Report to: Development Services Committee                                           Report Date: March 23, 2010

 

 

SUBJECT:                          RECOMMENDATION REPORT

                                            St. Barsaumo Syriac Orthodox Church

                                            Site Plan Control application to permit a place of worship at                3250 Denison Street

                                            File No. SC 09-113817

 

PREPARED BY:               Edward Mak, Planner II – extension 8230

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

1)      That the report entitled “RECOMMENDATION REPORT, St. Barsaumo Syriac Orthodox Church, Site Plan Control application to permit a place of worship at 3250 Denison Street, File No. SC 09-113817”, dated March 23, 2010 be received;

 

2)      That the Site Plan Control application (SC 09-113817) submitted by St. Barsaumo Syriac Orthodox Church to permit a 2-storey place of worship at 3250 Denison Street be endorsed in principle, subject to the conditions set out in Appendix ‘A’ to this report;

 

3)      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;

 

4)      And that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

 

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to recommend approval of the Site Plan Control application for a proposed 2-storey place of worship at 3250 Denison Street.

 

BACKGROUND:

Property and Area Context

The subject property is approximately 1.1 hectares (2.7 acres) in size and is located at the northeast corner of Markham Road and Denison Street in the Armadale community.  The property is undeveloped with some mature vegetation located along the western boundary of the site.  An unoccupied trailer previously used as a new home sales office is also located on site.

 

Surrounding land uses include primarily low density residential abutting the property to the east.  A vacant parcel intended for medium density residential development is located to the south across Denison Street.  An automobile service station, restaurant, and 4-storey apartment building are located to the west across Markham Road.  To the southwest across the intersection is an existing commercial plaza.  To the north is the Morningside Creek tributary and valley lands. (Figures 1 to 3)

 

Proposal is a 2-Storey Place of Worship

The proposed development is a 2-storey, 2,639 m2 (28,406 ft2) place of worship.  The proposal contains a main sanctuary, church offices, classrooms for Sunday school, and nursery on the first and second floors.  A multi-purpose hall with kitchen facility is located in the basement level with direct exterior access to a sunken courtyard (Figures 4 and 5).   A two-way driveway is proposed around the south and west sides of the building to provide connection to the primary building entrance located on the west elevation fronting Markham Road.  A second entrance is located on the east elevation near the main parking area.

 

Vehicular access is proposed from Markham Road and Denison Street with the driveway to Markham Road being limited to right-in/right-out turning movements.  156 surface parking spaces are proposed on the northern and eastern portions of the site.

 

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

Official Plan designation and applicable Zoning By-law

The subject lands are designated “Urban Residential – Low Density” and identified as a place of worship site in the Armadale East Secondary Plan (OPA 40).  The Armadale East Secondary Plan identifies the intersection of Markham Road and Denison Street as a Secondary Gateway in the community and provides direction on the appropriate built form, landscaping and streetscaping at gateway locations.

 

The property is zoned “Community Amenity (CA)” in By-law 90-81, as amended, with places of worship being the only permitted use. 

 

Site plan and building elevations are acceptable

The proposed site plan and building elevations for the proposed place of worship are considered acceptable.  The facility provides a substantial built form and massing at the Markham Road and Denison Street intersection with pedestrian connections to both street frontages, while parking areas are sited behind the proposed structure to the extent possible.  A 6 metre landscape strip provides an adequate buffer from the parking areas adjacent to Markham Road.

 

The proposed building elevations exhibit an architectural character representative of the congregation’s religious heritage through strong expressions of geometry and a copper clad cupola resting on top of the octagonal shaped sanctuary.  The façades are comprised primarily of white precast concrete panels and metal siding with coarse aggregate accents which creates a distinctive landmark building at the Markham Road and Denison Street intersection.

 

The primary access to the site from Denison Street and a secondary restricted access from Markham Road are considered acceptable.  Although driveways between buildings and major streets such as Markham Road are generally not considered good site design, the applicant has indicated a need for a ceremonial driveway in this location in order for the congregation to access the entrance from the west side of the building.    The applicant has indicated that entering the building from the west is an important element of the Syriac Orthodox religious practice.  Staff are satisfied with the proposed ceremonial driveway configuration fronting Markham Road and Denison Street given the 6 metre landscape buffers provided along both street edges enabling appropriate landscape screening treatments to be implemented.

 

The existing vegetation along the western boundary of the property is located on lands required to be conveyed to York Region for road widening purposes, and therefore not impacted directly by the proposed development.

 

Minor variances proposed to vary development standards and to reduce on-site parking

The Town’s parking by-law requires a total of 217 parking spaces for the proposed place of worship, whereas a total of 156 spaces are provided, representing a shortfall of 61 spaces.   The parking requirement for places of worship is based on the greater of the number of parking spaces calculated on the basis of net floor area of the worship area and any accessory uses (1 space per 9m2 of net floor area), or calculated from the capacity of the worship area (1 space per 4 persons of the worship area capacity).  A total of 217 spaces are required using the net floor area criteria, whereas 116 spaces would be required using the worship area capacity criteria. 

