Report to: Development
Services Committee Report
Date:
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION REPORT
Updated Cornell Secondary Plan
(OP 06-114028)
PREPARED BY: Marg Wouters, Senior Project Coordinator, Policy & Growth Management
RECOMMENDATION:
That
the Official Plan amendment including the updated Cornell Secondary Plan (OP
06-114028), attached as Appendix ‘A’ be finalized and adopted,
and forwarded to the Region of York for approval;`
That the Region of
York be requested to amend the York Region Official Plan to incorporate lands
east of
And that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The purpose of this report is to recommend adoption of the new Cornell Secondary Plan. This recommendation is the culmination of an extensive review of the 1994 Cornell Secondary Plan, and included extensive consultation with the community, property owners and developers.
A first draft of the
updated Secondary Plan was released in March, 2006, followed by the statutory
Public Meeting in June, 2006, and a revised draft Secondary Plan in April,
2007. At the request of Council,
additional information with respect to transportation,
principles of new urbanism, parks and open space, the provincial Growth Plan, and a Town-wide employment lands strategy was provided through Part A presentations. In June, 2007, the Cornell Master Parks Agreement between the Town and the Landowners Group was finalized and executed, and Council approved an Official Plan Amendment (OPA 166) for lands within Cornell Centre on the south side of Highway 7, which was consistent with the draft Secondary Plan.
A small number of changes are proposed to the April, 2007
draft of the Secondary Plan in response to comments submitted by agencies and
landowners, and to ensure consistency with the policies of OPA 166, which is
currently being considered for approval by the Region of York.
The Official
Plan Amendment accompanying the Secondary Plan proposes to amend the Town’s
Urban Service Area to include employment lands east of Donald Cousens Parkway,
identified as ‘Deferral Area’ on the Secondary Plan schedules. Through the recommendations to this report,
the Region will be requested to amend the York Region Official Plan to include
the lands within the urban settlement area, as part of the Region’s Growth Plan conformity exercise. Town staff are in discussions with the Region,
TRCA and Rouge Alliance in regard to land use and sustainability criteria and
interface relationship to the
Staff
recommend that the Cornell Secondary Plan contained within the Official Plan
Amendment attached as Appendix ‘A’ be finalized and approved, and forwarded to
the Region of York for approval. Upon approval of the Secondary Plan, a number
of implementation studies, including an update to the Phasing Plan and a
Sustainable Development Strategy, will be initiated.
1.
Purpose 2. Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial
5. Others
(Environmental, Accessibility,
Engage 21st, Affected Units) 6.
Attachment(s)
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to recommend approval of an Official Plan Amendment to update the Secondary Plan for the Cornell Planning District.
BACKGROUND:
Proposed updated Secondary Plan the result of an extensive review process
The updated Cornell
Secondary Plan, attached as Appendix ‘A’, has been the subject of an extensive
review process. The review has involved
numerous presentations to Council, and extensive consultation with landowners
and residents through workshops, open houses, staff reports and presentations,
as well as the establishment of an Advisory Group consisting of residents,
agencies, developer representatives and members of Council.
A first draft of the
updated Secondary Plan was released in March, 2006, followed by the statutory
Public Meeting in June, 2006, and a revised draft Secondary Plan in April,
2007.
Further
information provided at the request of Council
Council requested additional information on a number of matters at the April 10, 2007 and April 17, 2007 Development Services Committee meetings, when the revised draft Secondary Plan and accompanying staff report were considered. These matters included: the continuing relevance of the principles of new urbanism, the transportation study undertaken in support of the Secondary Plan, parks and open spaces, the provincial Growth Plan, and a Town-wide employment lands strategy. Staff have since provided additional information and detail on all of these topics in the form of Part A presentations.
Committee also requested confirmation that development in
Cornell Centre would count towards the Province’s intensification target, and
that staff report back on the feasibility of placing holding provisions on
future development until appropriate infrastructure is in place. These issues are addressed in ‘Next Steps’
below.
