SUBJECT: PRELIMINARY REPORT
Applications
for Draft Plan of Subdivision Approval and Rezoning
by Vetmar Limited, 11050 Woodbine Avenue
(File
Nos.: SU 07 127303 & ZA 07 127193)
To
permit a mixed employment/residential development in the 404 North Planning District
PREPARED BY: Geoff Day,
Planner – West Development District ext. 3071
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT a
Public Meeting be held to consider the applications for Draft Plan of Subdivision
Approval and Rezoning by Vetmar Limited, 11050
Woodbine Avenue (File Nos.: SU 07 127303 & ZA 07 127193), to permit a mixed
employment/residential development in
the 404 North Planning District.
And that Staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not Applicable
The purpose
of this report is to provide preliminary information regarding zoning by-law
amendment and draft plan of subdivision applications submitted by Vetmar Limited for a mixed employment/residential development in the 404 North Planning District, and to
recommend that a statutory public meeting be held to consider the application.
The 34.82 ha
(86.03 acre) subject lands are located within the Highway 404 North Planning District, on
the west side of Woodbine Avenue, north of the
Cathedral Community and south of 19th
Avenue.
Surrounding
uses include:
Official Plan and Zoning Context
The subject
lands are designated Business Park Area, Business Corridor Area and Community
Amenity Area in the Highway 404 North Planning District
Secondary Plan (OPA 149). The proposed
employment blocks are appropriate to accommodate the uses provided for in the
Secondary Plan.
The lands are
currently zoned Agriculture One (A1) by By-law 304-87, as amended. A zoning by-law amendment is required to
implement the draft plan of subdivision.
Draft plan of
subdivision submitted for the Highway 404 North Planning District
The draft plan of subdivision is 34.82 ha (86.03 acres) in
area and proposes 3 Business Park Blocks, 2 Community Amenity Blocks, 70 single
detached units, 60 semi-detached units, 102 Townhouse units and a Park Block. A section of the future Woodbine By-pass bisects
the lands.
The employment lands portion of the subdivision is located
predominantly on the north side of the Woodbine By-pass having an area of 21.76
ha (53.77 acres). The residential
component is located on the south side of the Woodbine Avenue By-pass having an
area of 5.83 ha (14.41 acres). A portion of a 2.1 ha (5.19 acre) Community Park (shared with
Monarch Developments) is proposed within the southern residential portion of
the draft plan (Figure 4)
The draft plan of subdivision is shown in Figure 4, attached to this
report.
ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED:
Town -
adopted policies to allow draft plan approval in advance of servicing
allocation
The Region (fall 2007) and the Town
(February 2008) have adopted policies for draft plan approval of subdivisions
with conditional (to 2011) servicing allocation, or no servicing allocation. Furthermore, the Town of Markham report
granted 2011 conditional allocation of 126 units / 413.4 population
to the 404 North community.
Both reports set out the following
requirements for approval of draft plans of subdivision with conditional
allocation or no allocation:
Generally, hold provisions will not
be lifted until allocation has been confirmed by the Region. It is anticipated that pre-sales could begin
six months prior to lifting the hold provision (one year prior to occupancy). The subdivision, or a portion, would be
released for registration after hold provisions are lifted.
The applicant and the Landowners’ Group Trustee must identify and confirm
the units subject to the conditional allocation
The residential
portion of the subject application proposes 232 units (70 singles, 60 semi’s, 102 townhouses) which is
approximately equivalent to a population of 728 residents. This exceeds the conditional 2011 allocation
of 126 units or 413.4 population. Prior to draft plan approval, the applicant
will have to identify the specific units on the draft plan which will be
subject to the 2011 conditional allocation.
A letter from the trustee of the landowners’ group must also be
submitted to the Town confirming the proposed allocation assignment.
Because the units
under the conditional allocation will proceed before the units which have no
allocation, the draft plan approval conditions and zoning by-law amendment must
be crafted to accommodate these timing and phasing differences. The portions of the draft plan without
conditional allocation will be placed under a different hold provision than
those that have conditional allocation.
Also, different conditions will apply regarding the release from the no
presale and indemnity agreements, and release for registration. These matters will be addressed in detail in
the recommendation report for the subject applications.
Southern
extension of Honda Boulevard to the By-pass has been incorporated into the
draft plan
Roads are normally dedicated to the Town through the
subdivision process. However, since
construction of the Honda Canada corporate head office will precede the
registration of this plan of subdivision, 11160
Woodbine Avenue (owner to the north) has agreed to
construct Honda Boulevard through
these lands in advance of the registration of this draft plan. To expedite and facilitate the construction
of Honda Boulevard, Vetmar has already conveyed their portion of the right-of-way
to 11160 Woodbine Avenue Ltd., through
severance. The full length of this road
will be dedicated to the Town once it is constructed. It is intended that the right-of-way will be
conveyed, dedicated (to the Town) and constructed to coincide with the
occupancy of the Honda corporate head office.
