Report to: Development Services Committee Report
Date:
SUBJECT: INFORMATION REPORT
Amica (
Application
for Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment to permit a 4-storey
retirement home at
File Numbers: OP 09 118339, ZA 09 118346
DATE OF MEETING:
PREPARED BY: Edward Mak, ext. 8230
East District Development Team
RECOMMENDATION:
1) That the report entitled “INFORMATION REPORT, Amica (Swan Lake) Corporation Application for Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment to permit a 4-storey retirement home at 6380 16th Avenue, east of Highway 48, File Numbers OP 09 118339 / ZA 09 118346”, dated September 22, 2009 be received as background information to the upcoming Public Meeting to be scheduled.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to provide background information
regarding Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications by Amica
(
BACKGROUND:
The applications have been
deemed complete
The Official Plan Amendment and
Zoning By-law Amendment applications were submitted by Amica
(
Authorization to hold a statutory Public Meeting with respect to the proposed applications was granted by the CAO over the 2009 Summer recess.
Property and Area Context
The 1.1 hectare (2.8 acre) site is located at the northwest corner
of
Immediately to the north of the subject property is
A 4-storey retirement home
is proposed
The applicant has submitted applications for Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit the construction of a 4-storey, 135 unit retirement home. A conceptual site plan (Figure 4) indicates a U-shaped building with a landscaped courtyard to the rear. The new building is proposed to be connected to the existing retirement home to the west through a one-storey link near the front of the two buildings. The unit mix of the proposed new building consists of predominantly one-bedroom units (84 units), but also includes two-bedroom units (28) and studio/alcove units (23). Twenty-six of the 135 units have in-suite kitchens, while the remainder rely on the common diningroom for meals. A number of amenities for the exclusive use of residents accessed via internal corridors are proposed on the ground floor including barber shop, fitness centre, therapy facility, games room, dining rooms etc.
The conceptual site plan indicates a reconfiguration of the existing
private roadway (
The parking garage ramp for the existing retirement home is proposed to be removed and a new parking garage access is proposed that will service an expanded underground parking garage extending across both existing and proposed building. A total of 135 underground parking spaces (43 spaces under the existing building, 92 spaces under the proposed building) are proposed in addition to 19 surface parking spaces to be provided on the existing retirement home site.
Official Plan and Zoning
The Town of
The lands are zoned “Neighbourhood Commercial One Exception Three (NC1*3) Zone” under By-law 177-96, as amended, which permits a variety of commercial uses including retail stores, business and medical offices, restaurants, etc. The applicant proposes to amend the Zoning By-law and rezone the lands to an appropriate zoning category to permit the proposed 4-storey retirement home.
Site Plan Approval
application has not been submitted
The applicant has not submitted an accompanying Site Plan Approval
application for the proposed retirement home concurrently with the Official
Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications. Site Plan approval will be required for the
proposed development and an application is anticipated shortly. Because the proposed development includes
changes to the existing building and layout of the property to the west, the
site plan application will be required to include both properties.
Servicing allocation
required for a portion of the proposed development
Servicing allocation is typically not required for residential uses
such as retirement homes that do not have individual kitchens in the unit. In this instance, 26 units in the building
are proposed to have in-suite kitchens and therefore require servicing
allocation. No servicing allocation has
been assigned to this development. Staff
will work with the Region of York to develop conditions of approval for the
proposal which will allow for the development to proceed in the absence of
servicing allocation. These conditions
may include a no pre-sales agreement for the 26 units requiring allocation and
the agreement by the owner not to seek occupancy of these units prior to
allocation being available.
Parking reduction requested
A reduction in parking requirements was permitted for the existing retirement home to the west through a minor variance in 1999. At that time the required parking ratio was reduced from 0.75 space per unit to 0.6 space per unit (equating to a reduction from 90 to 72 parking spaces). The applicant is requesting that the same parking ratio be applied to the proposed retirement home on the subject property.
A total of 154 parking spaces are proposed to serve both the existing and proposed buildings, consisting of 135 underground and 19 surface parking spaces. The total number of parking spaces would represent, as noted above, a parking ratio less than the Town’s standard of 0.75 space per unit, which would require 193 parking spaces. The appropriateness of parking reduction by 39 spaces will be reviewed through a Parking Utilization Study to be submitted by the applicant.
Any outstanding
environmental issue to be addressed
A number of environmental issues related to a former waste disposal site in the area were identified during the approval of the subdivision and site plan for the existing retirement home to the west. Any similar issues still outstanding for the subject property will be identified and addressed prior to issuance of any development approvals.
Potential benefits of approval
of the proposal:
Some of the anticipated benefits of the proposal include:
- Providing an expanded inventory of seniors’ housing in the community;
- Utilizing a vacant parcel which has been undeveloped for a number of years and integrating it with the surrounding community;
- Establishing an integrated retirement home facility with an expanded array of services.
Concerns/Issues to be resolved
The following is a brief summary of concerns/issues raised to date. These matters, and any others identified through the circulation and detailed review of the proposal, will be addressed in a final staff report to be presented to Committee at a later date:
- Determine whether the proposed change in land use designation from commercial to residential in the Secondary Plan is appropriate;
- Access and traffic circulation;
- Ensure that urban design requirements are satisfied with respect to the building massing, façade treatment, site layout, and landscaping that is compatible with the existing retirement home to the west;
- Servicing allocation
requirement for 26 units;
- The proposed development will be expected to achieve a minimum of LEED silver certification;
- Assess whether the requested parking reduction is appropriate;
- Any outstanding environmental issues;
- Issues arising from integration of the proposed building with the existing building the west (e.g., servicing, parking, zoning, site plan approval);
- Establish extent of
lands to be rezoned and conveyed as parkland open space to complete the
existing pedestrian pathway network surrounding
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable.
HUMAN RESOURCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable.
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
The applications should be considered within the context of the Town’s strategic priorities of Growth Management, Transportation and Transit.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The application has been circulated to various Town departments and external agencies and is currently under review. Requirements of the Town and external agencies will be addressed in a final report, if required.
RECOMMENDED BY:
_______________________________ _________________________________
Biju Karumanchery,
M.C.I.P, R.P.P Jim Baird, M.C.I.P, R.P.P
Senior Development Manager Commissioner, Development Services
Figure 1 – Location Map
Figure 2 – Area Context and Zoning
Figure 3 – Air Photo
Figure 4 – Conceptual Site Plan
Agent: Ms. Rosemarie Humphries
Humphries Planning Group Inc.
Tel.: (905) 264-7678; FAX: (905) 264-8073
File Path: Amanda\File 09
118339\Documents\Information Report