Report to: Development Services Committee                           Report Date: February 19, 2008

 

 

SUBJECT:                          Box Grove Community Fund Distribution

 

PREPARED BY:               Biju Karumanchery, Development Manager, East District, ext. 2970

 

RECOMMENDATION:

That the remaining funds from the Box Grove Community Fund (Capital Budget account 80 6900 6805 005) in the amount of $401,858 be allocated towards street lighting improvements within the Box Grove area and improvements to the Box Grove Community Centre;

                                 

And that a 2008 Engineering Department Capital Budget be established for the Box Grove Street Lighting Improvements at a cost of $306,780 exclusive of GST to be funded from the Box Grove Community Fund;

 

And that $30,000 exclusive of GST be allocated to Asset Management’s Lifecycle Reserve from the Box Grove Community Fund in order to top-up funding available for the Box Grove Community Centre Sewage Line Connection;

 

And that a 2008 Urban Design Capital Budget be established for Box Grove Community Centre Landscaping and Site Improvements at a cost of $65,078 exclusive of GST to be funded by the Box Grove Community Fund;

 

And that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Not applicable

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 identify, for Committee’s consideration, potential public projects that may be eligible to receive a portion of the remaining Box Grove Community Fund contributed by the Box Grove developers, and to make recommendations with respect to this matter.   Staff recommends that the remaining funds be applied toward the Box Grove Community Centre (sewer line connection and landscaping/ site improvements) and street lighting in the area.

 

BACKGROUND:

The Box Grove developers entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Town of Markham and the Region of York on June 13, 2002 outlining obligations of all three parties with regard to, among other things, transportation and servicing matters related to the Box Grove area.  One of the items included in the Memorandum of Understanding was a commitment by the developers to contribute $500,000 (the Box Grove Fund) to the Town of Markham for public infrastructure and community facilities.  The funds were to be provided to the Town by the participating owners on a pro rata basis upon registration of the first phase of their respective plans of subdivisions.  All of the funds have now been collected by the Town and, as discussed below, part of the funds have already been spent.

 

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

A portion of the funds have been allocated to certain projects

As part of Council’s approval of the 2003 budget, a total of $98,092 was allocated for works in the Cedar Grove Area, which was to be paid out of the $500,000 contribution by the Box Grove developers.  Specifically, $38,066 was allocated for parks upgrades and $60,026 was allocated for lighting for the Cedar Grove Baseball Diamond. 

 

Eligibility of various projects was investigated with respect to the remaining funds

Various projects in and around the Box Grove area were identified as potential candidates for receiving a portion of the remaining Box Grove funds.  These included the following:

 

Improvements to the Rouge River Community Centre basement

Through previous studies/assessments it has been determined that improvements to the basement of the Rouge River Community Centre on Rouge Bank Drive in the Legacy Community, involving approximately 186m2 (2000 ft2), will increase both programmable space and programmable hours at that facility.  The total estimated cost of these improvements in October 2000 was approximately $496,000 and is expected to have increased since that time.  Community Services staff recommended at the time, and still maintain, that the benefits associated with the proposed improvements to the basement did not justify the considerable expenditure, or the serious disruption to the Community Centre basement tenants (the Army Cadets), required to proceed with the improvements.

 

Urbanization and enhanced streetscaping of the portion of 9th Line in Box Grove

9th Line in the Box Grove area between the railway tracks to the south and Rouge Bank Drive to the north is a rural cross section and has not benefited from any streetscape improvements.  Urbanization and streetscape improvements for this stretch of road have been raised by staff as a possibility, but would cost well over $1.37 million (2005 dollars).  This portion of 9th Line has been closed to through traffic since the opening of the Box Grove By-Pass in August of this year and, given the significant cost, the urbanization and streetscape improvements in this area are not recommended at this time.  