Cornell
Master Parks Agreement executed
As part of the Secondary Plan review, staff worked with the Cornell Landowners Group on a Master Parks Agreement, which includes an updated Open Space Master Plan.
A draft Master Parks Agreement was endorsed by Council in May, 2006 and presented to the Cornell Advisory Group. The Cornell Master Parks Agreement between the Town and the Landowners Group was finalized and executed in June, 2007.
Amendment to
existing Cornell Secondary Plan approved by Council for lands south of Highway
7, including the Cornell Centre mixed-use retail centre
In June, 2007, Council approved an Official Plan Amendment (OPA 166) to
the 1994 Secondary Plan, for certain lands on the south side of Highway 7 owned
by Lindvest Properties Ltd. The lands
are the first phase of a larger plan of subdivision for the remainder of the
lands south of Highway 7, west of the
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
Comments regarding the April 2007
revised draft Secondary Plan have been addressed
The April, 2007
revised draft Secondary Plan was well received. Comments received were mainly from major
landowners, and in some cases, are a reiteration of issues raised with the
first (March, 2006) draft Secondary Plan.
The comments and corresponding proposed revisions to the Secondary Plan
are provided below.
In response to TRCA and staff comments, hydrological
features such as groundwater are proposed to be included in Section 9.2, as
features to be considered in the Environmental Management Study.
Pedestrian connections to the
Discussions involving Town staff, the TRCA,
Rouge Park Alliance, and the Region are ongoing regarding the appropriate use
of the provincially owned lands east of
The
Secondary Plan currently proposes a maximum height of 6 storeys for the
majority of the lands within the Institutional designation south of
Staff
also maintain that the maximum Floor Space Index provisions (0.75 FSI) for the
Institutional lands south of Church Street are appropriate, but propose that
the policy be revised to clarify that individual parcels within the Development
Block south of Church Street may individually achieve more than the maximum
FSI, provided the maximum is not exceeded over the entire Development Block
[Section 6.7.2 b) i)].
With respect to the proposed on-road bicycle
facility on
Although not requested specifically by the
Hospital, retirement home facilities are proposed to be added to the list of
permitted uses in the Institutional designation [Section 6.7.2 a)]. Retirement home facilities include
residential uses that are part of the continuum of care for seniors, but do not
include a significant health care component (e.g., rental residential units
with common dining facilities). In addition, the provision for ancillary uses
within the community centre and health care campus is proposed to be expanded
to allow for a greater range of uses related to the primary uses within the
campus [(Section 6.7.2 a)].
Lands south of
Recently, discussions have been held with the new
owners of lands north of Highway 7 between 9th Line and
Litvack property at the northeast corner of 9th Line and
Highway 7
The owners of the lands at the northeast corner of 9th
Line and Highway 7 have repeated their request for more height along 9th
Line, and particularly at the immediate intersection to allow for a signature
building at the corner. In addition, the
owners have requested that offices be permitted as a primary use for all lands
adjacent to the north property line and that the automotive service station
permission be reinstated at the intersection.
Staff maintain that the 3 storey height limit
immediately adjacent to 9th Line is appropriate, given the existing
low density residential neighbourhoods on the west side of 9th Line,
and that the 5 storey height permission at the immediate northeast corner is
sufficient to provide a signature gateway building. Staff also maintain that the existing service
station permission at the corner is no longer appropriate at this important
entrance to Cornell Centre.
Staff, however, agree that the minor changes to the
policies prescribing the height limit along 9th Line are appropriate
to attain the desired built form and to recognize the height differential
between residential and non-residential built form. It is therefore proposed that the maximum 3
storey height limit along 9th Line apply within 30m of 9th
Line rather than 40m, to reflect standard building floorplates, and that the
policies recognize that a 3 storey
height limit for non-residential buildings is equivalent to a 4 storey height
limit for residential buildings.
