Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date:
May 5, 2009
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION REPORT
Markham
Stouffville Hospital
Site
Plan Endorsement for the Hospital Expansion
File
Number SC 09-110229
PREPARED BY: Doris
Cheng, East District Senior Planner – extension 2331
RECOMMENDATION:
1)
That the report dated May 5, 2009 entitled “RECOMMENDATION REPORT, Markham
Stouffville Hospital Site Plan Endorsement for the Hospital Expansion” be
received;
2)
That the Site Plan Application (SC 09-110229) submitted
by Markham Stouffville
Hospital to permit the expansion of
the existing facility be endorsed, subject to the conditions attached as
Appendix ‘A’;
3)
That staff continue to work with the Markham
Stouffville Hospital
and their consultants to ensure a unified vision for the development of the Markham
Stouffville Hospital
health campus and the future East Markham Community Centre and Library;
4)
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 or her
designate has signed the site plan;
5)
And that staff be authorized and directed to do all
things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Markham
Stouffville Hospital
staff have been working with Town staff to finalize the site plan and design of
the proposed hospital expansion, including associated external infrastructure. This report recommends endorsement of the
final site plan and elevations (Figures 4 through 8), subject to the conditions
outlined in Appendix ‘A’.
The proposed expansion includes a
four storey, 34,490 m² (371,247 ft²) addition to the southwest of the existing
hospital building; renovations to the existing hospital building, which will
provide a physical link to the proposed East Markham Community Centre &
Library (EMCC&L); proposed future locations for additional medical office
buildings fronting Church Street (which will be subject to a separate site plan
application); and a proposed location for a district energy building near the
proposed EMCC&L. The proposed site
plan also includes 920 additional surface parking spaces.
The
formal visual and vehicular access to the campus will continue to be from Church Street however the site plan also includes an improved internal
road network for the Hospital lands.
This includes a new access from 9th Line to be added in the
southern portion of the property, which will extend northward to a
private internal driveway. This new
access will form a portion of a new municipal street that will eventually extend
to Bur Oak Avenue along the
south boundary of the Hospital site. A
private driveway will connect this portion of the new street with the newly re-aligned
Butternut Lane. These improvements will provide a more
complete vehicular circulation network that connects the existing components of
the Hospital with the new proposed addition.
The
Hospital is committed to sustainability initiatives including alternative
energy sources through Markham District Energy, integrating many of the measures
of LEED design, a comprehensive
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan (including the provision of preferred
carpool parking spaces, bicycle storage facilities and change areas) and
improvements to the road network to accommodate public transit. They have also committed to integrating
environmentally friendly practices into their site and building design.
Although the site plan has changed in building
design and massing since endorsement in principle was granted to the Hospital
by Development Services Committee on June 17, 2008, Town staff believe that the
MSH design team has addressed the Town’s requirements and concerns and that
the design maintains the vision of the
Cornell community.
The purpose
of this report is to recommend endorsement of the site plan for the Markham Stouffville Hospital expansion
(Figure 4), and to indicate that staff will continue to work with Hospital
staff and their consultants to ensure a unified vision for the development of
the Hospital campus and the future East Markham Community Centre and Library.
Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH) has been serving the surrounding
communities since 1990. As the
communities continued to grow, the facilities at the Hospital remained the
same. To better serve the growing
population demands, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care approved plans
for the Markham Stouffville Hospital expansion in
2005. These plans include a combined hospital and community centre campus
to be developed in partnership with the Town that will connect community
members with access to healthcare, recreation, fitness, education and library
services – an overall vision for health and wellness.
MSH has committed to adhering to a set of guiding principles intended to
reflect the values and design of the Cornell community. The focus will be
on creating a healthy environment that will allow for the delivery of quality
healthcare throughout construction, while recognizing the importance of future
development within the site and enabling growth opportunities.
Property and
Area Context
The Markham
Stouffville Hospital lands subject to this site plan application are located
east of Ninth Line, west of Bur Oak Avenue, between Riverlands Avenue and
Highway 7 as follows (Figure 3):
Surrounding
land uses include:
The Markham Stouffville Hospital expansion
proposal
The site plan has evolved since Development Services Committee endorsed it
in principle on June 17, 2008. The final proposal consists of the following
components (Figure 4):
- demolition of the Annex Buildings;
- a four storey, 34,490 m²
(371,247 ft²) addition to the southwest of the existing building,
increasing the size of the hospital from approximately 30,168 m² to 64,658
m² (325,000 ft² to 695,970 ft²);
- renovations to the existing
hospital building, including a physical link to the proposed EMCC&L;
- an additional 920 parking spaces
on the remainder of the lands south and west of the buildings, and north
of Church Street; and
- proposed locations for
additional medical office buildings fronting Church
Street (which will be subject to a
separate site plan application), and a proposed location for a district
energy building near the proposed EMCC&L.