 

Sidewalk along the north side of 14th Avenue from Roxbury Street to Legacy Drive

A significant public expenditure that was contemplated by the Infrastructure and Capital Works Group in the Box Grove area involves the construction of a sidewalk along the north side of 14th Avenue between Roxbury Street and Legacy Drive (west of 9th Line).  There are a number of significant challenges to constructing this sidewalk including insufficient right-of-way width along 14th Avenue, between the Rouge River and Legacy Drive, to accommodate the sidewalk and associated grading, the potential requirement to construct retaining walls to accommodate grading and the need to construct a new pedestrian bridge or to widen the existing roadway structure in order to cross the Rouge River.  Excluding property costs the estimated cost of constructing this north sidewalk range from about $520,000 to $610,000.  An expenditure of this magnitude may not be warranted given that a continuous sidewalk is available on the south side of 14th Avenue from Markham Road to 9th Line and also since the volume of pedestrian traffic in the area is low.

 

Contribution towards sanitary sewage facilities for Box Grove hamlet residents

Asset Management staff have been exploring opportunities and options for providing sanitary sewer connections, under  provisions of the Local Improvement Act, to the older properties within the Box Grove hamlet that currently do not have municipal servicing.  A report on this matter is expected to be brought forward to General Committee in the spring.  The properties affected are located along 9th Line and 14th Avenue as well as along Ridgevale Drive and Rouge River Circle.  Current analysis indicates that the average cost per property would be in the order of $38,095, with a total cost of $3,809,500 for the 100 affected properties.  Utilization of the remaining Box Grove funds to help reduce this financial impact on the individual property owners has been suggested by the ratepayers as an appropriate use of the funds (correspondence attached as Appendix ‘A’).

 

Water connection rebate for properties on 9th Line north of 14th Avenue

When the Legacy subdivision to the west of 9th Line was constructed the developer, in 1998, provided the opportunity for water connections for residents on 9th Line north of 14th Avenue.  However, the developer required that each resident pay for their connection when the actual connection was made.  Since the main water services are located closer to the west side of 9th Line, the residents on the west side are required to pay $1316.27 for a short connection to their property line and the residents on the east side are required to pay $2097.70 as they require a longer connection.   As the connections have been made the Town has been recouping the connection costs on behalf of the developer.  To date 19 of the 28 properties in the area have paid the costs and hooked up to the water supply.

 

When the Box Grove community developed, as per the 2002 Memorandum of Understanding noted above, the developers provided the residents who lived on 14th Avenue east of 9th Line, along 9th Line south of 14th Avenue, as well as the residents of Rouge River Circle and Ridgevale Drive, with water connections to the property line free of charge.  In light of this, an argument has been put forward by the ratepayers that the residents of 9th Line north of 14th Avenue were not treated equitably and that a portion of the Box Grove fund should be applied to provide these residents with a rebate for their out of pocket expenditures for the water connections.  The total cost of this proposed rebate, including an amount for those residents who have yet to hook up, would be approximately $46,480.00. 

 

Improvements to the Box Grove Community Centre

The Box Grove Community Centre building on 9th Line south of 14th Avenue is a designated heritage building that is in need of significant improvements which would include a sewage line connection from the property line to the building as well as landscaping and site improvements.  Lifecycle reserve currently has $40,000 for the sewage line connection to be done in 2009, however, based on recent quotes involving Victoria Square, it is estimated the cost will be $70,000.  Hence, a $30,000 top up will be required.  Funding for landscaping and certain site works, estimated at $65,078 is proposed to permit improvements at the Box Grove Community Centre.   This includes additional coniferous and deciduous tree planting (approx. $25,000) proposed along the eastern property line to buffer the park from the adjacent homes and new walkway block. In addition, there is a need to re-grade the community centre lands which are lower than the adjacent housing development and to add berming and any required infrastructure (Catch Basins etc.) to insure better site drainage and in general to better harmonize with the adjacent development (approx. $30,000). Also, an asphalt pathway connection is required to the existing children’s playground from the new walkway to the east that is being built by the developer (approx. $10,000).  Development Charges reserve does not have funding for this landscaping and site works.  The total cost of these improvements is estimated to be approximately $95,078.00.  A breakdown of the expenditure is as follows:

 

Item

Improvements

Estimated Costs

1

Sewage Line connection

$30,000 to top up the lifecycle reserve to $70,000

2

Landscaping and site improvements

$65,078

 

Total Estimated Costs

$95,078

 

Box Grove street lighting improvements

Currently there are no street lights serving the old Box Grove area, including 9th Line within Box Grove and 14th Avenue east of 9th Line as well as Ridgevale Drive and Rouge River Circle.  Street lighting on these roads is recommended from a safety perspective.  The estimated cost of providing this lighting is approximately $306,780 and is not part of the Development Charges reserve as these are located in existing residential areas.   A breakdown of this expenditure is as follows:

 

Section

No.

