Report to: Development
Services Committee Report
Date:
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION REPORT
Dougson Investments Inc. (Village Nissan)
Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment applications to permit an
automobile dealership on the south side of future
South Unionville Community
File Nos. OP.06-132776 and ZA.06-132779
PREPARED BY: Scott Heaslip, ext. 3140
Senior Project Coordinator
Central District
RECOMMENDATION:
That the staff report dated
And that the minutes of the April 8, 2008 Public Meeting to consider the requested Official Plan and zoning by-law amendments, be received;
And that the applications by Dougson Investments Inc. (Village Nissan) to amend the Town’s Official Plan and zoning by-laws to permit an automobile dealership on the south side of future South Unionville Avenue, east of Kennedy Road, be denied;
And that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Dougson Investments Inc. (Village Nissan) has applied to
amend the Official Plan, the South Unionville Secondary Plan and the zoning
by-laws to permit an automobile dealership on the south side of future
Staff are recommending that the applications be denied for the following reasons:
- The proposed use is fundamentally inconsistent with the collective policy direction of the Province and Region, which encourages higher density, mixed-use, transit supportive development along arterial road corridors, rapid transit corridors and in the vicinity of GO Rail stations.
- The use is fundamentally inconsistent with the planned function of the applicable Secondary Plan designations - “Community Amenity Area” (commercial uses serving community residents within mixed-use developments), and “Low Density Housing” (grade related residential uses).
- The commercial use would intrude into the residential interior of the South Unionville Community, increasing the potential exposure of the residential community to the noise, light, and visual impacts of the dealership use.
- The use represents an underutilization of the site, which is well served by VIVA’s rapid transit service and convenient to the Unionville Go Train Station.
- The
use could jeopardize a planned north-south local road connection between
- The
use has the potential to result in commercial uses being extended a full
two blocks into the community on the north side of
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to
discuss applications to amend the Town’s Official Plan and zoning by-law to
permit an automobile dealership on the south side of future
BACKGROUND:
Location and Site
Characteristics
The subject lands are located east of the existing BMW
Dealership on the north side of
The applicant owns additional lands to the north of the
subject site (see Figure 2), including a portion of future
Official Plan and
Zoning
The westerly portion of the subject lands is designated “Commercial” in the Official Plan and “Community Amenity Area” in the South Unionville Secondary Plan (OPA 22) (see Figure 4). The remainder, being the majority of the site, is designated “Urban Residential” in the Official Plan and “Low Density Residential” in the Secondary Plan. Both the “Community Amenity Area” and the “Low Density Residential” designations do not provide for retail uses involving accessory outdoor storage and/or display of merchandise.
The lands are currently zoned “Rural Residential One” (RR1) under Rural Area By-law No. 304-87. This zone permits single detached dwellings.
Proposed Development
The applicant is proposing to
relocate the existing Village Nissan dealership, currently located on the north
side of Highway 7, west of
The concept plan submitted with
the application (Figure 5) shows a 1000 square metre (10,760 square foot)
building fronting onto future
Vehicular access is proposed from the
future extension of
The applicant has not yet applied for site plan approval or submitted elevations of the proposed building.
Requested Amendments
The requested Official Plan Amendment would extend the “Commercial” and “Community Amenity Area” designations across the entire site, and incorporate site specific policies into the Official Plan and Secondary Plan to permit the lands to be used for an automobile dealership, including associated outside storage.
The requested zoning by-law amendment would incorporate the lands into By-law 177-96, zone them “Community Amenity Area,” and incorporate site specific use permissions and development standards to permit the proposed automobile dealership.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
The proposed automobile dealership is inconsistent with Provincial,
Regional and Town policy
The policies included in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe encourage increased residential and employment densities along intensification corridors and in the vicinity of major transit stations to support and ensure the viability of transit services and reduce reliance on the automobile.
Regional policy, including Official Plan Amendment No. 43 (Regional Centre and Corridors) and the Region’s Transit – Oriented Development Guidelines, also encourage higher density, mixed-use, transit supportive development along arterial road corridors, rapid transit corridors and in the vicinity of GO Rail stations.
The Town’s Secondary Plan for the
South Unionville Community (OPA 22) designates the subject lands “Community
Amenity Area” adjoining
The proposed automobile dealership use represents an underutilization of the site and is fundamentally inconsistent with the collective policy direction of the Province and Region for transit supportive development along major transit routes and in the vicinity of major transit nodes such as GO Rail stations. As well, it is fundamentally inconsistent with the planned function of the applicable “Community Amenity Area” and “Low Density Housing” designations in the Town documents.
This section of
To support a car oriented, land extensive use, such as a car dealership, is contrary to current and emerging planning policies for this area.
A significant portion
of the planned Community Amenity Area has already been displaced by automobile
dealership uses
The existing Volkswagen and BMW dealerships occupy the
majority of the Community Amenity Area designated lands between future
The proposed Nissan dealership would displace an additional
component of the Community Amenity lands, which are intended to intended to
accommodate commercial uses serving the residents of the
The proposed automobile
dealership would intrude into the interior of the
The subject lands have no frontage on, or access to,
The proposed dealership would encroach much further into the adjoining residential community than the existing VW and BMW dealerships, increasing the potential exposure of the residential community to the noise, light, and visual impacts typical associated with automobile dealership uses. The introduction of retail uses other than local residential population serving retail uses this far into the existing and emerging residential area poses a number of potential conflicts.
The car storage area is proposed to extend south, all the
way to
The proposed
development could compromise the intended road network for the
The approved Community Design Plan for the South Unionville
Community (Figure 6) shows a north-south local road connecting
The preferred alignment of this road includes a significant portion of the subject lands. However, the applicant opposes this road and will not agree to dedicate any lands for road purposes because it would reduce the area available for the proposed automobile dealership.
The applicant is in discussion with other landowners in the vicinity regarding locating the road further to the east. The applicant’s proposed alignment would intersect with Helen Avenue 30 metres to the west (measured from the centerline of the two roads) of the intersection with Greenberg Gate. Although the Engineering Department would prefer a greater separation between these roads, they advise that the proposed alignment is technically acceptable. However, the applicant has not provided confirmation of agreement among the affected landowners. Should the proposed dealership be approved without the arrangements for the dedication and construction of this road (including cost sharing with other area landowners) being finalized and secured, there is a significant risk that this road may never be constructed.
This road is an important component of the community
infrastructure of
Conclusions
For the reasons outlined above, staff recommend that the subject applications be denied.
FINANCIAL TEMPLATE:
Not applicable.
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
The proposed development does not align with any of the Town’s Strategic Priorities.
DEPARTMENTS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The subject applications were circulated to Town departments and public agencies for review and comment.
RECOMMENDED BY:
_____________________ ________________________
Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of Planning & Urban Design Commissioner of Development Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1: Location
Map
Figure 2: Area
Context/Zoning
Figure 3: Air Photo
Figure 4: Secondary
Plan Schedule
Figure 5: Conceptual Site Plan
Figure 6: Community
Design Plan
Owner: Dougson Investments Inc. Tel: (905) 477-3337
4600 Highway 7 Fax: (905) 940-6636
L3R 1M5
Agent: Gatzios Planning and Development
Consultants Inc.
L3R 4B9
File:
Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\OPAPPS\06 132776 Dougson\Dougson recommendation
report.doc