To ensure that Honda Blvd. is
constructed in a timely manner, 11160
Woodbine Avenue (Rice Commercial Group), Vetmar and Honda have entered into a development agreement
regarding the construction of Honda Boulevard. The development agreement specifies a time
line for the completion of the road construction and ensures that Honda Blvd. is
constructed and paid for by the developers group.
Status of the
Woodbine Avenue By-pass
The Woodbine
Avenue Bypass north of Elgin Mills is at the 60% design approvals stage with
the Region of York and the R-plans are being finalized at this time for
submission to the Region. Vetmar has conveyed
the By-pass right of way from the southern boundary of their lands (adjacent to
the Monarch subdivision) to the intersection with Honda Blvd. The balance of the by-pass right of way
dedication (from Honda Blvd to existing Woodbine) and securities for the
By-pass are to be executed over the next several weeks by way of the Tri-party
agreement and the Master Letter of Credit Agreement between the Town, the
Region and the Rice Group. More detail
on the status of the by-pass construction is included in the Engineering
Department’s June 17 report regarding the tender award for phase 1 of the
By-pass.
Studies/documents
to be submitted and approved
In accordance with the provisions of the 404 North
Secondary Plan and comments received to date from Town Departments and outside
agencies, the following documents and studies must be submitted and approved
prior to draft plan approval:
·
Streetscape design study and open space master plan
·
Addendum to the West Cathedral Community Design Plan (for
the residential portion)
·
Master servicing study
·
Environmental Management Plan
·
Phasing plan
·
Tree Inventory and Conservation Plan
·
Functional Servicing Study to comply with the Master
Servicing Study
·
Traffic Impact Study to comply with the Master
Transportation Study
·
Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment
·
Geotechnical Report
·
Hydrogeological Study
·
Stormwater Management Study
·
Noise Feasibility Study
·
Archaeological Assessment
·
Tri-party agreement for construction of the Woodbine
By-pass
·
Developer group agreement
·
Area specific development charges
A preliminary review of the draft plan has identified the
following matters to be addressed in relation to the residential component of
the proposed plan:
1)
A greater variety of built form should be provided
along the Woodbine Avenue By-pass;
2)
Parallel service road should be contemplated which
would assist in creating a landscape buffer to the By-pass and adjacent to the
future employment lands to the north;
3)
A conceptual layout for the Community Amenity Area
(Block 118) in order to address the relationship between this block and the
residential lots abutting Street “E”;
4)
Each block should contain a greater mixture of 11.0m,
12.2m, and 15.2m lots and building form.
POTENTIAL
BENEFITS OF APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSAL:
Draft plan approval and rezoning of these lands to permit
their development as a Business Park Area will contribute to the Town’s
inventory of employment lands along the Highway 404 corridor, in a strategic
location. With the planned
infrastructure improvements in this area, and the recent approval of the Honda
Canada head office to the north, these lands are strategically
located within a prime employment area.
Draft plan approval and rezoning of these lands to permit
their development as an urban residential area will implement the Urban
Residential designation of the Official Plan.
FINANCIAL
TEMPLATE
Any financial issues identified during the circulation of
these applications will be addressed in the final recommendation reports.
Growth
Management
Draft plan approval and rezoning of these lands to permit
their development as a Business Park Area will contribute to the Town’s
inventory of employment lands along the Highway 404 corridor, in a strategic
location. The residential portion of the
draft plan is compatible to the compact residential built form established for
the Cathedral Community to the south.
Transportation
and Transit
The Woodbine
Avenue By-Pass will be fully conveyed to the Region within the next several
weeks. When complete, the By-pass will assist
in alleviating congestion issues in this area of the Town. The construction of the multi use trail
system will provide residents with alternative means of transportation which
reduces pollution, improves quality of life and promotes heath and fitness.
The application has been circulated to all relevant
agencies and departments. Their comments
will be incorporated into the review process as required.
CONCLUSION:
The draft plan of subdivision generally appears to reflect the intent and
objectives of the Highway
404 North Planning District Secondary
Plan. Refinements may be identified
during the detailed review of the application.
However, Staff are of the opinion that this
application is sufficiently advanced to warrant holding a public meeting.
RECOMMENDED
BY:
______________________________ _______________________________
Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P,
R.P.P Jim Baird, M.C.I.P, R.P.P
Director, Planning & Urban Design Commissioner, Development Services
ATTACHMENTS:
File path: Amanda\File 07
127303\Documents\Preliminary Report
FIGURE 1
OWNER: Vetmar Limited
c/o Aldo Vettese
10 Rubicon
Ct.
Willowdale ON
M2M 3P8
(P)
416-225-8595
AGENT: Malone
Given Parson
c/o Nick Pileggi
140 Renfrew
Drive, Unit 201
Markham ON
L3R 6B3
(P)
905-513-0170
(F)
905-513-0177
LOCATION MAP: