Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date:
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION REPORT
Wismer Markham Developments Inc.
Application
for Site Plan Approval to permit a retail plaza at the northwest corner of
File No. SC 08 106746
PREPARED BY: Nilesh Surti, Senior Planner, ext. 4190
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated June 17, 2008 entitled, “Wismer Markham Developments Inc., Application for Site Plan Approval to permit a retail plaza at the northwest corner of Markham Road and Castlemore Avenue”, be received;
THAT the Site Plan Application (File No. SC 08 106746) submitted by Wismer Markham Developments Inc. to permit a retail plaza at the northwest corner of Markham Road and Castlemore Avenue, be endorsed in principle, subject to the conditions attached as Appendix ‘A’;
THAT the Owner shall submit revised building elevations (as discussed in this report) to the satisfaction of the Director of Planning and Urban Design;
AND THAT site
plan approval be delegated to the Director of Planning and Urban Design or her
designate, to be issued following execution of a site plan agreement. Site Plan
approval is issued only when the Director has signed the site plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The 5.2 hectare (12.95 acre) site
is located at the northwest corner of
The proposed site
plan shows three full-movement driveway entrances to the site from
The applicant
has submitted a preliminary landscape plan.
Landscaping opportunities are provided throughout the site, especially
along pedestrian spines. A 6 metre wide
landscape strip is provided along
The applicant has provided
conceptual building elevations which generally show the building massing,
height, and composition of facades consisting of entrances, walls and
glazing. The building elevations will be subject to the built form
principles of the Highway 48 Urban Design Study. As a condition of site plan endorsement the
applicant is required to submit actual elevations of individual buildings,
prior to the submission of a building permit application. Should the final elevations be deemed
unacceptable to the Director of
Staff are satisfied with the
proposal and recommend that it be endorsed in principle subject to the
conditions attached in Appendix ‘A’.
1. Purpose 2. Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial
PURPOSE:
The purpose of
this report is to recommend endorsement of a site plan application submitted by
Wismer Markham Developments Inc. to permit a retail plaza at the northwest corner
of
BACKGROUND:
Property and Area Context
The 5.2 hectare
(12.95 acre) site is located at the northwest corner of
Adjoining the
subject lands to the north is a vacant commercial property for which its Owner,
CRET 9900 Markham Limited, has also submitted an application for site plan
approval and which is the subject of a separate staff report to Development
Services Committee on this date. The
proposal at that site is also to permit a retail commercial plaza, but one
which also includes a multi-screen movie theatre. The subject lands and the lands to the north will
form an integrated commercial development with shared driveway entrances and
driveway isles. Immediately to the west
are low density residential dwellings forming part of the Wismer Commons Community. To the south, across
Proposal is for a large format retail plaza
The proposed development includes a total gross floor area of 13,161 m2 (141,664 ft2) of commercial/retail space distributed over seven buildings intended for a supermarket (A&P Grocery store) retail stores, financial institutions, personal service shops, restaurants and other uses designed to fulfill the shopping needs of residents of the surrounding communities (See Figures 4 & 5a, 5b, and 5c).
The site plan
shows three full-movement driveway entrances to the site from
The Official Plan and the Wismer Commons Secondary Plan designate the subject property “Major Commercial Area”. The intention of this designation is to provide for large scale multi-use, multi-purpose centres offering a diverse range of retail, service, community, institutional and recreational uses serving a major portion of the municipality and/or broader regional market. This designation is also intended to accommodate medium and high density housing at appropriate locations. The designation provides for the proposed mixed-use development, subject to good urban design considerations; having regard for matters such as siting, massing, landscaping, pedestrian-friendly streetscape, and good pedestrian connections.
The subject
property is currently zoned Major Commercial (MJC) under By-law 177-96, as
amended. The Major Commercial zoning
permits a variety of commercial uses including retail uses provided that the
maximum net floor area permitted for any one premises is 10,000 m2
and the maximum net floor area permitted on a lot is 30,000 m2. The proposed development will conform to
these zoning requirements.