Staff also agree with adding office and retail
permissions on the ground floor of all residential buildings adjacent to the hospital
and community centre campus, although not as a primary use. The updated Secondary Plan already provides
for offices as a primary use on lands adjacent to 9th Line through a
site specific policy. It is therefore proposed
that the current policy providing for office and retail uses on the ground
floor of residential buildings, apply to all of the lands adjacent to the hospital
and community centre campus within the Residential Neighbourhood – Cornell
Centre designation [Section 6.2.4.1 b)].
Cornell Rouge Development Corporation
Cornell
Rouge Development Corporation, owner of lands east of Cornell Centre Boulevard,
questions the feasibility of the Automobile Service Centre designation within
the employment lands north of Highway 7, given perceived access limitations
arising from the proximity to Donald Cousens Parkway, heritage buildings and
associated vegetation. Both of the Automotive Service Centre
designations in the employment areas were identified as appropriate locations
for automobile service uses because of their proximity to the
Staff are
of the opinion that the location of the heritage buildings and associated
vegetation in the vicinity of the designation north of Highway 7, will not
preclude a road connection between
Lands at northwest corner of Highway 7 and
The owners of lands
at the northwest corner of Highway 7 and
Staff maintain that the minimum floor space index
requirements in the Secondary Plan are appropriate and can be achieved over a
Development Block. Staff also maintain
that street townhouses do not achieve the densities required to support the
proposed rapid transit service along Highway 7 and therefore are not an
appropriate use in Cornell Centre. With
respect to the cost-sharing agreement and servicing allocation, the Town has no
involvement in developers group cost-sharing agreements, but can influence
servicing allocation assignments through the assignment of allocation to
specific areas of the Town on specific projects that provide a benefit,
according to Council approved priorities.
Based on site plan submissions for apartment
buildings along Highway 7 (Lindvest Properties and Macwood/Springhill), staff
agree that the minimum 75% grade-related commercial uses requirement may not
provide sufficient flexibility and propose that the policy be revised, as
approved in OPA 166 (Lindvest Properties) to identify a 75% target, but to require
at minimum 55% of the ground floor GFA to be non-residential uses.
Changes resulting from approval of
OPA 166 (Lindvest Properties)
As previously indicated, in order to proceed with
the first phase of development on the Lindvest lands south of Highway 7,
Council in June, 2007 approved an amendment to the existing (1994) Cornell
Secondary Plan. The amendment was
drafted to be consistent with the revised draft Secondary Plan. The land use policies in OPA 166 are
consistent with the policies of the April 2007 revised draft Secondary Plan
except for the following:
- Policies in OPA 166 permit the phased development of the mixed-use
retail centre south of Avenue Seven
A phased approach to development of
the mixed-use retail centre was approved on the basis of a short and long term
plan for the mixed-use centre, as presented to Development Services Committee
in February 2007. The first phase of
development, defined as the first site plan approval within the designation, is
not required to meet the minimum height and floor space index requirements of
the Secondary Plan. Endorsement of the
first site plan application was given by Council in June, 2007. Development or redevelopment subsequent to the
first site plan approval within the designation would be subject to the minimum
height and floor space index requirements. The policies in Section 6.3.4.2 b) in the
Secondary Plan have been revised to reflect this approach as approved in OPA
166.
- Policies in OPA 166 provide more flexibility with respect to the
amount of non-residential uses required to be provided on the ground floor
of residential buildings.
Through the review of the
Lindvest site plan application, it was determined that more flexibility was
appropriate with respect to the restrictions on residential uses on the ground
floor of non-residential buildings. For
example, the proposed apartment building at the southeast corner of Avenue
Seven and
The policy has been revised to
indicate a target (75%) for non-residential uses on the ground floor, as well
as an absolute minimum (55%). Revised policies to this effect have been included in
all designations with requirements for non-residential uses on the ground
floor of buildings.
Additional minor wording and policy
changes proposed
A
number of minor policy revisions are proposed as:
- Additional permitted uses have been included for the heritage
buildings within the employment designations to encourage the preservation
of these buildings in their current locations. The additional
permitted uses include restaurants, entertainment uses, and health and
fitness recreational uses within the heritage buildings [Section 6.4.3.2
b)].