The formal
visual and vehicular access to the campus will continue to be from Church
Street/Butternut Lane, with an
additional access to be provided from 9th Line at the south end of
the property. The site plan also
provides for an integrated network of driveways for pedestrian, bicycle, and
vehicular traffic. With respect to open
space, the proposal includes private gardens, a large open space to the south
of the existing hospital building, and a 12.0 m linear strip along the frontage
of 9th Line to be conveyed to the Town as part of the Golden Jubilee
Greenway.
The proposal
also includes a shift of the approach alignment of the existing heliport
slightly to the southeast to accommodate the EMCC&L. The preferred location of the heliport on the
roof of the new hospital addition is included as part of the design package to
be tendered, but funding for the relocation has not yet been approved by the
Ministry of Health.
Staff have
worked closely with the MSH team to create an institutional health and wellness
campus which includes the expanded hospital and future EMCC&L. Details related to the physical link to the
EMCC&L and shared facilities continue to be finalized as a part of the
EMCC&L development plans.
The proposed expansion is expected to be phased over
the next six years as follows:
The Hospital expansion is part of a longer term
development plan
Longer term plans for the Hospital campus may include
the redevelopment of Participation House and the
construction of various campus buildings, including additional office
buildings and parking structures to accommodate opportunities for the
incremental expansion of the community hospital to a regional medical
centre. The proposed layout of the site
plan is intended to allow opportunities for additional health and wellness
related facilities and services in the future without major site re-design.
Official Plan
designation
The MSH lands
are designated “Institutional” in the 2008 Cornell Secondary Plan which
provides for the proposed uses.
The MSH lands
are subject to two Zoning By-law Amendment applications
The existing
hospital campus and landholdings north of Church
Street are predominantly zoned
“Institutional - Special” [I (S)] in By-law 1229. A strip of land along the east side of the
property is zoned Agricultural (A1) in By-law 304-87, as amended (Figure
2). The lands to the south, which were recently acquired by the Hospital,
are zoned Rural Residential 4 (RR4) in By-law 304-87 as amended (Figure 2).
The
Institutional zone within By-law 1229, as amended, contains development
standards, including height and lot coverage provisions which require
amendment to permit the expansion of the hospital. A zoning amendment
application, covering the majority of the lands subject to this site plan
application, is currently being processed and a by-law is expected to be
brought to Council for enactment shortly.
The zoning amendment will include varying height permissions on the
site, including permissions for development up to 10 storeys in the interior of
the hospital campus, consistent with the Cornell Secondary Plan.
The recently acquired lands south of the main Hospital
campus and the lands north of Church
Street were not included in the initial
zoning application, and require a separate zoning amendment application and
public meeting. An application to rezone
the additional lands has been submitted and a public meeting is anticipated in
early June, 2009. Through the two zoning
by-law amendments, the Hospital lands will be zoned with consistent provisions
in urban expansion By-law 177-96, having regard for the surrounding Cornell
community. The intent of the zoning is
to provide flexible, yet comprehensive permissions that address the Hospital’s
current and future requirements, in conformity with the Cornell Secondary Plan.
Changes in circumstances since June 2008 endorsement
in principle
At the June
17, 2008 Development Services Committee meeting, Committee endorsed in
principle a conceptual Master Site Plan to permit the Hospital to proceed with
a request for funding from Infrastructure Ontario and a Request for Proposals
and tendering process. Shortly after
Council’s endorsement in principle, the provincial government changed the
delivery model of the hospital expansion from a Design, Build,
Finance and Maintain (DBFM) project, requiring a full Request for Proposal be
issued to design/build consortiums, to a Build Finance (BF) model. This change allowed MSH to continue with
B&H Architects as the project architects responsible for site plan approval
as well as tendering of the detailed
construction drawings and specifications to a selected list of pre-qualified
contractors.
The MSH design team have worked
closely and collaboratively with Town staff in developing the site plan,
landscape treatments and building elevations, to create a healthy and more
sustainable development on this site, and to maintain the design vision of the
Cornell community. The site plan and
elevations are in keeping with the Town’s design criteria, as documented in the
Principles of Development and Urban Design Guidelines presented
to Development Services Committee in June 2008.