Highway 48 Urban
The Highway 48
Urban Design Study, endorsed by Council in October 2005, provides urban design
and development guidelines to be used in the evaluation of development
applications within the
The southerly
portion of the subject lands along
As noted above, the remainder and
majority of the subject lands fall within the Mixed Use and Large Format Retail
District. These lands are primarily intended
for commercial uses with significant opportunity for integrated residential and
office uses with a highly articulated street wall defining
As noted above, to support the
higher density commercial buildings within the Mixed Use and Large Format
Retail District as envisioned in the Highway 48 Urban Design Study, parking
structures would need to be constructed overtime. It is acknowledged that structured parking
for commercial use is not economically viable at this location at this point in
time. The study acknowledges this fact
when it notes that the design scenarios are part of the long-term vision for
the
Since the Highway 48 Urban Design
Study was endorsed by Council in October 2005, the Town has received a number
of proposals and inquiries for high density mixed use developments within the
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
Town has Initiated Official Plan/Secondary Plan and
Zoning By-law Amendments to implement the Highway 48 Urban Design Study
On
Site plan conforms to the Highway 48 Urban
Design Guidelines
The proposed
site plan incorporates a number of the key design principles and elements as
proposed in the Highway 48 Urban Design Study.
The larger format retail stores are located at the rear of the site
(away from
To encourage
the main entrances to face
The site is
further organized through a network of pedestrian walkways including a 7 metre
wide east-west pedestrian walkway which extends from
The applicant has worked with staff to implement most of the key urban design principles as identified in the Highway 48 Urban Design study. Staff are satisfied with layout of the proposed site plan.
The landscape plan is
subject to further review and refinements
The applicant
has submitted a preliminary landscape plan.
Landscaping opportunities are provided throughout the site, especially
along pedestrian spines. A 6 metre wide landscape strip is provided along
The landscape plan will be
further refined to show well defined pedestrian connections throughout the site
and with the neighbouring commercial development to the
north. These connections are to be defined by different paving
materials from that on the vehicular routes and should be coordinated in
materials, colours and styles to ensure consistency
and well-oriented wayfinding. These pedestrian connections are
to be accessible, lighted and enhanced with landscape features. Special
permeable paving will be encouraged to be applied throughout the site considering
the wide expanse of paved surfaces.
Conceptual building elevations require further review
The applicant has provided conceptual
building elevations which generally show the building massing, height, and
composition of facades consisting of entrances, walls and
glazing. The design approach allows for a visually cohesive
development with a common design language adopting similar architectural
principles, elements, materials, colours and styles; yet allowing flexibility
to incorporate requirements of specific individual tenants. The building
elevations will be subject to further review by staff to address the following
built form principles:
- Highly
contrasting colours, varied range of building materials and corporate
architecture are minimized.
- Natural or
basic building materials such as stone, brick and wood are used.
- Materials
used for the front facade are carried around the building or at a
minimum to all building facades fronting onto public spaces.
- Primary entrances
to buildings are emphasized through the use of canopies, awnings, and
double-height glazing. The volume and height of such structures
emphasize the prominence of entrances particularly at corner
locations.
- Corner
buildings at public street intersection to include articulated building
elements in the form of towers, bays, projections, recesses, materials or
other details that emphasize the focal nature and visibility of these
buildings.
- Glazing is
actively used to provide storefront windows or merchandise displays.
- Rooflines
are varied to visually break up the roof plane. Flat roofs planted
with a 'green' roof are encouraged. When a green roof is not
feasible, flat roofs should feature highly reflected material to minimize
the urban heat island effect.
- All
rooftop mechanicals are properly screened from view, particularly from the
residential areas to the west.
- Windows
are provided next to pedestrian walkways for interest and to provide security
(“eyes on the street”) along these routes.
- Pedestrian-scale
lighting is provided throughout the site. The lighting can be
integrated within the building facade whenever a sidewalk is provided
along a building edge. All lighting to be designed to minimize
light pollution and spill over onto adjacent properties.
- Animation
of the main entrances by use of furnishings, lighting and landscaping.
- Consistent
materials be used in the construction of pathways, courtyards and areas
directly surrounding the building to contribute to a cohesive and
integrated image of the development.
As a condition
of site plan approval the applicant will be required to submit to the actual
elevations of individual buildings prior to the submission of a building permit
application. Should the final elevations
be deemed unacceptable to the Director of
Staff will continue to work with the applicant to further refine the building elevations.
Sufficient Parking provided on-site
The Parking By-law requires that parking for the proposed development be provided at the shopping centre rate of 1 parking space for every 18.5 m2 of leasable floor area. The proposed development requires a total of 708 parking spaces. The submitted site plan shows a total of 713 surface parking spaces on-site for a surplus of 5 parking spaces. The site plan also shows a total of 16 parking spaces for the physically disabled, in accordance with the Parking By-law.
