Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date: January 15, 2008
SUBJECT: PRELIMINARY
REPORT
Alderland Group
Zoning By-law amendment
application to rezone 201 Hood Road
to permit four mixed-use buildings containing restaurants, day care centres,
private and commercial schools, retail, office, recreational and other uses.
ZA 07 131772
PREPARED BY: Stacia Muradali, ext. 7922
Planner, Central District
RECOMMENDATION:
That the report dated January 15,
2008 entitled “PRELIMINARY REPORT, Alderland Group, Zoning By-law amendment
application to rezone 201 Hood Road to permit four mixed use buildings
containing restaurants, day care centres, private and commercial schools,
retail, office, recreational and other uses” be received.
That Staff be authorized to
schedule a Public Meeting to consider the Zoning By-law amendment application.
And that Staff be authorized and
directed to all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable
Subject lands and area context
201 Hood Road (the
“subject property”) has an area of 0.96 hectares (2.4 acres) and has frontage
on three streets. It is bounded by Warden
Avenue to the east, Hood Road to the west,
and Gibson Drive (which is
north of Steeles Avenue) to the
south (Figure 1). The property is square shaped with approximate frontages
between 75 and 78 metres on each street. The lands are vacant with no
significant natural vegetation.
There are
mixed use buildings containing industrial and commercial uses to the immediate
north and south of 201 Hood Road, along Warden
Avenue. There is also a mixed-use plaza
with restaurants and a grocery store to the south, at the north-west corner of Warden
Avenue and Steeles
Avenue. There are buildings with select
light industrial uses to the west, and an established residential neighbourhood
to the east of Warden Avenue (Figure 3).
Proposal is to re-zone the site to permit four
commercial mixed-use buildings
The applicant
is proposing to develop the property with four buildings with a total gross
floor area of 5,767 square metres (62,000 square feet) (Figure 4). There will
be a one and two-storey building along the northern edge of the property with a
gross floor area of 1,632 square metres (17,567 square feet). A four storey
building with a gross floor area of 2,320 square metres (24, 973 square feet)
will be oriented towards the corner of Warden
Avenue and Gibson
Drive. Another one and two-storey building
with a gross floor area of 1,426 square metres (15,350 square feet) will front
onto Gibson Drive and a one-storey building with a gross floor area of 389
square metres (4,187 square feet) will be located along Hood Road (Figures 5
& 6). A total of 337 parking spaces will be provided. There will be 93
surface parking spaces and one underground parking level with 244 parking
spaces. A conceptual sketch of the
proposed development as viewed from the corner of Warden
Avenue and Gibson
Drive is attached (Figure 7). A site plan
application has not yet been submitted.
Official Plan
The west side
of Warden Avenue between Steeles
Avenue and 14th
Avenue, including the subject property is
designated Industrial-Business Corridor
Area. This designation contemplates a mix of high quality industrial and
office uses primarily along major road frontages adjacent to industrial areas
to accommodate the business and service needs of the nearby companies and
employees they serve. Retail uses are not intended to accommodate the needs of
the general public as their primary function. Day care centres
and commercial schools are permitted, however, private schools can be allowed
subject to a rezoning and development proposal. A high level of urban design is
required to maintain the positive business image of the industrial area and
large surface parking areas should not be highly visible from public streets.
Criteria for retail uses
The Industrial-Business Corridor Area
designation provides for lands to be rezoned to accommodate a mixed-use centre,
combining multiple unit retail development containing individual retail
premises of less than 300 square metres gross floor area, with other permitted
uses subject to the following:
Retail uses
shall be limited to individual premises having not less than 300 square metres
(3,229 square feet) of gross floor area and having not more than 1,000 square
metres (10,764 square feet) of gross floor area if the above criteria is not
met. Retail and industrial uses involving accessory outdoor storage or display
are prohibited.
Zoning
201 Hood Road is zoned Select Industrial and Limited Commercial
(60%) (Hold)- [MC (60%) (H)] in By-law 108-81, as amended (Figure 2). The MC (60%) (H) permits industrial
uses such as warehousing and assembly of goods, repair, servicing, data
processing, research and private clubs. Financial institutions, professional
and business offices, commercial schools, hotels, accessory restaurants and accessory
retail uses are the type of commercial uses currently permitted. Zoning amendments are being sought to expand
the range of commercial permissions.
Criteria for retail uses
Retail stores
are permitted in the by-law subject to a minimum gross leasable floor area of
300 square metres per premise.
Alternately, retail stores having a minimum gross leasable floor area of
less than 300 square metres per premise may be permitted, provided that the
total combined gross leasable floor area of all such retail stores does not
exceed 50% of the total gross leasable floor area of all buildings.
Hold Provision
The current
zoning contains a Hold provision. The downstream sanitary sewer system to the
west is at full design capacity. Therefore, any connections to the existing
sanitary sewers on Hood Road or Gibson
Drive cannot occur. However, there is an
existing sanitary sewer on the east side of Warden
Avenue that has capacity to support the
proposed development.
The Hold provision on the subject property
cannot be removed until the owner has completed arrangements to the
satisfaction of the Town, including the execution of required development
agreements containing provisions for required improvements to municipal infrastructure
serving the lands. In addition, the applicant will be required to submit for
approval and review by the Engineering Department a Plan and Profile for the
sanitary sewer extension on Warden
Avenue, a cost estimate for the sewer
design and letter of commitment from the owners agreeing to construct the
sanitary sewer as part of their development.
The Hold provision will remain on the
property until the Town’s criteria has been met and will be addressed in more
detail at the site plan approval stage.