The proposed
building elevations and massing have been revised to acknowledge its context
within the Cornell community (Figures 5 to 10). The vernacular of the new
building is in keeping with the Cornell character and forms the basis from
which this important community resource will continue to develop. This relationship
includes design features and the use of brick (the selected colour is an
original brick colour chosen for the Cornell community) as the main exterior
material.
The built
form has also been broken up to reduce the impact of the massing on the west
and south sides. The north elevation has
been designed to act as the main entrance to the complex, and the architectural colonnade along the front of the new
expansion connects to the existing building, providing a focus at the main
entrance and an ideal location for the transit stop. The rhythm and proportion of windows,
and window treatment detail, have been considered to provide verticality and
scale that is sympathetic to the “Cornell character”. The design
also includes glass enclosed stair towers which provide light and visibility into
the building, and adds visual interest and improved safety, but will also have regard
for appropriate Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) requirements. These requirements include a program to
achieve a measurable reduction in night-lighting and extinguishing all exterior
vanity lighting during migratory periods.
These requirements are included
in the conditions of site plan approval attached as Appendix ‘A’.
The landscape master plan incorporates
several spaces within the campus to create and re-enforce the Hospital’s
commitment to providing a health and wellness hub within the community.
Some spaces are designed for patients and their visitors and other spaces such
as a visitor garden, gateway entrances, enhanced parking medians and the future
wellness garden, are intended for both Hospital clients and the general public. Plant material has been chosen to create
focal points at gateway locations as well as tie the hospital campus together
with the EMCC&L. The end result will be a cohesive landscape for the
entire health and wellness campus, with a large institutional building that is in keeping with the size
and scale of the Cornell community, while respecting the transition area
between the traditional residential neighbourhoods of Cornell and the emerging
higher density, mixed use precinct of Cornell Centre to the south.
Staff will continue
to work with the MSH team to ensure a unified vision for the MSH health campus
and the future EMCC&L, consistent with the Cornell community.
The Hospital
will connect to Markham District Energy
Markham Stouffville Hospital has
committed to having their energy needs supplied by Markham District
Energy. A possible location for the MDE plant
location is identified on the site plan, abutting the future EMCC&L parking
structure. While discussions with regard
to the details of the plant are ongoing, the Hospital has committed to this
sustainable alternative energy resource to service the Hospital.
The Hospital
is committed to several Sustainability Initiatives including LEED
The MSH has
committed to achieving many of the measures of LEED design; however, the
opportunities to apply the LEED initiatives are somewhat limited. This limitation results from the fact that
the design of the hospital is governed by various codes and regulatory bodies
that mandate the minimum building systems performance levels for life safety,
infection control and clinical functionality.
Nevertheless, MSH has made a commitment to the long-term sustainability
of the MSH campus and intends to satisfy LEED initiatives which will qualify
the new addition for LEED certification, possibly at the silver level. These initiatives include energy efficiency
measures which will ensure that the building exceeds the Model National Energy
Code Building Standard, water efficient landscaping, water efficient plumbing
fixtures and the collection of recyclables.
MSH is also providing additional sustainability initiatives within its
campus design including a comprehensive
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan (including the provision of several
preferred carpool parking spaces, bicycle storage facilities and change areas)
and improvements to the internal road network, as described below, which will
accommodate public transit. As mentioned
above, the Hospital is also connecting to MDE which is a key sustainability
initiative.
Other sustainability initiatives undertaken by the
Hospital include the integration
of environmental practices into their site and building design. These initiatives are itemized in the
Strategic Priorities section of this report, and described more fully in Appendix
‘B’ to this report.
The proposal
provides an expanded internal road network
Staff have encouraged the MSH team to implement
design standards for streets and parking facilities to conform to the MSH Urban
Design Guidelines and to be consistent with
the Cornell Community Design Plan, which
is currently being finalized.
The existing access to Church
Street will continue to serve as the main
hospital entrance providing public and additional transit access to the medical
building, the hospital, emergency department and parking. The Hospital has agreed to provide a widening
on the south side of Church Street, increasing
the right-of-way width for Church
Street to 25 metres. The widening will provide the required
boulevard width along Church Street to provide
municipal services to future buildings on the south side of Church
Street, on the Hospital lands.
The proposed new access from 9th Line in
the south west portion of the property will coincide with the location of a
minor collector road identified in the Cornell Secondary Plan, which extends
from 9th Line to Donald
Cousens Parkway.
This minor collector road is intended to be aligned with Rose Way on the west
side of 9th Line.