Location

Existing Conditions

Minimum Improvements

Estimated Cost

1

9th Line – Rouge Bank Drive to 14th Avenue

Hydro poles on the east side – no streetlights

Add 13 lights and related wiring to existing poles incl. connection to distribution system

$30,800

     2

9th Line – 14th to Ridgevale Drive

Hydro poles on west side – no streetlights

Add 9 lights and related wiring on existing poles incl. connection to distribution system

$24,250

3

9th Line – south of Ridgevale Drive

Hydro poles on west side – no streetlights

Add 6 lights and related wiring on existing poles incl. connection to distribution system

$21,000

4

Ridgevale Drive & Rouge River Crescent

Existing hydro poles – no streetlights

Install new aerial streetlighting system (poles, luminaries & wiring)

$152,000

5

14th Ave - east of 9th Line to limit of exist residential

Hydro poles on south side – no streetlights

Add 11 lights and related wiring on existing poles incl. connection to distribution system

$27,600

 

Estimated Construction Cost

$255,650

 

Engineering/ Contingency @ 20%

$51,130

 

TOTAL ESTIMATED COST

$306,780

Staff recommend that the remaining funds be applied towards street lighting in the area and the Box Grove Community Centre

It is felt that the Box Grove Community Fund should be applied to projects with a clear public benefit.  Since the Local Improvement costs for sanitary services in the area, as well as water connection costs for certain residents on 9th Line, are considered to have more of a private than public benefit, these projects are not recommended to qualify for the Community Funds. 

 

Moreover, as discussed above, a sidewalk along the north side of 14th Avenue from Roxbury Street to Legacy Drive, urbanization and enhanced streetscaping of 9th Line in Box Grove and improvements to the Rouge River Community Centre basement represent significantly larger expenditures than the funding available, and are not recommended to qualify for the Community Fund.

 

It is staff’s recommendation that given the safety factor related to street lighting the remaining Box Grove Funds be applied first to street lighting in the Box Grove area and the balance of the funds be applied to Box Grove Community Centre improvements, as discussed above.

                      

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)

This report identifies potential uses to which the remaining Box Grove Community Fund residing in Planning Capital Budget account 80 6900 6805 005 in the amount of $401,858 can be applied. 

 

Staff recommends the dollars be allocated as follows:

 

Box Grove Street Lighting Improvements

  1. $306,780 to fund a 2008 Engineering Capital Budget for Box Grove Street Lighting Improvements (subject to funding the project can be tendered and designed by summer 2008 with work expected to be completed in 2009);

 

Box Grove Community Centre

  1. $30,000 to go to the Lifecycle Reserve to top up the dollars available for 2009 sewage line connection at the Box Grove Community Centre (subject to Council approval of 2009 Capital Budget consisting of the entire $70,000 from Life Cycle Reserve and this report, this work is expected to be completed in 2009);

 

  1. $65,078 (dollars remaining after funding above two priorities) to fund the 2008 Urban Design Capital Budget for Box Grove Community Centre Landscaping and Site Improvements (subject to funding as described in this report it is expected that design work will be undertaken in 2008 and work completed in 2009).

 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable.

 

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable.

 

ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The recommended use of the Box Grove Community Fund will assist with the implementation of the following key Town of Markham Corporate Goals: Quality Community and Infrastructure Management.

 

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

This matter has been discussed with the Engineering (Infrastructure and Capital works Group), Asset Management, Finance Department, the Recreation and Culture Services Department as well as the Urban Design division of the Planning and Urban Design Department.  It should be noted that the Box Grove Ratepayers Group had also approached staff with their views, as noted in this report, on how some of the funds might be allocated.    

 

RECOMMENDED BY:

 

 

 

 

 

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

Director of Planning & Urban Design

 

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

Commissioner, Development Services

 

 

 

ATTACHMENTS:

Appendix ‘A’ - Correspondence from Box Grove residents

 

 

 

Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\SUBDIV\03 115555_BoxGroveHill\Suggested uses for Box Grove community fund.doc