report.

 

 

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 05 023385\Documents\Executive Report Summary Template

 

 

ATTACHMENTS:

Figure 1 – Location Map

Figure 2 – Area Context and Zoning

Figure 3 – Air Photo

Figure 4 – Site Plan

Figure 5 – Elevations

Appendix A – Draft Zoning By-law Amendment

Appendix B – Site Plan Conditions

 

 

AGENT:

Mr. R. Librach                                    

Richard Librach Architect Inc. 

3414 Yonge Street

Toronto, ON  M4N 2M9

 

Tel. 416-482-9224

Fax. 416-781-2976