- Reduction of height minimum within the Community Amenity Area –
Cornell North Centre designation to 3 storeys for lands south of
- Changes to parks and open space policies to reflect the Cornell Master
Parks Agreement.
- Changes to the transportation policies to reflect completed
improvements and revised alignments (e.g.,
In addition, revisions have been made to clarify or
update certain terms and policies and to correct typographical and grammatical
errors. Highway 7 continues to be
referred to as ‘Avenue Seven’ in the Secondary Plan, pending a name change decision
by the Region of York.
A number of outstanding issues
identified in the April 2007 staff report have been addressed
The following
issues were identified in the April, 2007 staff report as requiring resolution
prior to the Secondary Plan being approved by Council:
- non lane-based housing
- request for street townhouses as a permitted use in Cornell Centre
- finalizing school and parks symbols on Cornell Rouge lands
Non lane-based housing policies still under consideration
Proposed policies
to provide for non lane-based housing were considered by Development Services
Committee on
Grade-related townhouses not
considered to be appropriate within Cornell Centre
As
outlined above, staff maintain that street townhouses are not an appropriate
residential use within Cornell Centre as they do not provide sufficient density
to support the planned rapid transit service along Avenue Seven, or contribute
an appropriate built form for Cornell Centre.
Finalizing school and park
symbols
The
locations of Neighbourhood Parks on Schedule ‘AA’ – Detailed Land Use have been
revised to be consistent with the Open Space Master Plan attached to the
executed Cornell Master Parks Agreement.
The relocation of two elementary school sites (one public and one
Catholic) within the Cornell Rouge lands east of the Community Park as shown in
the Open Space Master Plan, have not yet been confirmed with the school boards,
and therefore have not been revised on Schedule ‘AA’ to the Secondary
Plan. If acceptable to the School Boards
and the Town, staff will request that the Region modify the land use schedule
prior to Regional approval of the Secondary Plan.
Inclusion of Deferral
Area within the urban settlement area through Regional Official Plan Amendment
Employment
lands east of
Town staff
are in discussions with the Region, TRCA and Rouge Alliance in regard to land
use and sustainability criteria and interface relationship to the
Recommendation
to adopt the updated Cornell Secondary Plan
It is
recommended that the Official Plan amendment including the updated Cornell
Secondary Plan, attached as Appendix ‘A’, be
finalized and adopted, and forwarded to the Region of York for approval, and
that the Region of York be requested to amend the York Region Official Plan to
incorporate all lands within the Cornell Secondary Plan area into the Region’s urban
boundary.
NEXT STEPS
The Secondary Plan
identifies a number of studies to be completed to implement the Secondary Plan,
including updates to the Environmental Management Plan, Master Servicing Study,
Traffic Impact Assessment, Community
In addition
to these studies, the Secondary Plan provides for a number of implementation
studies including a Sustainable Development Strategy, Parking Strategy and
Financial Strategy and Plan. In
addition, staff are contemplating pre-zoning the Cornell Centre lands. These studies will be initiated once the
Secondary Plan is approved. Staff
continue to work with the Province with respect to identifying Cornell Centre
as being within the province’s ‘built boundary’, so that development in Cornell
Centre will considered as contributing to the Province’s 40% intensification
target.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
Not applicable.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Additional policies regarding
groundwater studies and interface with the
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable.
ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:
The
proposed development will assist with the implementation of the following key
Town of
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The comments of relevant departments and external
agencies have been considered in the Official Plan amendment.
RECOMMENDED
BY: ________________________ ________________________
Valerie Shuttleworth Jim
Baird
Director of
ATTACHMENTS:
Appendix ‘A’ - Official Plan Amendment
Q:\Development\Planning\Teams\NEW EAST
TEAM\CORNELL\Cornell SP Final Report 15jan08.doc