 

A parking study undertaken for the applicant by Mark Engineering, and peer reviewed by BA Group, has been submitted in support of the proposed parking reduction.  The justification for the reduction in parking is based on the premise that the parking requirements should not be applied to the basement multi-purpose hall since, according to the church’s by-laws, the basement hall cannot be used either for worship or non-worship events while a service is being conducted in the worship area.   The Town’s parking by-law considers the net floor area of not only the worship area, but also accessory uses, in the calculation of required spaces.  Subtracting the floor area of the basement multi-purpose hall, the resulting parking requirement based on 1 space/9m2 of net floor area is approximately 128 spaces.

 

The applicant’s parking study estimated parking demand at the subject site of 155 spaces based on observed attendance and vehicle occupancy rates at the church’s current location in Scarborough.  The peer review by BA Group concluded that parking demand in the range of 150 to 175 spaces would be generated by the proposal based on the worship area capacity and vehicle occupancy rates observed at the church’s existing facility.

 

Staff are satisfied with the findings of the parking study and the peer review, and are satisfied that the proposed 156 spaces will be sufficient.   The capacity of 464 seats reflects an approximate doubling of the current congregation and the parking study identifies options for addressing any future demand for more than 156 spaces, including offering two services on the primary worship day (Sunday) instead of only one.  The applicant is also pursuing an agreement with the operator of the commercial plaza at the southwest corner of Markham Road and Denison Street to allow parishioners to use the property for overflow parking purposes on special occasions.  With these arrangements in place, staff are satisfied that the risk of overflow parking onto nearby local streets would be minimized. 

 

Proposed height and landscaping variances

Additional variances are required for landscaping and height.  The proposed variance for height would allow a maximum height of 17.5 metres whereas 12 metres is permitted.  The 5.5m height increase is required only to accommodate vaulted ceiling in the sanctuary.   The principal building remains within the permitted 12 metre height limit.

 

The proposed variance for landscaping would allow the eastern portion of the landscape strip along Denison Street site to be reduced from 6 metres to 2.9 metres.  An additional variance for landscaping would permit the landscape strip along Jack Monkman Crescent to be reduced from 6 metres to 3 metres.  Staff are satisfied that the width of the proposed landscape strips are appropriate in these locations.

 

Approval of the above variances is required to develop the site as proposed and is considered appropriate.  Approval of the Minor Variance application is included in the conditions of the site plan approval attached as Appendix ‘A’.

 

Sustainability Initiatives

The applicant is proposing to incorporate a variety of sustainability initiatives for this development as outlined in the letter dated March 4, 2010 and attached as Appendix ‘B’.  Among the initiatives are the application of light coloured reflective roofing materials and metallic façade siding, and the installation of low-emittance glass for reduced transmission of heat, together with the use of energy efficient lighting and electrical transformers, low flow plumbing fixtures, and providing significant landscaped areas for increased permeability.  Inclusion of these measures in the project will be secured through the site plan agreement process. 

 

The proposal also has regard for the fatal light awareness program (FLAP) by providing anti-glare non-reflective window glazing.  The proposed building is not expected to be hazardous for birds as only a moderate amount of glazing are provided on the predominantly metal siding and precast concrete façades. 

 

FINANCIAL TEMPLATE (external link):

Not applicable.

 

ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:

The proposed place of worship aligns with the strategic focus of Growth Management, Transportation/Transit, and Environment by providing the following:

 

Growth Management

  • Provides an additional place of worship to serve the needs of the diverse demographics of the municipality

 

Transportation/Transit

  • Site is in proximity to transit routes on Markham Road and Denison Street with good pedestrian access.  Adequate parking and vehicular accesses are being provided.

Environment

  • Inclusion of sustainability initiatives such as:
    • Light coloured reflective roofing and façade materials
    • Energy efficient lighting and electrical transformers
    • Low flow plumbing fixtures
    • Low-emittance windows glass
    • Significant landscaped areas for increased permeability

 

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

All requirements of the Town and external agencies have been reflected in the preparation of this report and conditions of approval.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

Staff are satisfied with the proposed site plan and elevations and recommend that they be endorsed in principle subject to matters outlined in this report and conditions attached in Appendix ‘A’.

 

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

 

 

ATTACHMENTS:

Figure 1 – Location Map

Figure 2 – Area Context and Zoning

Figure 3 – Air Photo

Figure 4 – Proposed Site Plan

Figure 5 – Proposed Elevations

 

Appendix ‘A’ – Recommended Site Plan Conditions

Appendix ‘B’ – Letter from applicant outlining proposed sustainability initiatives

 

 

AGENT:                   Takvor Hopyan

                                  Takvor Hopyan Architect

                                  20 Pineway Boulevard

                                  Toronto, ON  M2H 1A1

                                  Telephone:  416-222-2639  Fax:  416-222-2835

                                  Email:  thopyan@sympatico.ca

 

File path:        Amanda\File 09 113817\Documents\RECOMMENDATION Report