Report to: Development
Services Committee Report
Date:
SUBJECT: PRELIMINARY
REPORT
Jade-Kennedy Development Corporation (
East side of
Applications for Official
Plan Amendment and rezoning to permit an increase to the height and unit count
of a proposed apartment building
File
Nos. OP 09 129423 and ZA 09 129424
PREPARED BY: Scott Heaslip, Senior Project Coordinator, Central District
RECOMMENDATION:
1) That the staff report entitled “PRELIMINARY REPORT, Jade-Kennedy Development Corporation (South Unionville Square), East side of Kennedy Road between South Unionville Avenue and Castan Avenue, Applications for Official Plan Amendment and rezoning to permit an increase to the height and unit count of a proposed apartment building,” be received.
2) That a Public Meeting be scheduled for the applications.
3) That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to
provide preliminary information regarding applications to amend the Town’s
Official Plan and zoning by-laws and to seek authorization to hold a statutory
Public Meeting. This report contains
preliminary general information regarding applicable Official Plan or other
policies as well as other issues, and should not be taken as Staff’s opinion or
recommendation on the applications.
BACKGROUND:
Subject Property and Area Context (Figures 1 and 2)
The subject property has an area
of 2.7 ha (6.7 acres) and is located on the east side of
To the north across
Current Approvals
On
- a total of approximately 21,300 m2 (229,000 ft2) of commercial use, including a food store (proposed tenant is a T and T supermarket)
- 28
three-storey townhouses facing onto the new local road (
- a
8-storey, +/- 200 unit apartment building focused on the intersection of
On May 5, 2009 Development Services Committee approved a site specific zoning by-law amendment to zone the site “Community Amenity Area One” in accordance with the site specific Official Plan Amendment, and endorsed the site plan application for the commercial and townhouse components (Phase 1). The apartment building is to be a second phase and was not included in the site plan application.
As a condition of site plan
approval, the applicant is required to enter into a development agreement with
the Town to secure construction of external infrastructure including
The zoning includes two holding provisions – the first to prohibit any construction until the required external infrastructure is secured and the site plan agreement has been executed, and the second to prohibit construction of the apartment building until servicing allocation has been assigned and the required site plan agreement has been executed. There is an allocation available from the 2011 distribution for the approved 200 unit apartment however no additional allocation is currently available for the additional units proposed.
As of the date this report was finalized the status of the approvals is as follows:
- The development agreement securing the external infrastructure has been executed and the infrastructure has been partially installed.
- The site plan agreement is being finalized.
- The applicant has applied for a Conditional Building Permit for the underground parking garage.
- Excavation and other site work is under way.
Proposal
The applicant has applied to amend the Town’s Official Plan and zoning by-laws to increase the height of the apartment building from 8 to 12 storeys with a corresponding increase to the unit count from +/- 200 units to +/- 292 units.
The site plan and conceptual building elevations are attached as Figures 4 and 5. The applicant has not applied for site plan approval for the apartment building.
The applicant has confirmed that the apartment building will be LEED Silver certified.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
The current permission for an 8 storey, +/-
200 unit apartment building was the outcome of an extensive consultation
process in 2007/08 with the residents of the South Unionville community. This consultation process was instrumental in
gaining community support for the 8 storey height and additional density
contained in the approved site specific Official Plan Amendment and zoning
by-law.
Poten
Since adoption of the Official
Plan Amendment and zoning by-law, the Town’s growth management exercise has
progressed and has confirmed and reinforced the overall direction to focus growth
on regional centres, key development areas and transit corridors. In this emerging policy context, the subject
property, which is located along a transit corridor adjacent to a regional
centre (Markham Centre), is served by VIVA and YRT, and is within walking
distance of the Unionville Go Train station, could poten
Issues to be
addressed
From a preliminary review Town design staff note that the proposed floorplate of the apartment building above the original 8-storey base/podium is larger than recommended by the Town’s Built Form Massing and Height Study. Staff will further review the design details with the applicant.
Staff will also further review the
overall design of this development, and the location of the apartment building to
ensure any poten
The subject applications have been circulated to Town departments and public agencies, including York Region Transportation and Works, for technical review. Issues including traffic impact, parking, open space requirements, parkland dedication, etc. are part of the technical review and will be addressed in future staff report(s) on the applications.
The applicant’s request represents
an approximate 50% increase to the building height and unit count. In the circumstances, it would be appropriate
for consideration to be given to a poten
Staff recommend that a public meeting be
scheduled to obtain public comments.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
Not applicable at this time.
HUMAN RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS
Not applicable at this time.
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
The proposed development would support a number of the Town’s “Building Markham’s Future Together” strategic initiatives, including Environment (LEED certification), Transportation and Transit (transit oriented development), and Growth Management (intensification, mixed-use)
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The applications have been circulated to Town departments and public agencies for comment, which will be addressed in detail in the recommendation report.
RECOMMENDED BY:
___________________________ ________________________
Biju Karumanchery, R.P.P., MCIP James Baird, R.P.P., MCIP
Senior Development Manager Commissioner of Development Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1 - Property Location Map
Figure 2 - Air Photo
Figure 3 – Area Context/Zoning
Figure 4 - Site Plan
Figure 5 - Conceptual Building
Elevations
Applicant: Harold R. Kersey, MCIP, RPP
Vice-President,
Mady Development
Corporation
Tel: 905-944-0907
ext. 116
email: hkersey@madycorp.com
File path: Amanda\File 09 129423\Documents\Preliminary Report