Council and residents have expressed
concerns regarding the location of Street ‘A’ relative to Rose Way and the
potential of traffic infiltration into the existing residential
neighbourhood. This matter was first
reported out to the Cornell Advisory Committee in October 2006. Since that time, there has been various
communications between staff, DSC and the residents on this matter. Most recently, staff held a public
information meeting at the request of Development Services Committee on December 11, 2008. The meeting was attended by members of
Council and a number of residents. Staff
explained the advantages of having Street ‘A’ aligned with Rose Way and that
traffic control signage can be used in future if traffic infiltration proves to
be an issue.
The Hospital proposes to construct a portion of this street
as part of Phase 1 to full municipal standards with a proposed right-of-way
width of 22.0 metres, accommodating two lanes of traffic. MSH is proposing to dedicate 11 metres of
this future street to the Town with another 11 metres to be acquired from the
adjacent landowner to the south to complete the required
right-of-way (Figure 4). The street will be constructed in stages as lands are
assembled and the lands to the south and east are developed. Upon completion of the street to Bur Oak Avenue, the Town will assume the street as a municipal ROW. The MSH will construct the first portion of the
street at no cost to the Town, and will participate in the cost sharing of
future phases of road construction. Until
the entire street is constructed and assumed by the Town, MSH will operate and
maintain it as a private driveway.
A private driveway connected to this access, to be owned
and constructed by the Hospital, will provide access to the hospital addition,
the new Markham District Energy plant, and the adjoining proposed EMCC&L
building and extend through to Bur Oak Avenue.
Although intended to be kept in Hospital ownership, the treatment of the
driveway will be similar in design to a public streetscape, complete with
pedestrian sidewalks, and in keeping with Cornell design standards.
The existing Butternut
Lane is proposed to be slightly realigned
at the Church Street intersection
to the west and extend southward to the above noted driveway, linking to the
access on 9th Line. This will
provide the site with an internal north-south connection and add to the local
campus road network (Figure 4).
Requirements regarding the internal and external road network, including
the widening on Church Street and the new
access from 9th Line, are included in the conditions of site plan
approval attached as Appendix ‘A’.
The proposed
parking exceeds the Town Parking By-law 28-97 requirements
Currently, the Town of Markham
Parking By-law requires a minimum of 1
parking space for every 37m² of net floor area for the hospital use, which
results in a parking requirement of 1,834 parking spaces to serve the existing
medical building and proposed expanded hospital building. The site plan includes 2,130 surface parking
spaces (296 extra spaces). Approximately 500 spaces are
proposed to be located north of Church Street (required to accommodate
staff and visitor parking during construction) and the remaining 1,630 spaces
will be located within the main campus south of Church Street. The additional parking spaces are being
provided by the Hospital to meet anticipated long term needs. In addition, the funds generated as a result
of parking revenues are utilized for the operation of the Hospital and in part will
fund the expansion. The longer
term plans for the Markham Stouffville Hospital may also
include structured parking facilities.
Staff have worked with MSH staff to
reduce the impact of expanses of continuous asphalt in the surface parking
areas, including limiting the number of continuous parking spaces by providing
landscaping along the perimeter of the parking lots and large landscape islands
(generally 5 metres wide) within the parking lots. The Hospital has also undertaken initiatives
in support of alternative transportation modes, including transportation demand
management (TDM), preferred parking for carpool vehicles, bicycle racks, and an
integrated pedestrian network.
MSH will
convey lands to the Town for the Golden Jubilee Greenway
As indicated
previously, the Hospital has agreed to convey, at no cost to the Town, a 12
metre wide strip of land for the purposes of the Golden Jubilee Greenway. Although the land conveyance will exclude the
section of lands adjacent to Participation House, the Hospital has agreed to
convey these additional lands once the land lease expires in 2069 or upon
redevelopment of that facility. The
conveyance of the Greenway lands in the short and long term is included in the
conditions of site plan approval attached as Appendix ‘A’.
External easement required for servicing
The Hospital
requires external services (storm and sanitary sewers) to be installed adjacent
to 9th Line south of the Hospital property. Town staff have agreed that these services
can be accommodated in the future Golden Jubilee Greenway to be located between
the Hospital and Highway 7. The Golden
Jubilee Greenway in this location would be conveyed to the Town as part of a
future development approval of the lands.
In the interim, the Town will need an easement to be secured from the
landowners to the south (Litvack) for the installation of the external services.