Minor Variances
The applicant is seeking minor variances to deal with revisions to some development standards. The following are the requested variances:
- To eliminate the loading space requirements
for the smaller retail/commercial buildings (Buildings Q, R, S, T and U)
- To permit a minimum 40% of the Markham
Road streetline to be the location of a main wall that is set back no
further than 21 metres from the streetline of a municipal right-of-way;
whereas the existing By-law requires that 40% of the Markham Road
streetline shall be the location of a main wall that is set back no
further than 12 metres from the streetline of a municipal right-of-way.
- Eliminate the requirement of a landscape
strip along the north lot line.
- Reduce the minimum building setback for
Building “Q” from
The applicant
has indicated that most deliveries to the smaller retail stores will be
serviced by cube vans and smaller trucks; therefore the regular parking spaces
can serve as loading spaces. The
elimination of full size loading spaces for buildings containing smaller retail
uses in a plaza setting is a common practice.
As indicated above, the applicant has provided a single-row of parking
along the west side of
Ensure integrated driveway entrances and
driveway isles with the proposed development to the north
As noted above,
CRET 9900 Markham Limited, the abutting property owner to the north, has also
submitted a site plan application for the lands to the north. Both the proposed development and the
adjoining development to the north will form an integrated commercial
development with shared driveway entrances and driveway isles. The applicant will need to work with the
landowner to the north to ensure that the shared driveway entrance along the
mutual property line as well as the north-south driveway isles are
appropriately designed to allow for uninterrupted traffic flow. The owner will be required to enter into
appropriate easement or right-of-way agreements with the adjoining landowner to
the north for cross use and joint maintenance of shared accesses and driveway
isles, to the satisfaction of the Director of
Grading issues along
The proposed
grades along
An update to the previously approved
traffic study is required
The applicant is required to submit an update to the previously approved traffic impact study, to evaluate the potential traffic impacts from the proposed development. In addition, the update will determine access location(s) to the property, traffic controls, roadway improvements, shared opportunities and other mitigation measures.
A noise study is required
The applicant is proposing to locate the delivery truck driveway and the loading area for Building “P” (A&P Grocery Store) and Building “O” along the westerly boundary of the property which abuts the existing residential dwellings to the west. An existing noise fence is located along the mutual property line. However, a noise study is required to ensure that no additional mitigation measures are required. As a condition of approval, the applicant will be required to submit a noise study, which will be peer reviewed. The applicant will be required to revise the site plan, if necessary, as recommended by the peer reviewer to ensure that the residential properties located to the west are not adversely impacted by noise resulting from truck delivery, roof top mechanical equipment and any other noise sources.
An Illumination
Plan is required
There is potential for outdoor lighting from the proposed commercial development to impact the abutting residential properties to the west. As a condition of approval the applicant will be required to submit an illumination plan, which will be peer reviewed. The illumination plan and/or site plan will have to be revised as recommended by the peer reviewer to ensure that the residential properties to the west are minimized.
Sustainability Initiatives
The applicant proposes to incorporate a wide variety of sustainability initiatives for this development. A letter from the applicant itemizing their proposed sustainability initiatives for this retail plaza is attached as Appendix ‘B’. Inclusion of these measures in the project will be secured through the site plan agreement process.
Conclusion
Staff are satisfied with the proposed site plan and recommend that it be endorsed in principle subject to matters outlined in this report and the conditions attached in Appendix ‘A’.
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
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The site
plan application submitted by the applicant has been circulated to various
departments and external agencies.
Requirements of the Town and external agencies have been reflected in
the preparation of this report and conditions of approval
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
Figure 1 – Location Map
Figure 2 – Area Context/Zoning
Figure 3 – Air Photo (2007)
Figure 4 – Site Plan
Figure 5a, 5b, and 5c – Conceptual Building Elevations
Appendix “A” – Recommended Site Plan Conditions
Appendix “B”: – Letter from application regarding sustainable initiatives
AGENT:
Tony Baldassarra
A. Bladassarra Architects Inc.
Tel: 905-660-0722; Fax: 905-660-7019
File Path: Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\SITEPLAN\08
106746 (Wismer Commons Commercial Development)\final recommendation report.doc