Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date: June 10, 2008
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION
REPORT
York
Region District School
Board.
Application
for site plan approval to facilitate the demolition of the existing Markham
District High School
building and construction of a new secondary school at 89
Church Street
File No. SC 07 134469
PREPARED BY: Nilesh
Surti, Senior Planner, ext. 4190
East District Team
RECOMMENDATION:
That the report
dated June 10, 2008
entitled, “York Region District School Board, Application for site plan
approval to facilitate the demolition of the existing Markham
District High School
building and construction of a new secondary school at 89
Church Street” be received; and
That the site
plan application by York Region District School Board to permit the
construction of a new 16,389 m2 (176,415.5 ft2) Secondary
School at 89 Church Street,
be endorsed in principle, subject to the conditions attached as Appendix ‘A’.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable
PURPOSE:
The purpose of
this report is to recommend endorsement of a site plan application submitted by
York Region District School Board to facilitate the demolition of the existing
Markham District High School building and the construction of a new secondary
school building.
BACKGROUND:
Property and Area Context
The 10.12 ha (25
ac) site is located on the south side of Church Street
between Elm Street and Jack
Court. The
property presently contains the existing Markham
District High School
building situated on the westerly portion of the property.
Immediately to
the west is a tributary for the Rouge
River flowing north to south. This tributary traverses the rear yards of
the residential properties to the west.
Further west, across the tributary, are existing single-detached
dwellings. Adjoining the subject lands
to the southwest is the existing Elmwood
Cemetery. To the south and to the east are existing
single-detached dwellings. To the north, across Church
Street, are existing single-detached dwellings, a
Bell Canada switching station, as well as existing condominium townhouse
developments. There is extensive mature
vegetation along the west property line associated with the valley system for
the tributary.
Proposal is to replace the existing Markham District High School building with a new secondary school building
York Region
District School Board has submitted an application for site plan approval to
facilitate the demolition of the existing Markham
District High School
building and to construct a new 16,389 m2 (176,415.5 ft2)
two-storey building consisting of 63 classrooms. The new building is proposed to be situated
to the east of the existing building, on the subject property. The demolition of the existing building will
commence after the new building has been completed by late 2009 or early 2010.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
Official Plan and Zoning
The subject
lands are designated “Urban Residential” in the Town’s Official Plan. The property is zoned Residential One (R1)
under By-law 1229, as amended. The
proposal complies with all requirements of the Official Plan and Zoning
By-law.
Site Plan and Building Elevations are
acceptable
Staff is
satisfied with the site layout and building elevations. The new building is
situated close to Church Street
creating a well-defined street wall. The
building will be brick with contrasting architectural block banding. The elevations
also feature extensive glazing along both the north (facing Church
Street) and the west elevations. The proposed exterior colours will consist of
‘neutral earthy’ tones. The elevations
are articulated in a manner that fits well with the visual characteristics of
the surrounding neighbourhood. The
height of the building from the finished grade to the top of the roof is 8.4
metres, plus a 3 metre high mechanical penthouse.
A
soccer/football field and a practice field will be located to the west of the
new building. A 2.4 metre wide
pedestrian walkway loop is proposed in the outdoor play area which also connects
to Church Street and to the
residential community to the south.
A total of
three driveways are proposed onto Church Street. These include a one-way inbound driveway and
two-full-moves driveways. The westerly
driveway is proposed to be a full moves driveway, serving the westerly parking
lot and the drop-off/pick-up area for use by parents. The middle driveway opposite Russell
Stover Court is proposed to be an in-bound
driveway which will provide access to the school bus lay-by area. The easterly driveway will serve the easterly
parking lot and the egress for the school buses from the lay-by area. The proposed site plan shows a total of 256
parking spaces, which have been provided in accordance with the Town’s Parking
By-law.
The Town’s
transportation staff have reviewed the Traffic Operations and Circulation Study
submitted by the applicant and are satisfied that there will be minimal impact
on the local road network and acceptable on-site traffic circulation is
provided.
A number of sustainable features are proposed
for the new school building
The new Markham
District High School
building will incorporate a wide variety of sustainable technologies, providing
efficiencies in both energy and water usage.
Attached is a letter from York
Region District School Board itemizing their proposed sustainable development
initiatives for the new building is attached as Appendix B.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
Not applicable
HUMAN
RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS
Not applicable
ALIGNMENT
WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
The proposal
aligns with the following Town of Markham Strategic
Priorities: Growth Management and Environment. The proposed new secondary school will
provide an upgraded facility to meet the demands of the surrounding community. In addition, the new building incorporates a
number of sustainable features, which will help to reduce the impact of this
development on the environment.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED
AND AFFECTED:
The
application was circulated to all Town department and external agencies, and
their recommendations/concerns 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 of Planning
and Urban Design Commissioner of Development Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Appendix
A – Standard Site Plan Conditions
Appendix B – Letter from application regarding
commitment to achieving a LEED Silver certification
Figure
1 – Location Map
Figure
2 – Area Context/Zoning
Figure
3 – Air Photo 2007
Figure
4 – Site Plan
Figure
5 – Elevations
AGENT:
Kenneth
Macsporran
Moffet
& Duncan Architects Inc.
5052 Dundas Street West
Islington ON M9A 1B9
Tel:
416-239-2775; Fax: 416-239-6729
File Path: Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\SITEPLAN\07 134469
(Markham District High School)\Final Recommendation Report.doc