Comments from
internal departments and external agencies have been addressed
Region of York approval is
required for the new 9th Line access
The Region of
York has been circulated the site plan for review, particularly pertaining to
the location of the proposed access from 9th Line and potential
traffic signalization. The Region of
York has indicated that it has no issues related to the location of the access
provided that it is aligned with Rose Way on the west
side of 9th Line. Final review and
approval by the Region of York of the construction drawings and access onto 9th
Line is included in the conditions of site plan approval attached as Appendix
‘A’.
Toronto and Region
Conservation Authority has provided conditional approval
TRCA staff have provided comments and
have indicated that they have no objection to the conditional approval of the
application, however they have requested a Sediment and Erosion Control Plan
for their review, as well as an updated development phasing and staging
plan. Permits are also required for the
decommissioning of the onsite stormwater management pond and drainage
channel. TRCA requirements are included in the conditions of site plan approval
attached as Appendix ‘A’.
Property requirements for the shared Hospital and
EMCC&L campus
Town and MSH staff continue to discuss the property and
easement requirements needed to facilitate the land sale for the EMCC&L as
well as the land requirements for the widening of Church Street, the road
requirements for the 9th Line access, servicing easements along
Church Street and 9th Line, and between the future EMCC&L and
the Hospital. Appropriate land requirements and easements are included in the
conditions of site plan approval attached as Appendix ‘A’.
FINANCIAL
CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
Not Applicable
Not Applicable.
The proposed
site plan application will assist with the implementation of the following Town
of Markham Strategic Priorities:
The MSH proposal aligns with the strategic priority of
Growth Management by providing part of the health care infrastructure/services
required to support the population growth anticipated in Markham and adjacent
municipalities; by integrating and delivering a transportation network and
municipal infrastructure; and continuing inter-governmental coordination
between various levels of government together with external agencies to achieve
the goal of expanding health care facilities.
The MSH continues to work with VIVA
and York Transit to provide new and improved public transit accessibility to
commuters and improvements to the local road network. MSH is also committed to alternative modes of
transportation options by providing TDM opportunities, preferred parking spaces
for car pool vehicles, integrated pedestrian network of walkways, bicycle paths
and secure bicycle storage facilities.
They are also working with Smart Commute 404-7 to introduce alternative
transportation options.
MSH has stated their commitment to
long-term sustainability through the integration of environmental practices
into their site and building design, including LEED initiatives. Some of the Hospital’s Sustainable Design Initiatives
include:
The Hospital is also currently
considering additional initiatives including using recycled contents for
building materials and low emitting interior materials. The proposed sustainable design initiatives
are attached as Appendix ‘B’.’
MSH is coordinating with the Town to deliver the
EMCC&L within an integrated health and wellness campus. This will result in an integrated community
service with a focus on health, wellness and lifelong learning, ensuring that
the needs of the community are addressed within the programs, policies and
facility development. The Hospital is
also working with the Town to provide an open space concept for the lands
between the future EMCC&L and the Hospital for the purpose of shared
community use.
The MSH has retained the services of Accessible Solutions
Inc. (ASI) to provide an Accessibility Plan, which includes a comprehensive
review of the new site layout, highlight potential accessibility barriers and
to provide recommendations to ensure the Hospital provides a barrier-free
environment.
BUSINESS
UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The applications were circulated to all Town departments
and external agencies and their comments have been incorporated into this
report, and will be addressed prior to final site plan approval.
CONCLUSIONS:
Staff are satisfied with the proposal
and recommend that the site plan application be endorsed, subject to the
conditions attached as Appendix ‘A’ to this report.
______________________________
______________________________
Biju Karumanchery, M.C.I.P,
R.P.P
Jim Baird, M.C.I.P,
R.P.P
Senior Development Manager Commissioner, Development
Services
Planning & Urban Design
Figure 1 –
Location Map
Figure 2 –
Area Context/Zoning
Figure 3 –
Air Photo 2007
Figure 4 –
Master Site Plan
Figure 5 –
Elevations
Figure 6 –
Elevations
Figure 7 –
Elevations
Figure 8 –
Elevations
Figure 9 – North
Elevation - Colour
Figure 10 – North
Perspective
Figure 11 – South
Perspective
Appendix A –
Site Plan Conditions
Appendix B – Sustainability Initiatives
AGENT:
Mr. Jim Kirk
Malone Given Parsons Ltd.
140 Renfrew Drive, Suite 201
Markham ON L3R 6B3
Tel: 905-513-0170 Fax: 905-513-0177
Email: jkirk@mgp.ca
File Path: File path:
Amanda\File 09 110229\Documents\Recommendation Report
Figure 1 –
Location Map
